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Absolute beachfront properties like this in the White Sands area are available for holiday rental through TamourĂŠe Villas. Enjoy total privacy and the convenience of live-in staff in your personal resort.

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ACCOMMODATION

Seclusion, space and serenity

PICTURES: Craig Osment

Villa and apartment rental is booming in Vanuatu, for both investors and holidaymakers. Check out your options.

Rental apartments and holiday villas have long been a part of the European landscape and now Vanuatu – well, mostly the main island of Efaté – offers a wide choice. Private holiday homes, bungalows and apartments which are used part-time, often by expatriates, cater to the more sophisticated holidaymaker seeking the indulgence of complete privacy.

Many of the properties stand on large plots of beachfront land or enjoy panoramic elevated views. Most are serviced by either live-in staff or daily help from outside and come with fully equipped kitchens, laundries and linen, plus many have pools and direct private beach access or ocean pools.

The advantages As well as privacy and the exclusive use of facilities, you get to live like a local. You’ll discover the pleasure of shopping at the harbour-side market, stocking up on exotic flowers

for next to nothing, buying mud crabs and lobsters, pineapples and pamplemousse. Then you can drop in to Au Bon Marché or Leader Price and buy French wine, local organic beef, and air-freighted cheeses and charcuterie. Invite your friends and enjoy being spoilt by a daily linen service and cleaning, provided by your own local staff.

Most villas offer an airport transfer service and, once in residence, you can catch a bus, hire a driver or taxi, or rent a car for your stay.

While there may not be a nightly turndown service, you won’t have the inconvenience of someone arriving to check the mini bar every time you down a Tusker or a Martini, or searching for a poolside sun lounge and sharing the water with strangers.

Instead, you can enjoy a memorable holiday with family and friends, all within the one private compound.

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Sarangkita is a different experience, this Balinese-inspired retreat offers two private suites within the compound as well as fine cuisine and a totally indulgent relaxing island lifestyle.

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PICTURE: Craig Osment

How to book As with most things these days, the Internet is always a good starting point and there are various specialist websites advertising holiday rentals.

Some offer direct contact with property owners, while others provide booking services via agencies that offer full-service advice on tourism activities, airport pick-ups and briefings on each villa. Try these for starters.

Tamourée Villas www.tamoureevillas.com Phone +678 24539 or mobile (678) 77 47 069; email tamoureevillas@vanuatu.com.vu This agency is run by one of Vanuatu’s most well-known and respected hospitality mavens, Geraldine Smelik.

Gerry represents an exclusive clutch of prime-position luxury villas on the White Sands beachfront at Narpow Point on the south-east coast of Efaté, only 18km from Port Vila Post Office.

All these properties are new and feature every luxury you’d expect from a house on its own private beach. All have live-in staff in separate premises, walled gardens with direct beach access and private pools. Some have beach farés for sunset drinks or dining on the sand. Sizes range from two to four bedrooms, with up to 650 square metres of floor space.

This location has the added advantage of being minutes from one the island’s best-known restaurants, Tamanu on the Beach. As well, Gerry can arrange transport to La Tentation, the family-owned restaurant on the harbour in Port Vila, for breakfast, coffee, lunch or dinner.

She is also an expert in wedding planning and catering.

Vanuatu Vacation Rental www.vanuatuvacationrental.com Phone (678) 77 67 077 This is another full-service business run by Port Vila residents, offering a range – there are 12 on the website at present – of good quality, independent accommodation throughout Efaté.

The site features comprehensive descriptions and photographs.

Sarangkita www.sarangkita.com Phone (678) 26 108 or mobile +678 77 51 793; email info@sarangkita.com For sophisticated and very personal holiday accommodation, this beachfront sanctuary represents the essence of cosmopolitan Vanuatu living. It is the personal compound of Christiana Kaluscha, a long-time resident. The well-travelled Christiana was for many years the chatelaine on board La Violante, one of Vanuatu’s most renowned charter yachts which hosted royalty, celebrities, passionate sailors, divers and sybarites on cruises throughout the South Pacific.

She now opens private suites in her gorgeous Balinese-inspired house to paying guests who can enjoy her fabulous food and share her knowledge of Vanuatu’s many islands, while relaxing in the spacious surrounds of the absolute beachfront buildings and landscaped grounds of Sarangkita. And, if you ask nicely, you can also participate in one of Christiana’s cooking courses while enjoying your Vanuatu vacation.

Vanuatu Executive Retreats www.vanuaturetreat.com Phone (678) 77 50 012 Stay in the lap of luxury in Casa de Mar, a four-bedroom property with its own white sand beach.

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