Sands Villas

We booked the Coral & Vaka Villas to accommodate a multi -generation family group including 4 children aged 5 years and under. The villas were full sized houses - both 3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms. The Vaka Villa is bigger and sits a little bit further back from the beach. The Coral Villa has a beach front deck with glorious views out to the lagoon where we sat and watched the whales out beyond the reef. The beach in front of the villas is absolutely perfect for little ones with soft sand underfoot and not too many black rock formations to avoid. The water is crystal clear and was calm for all 5 days we were there. We used the kayaks and snorkeling gear provided. There is plenty of it in various sizes including children's life jackets. There are also reef shoes available. No need to take your own. There are plenty of books, games, etc in the Coral Villa to keep you amused if a rainy day sets in. The Villas are a short stroll to the popular "Charlies" cafe and the Little Polynesian - excellent eating spots. The Maire Nui Gardens are a superb spot too for food focused on fresh produce and the best cheesecake I've ever tasted. We also attended the local church just down the road on Sunday morning to hear the beautiful singing. Hosts Rongo & Peter were responsive to any issues with Rongo providing us some exquisite ei & Lei made from gardenias to help celebrate a special occasion. It was the holiday of a lifetime with magical memories made.

A wonderful location on white sand with turquoise water and good snorkelling at your feet. Very good facilities for self catering in this idyllic spot. Easy beach walking in either direction, and set back from the road, so very quiet with empty sections either side.

Excellent location, spacious villa and close to eateries and shops. The villa is right in front of the lagoon. Breath taking location. Very clean Villa. Owner was excellent, always checked on our family and very helpful. Very tidy villa provided.

Unfortunately, the pictures on the website for this unit are a bit deceiving, other than the fabulous location. The kitchen was well stocked and the bathrooms had newer cabinets and sinks but the unit is quite old and not well cared for. The air conditioner didn't work in the master upon arrival, eventually came on but was out the last two days of the trip and it was incredibly hot in the villa as there is no air in the main living area and only one small ceiling fan. Unfortunately the unit apparently had not been fumigated in a while and there were a lot, I mean a lot of really big cockroaches (we know there are bugs in tropical places, that's why fumigation is necessary). After a phone call, it was sprayed the day after our arrival so we dealt with dead and dying roaches each morning. A few days into the trip there was no water which was eventually restored after another call. The wicker furniture had balls of debris and hair caught in the bottom and there were dead bugs under the beds, they'd been there for a while. We were so disappointed after planning for a year for this trip. We would have moved to a different location if we could have found other accommodations and been assured of a refund. We didn't expect luxury, we've stayed at rustic places and we knew it was a small island but a well cared for and clean environment was absolutely expected, especially for the cost. The other 2 villas are much nicer for the same price.

This was our second time to stay at the Vaka Villa at the Sands. We’ve also stayed at the Coral Villa. We arrived late in the evening and the lovely manager, Ronga, was there to help us settle in. She continued to be a wonderful and helpful presence during our stay. Location, location! Our multi generational group included a 6 year old granddaughter so the beautiful shaded outdoor deck with its two steps to the beach was perfect. The kitchen was outfitted for making fresh fruit smoothies, French press coffee, and bbqing dinner to eat at the 6 person deck table. The location is close to restaurants etc. at Muri Beach and great grocery shopping at Wigmore’s (passion fruit ice cream cones too!). The property managers reply to emails promptly. We reported a door that needed repairs and it was fixed the next day. This tropical paradise home is perfect for making great memories three couples to share or extended family.

We stayed at the Coral Villa for 8 days with our daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandsons aged 4 1/2 and 5 months. We had an amazing holiday although the first 4 days were quite windy but very warm. “Our holiday home” was a perfect home away from home. You could just walk in and feel at home. It is spacious, clean, modern and had good ventilation, fans, aircon and screened windows that could be left open. It was fully self sufficient, including full size fridge, all the basic kitchen appliances and cooking utensils you might need for self catering and a good washing machine. A cot was supplied for our baby. The Villa had a good TV we utilised at various times to encourage some rest and down time for the young ones with kiddy programmes. Being only 3 or 4 metres from the edge of the lagoon meant that we did not feel excluded or disconnected whilst supervising the sleeping infant. It meant the rest of the family could go swimming, snorkelling or kayaking while we could relax and watch from the deck. It was fun discovering hermit crabs, various shells and different pieces of coral that kept our 4 year old busy for hours, all this on our doorstep. We didn’t mind sharing the home with a few geckos that kept us entertained and were fascinating to watch. Staff were very friendly and attentive to our needs. We will be going back to stay again.