It was the perfect location to have a break.
The fact of renting the whole property was an absolute winner. No one living above, beside or below us provided absolute privacy.
The large tree'd and landscaped property has 2 separate sleeping dwellings with their own bathrooms., The other building down by the pool on the waterfront is a kitchen/dining/lounging area.
All the buildings are built in the traditional Vanuatu fashion which was incredibly well done. The whole property was well appointed and comfortable with everything one needed to have a relaxing enjoyable tropical holiday.
We spent our time reading, lounging by the pool on the waterfront watching dolphins, incredible sunsets and even the occasional turtles. We kayaking up and down the coast and snorkeled from the front yard. Hours were spent gazing at the wonderful underwater coral gardens and watching the amazing quantities of different sized and breeds of fish right below the pool which was a treat.
The "Nimo" family that greeted us each time we got in and out of the water was a constant fascination for us.
Whether it is a couple, family or friends travelling together, the Sanddollar is definitely a place to be put on the "bucket list".
We will return.
Our thanks to the owners as they have certainly "got it right"
It's a winner!

Sanddollar is very peaceful, relaxed, beautiful well maintained grounds and very comfortable accommodation. Kitchen/living area great for cooking and lounging around. Great to be able to snorkel straight out front and enjoyed taking the kayaks out too. Simon, Theresa and family were lovely, easy going and were there if we needed any help or information.
We chose not to hire a vehicle for the majority of our 5 days there. We stocked up on arrival with groceries and then got taxi in and out a couple of times. It's a fair distance to town (40mins roughly), so if you plan to go in and out a bit probably makes more sense to hire a car both cost and convenience wise.
The information on sanddollar website is excellent so take a look before you go. Just one thing, there are 3 Bon Marche supermarkets.....we ended up going to the one next to the market and didn't find deli counter and French cheeses (!)....we later learnt that these more exotic goods were stocked at one of the other ones! But for fantastic fruit and veg...the market is the place to go. Food prices on a par with NZ.

Sanddollar was stunning. The gardens are beautifully maintained and you can pick your own paw paw, lemons, limes, bananas and coconuts when in season.
The kitchen has everything you need and even doing the dishes isnt too bad with the amazing view to look at.
The reef directly at the front of the property is great for snorkelling, lots of fish and coral to look at.
The king size bed was really comfy and there were also 2 day beds to relax on (or use as beds to 2 others) . The 2nd fare was identical, just set slightly back.
I would recommend arriving during the week or on saturday morning because of the shopping. The main fruit and veg market is closed on sunday and you cannot buy alcohol after 12pm sat - monday morning. It would be best to do your shopping on the way from the airport as town is about 30 mins away from the property and the road is mostly unsealed, so the less trips you need to make, the better.
Loved this place. Cant wait to go back.

So relaxing we stayed for two weeks . Had a wonderful time meeting Nemo and other cast members in the coral reef at bottom of garden. Simon and he's family were lovely though while we were there one of their children got very sick and was in hospital . Luckily he got better ! A very peaceful place that helps you re discover yourself ! If you are using telecom NZ you will need a visitor SIM card from Smile Vanuatu as you will only get coverage from Digicel in Port villa and half way up the road to Sanddollar , We found hiring a car from budget better than the local taxis as it's a lot cheaper if you intend to travel about . We loved the cheesecake at The War Horse in Port Villa plus their food in General was a good price and tasted great !

What a great place to relax and unwind! We stayed 10 days over Christmas, just my husband and 2 year old daughter.

We hired a sedan and although everyone said get a 4WD, we couldnt afford it and I expected that the road would be much worse than what it actually was, but we had no hassles. Yes it was bumpy but I guess with rain the potholes could cause a major problem.

The sleeping house was lovely and breezy and kept nice and clean. We loved the 'open' aspect although the only downside was it did let in every bug and their extended families! Going back up to the dark room at night was a bit interesting to find 1 or 2 huntsmen's waiting in the dark for you! You got used to it though - just watch out in the shower before you jump in! Luckily they have mossie nets so you can sleep in peace but be sure to take repellent with you during the day we all got eaten alive!
We used the kayaks daily and my hubby went over the other side of the bay to fish. He is a keen spear fisherman and sadly the area is severely overfished by the locals (but understandable as its their main source of food to feed their families). On every property they netted day and night although I didnt really see them come in with a huge haul.
We have traveled all over the world and never seen such skittish and a scarce amount of fish ever :-(
Still lots of small fish to see but nothing you could eat - but over the other side is a very different story if you can be bothered with the paddle.
We went into twon nearly every other day to shop for supplies but over Christmas happily stayed put for 3 days and had no desire to leave the property it was just so relaxing.
Simon and his local family are beautiful people too, my daughter loved playing with his 4 children and my hubby spent hours talking about fishing with him. They really are such a happy and extremely friendly race, even in town they let you go first and always stop to let you cross the road.

The only downside was that we had 3 bottles of wine stolen and 2 bottles of beer out of the fridge and cupboards one night. The first time anything like that has happened apparently (we just must be extremely unlucky :-( ) The next night my daughters crackers went missing - random I know.....but not a big deal.

I would recommend this property to any type of traveller who wanted to get away from the busy hub and just relax and listen to the sound of the ocean at night and read a good book by the pool.
One other thing that would go hand in hand with this vision is a hammock or sun loungers to laze by the pool! There are chairs but it isnt hard to feel like you could drift off to sleep in the blissful surroundings.

We stayed here for 10 days with my children (aged 8) and husband and my parents. The accommodation was exactly as we pictured (beautiful) it with enough space for all of us and privacy. It was very family friendly and the family who look after the property were really wonderful with us and our children. We had a very sick child (major ear infection that was brewing before we arrived) while we were there and Simon who manages the property came into town with us and showed us where the private doctors surgery was and stayed with us making sure were were looked after. The trip in and out with him was fantastic as he chatted about life on the Island and answered all our many many questions :-) The grounds are stunning, snorkeling fantastic and the pool clean and refreshing. It was a great place to hang out and relax in. Highly recommend.