Travel

Talk

For most travellers and holiday-makers, the busy tourist hotel is the answer to everything. But for a jew who like peace, complete freedom of movement and reasonable isolation from fellow humans, the hotel will fill the bill for no more than a few days.

UNFORTUNATELY, in the South Seas, the dream of a little grass shack under the palms that is so fas cinating from the distance of San Francisco or Sydney, often in reality turns out to be so infernally uncom fortable that any desire to return closer to nature quickly withers and dies.

One of the best compromises we have seen in the South Pacific Islands is a small establishment near Siga toka, Fiji. Locally referred to as “Bill Baxter’s cottages”, officially it is called Sandy Point, and it is owned and maintained by Mr. and Mrs. W.

W. Baxter.

There are three cottages which ac commodate three; and one larger family unit that has an extra bedroom with two, double-decker bunks. The cottages are solidly built and inside they sparkle with new paint, good

taste, bright colours and efficient maintenance.

The smaller cottages have a twin bedroom opening into a large bath room-dressing room. There is a big sitting-room separated from the kit chenette by a breakfast-bar and the unit is completed by a shady veran dah along the front and a car-port at the side. There is a divan in the sitting-room—providing sleeping ac commodation for the third person, if required. These units are thus suitable for a couple, a couple and a child, or three adults who are sufficiently well

adjusted not to get in one an other’s hair.

The large family unit is basically similar, plus the four bunk bedroom.

The cottages are set in natural bush and coconut trees with a green lawn in front running down to the yellow sand beach. Each cottage has its own outside barbeque, and the off-shore reef shelters the beach and provides safe bathing and excellent fishing.

There is a continuous electricity and hot and cold water supply. Each cottage is equipped with electric stove, refrigerator, linen and crockery.

A maid comes each morning to sweep, clean and wash the break fast dishes and, if you wish, the proprietors will have provisions pur chased for you and delivered to the cottage.

Sandy Point is four miles on the Suva side of the township of Siga toka (on what might be regarded as Fiji’s “sunshine coast”) and on the main bus route between Lautoka, Nadi and Suva.

Rental is approximately £F22 per

week for two people; if there is i third, an extra £F3 per week i charged.

The sort of holiday that Sand Point provides is strictly for th minority who can get sufficient entei tainment out of loafing, readinj hiking, swimming, fishing and beac barbeques to make it worthwhile.

People who get their stimuli from crowds, would do better to gi\ it a miss and stick to a hotel.

Address for correspondence; W. V Baxter, Sandy Point, Sigatoka, Fij American Tour Plans For P-NG It could be that whether Papu New Guinea is willing or not, ( whether ready or not, it might wal up some day to find itself with tourist industry.

At least two American West Co£ travel agents are planning to sei tourist parties through the Territo this year.

One is Mr. James Walton, of / World Tours of San Diego, Ca fornia, who spent some time in t Territory last year and is enthusias about it. He already has some diet on the way on extended tours tl include P-NG in their itinerary. 1 also has available a 56-days air to in connection with Qantas, TEA TAA and Ansett, that takes cliei

from the 1 West Coast do l through Hono lu, Fiji, N Zealand a Australia and turns th( through Papi

New Guinea (where a week is spei to Hongkong, Tokyo and back to 1 US. (The 56 days includes a wee tour in the US and this part of i tour is optional.) The inclusive c of the whole 56 days’ tour is S2,S (£A1,320).

Mr. Walton says that he is go ahead with a plan for setting up agency in Port Moresby “regardles And he is still interested in build a tourist hotel there.

Another US travel man interes in P-NG tourism is Mr. Bert He phill, who also was in the Territ last year. His first tour to inch P-NG will leave the US about middle of this year. The Hemp agency has, in the past, been insl mental in routing many tour through Africa. But the current p tical problems in Africa have mad' unacceptable to many Americt This could be P-NG’s opportunity fill that tourist gap.

Mr. James Walton, an American who wants to do something for the P-NG tourist industry. —Papuan Prints