SHOPS
The town centre has an eclectic selection of shops, bars and restaurants.  All of the national shops are in the town centre of Colchester as you would expect but there are also smaller family shops and stores. Just outside the town are large supermarkets which include Asda and Tesco together with the large DIY stores including B & Q.

SCHOOLS
There are a number of nurseries and playgroups in the area.  The town can boast several top-flight schools and a nationally acclaimed Sixth Form College.   The town is also host to the University of Essex and to the Regional College of Anglia Polytechnic University.    

TRANSPORT
Tamarinds is just a two minute walk via a pedestrian pathway to North Station, regular trains for London Liverpool Street take approximately 50 minutes and the local buses also provide an excellent service to various parts of town and the surrounding areas. Colchester is centrally located within the County and has good rail and road links both southwards towards Chelmsford, Brentwood and London and northwards towards Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds and onwards to Cambridge and the Midlands.   The M11 and Stansted airport (approx. 45 minutes) are easily accessible via the new A120. A series of roads, cycleways and footpaths and good bus links give access to the surrounding areas and the town.

LEISURE
Colchester offers an abundance of leisure facilities including pub's, restaurants and nightclubs.   Leisure centres are close to Tamarinds, including Leisure World which is a large sports centre with a swimming pool and ten pin bowling.   A multi-screen cinema can be found in the town centre, whilst the surrounding areas offer Golf, Cricket and Rugby clubs.   The coast at West Mersea and Rowhedge are within a 20 minute drive.   During summer months the Castle and Gardens, with its boating lake and bandstand, hosts concerts.