DOLPHIN ISLAND

THE ONE WHERE YOU’LL HAVE THE PLACE TO YOURSELF: 163

After a winding two-and-a-half hour drive north-east from Nadi Airport, on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, a boat awaits to whisk you 20 minutes further in the same direction to Dolphin Island. What you’ll find there feels as secluded as the pilgrimage would suggest – a private paradise you’ll share with no one but the staff because the super-luxe resort only allows for one party at any given time. From the moment manager Dawn Simpson and her army of acutely attentive employees welcome you “home” and slip a welcome cocktail into your hand, you’ll be ruined for all future holidays, their no-detail-missed level of care hard to come back from. If, over breakfast, you mention your plans to go for an ocean dip, don’t be surprised to arrive at the shore to find some goggles, flippers and an esky full of drinks. Dinner is whatever you feel like – no, really – and so, at the hands of Dawn and her team, a craving for seafood can quickly snowball into a spread complete with freshlycaught mudcrab, lobster and fish. There’s diving and kayaking on offer, but if your idea of holiday bliss doesn’t extend far past a sun lounger (or a seaweed wrap at the spa), you’re in the right place. New Zealand-born interior designer Virginia Fisher, who’s also behind royal favourite Huka Lodge in NZ’S Taupo, has ensured being room-bound is as much of a joy as the rest of the island’s 14 acres. We suggest locking the doors from the inside when Dawn politely announces it’s time for you to leave.

dolphinislandfiji.com