Fijians provide the warmth that makes their islands truly divine
If Fiji was nothing more than sand and sea, palm leaves and flowers, it wouldn’t matter which beach resort in this South Pacific island country you visited. But each destination in this 333-island nation promises a unique experience. What’s the secret? It’s the Fijians themselves, proud to be Fijian and proud to show you their country. Sau Bay Fiji Retreat (saubay.com), on Vanua Levu, the second largest Fiji island, was the first stop on my most recent trip there. Still jet-lagged, I was sitting on the deck of the lodge, gazing over the bay, when the bushes below me suddenly stirred and two hands and a pair of clippers appeared, followed by a head.
Then the head looked up, saw my feet and asked me what I thought of the umbrella-like trees towering over the lodge. This was my introduction to the owner, Nigel Douglas, a Scotsman by ancestry and a fifth-generation Fijian.
“These are rain trees,” he said, patting a gnarled trunk. “I took one look and I knew this was the place for me. You don’t often see them so close to the shore — saltwater, you know — but they’re thriving. And look at these tiny white flowers. These bushes are rare, but native.” He paused, scanning the hillside. “This was bare when we bought it.” Since the spot is hidden, I asked Douglas how he found it. “Fiji is home,” he said. “I’ve been to most of these islands, dived every reef.”
Sau Bay’s four ocean-view bures (pronounced BOOR-ays, they’re cottages) are each equipped with big beds, mosquito netting, private baths, coffee makers, a cookie jar and air conditioning.
The Douglases, Nigel and his wife Carol, know how to make travelers feel at home. On most mornings Carol worked at her desk while divemaster Nigel suited up to guide the resort’s six other guests to Rainbow Reef and the Great White Wall, 10 minutes away by dive boat.