UNDER THE FIJIAN SUN
As the Fiji resort scene continues to evolve, we’re walking you through the islands’ hottest properties for every taste and budget.
As the Fiji resort scene continues to evolve, we’re walking you through the islands’ hottest properties for every taste and budget.
With its extraordinary coral reefs, retina-searing blue lagoons, palm-shaded beaches and laid-back island vibe, Fiji and resort holidays go together like sand and sea. And while hot new properties have surfaced, old favourites have also been upgraded following stylish makeovers. As the Fiji resort scene continues to evolve, we’re walking you through the islands’ hottest properties for every taste and budget.
Viti Levu
Step off the plane into a world of relaxation at Denarau Island’s idyllic five-star Radisson Blu Resort Fiji. Plush waterfront rooms and suites feature private balconies or patios overlooking the resort’s tropical gardens, lagoon swimming pools and 18-hole golf course. Laze by one of the resort’s four climate-controlled lagoon swimming pools and Fiji’s only whitewater tunnel slide, enjoy one of the six unique restaurants, which include in-pool dining, get active kayaking, paddle boarding, jet skiing and parasailing, or work on your golf handicap. If you’d rather rejuvenate and restore, head to the day spa for a massage while the kids enjoy the kids’ club facilities.
Nestled on the pristine coastline of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, Nanuku Auberge Resort Fiji is a sophisticated resort where luxury, culture and adventure meet. Whether you’re seeking a honeymoon destination, a family break or an adventure packed holiday, this luxurious modern resort delivers. There are just 18 Fijian-style suites, villas and residences, each offering all the comforts of home together with highly personalised luxury services including butler and nanny services, a variety of adventure activities, a choice of restaurants and bars and a luxurious day spa along with unspoilt white sandy beaches, lush forest and an abundance of coral reefs ideal for snorkelling and diving. All this makes Nanuku the ultimate South Pacific paradise.
Located on the beautiful and picturesque Natadola
Bay on Fiji’s main island, InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, inspired by a traditional Fijian village, offers warm Fijian hospitality and something for everyone. The luxurious resort has an 18-hole championship golf course with greens overlooking the ocean, three swimming pools, kids club, and plenty of exciting culinary experiences. Enjoy nonmotorised watersports, snorkel the palm fringed white sand beach, dive or snorkel among brilliant coral or just relax in the pool. If it is pampering and rejuvenation you seek, the sophisticated Spa InterContinental offers signature treatments with a Fijian twist.
The Warwick Fiji Resort & Spa is a great choice for an unforgettable holiday experience. Located on a stretch of brilliant gold sand beach with crystal clear lagoons on Viti Levu’s famed Coral Coast, and nestled among acres of lush tropical gardens, the Warwick Fiji provides a rich palette of tropical and culturally rewarding Fijian holiday experiences to suit every occasion – whether romance, relaxation or family fun. With five restaurants and seven bars, water sports, rejuvenating spa treatments and more, from dawn’s first blush to the tangerine streaks of the Coral Coast sunsets, each day at Warwick is awash with endless possibilities.
An exclusive, adults-only, all-inclusive sanctuary located on its own secluded island in Fiji’s spectacular Beqa Lagoon, off the southern coast of Viti Levu, Royal Davui Island Resort promises a level of luxury and privacy not found in Fiji’s larger resorts. With just 16 villas, including two stunningly refurbished Villa Pool Suites that will be making their debut in August, each boasting private plunge pools. Divers will find a pristine underwater playground just 30-minutes away by boat. Active travellers can also enjoy the use of the island’s catamarans and paddleboards, or sea kayak to the island’s fringing coral reef. And those with their heart set on romance can indulge in a champagne breakfast on a deserted sand bar, a leisurely lunch under an ancient banyan tree, a couples treatment at the spa or a laid-back private beach picnic.
Just 20 minutes from the Nadi International airport on Denarau, the superb Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa awaits.
The luxe beachfront resort is a paradise of sun, sea and sand, with private beaches and seven swimming pools including an infinity pool and an adults only pool. The plush accommodation offers floor-to-ceiling windows and patio doors, perfect for soaking up the water views. Take advantage of the resort’s stunning waterfront location with jet skiing, fishing and water skiing, and the endless kids’ activities, or
indulge in a massage by the sea or choose from an array of treatments at the award-winning concept spa.
Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort is a five-star retreat on the picturesque Coral Coast, just one hour from Nadi airport, where a relaxed and gracious welcome awaits in an exquisite seaside setting reminiscent of a Fijian village. Set among forty acres of exotic gardens on a stunning beachfront, guests can enjoy the services of signature VIP Talai butlers in their traditional bure bungalows, and for families, the Meimei nanny service. Extensive on-site facilities include an enormous freshwater swimming pool, one of the biggest in the Pacific, plus the award-winning Bebe Day Spa, a huge range of water sport activities, free kids club, Fijian cultural activities, entertainment, and a daily kava ceremony.
A warm Fijian welcome awaits on Yanuca Island’s luxurious Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort and Spa. Situated on its own private 44-hectare island, it is conveniently connected to the main island by a causeway. A dream-like refuge of serenity, privacy, and luxurious comfort, the Shangri-La Fiji Resort offers guests access to a pristine blue lagoon teeming with coral and sea life, white sand beaches and panoramic ocean views. Activities at the resort include jet skiing, kayaking and snorkelling and the incredible Shangri-La Marine Education Centre – a collaborative project with the community – where you can get up close and personal with the reef. A kids’ club and separate children’s pool make the resort ideal for families, while its sublime Chi Spa is an ideal retreat for adults seeking solitude and relaxation.
Mamanuca Islands
Located in Fiji’s Mamanuca Island group and easily accessible from Nadi International Airport, Castaway Island is the Fiji of postcard perfection, a pristine island paradise fringed by white sand beaches, colourful coral reefs and startlingly blue waters. Castaway is renowned for its thatched bure Fiji accommodation, exceptional service, award-winning dining and water activities. Paddle in the warm waters, take a dip in the swimming pool or enjoy the Fijian massage service.
Or if you’re more the adventurous type try scuba diving, snorkelling, water skiing or parasailing.
A luxury private island paradise of bone white sands, fish-filled coral reefs, and hammocks strung between coconut palms, five-star Vomo is so dreamy that it boasts a somebodypinch-me vibe. With only 28 villas and four ultra-luxe private residences, each having just under gone sleek and stylish refurbishment, you’ll have the island almost to yourself.
With creative dining options, the superb Senikai Spa, and a wide range of activities including golf, paddle boarding and extraordinary diving and snorkelling off two spectacular private islands, Vomo has become a firm favourite with both discerning couples and families. But Vomo Island’s most captivating feature is its Hawksbill Turtle Protection Program that sees hundreds of turtles hatched and cared for on the island until they are old enough to be released into the ocean.
Located in the Mamanuca archipelago and surrounded by golden coral sand beaches, azure seas and fringing reef, Malolo Island Resort is the way the world should be. A long-time favourite with couples and families, Malolo Island offers quintessential Fijian hospitality and an extensive range of activities and facilities including snorkelling, windsurfing, paddle skis, scuba diving, island hopping and village tours, fishing and more. Guests can enjoy the indulgent spa, two swimming pools, gourmet dining, a fantastic free kids club for four to 12-year-olds, plus a Teenage Retreat. The resort also employs an environmental specialist to minimise the resort’s impact on the extraordinary nature that surrounds it, and also improve and enhance the environment with a range of activities, programs and initiatives.
Romantic, adults-only Likuliku Lagoon Resort is one of
Fiji’s most unique luxury escapes. The only resort in Fiji with over water bures, each suspended over the lagoon’s stunning reef edge, seduces visitors with its incredible location in the glorious Mamanuca Island group and breathtaking vistas.
The luxe resort is designed in the manner of an ancient village, built in traditional style with a stylish mix of natural materials and modern comforts. Guests can laze in the horizon-edge pool, soak in one of the mini-Jacuzzis, indulge at the Tatadra spa, dine on exquisite cuisine, submerse themselves in magical snorkelling sessions, take to the jungle walks, enjoy a spot of island-hopping or just kick back and enjoy the sublime Fijian sunsets.
Kadavu Island
Fiji’s newest and most exclusive private island resort, Kokomo Private Island is a place to get lost when you don’t want to be found. An ultra luxurious retreat for families, couples, and lovers of authentic barefoot experiences, Kokomo provides an intimate hideaway with pearl-white sand, unspoilt coral reef with just 21 opulent beach villas and four hilltop residences, each featuring a lounge, bar, private deck and individual infinity pools. Spend your days beneath the sea exploring a treasure chest of kaleidoscopic coral and marine life with Kokomo’s own PADI 5-star Dive Centre, playing above the water on paddleboards, fishing boats, kayaks, wakeboards and water-skis, being pampered with relaxing and therapeutic spa treatments or indulging in world class gourmet cuisine by the sea.
Vanua Levu
A boutique adults only property located on a privately owned island in the lush tropical northern part of the Fiji Islands, Matangi Private Island Resort boasts virgin tropical rainforest and white sand beaches surrounded by pristine coral reefs with a huge diversity of marine life. Each of the traditional yet luxurious Fijian-style bures features airconditioning, a unique outdoor stone shower and large sitting area. Take to the ocean at renowned scuba sites including the Great White Wall and Noel’s Wall, explore the island’s famous Tavoro Falls or just laze on a day bed by the lagoon pool and enjoy a well deserved pampering at the spa.
An intimate adults-only resort designed for those seeking an authentic Fijian break without sacrificing the finer things, Qamea Resort & Spa is nestled between lush tropical jungle and white sand beaches in Fiji’s northern islands. With just seventeen luxuriously appointed traditional Fijian style thatched-roof bures and beachfront villas, this intimate adults-only resort welcomes only a limited number of guests at a time to ensure complete privacy and serenity. The reef located off the resort has been named one of one of the top ten resort snorkelling reefs in the world and dive trips are operated to world-class diving sites just ten minutes away. Those who prefer their water sports above the waves might prefer Qamea’s great surf spots or the wide range of outdoor activities ranging from stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking and surfing.
A warm welcome of melodious Fijian song and fresh flower wreaths sets the tone for a stay at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort Fiji. Located on 17 lush acres of a former coconut plantation, Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort Fiji is surrounded
by a marine sanctuary abundant with exotic marine life, the opportunity to take part in water-based activities with the full-time marine biologist employed by the resort is one of its biggest drawcards. Renowned the world over for its dedicated dive centre – directed by the son of scuba-pioneer Jacques Cousteau. Other activities include sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, deep-sea fishing, private picnics on the resorts private islet and indulgent pampering at the beachside day spa. Families are not forgotten with a kids club and a dedicated nanny service.
Fiji by Sea
If you’d prefer something a little more intimate, one of the most idyllic ways to explore Fiji’s outer islands is by small ship.
Blue Lagoon Cruises’ Fiji Princess accommodates just 68 passengers and sails to some of the most picturesque parts of the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands and caters to all ages, from honeymooners to families and active seniors. The all-inclusive itineraries mean all excursions, activities, meals and entertainment are covered leaving you to enjoy remote island village visits, island feasts, swimming with manta rays, lazing on sandy palm-fringed beaches or swimming, snorkelling and diving in Fiji’s crystal clear waters.
Cruise around the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands on
Captain Cook Cruises’ Reef Endeavour to see some of the most beautiful sights that Fiji has to offer. Close interaction between passengers and staff, along with traditional Fijian singing and dancing, offers cruisers an immersive insight into Fijian culture. Enjoy sublime cuisine and plenty of on board activities while cruising the cobalt seas to deserted white sand beaches, traditional villages, spectacular lagoons and magical coral reefs filled with colourful marine life. •
Photography by various establishments.