SIX SENSES FIJI

FEW RESORT BRANDS MIX exotic escapism with sensitive local design quite like Six Senses, and the Bangkok-based hotel group’s months-old Fiji outpost is no exception. For starters, it’s entirely powered by one of the largest solar microgrids in the South Pacific. It also has its own reverse osmosis plant and water refinery, as well as a farm for vegetables, fruits, herbs, and a pet pig named Sid. The eco-credentials extend to 24 one- and two-bedroom pool villas that incorporate sustainable local materials—pandanus-thatch roofing, grass cloth for wallpaper—in their pared-down but luxurious design. Part of an upcoming residential development on the west coast of Malolo Island—a 35-minute speedboat ride from the mainland—the resort is laid out like an ideal Fijian village with three dining venues and a spa where guests can mix their own body scrubs or embark on sleep, fitness, and yoga programs. At the beachfront Tovolea restaurant, chef Pranil Prasad makes good use of foraged ingredients like otta fern heads, while mixologists at the adjacent bar create “living” cocktails with homemade tonics and probiotics. Oh, and the snorkeling and diving is fantastic too, as is the surfing. For novice wave riders, a TropicSurf academy is on hand to teach you the ropes. —679/666-5028; sixsenses.com; doubles from US$935