Rooms with a View
Elizabeth Markham sets off to uncover some of Fiji’s best resorts – and their views over coconut groves and turquoise lagoons.
When you’re lying in a hammock with a good book, a Pacific breeze rustling through the coconut trees and the sun glinting off an inviting blue lagoon, you know you’ve reached a mighty fine place. Even better, you don’t have to scavenge for crabs and build yourself a thatched hut like Robinson Crusoe on a castaway island. Not at all. It’s hard to budge from that hammock, but then again, a long cool cocktail, a pampering spa and a five-star room are only a short walk away. This is the good life by anyone’s reckoning, and Fiji supplies it in spades.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Fiji, you won’t find yourself short of delightful choices, with a whole swag of hotels and resorts keen to lure visitors. Most of the resorts provide either regular hotel-style rooms or bures modelled on local buildings with palm-thatch roofs. Then you’ll also find swimming pools, an array of restaurants and bars, and plenty of recreational facilities. Water and beach sports such as kayaking, canoeing, volleyball and the like are usually complimentary, while scuba-diving, parasailing or day excursions are provided at extra charge. Some of the best among the resorts also offer wedding and honeymoon packages, with romantically located wedding chapels for the most memorable holiday of all.
Denarau Island near Nadi, just a twenty-minute drive from the international airport, offers a whole congregation of resorts. Most of these are luxury international hotel chains, and many are quite new – the Radisson Resort Fiji was just opened in 2007, for example – or have been recently refurbished and upgraded, such as at the Sheraton Fiji Resort. Denarau’s resorts are stylish and sophisticated, set among huge swathes of landscaped gardens, and all with absolute beachfront locations. There’s nothing to stop guests shuttling from one to the other to sample the restaurants, Mandara Spa and other facilities, as well as the island’s newly-opened shopping complex.
Denarau Island also has an 18-hole championship golf course and tennis club, while Port Denarau Marina is a convenient jumping-off point for a day tour of the Mamanuca Islands. Staying at a resort here is also convenient for some of Viti Levu’s main sights, such as the charming Garden of the Sleeping Giants, with its wonderful orchid collection, the waterfall and caves at Biasevu, or the remote villages and valleys of the Nausori Highlands, which can be reached by four-wheel drive.
A second array of accommodations lies scattered south of Denarau Island along the Coral Coast. Many of these are family favourites and have long been on the Fiji tourist map, but few of them are resting on their laurels, with resorts now also luring couples and honeymooners with new amenities, such as the splendid new spa at Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa. Many visitors barely get beyond the relaxing embrace of these sprawling resorts, but the Coral Coast does have its fair share of sights and activities, such as the rugged sand dunes at Sigatoka, which rise to sixty metres in some places.
The third main destination for holidaymakers is the offshore islands. The Mamanuca Islands are easily reached – indeed, the nearest can be visited on day trips – while the Yasawa Islands are more remote, and favoured by backpackers and budget travellers, though of late some secluded five-star getaways have been added to the mix. Families and couples apart, scuba-divers and snorkellers also enjoy a stay in the islands, with plenty of good dive sites such as The Pinnacle, a vast coral profusion that rises sheer from the lagoon floor. That is, of course, if anyone can be bothered moving from their hammock.
Sheraton Fiji Resort
Driving up to the resort entrance to the beat of a lali drum, your car door opens to the sounds of Bula! Welcome to the new look Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island, reopening after an extensive US$22 million refurbishment program that has extended to all areas of the resort, from the lobby to the lagoon pool, recreational facilities and spacious guestrooms, creating a new look for one of Fiji’s favourite resorts.
Beautifully furnished in harmony with the South Pacific setting, each guestroom features the Sheraton’s signature “Sweet Sleeper” bed, complimentary high-speed connectivity and innovative lighting. Guestrooms open onto a balcony or ground floor patio.
There is a terrific array of restaurants and bars at the Sheraton Fiji Resort that includes Feast Restaurant, with rather splendid specialty themed buffet dinners, and the spectacular Ika Vuka (which is Fijian for “flying fish”) overlooking the swimming pool. Chime is the place for a cocktail as day turns to night.
The Sheraton Resort Fiji also offers plenty of fun and excitement with a whole range of recreational facilities; non-motorised water sports equipment is complimentary. Splash out in the resort’s new swimming pool with dedicated family areas and quiet zones, or choose from an amazing range of water sports. Younger guests are also able to ditch the parents and join the kids’ club for an action-packed day of games and exciting activities. And as Fiji’s only five-star integrated resort complex, guests can also make use of adjacent facilities at Sheraton Denarau Villas, The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, and Denarau Golf & Racquet Club. The complimentary Bula Bus and Denarau Island shuttle will take you around the facilities and beyond.
The new-look Sheraton Fiji Resort re-opens on 1 November 2008 and, in more good news, is offering stays at last year’s rates. Prices start from just FJ$295 (plus taxes) per night in an Ocean Breeze Room, including buffet breakfast for two at Feast Restaurant.
Fiji Beach Resort & Spa Managed by Hilton
Also very conveniently located on Denarau Island, the Fiji Beach Resort is one of the newest properties and has a contemporary and innovative style. One of the best things about this resort are the floor-to-ceiling windows and patio doors that allow views from guestrooms over the ocean. All the guestrooms come with mod cons such as high-speed Internet access, DVDs and flat-screen televisions, as well as bathrooms with separate bathtubs and walk-in showers. Suites here also have kitchenettes and living rooms.
Whether anyone will spend much time in these delightful rooms is debatable. After all, the Fiji Beach Resort has 1.5 km of private beach, an onsite dive centre, and no less than seven swimming pools, not to mention a highly relaxing spa, where treatments include caviar facials, green coffee wraps and Moroccan cocoons. Water sports include everything from paragliding to windsurfing, snorkelling and fishing. The kids, meanwhile, will be thoroughly occupied at the complimentary kids’ club. The food is also terrific. You can start your day at Nuku Restaurant with a Hilton breakfast overlooking the ocean, not to mention return for a lantern-lit evening meal of octopus or local mud crab as you sip a fine wine. And at Maravu Restaurant, choices include sizzling teriyaki skewers, tom yum soup and delicious pad thai noodles. But if you want to eat in, most guestrooms come with their own kitchen and outdoor barbecue – and best of all, staff come in to do the washing up!
The Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
The Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa is Fiji’s most sophisticated resort and the perfect backdrop for a relaxing South Pacific island escape. A full-service Mandara day spa rests at the resort’s heart, offering a menu of unique wellbeing experiences, while nearby lies one of the Pacific’s biggest lagoon-style swimming pools, with a private, adults sanctuary serviced by the resort bar, and a well-equipped children’s section, compete with slide, to cater to families.
Every one of Sofitel’s 296 beach-facing guestrooms and suites features either a balcony or terrace to make the most of Fiji’s great climate, with modern creature comforts such as LCD televisions to help unwind. Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa guests can also enjoy a full range of leisure facilities, from the complimentary bus service that lets guests explore Denarau, to a convenient tour desk and concierge service to plan more extensive excursions, and adventure and cultural experiences.
Inspiring a new era of fine food in Fiji, the resort most recently won “Fiji’s Best Restaurant” award for its casual beachside eatery, Salt. Sofitel’s choice of restaurants and bars – including signature restaurant V – offer diverse menus with everything from sushi and salad to traditional tandoor delights, grills, pasta and fine dining.
Sofitel also provides an in-hotel kids’ club, on-site shopping, plus the adjacent Denarau Golf & Racquet Club, serving up ten tennis courts and an 18-hole championship course for golf enthusiasts.
Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa
This resort on the Coral Coast south from Nadi actually occupies its own 109-acre private island joined to the mainland by a short causeway. Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa is the only resort on the Coral Coast with natural golden sand beaches. A deepwater lagoon unaffected by changes in tides also means that guests can enjoy the beach and water activities without strong waves or shallow water at low tide. The island also boasts white beaches, turquoise lagoons, and swaying palm trees, offering guests a truly tropical escape.
Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa has just undergone an AU$70 million refurbishment, and offers all the benefits of a large resort, including a whole range of dining options, from casual family fare to impeccable seafood and elegant international cuisine. The new CHI Spa, which opened just a year ago, is the largest and most luxurious private spa in Fiji, with an impressive menu of treatments, from a basic manicure through to deluxe half-day and full-day treatments that are the ultimate in pampering. And there are four swimming pools, including one for kids and one for adults only. A comprehensive Sea Sports Centre offers a variety of scheduled sports, training, and equipment rentals for water enthusiasts, including PADI certification scuba courses. For kids, the supervised Little Chief’s Club and play areas are always a hit; the resort is also a favourite among families for its Children’s Stay and Eat Free program, which entitles up to two children to stay in a guestroom free of charge.
Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji & Castaway Island Fiji
The five-star Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji is another outstanding resort on the Coral Coast, and is always collecting accolades; it recently won Best Service Hotel in Australasia and Oceania in the 2008 HotelClub awards. Better yet, guests can combine a stay here with a stay at Castaway Island Fiji in the Mamanuca Islands, allowing the ultimate luxury holiday experience in both locations. Staying for three nights or more at Outrigger and three nights at Castaway on the “Luxury Heli Combo” package qualifies you for all sorts of added extras, starting with a spectacular 20-minute scenic helicopter ride between the two resorts. You’ll also receive two spa treatments at Outrigger’s luxurious new Bebe Spa sanctuary, daily Tali butler service – which includes, amongst other little pleasures, a glass of champagne and canapés delivered nightly at dusk – and an island dolphin safari for two from Castaway on board Fiji fastest speedboat Teivovo. That’s over FJ$1000 in bonuses and, although some conditions apply, the package is available year-round for two people until further notice – and is sure to add a whole other layer of fun and relaxation to a Fiji visit.
Castaway Island Fiji is surrounded by stunning white-sand beaches and vibrant coral reefs, ideal for snorkelling straight off the beach. The resort’s PADI 5-star gold-palm dive shop also offers many exhilarating dive options for those who want to explore Fiji’s amazing underwater world. Accommodation at Castaway is in traditionally thatched, individual air-conditioned bures that feature beautiful hand-painted tapa lined ceilings. Guests can dine at the water’s edge under a canopy of stars and enjoy creative island cuisine, or one of Castaway’s famous wood-fired gourmet pizzas.
Both resorts are perfect for romantic couples of any age, with or without children.
Likuliku Lagoon Resort
This luxurious resort for couples dabbles its toes in the Mamanuca Islands – quite literally, since it’s the only resort in Fiji offering overwater bures (bungalows). Designed with an eye to local cultural values and traditional design materials, from the water it looks like a thatched village centred on the main resort building, which is designed like a Fijian canoe house. There are only ten exclusive overwater bures with stylish design elements that include rich fabrics and woodwork. From here, you can laze on your deck or luxuriate in a separate bathing pavilion with lagoon views from the bathtub. Likuliku Lagoon Resort also offers split-level deluxe beachfront bures with a secluded rear courtyard, outdoor shower, spacious deck and personal plunge pool.
When it comes to dining, Fijiana Restaurant offers local seafood and South Pacific dishes, with daily changing degustation menus, and there are also two bars from which you can gaze at the sunset as you enjoy a cocktail or two. As for the Tatadra Spa, with its beautiful lagoon views and soothing breezes, it really does live up to its name, which means “house of dreams”. Guests can also enjoy a spectacular horizon-edge pool and a myriad of land and sea activities, including snorkelling right off the beach, scuba-diving, windsurfing and even game fishing. Surrounding bush walks and nature trails lead to spectacular views of the Mamanuca Islands, and the local village enables interaction with the culture and history of the region.
Vomo Island Resort
This deluxe boutique resort is nestled on an island just south of the Yasawas and a fifteen-minute flight from Nadi, where private beaches, lush gardens and the fragrance of frangipani are perfectly balanced with the Fijian generosity of spirit and passion for detail shown from staff. You will be soothed by the sound of crystal-clear water lapping against the white-sand beaches and enjoy some truly glorious sunsets over the ocean as you sip on cocktails before dinner. The resort is made up of individual villas that sit in the gardens, on the hillside or along the waterfront. Recently, however, a new level of luxury accommodation has been realised with the opening of the four-bedroom Residences by Vomo, which combine hotel amenities in stunning holiday homes. Each Residence by Vomo sits on an acre of oceanfront land with beautiful panoramic views, and is a private enclave of three separate pavilions, a private pool, lush tropical gardens and incredible outdoor relaxation areas. The central pavilion hosts the kitchen, dining and main living area, as well as two generous bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and secluded courtyard with private outdoor shower. The two other pavilions each have their own private living area, bedroom, ensuite bathroom, and also have private courtyards with outdoor showers. All of this luxury living is complemented by an inviting private swimming pool. And with a total of 400 square meters of indoor living space, sliding glass doors lead to outdoor terraces, welcoming fresh ocean breezes and highlighting the incredible environment. Guests also enjoy the services of a personalised butler, who will make any arrangement, from champagne at sunset to private island picnics and special dinner arrangements.
Lomani Fiji
Lomani is located on Taveuni Island, a Fijian island a one-hour flight from Nadi that seems truly unaffected by time and spoilt by beauty. Lomani provides all the luxuries of a resort but is actually a private oceanfront property for the exclusive use of only two guests – and with no wandering staff either, except when required. It was created with couples in mind, not surprising considering its romantic setting in an amazing location. (And, incidentally, Lomani means “in love”.) The accommodation offers all the luxuries of a private home on a two-acre property that enjoys 180-degree west-facing oceanfront views and has gardens laden with a wide variety of tropical fruits and flowers. Set at the front of the property overlooking the ocean below is a luxurious rustic one-bedroom cottage that includes a fully self-equipped living area and bedroom with a four-poster king-size bed with mosquito net. The bedroom leads to a romantic double-headed outdoor stone shower under the palms. The living room leads to an expansive deck with a romantic infinity-edge pool overlooking the ocean below. There is also a fully self-contained kitchen. In short, Lomani offers you the choice to submit yourself to blissful private indulgence, or immerse yourself in the rich Fijian culture or wide range of activities available on Taveuni Island. Wake to the morning sunlight and the sounds of singing birds and swaying palms as you look over the blue water from the four-poster bed… bliss.
Namale – The Fiji Islands Resort & Spa
Namale sits majestically on the edge of the Koro Sea on the island of Savusavu just off Vanua Levu, a one-hour flight north of Nadi. Encompassing over 500 acres yet with just 18 bures, the resort is the epitome of seclusion and privacy. Days begin when a lali drum marks the start of breakfast, after which guests can fill their day with an exceptional array of all-inclusive activities, from horse-riding and scuba-diving to snorkelling, tennis, volleyball, hiking, ten-pin bowling and croquet. Or if you crave indolence, the beaches, freshwater pools or your own private deck await – not to mention a movie theatre. The spa is easily one of the best in Fiji, sitting with panoramic views on top of some lava cliff, a great backdrop to a whole range of very relaxing spa treatments. There’s also a hydrotherapy room with huge Jacuzzi, four soaking tubs, steamroom and a waterfall dipping pool, all with windows gazing over the ocean.
There are two types of accommodation at Namale, villas and bures. Bula House villa, for example, is perched on the cliffs and offers a kitchen, deluxe lounge, billiard table, complete mini movie-theatre and full sound system, not to mention two guest houses, a private pool and its own beach. The main bedroom features a huge four-poster bed and a sunken sitting area facing the ocean through ceiling-to-floor windows. Bures are also luxurious, with bedroom and sitting areas and bathrooms with sliding glass doors opening onto a private deck.
Travel Facts
Where to stay
- Castaway Island Fiji, phone +679 666 1233 or visit www.castawayfiji.com
- Fiji Beach Resort & Spa Managed by Hilton, phone +679 675 6800 or visit www.fijibeachresortbyhilton.com
- Likuliku Lagoon Resort, phone +679 672 0978 or visit www.likulikulagoon.com
- Lomani Fiji, phone 0400 077 007 or visit www.lomanifiji.com
- Namale – The Fiji Islands Resort & Spa, phone +679 8850 435 or visit www.namaleresort.com
- Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji, phone +679 650 0044 or visit www.outrigger.com/fiji
- Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa, phone +679 652 0155 or visit www.shangri-la.com
- Sheraton Fiji Resort, phone +679 675 0777 or visit www.sheraton.com
- The Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, phone +679 675 1111 or visit www.sofitelfiji.com.fj
- Vomo Island Resort, phone +679 666 7955 or visit www.vomofiji.com
|
|
Capital Gains