That South Pacific Feeling

By Chris Pritchard

Chris Pritchard lived it up, without regularly getting up, at luxury hideaway Yasawa Island Resort, Fiji.

Fiji is a relative giant among minnows in a region where other exotic-sounding countries include Samoa and Tonga. From the airport here, skim for 35 minutes above the calm Pacific, passing pristine resort isles and turquoise expanses of sea enclosed by coral reefs and you will reach the Yasawas group in the nation’s north. Yasawa Island Resort is a place that oozes style and refinement, and is one of many top-notch hideaways in the South Pacific island nation that pitches itself at the exclusive end of the market. Last year, the property won a ‘Best Resort in the South Pacific’ award after being shortlisted for the Australian accolade from among 160 contenders. The resort houses a small complex of 17 bures, traditional-style thatched South Pacific cottages. There’s no TV, and internal furnishings are a mix of designer-driven contemporary luxury and traditional art. Bathrooms are modern and spacious – but there is also a discreet outdoor shower. A brightly-painted coconut placed outside the front door is Yasawa code for ‘Do Not Disturb.’ Plenty of space separates the bures from each other and they all face a private beach. One, a split-level structure, even more luxurious than the rest, is called Lomalagi. It occupies a treeshrouded beachside position 500 metres from other buildings That South Pacific Feeling Chris Pritchard lived it up, without regularly getting up, at luxury hideaway Yasawa Island Resort, Fiji. and is popular with honeymooners. Weddings, with local celebrants, are commonly arranged by the resort. At the edge of the beach, the resort’s spa with well-trained staff offers a range of massages and other ‘wellness’ therapies. Activities include lazing on the private white-sand beach or exploring any of 11 other sublimely quiet beaches. Bush hikes, diving, snorkelling, kayaking, sailing aboard a catamaran, game-fishing, village visits or exploring secluded coves featured in the Marlon Brando movie classic Blue Lagoon are other diversions. A large swimming pool sits between the restaurant and the beach. The latter’s powdery white-sand held me captive for much of my stay. Six lazy steps would transport me and a soft-covered novel from my ‘Do Not Disturb’ coconut to what became my favourite spot – and from where I would make frequent forays into the gorgeously warm, reef-protected sea. The staff are extremely attentive here. Many wear a hibiscus in their hair, are informal in an appealingly Fijian way, and inevitably call out their country’s standard greeting: “Bula!” The cuisine showcases just-caught seafood. Succulent lobsters are harvested daily from nearby reefs. The wines come from what is widely regarded as the country’s best-stocked cellar, not surprising since Yasawa Island Resort’s Australian owner, Garth Downey, is a renowned authority on wine.