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Come for the landscapes, stay for the locals: Chloe Cann discovers an infinitely friendly tropical paradise that has come back from the brink of disaster
In the arrivals hall, at the hotel jetty, around the dinner table, sat on a church pew – in Fiji there is no escaping it. Song, whether sweet or melancholy, seems to fill every corner of this archipelago. Sometimes guitars and ukuleles accompany the bands of local singers and sometimes hauntingly beautiful acapellas charge the air.
Greeting visitors with song is all part of the famous Fijian welcome – a nation so hospitable it’s almost like stepping back into ancient times when guests were revered as highly as gods. “Oh you are very welcome, thank you for coming,” my taxi driver says as I step out of the arrivals hall and into his car. Since Cyclone Winston thrashed the country’s shores in late February, locals are even more keen than normal to welcome visitors.
The strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Fiji on record, Winston left more than 40 people dead and wiped out entire villages on some of its remote outer islands. Prime minister Frank Bainimarama called the natural disaster a “huge setback” for the country’s tourism industry, though he hastened to add that only 9% of the 400 hotels and resorts had been affected.
Tropica Island Resort in the volcanic Mamanucas chain was one of the lucky ones. The property was closed for just a few days following Winston, although there are still further restorations due to take place. “We lost a substantial amount of sand from the beach,” explains Kini Saukuru, the resort’s sales manager. “We’re still trying to fix it up.” Some of Tropica’s 16 beachfront bures (traditional Fijian wood and straw huts) also need thatching repairs but the backlog of work country-wide means the resort must wait in line until the local craftsmen and materials become available.
Although Fijians have endured a lot over the past few months, the stresses and strains don’t show on their faces. Lots of hotels purport to offer an extended family, but adults-only Tropica feels genuinely homely. One of the warm young female waitresses refers to everyone as “sweetie”. All the staff stop to chat with guests. And guests are so enamoured with the service that they wait to track down waiters and receptionists to offer their thanks before leaving. “We tend to feel we have a lot of heart,” Kini says. “One thing you can’t teach people is heart and that’s what we look for [in our employees].”
Situated on Malolo Island in the Mamanucas group, Tropica is just a one-hour hop from Fiji’s main island Viti Levu, where most international flights land. The four-star resort is more modest than some of its neighbours – the beachfront bures featuring white walls, beamed ceilings and wooden furniture – but it matches any competitor with its location nestled among thick forests of palm trees, at the base of a hilly hinterland, and with a private stretch of golden sand at its toes. So idyllic and raw is the verdant backdrop of the Mamanuca Islands that the 2000 blockbuster Cast Away was filmed there and the most recent series of American TV programme Survivor is being shot there now.
A venture out into the bay – part of a protected marine sanctuary – will reveal Fiji’s underwater treasures. Kayaks, Hobie Cats and stand up paddleboards are all available to guests free of charge, and within minutes of leaving the shoreline a thriving aquatic world unfolds. Crystalline waters and shallow reefs make it easy to spot a litany of tropical fish just a metre or two below the surface: jellyfish pulse through the waters, schools of trevally patrol the stiff and swaying corals, and angelfish dart to and fro.
Tropica is one of the more lively and young resorts with couples, friends and solo travellers from a mixture of Europe and Down Under all mingling come sundowners. If your clients are searching for a more luxurious and quiet experience, suggest the all inclusive Likuliku Lagoon Resort, a mere 10-minute water taxi around the bay. It’s full of smug and beautiful honeymooners and eloping couples that have come to soak up the serene surrounds and privacy afforded from the upmarket bures shrouded in foliage.
Although the adults-only resort aligns itself with the classic concept of Fiji as a romance destination, it surprises in other aspects: Australian chef Shane Watson is shaking up the country’s dining scene with a dehydrator and smoker among his kitchen arsenal at the resident Fijiana Restaurant. We sample plump prawns in a crisp tempura batter seated on a bed of homemade, terracotta-red sweet chilli sauce, that is rich and sticky but far from saccharine. A palate cleanser wafer of green apple with a strawberry and mint sorbet follows, offering culinary respite from the balmy South Pacific climes. And later flakes of peach-pink tea-smoked king salmon and the tenderest hunks of chilli-dusted pork fill my belly.
The premium food and beverage offering pervades the resort. Bottled Fiji Water, much-loved Australian coffee brand Vittoria and Mason jars filled with freshly-baked macadamia nut cookies are offered in every room. And the dedication to luxury also extends far beyond dining. The pelmets in each and every bure – whether overwater, beachfront or garden – are individually hand-carved. There is an entire island dedicated to receiving guests and proffering cocktails. And every member of staff seems to know our names before we’ve even met. Even the ply of the textured hand towels in the bathroom shout the finest quality.
For those that are seeking the middle ground between Likuliku and Tropica there is Lomani Island Resort, also in the Mamanucas, and a short boat ride away from both. Formerly the private residence of an Australian MP, this adults-only boutique resort features 13 beachfront bures, built in 2013, as well as two suites. The large rooms are modern and simple yet beautifully designed with clean lines and local design touches, and each boasts a private terrace that leads out onto a private stretch of garden, framed by the beach.
From Lomani we take a boat transfer out to Cloud 9 – a pontoon bar anchored in the middle of the South Pacific and dreamed up by an Israeli millionaire. Visitors on jet ski safaris and surfers heading out to the nearby reef make a pause there for a Fiji Bitter and wood-fired pizza. Wedding parties even hire out the space. We stop off at sunset to soak up the otherworldliness of being marooned on a floating deck while sipping on a glass of cold sauvignon blanc.
Though there are myriad water-based activities to participate in, as well as the odd village visit, Fiji is not the most obvious choice for “can’t sit still” types. More a tonic for those that are overworked and seeking peace and quiet, swapping the urban jungle for a slice of the tropics. So long as they don’t mind the silence broken by the odd serenade.
Book it: Austravel offers a nine-night trip to Auckland and Fiji from £2,549pp, including four nights at the Copthorne Hotel Auckland with a complimentary dinner cruise, and five nights at Tropica Island Resort, Fiji. Price includes transfers and Heathrow flights with Qatar Airways. Based on travel in September 2016.
