Located in the main island of Viti Levu, 30 miles east of Fiji’s capital Suva, the resort is spread across 500 acres, studded by coconut trees and sandy beaches, and offers a “village” welcome as soon as guests arrive.
This includes being gifted with a freshly-picked coconut and flower – which is put behind your right or left ear depending on your relationship status – while a warrior beats on a traditional wooden drum to signal your arrival.
Following check-in, you are taken to one of 37 bures – the Fijian word for accommodation – where you are greeted with a welcome message written with rocks at the bottom of your private pool, while a fruit basket and a bottle of champagne are also a welcome surprise.
The bures are divided into 22 villas and residences, which range from one to six-bedroom accommodations, as well as 15 suites.
Inside, there are spacious living areas with a fully fitted kitchen, as well as a bathroom with a freestanding bathtub and double showers. Outdoors, all bures feature a cabana as well as an outdoor shower, in addition to those private pools.
Not leaving anything to chance
Nanuku staff don’t leave anything to chance when crafting their customers’ stay, as all activities and excursions are pre-arranged based on guests’ desires and interests.
Judo and boxing classes with olympic judoka Sisilia Naisiga as well as snorkelling in Beqa Lagoon – one of the world’s top spots for soft coral snorkelling – are among the activities on offer.
Nanuku also prides itself on striving to offer the most authentic experiences and demonstrations of Fijian culture, which include a traditional cooking lesson. In the hour-long class, you learn how to make kokoda – a typical Fijian dish similar to Peruvian ceviche – as well as dehusk a coconut, scrape it and press it for milk.
Guests are also shown how to stuff freshwater prawns into a bamboo shoot alongside condiments such as tomatoes, spring onions and coconut milk and cook them over an open fire.
Other traditional experiences include enjoying a ‘lovo’, a meal reserved for special occasions. Over the course of three hours, staff show you how villagers weave coconut fronds around a variety of meats and fish, before burying them underground with blazing rocks to slow cook.
Not at the expense of the environment
In between a swim in the ocean and a lounge in by the pool, guests can also enjoy a ‘bobo’, a Fijian deep-tissue massage that has been passed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.
During the session, which lasts between 60 and 90 minutes, an expert massage therapist will thump, knead and knuckle you to relieve knots and tensions in your body you didn’t know you had.
Those looking for a less intrusive approach can instead opt for a hot stone massage or a warm seashell massage, as both guarantee you’ll feel brand new and deeply relaxed after the 60-minute sessions.
Nanuku’s focus on enhancing the guest experience is not achieved at the expense of the environment, as the resort provides a wide array of sustainable initiatives for all ages.
Guests can play their part in expanding Nanuku’s coral reef conservation project, planting corals on its house reef.
Other sustainable activities include planting mangroves alongside the resort’s in-house marine scientist as well as bird watching at the Kula Wild Adventure Park, Fiji’s biggest ecological reserve.
Part of San Francisco-based hotel management company Storey Hotel Management Group, Nanuku is one to keep on the radar, as the resort – previously owned by US resort group Auberge – is planning to expand its capacity over the next five to six years with a raft of new villas.
Good to know
Guests can escape to the resort’s private island – which has featured in the finale of US dating show The Bachelorette – for a half-day or full-day excursion. Couples also have the chance to exchange “I dos” and have a private wedding ceremony on the island.
Children under the age of six have a dedicated nanny to care for them between 9am and 6pm, and those between aged six and 12 can be partnered with a buddy during daily activities.
Nanuku’s most luxurious bure is the six-bedroom hilltop ocean-view residence, which accommodates up to 12 adults.
Open between 7am and 11pm, the Kanavata Restaurant and Lounge appeals to all palates, mixing dishes typical of the Pacific Rim culinary tradition with international flavours.
On their last night, guests are treated to a Fijian farewell, with staff singing a goodbye song.
How to book it
Inspiring Travel offers seven nights in a Nanuku Resort Fiji suite, including breakfast, from £2,809pp for travel from 29 April-2 June 2024 and 13 January-31 March 2025. Includes flights on British Airways and Fiji Airways via Los Angeles airport, meet and greet and road transfers.
