Monday, May 3, 2010

Fiji Best Romantic Hotels and Resorts

Fiji has one of the world's finest collections of small offshore resorts. These have two advantages over their French Polynesian competitors. First, many have fewer than 20 bungalows each instead of the 40 or more found at the French Polynesian resorts, which means they are usually more widely spaced than their Tahitian cousins. Second, they are on islands all by themselves. Together, these two advantages multiply the privacy factor.

Fiji Romantic ResortFiji Romantic Resort

Fiji Romance HotelFiji Romance Hotel


Several hotels in the Mamanuca Islands off Nadi appeal to honeymooners. Tops is the exquisitely designed Likuliku Lagoon Resort, the first in Fiji with overwater bungalows. Tokoriki Island Resort has five bungalows with their own plunge pools. It's less luxurious, but Matamanoa Island Resort caters exclusively to couples and is a good choice for cost-conscious honeymooners.
Yasawa Island Resort & Spa sits on one of the prettiest beaches and has a low-key, friendly ambience. It has large bungalows, the choice being the secluded honeymoon unit sitting by its own beach; it even has its own pool.
Also in the Yasawa Islands is the less expensive Navutu Stars Resort, which has a spa and yoga sessions in addition to fine food.
In central Fiji off Suva, The Wakaya Club is generally considered Fiji's top resort. It has the country's largest bungalows, plus a palatial mansion with its own pool, perched high atop a ridge. You might see a movie star or two relaxing at Wakaya.
At Savusavu in northern Fiji, Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort is the South Pacific's best family hotel, but a beautiful villa with its own swimming pool is hidden away from the kids. Motivational speaker Anthony Robbin's luxurious Namale Resort also has private, pool-equipped villas plus a bowling alley, golf simulator, and a ton of other toys.
At the other extreme, Taveuni's low-key, three-unit Coconut Grove Beachfront Cottages is one of Fiji's best bargains. Most bungalows at Maravu Plantation Beach Resort & Spa come equipped with hot tubs, and a honeymoon unit is built up in a tree.
So is one of the widely spaced bungalows at Matangi Island Resort, off Taveuni, where two more are carved into the side of a cliff. They all have outdoor bathrooms. Among my favorite places are the charming, old South Seas-style bungalows and the stunning central building at Qamea Resort and Spa. Lanterns romantically light the 52-foot-high thatched roof of Qamea's main building.