Inside Fiji’s most romantic, adults-only retreat

I’ve really stuffed up.

It’s before dawn in Fiji and we’re motoring across to a little island under a glittering blanket of stars. With just a torch, and sleep still stuck in my eyes, it feels like we’re a bunch of poorly trained pirates. This is a heist, of sorts, I’m trying to steal someone’s heart.

My unravelling started a day earlier. We’d just landed in Fiji and been whisked out to the Mamanucas Islands – an idyllic archipelago about 45 minutes from the mainland by boat. Or 10 minutes by helicopter, if you’re that way inclined. As we rounded Malolo Island, and Likuliku Lagoon Resort came into view, my jaw dropped.

This was a scene straight from the Maldives: a string of overwater villas atop a turquoise lagoon, set against a coconut-fringed white sandy beach. Except, we’re not in the Indian Ocean halfway around the world – this is only three hours away.

Most of my previous visits to Fiji have been based at Port Denarau – a cluster of resorts near the international airport. It’s popular with families, but romance there is a little harder to find. Now, the pendulum has swung. This adults-only retreat is a palace of passion.

I feel at this time I need to let you in on my dilemma. I’ve been with Radha, my gorgeous other half, since high school. Thirteen years. We’re not married and I get asked the question almost daily: why not? I guess, I’m a moments man. And I’ve been waiting for the right one – which our boat appears to be pulling up to.

This resort is the thing of dreams. The words “luxury” and “romantic” get thrown around a lot in this part of the world, but you’d be hard-pressed to beat this.

We’re greeted on the dock by the resort’s unofficial manager, a sunglass-wearing labrador named Coco, who is drooling with excitement. She’s been wearing sunglasses since she was a puppy – today’s are bright green. Our fuss over Cocoa is interrupted by a vortex of fish beneath the pier – you don’t even need to get wet to see the underwater playground that awaits.

The resort has a series of large overwater villas at the end of a snaking boardwalk, all sitting above a fish-filled marine reserve. The rooms are seriously opulent, with a bath set against a floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the ocean. You can also watch “Sea-NN” through a glass panel on the floor, or get straight in the water from your villa.

If you’re not overwater – like us – you won’t be disappointed. Cocoa’s ever-wagging tail leads us to our home for the next three nights, a sprawling beachfront bure, complete with a massive Balinese-style daybed overlooking the lagoon. Waiting for us is a jar of warm white chocolate and macadamia cookies, delivered every afternoon by “the cookie man”. I already love this place – and it’s about to get a whole lot better.

We head straight to the spa for a couples massage. Pro tip: starting your holiday at the spa is the best way to reset for relaxation. We emerge at sunset, walking to the restaurant to find a series of candle-lit tables under the stars. Famed Australian chef Shane Watson is in charge of the menu, celebrating everything local with a fine-dining twist. Here, your taste buds are in for a serious holiday too – from karaage fried chicken, to fresh local fish, and hazelnut parfait – the menu changes each day. It’s exceptional.

At Likuliku, relaxation and romance can also be sprinkled with adventure. Arguably Fiji’s most iconic spot, Monuriki Island, is less than 20 minutes away. This is where the Tom Hanks blockbuster Cast Away was filmed. The movie follows Hanks’ four-year struggle to survive on the island after being in a plane crash – his only friend is a volleyball named Wilson.

We depart for the island early, so we can beat the crowds and have the place to ourselves. That’s the thing about Likuliku; they never settle for ordinary. We arrive at the iconic island to find it, as promised, empty. It looks just like the film. We don’t have a volleyball, but I’m Radha’s Wilson. Pretty useless, odd company – but strangely dependable.

We wade, we explore, we dress up in seaweed for pictures. Tom Hanks lost 22kg for the movie; I could use a few of his tips after eating my way through Likuliku’s menu.

As the first day-trippers start to arrive, we motor to a secret little cove on a neighbouring island, with a shallow basin renowned for its clear – almost glass-like – waters. The urge to jump in and explore the coral is too great, so I stumble out of the boat with the grace of a rhinoceros. The visibility is some of the best I’ve ever seen.

After a busy morning, it’s back to the resort for a healthy dollop of doing nothing. Now, here’s the thing about these really good resorts: I experience a whole new level of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). There are so many places to enjoy doing absolutely nothing – the day bed, the beach, the bar, the infinity pool – that I race around each of them, sampling the level of relaxation with an imaginary index.

I decide the daybed overlooking the lagoon – while eating fresh cookies – can’t be beaten, so park there for the rest of the day, with an occasional dip in the lagoon to cool off.

The next morning is our dawn mission to Honeymoon Island. The deserted little islet (managed by the resort) is just five minutes away and it’s reserved for just one couple at a time. It’s the place for grand gestures, 13 years in the making.

We land on the island at first light. It’s a steep 10-minute jungle walk – led by our guide – to the summit, where a picnic table is perched on the highest point, with a bottle of Champagne already waiting (an earlier guide had set it up). The sun begins to paint the sky an array of pink and orange, as the distant islands start to shimmer.

This is the moment. If it were a film, the music would be soaring, ready for the big reveal. Except, you’ll remember at the start, I mentioned that I really stuffed up. Where is the ring? You guessed it, back in the shop. I didn’t bring one, because I never expected anything like this. For a guy who waits for moments, it’s right in front of me. I feel like I’m a Ferrari without wheels, a pea without a carrot – you get the idea – a man without a ring, in what is possibly the most romantic moment I’ll ever live through.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I could have MacGyver’ed something out of coconut fibre. The top of our Champagne bottle even. Perhaps, hindsight is also a little too rose-tinted. I’m not remotely practical, I failed woodwork at school. A dresser I was asked to construct turned into a mangled dog house.

We descend back to the beach to find a supply boat has zipped across from the resort and set up a freshly-made breakfast in a little hut on the beach. You don’t happen to have a jeweller on board? No, but coffee – the second-best thing. My depression is short-lived; caffeine fixes almost everything.

I can, at least, take comfort in this: I’m warning you to be a little better prepared. Because Likuliku is one of those very special places that creates moments and sometimes you just need to grab them.

P.S. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll grab this moment. Radha I love you, will you marry me?

More information: A night at Likuliku Resort starts from $1400 per couple per night and includes all meals. A seven-night package in a Beachfront Bure begins from $6084 per person and includes a free return helicopter, seaplane or private water taxi transfer. See: likulikulagoon.com

Getting there: Air New Zealand flies daily from Auckland, and seasonally from Wellington and Christchurch. See: airnz.co.nz

The author’s trip was supported by Fiji Tourism, Likuliku Lagoon Resort and Air New Zealand.

Inside Fiji’s most romantic, adults-only retreat

Leave a Reply Cancel reply