Nanuku Auberge Resort – Hotel Review

Spread along three kilometres of seaside on Viti Levu’s Coral Coast, this 223-hectare property is part of the Auberge Resorts Collection and offers loved-up guests a rich menu of activities to enjoy together. Claim the white sands and coconut palms of tiny Nanuku Island – a short boat ride away – for a Cast Away-style day of snorkelling, fishing and swimming. Back at the resort, you can embrace tranquillity with a couples massage on an elevated platform built around a 70-year-old dilo tree, before heading back to your room for a candlelit bath with hibiscus petals.

The location

Nanuku is located five kilometres west of Fiji’s "adventure capital" of Pacific Harbour. It’s a 20-minute flight from Nadi Airport to the resort’s own airstrip or about two-and-a-half hours by private car. Stay seven nights and your flight to the resort and ground transfer back to Nadi are complimentary.

The rooms

The newest of Nanuku’s accommodation options are 13 one- and two-bedroom Auberge villas on the resort’s eastern side, offering garden or beachfront views. Mixing pale cane and dark wood furniture (including a four-poster bed) with white wooden panelling and high ceilings that feature traditional magi magi beams, each one-bedroom villa comes with a king bed, oversized bathroom with twin basins and freestanding tub, separate lounge, kitchenette with Nespresso machine and Smeg appliances, outdoor rainfall shower and 15-square-metre pool with thatched roof day bed. Spread over two levels, the larger villas benefit from a full kitchen and a twin/king configuration in the second bedroom.

Food and drinks

All meals are served à la carte at Kanavata Restaurant in the Clubhouse overlooking the pool, but "private table" dining is offered in several locations – on the beach, on the edge of a small beachside cliff or on an elevated platform built around the branches of a 70-year-old dilo tree. Executive chef Oliver Scarf likes to think local, and why wouldn’t he when there’s abundant mahi mahi, reef trout, snapper, tuna, lobster and octopus to be found in the area’s waters. Expect upscale Pacific Rim fare enlivened by native delicacies such as duruka (Fijian asparagus) and ota (wild fern).

For business travellers

Nanuku’s customised "Bose" (that’s "business" in Fijian) packages cultivate the importance of play in participants while reconnecting them with nature – think fully catered conference events on the beach, boot camps on private Nanuku Island, waterfall hikes and heli-golf. For a bonding activity with a difference, sign your team up for a three- or five-day Raka Rugby Training Program taught by a former Fiji 7s rugby coach.

For wellness travellers

Start your day right with a yoga or pilates class taught by resident fitness instructor Sisi Nasiga, who has represented Fiji in judo at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games (she can teach you that too). Sign up for a beach or jungle bootcamp, fine-tune your upper cut in a boxing class or simply hit the well-sized gym, which has plenty of cardio equipment as well as free weights. In need of some TLC? Wander over to Lomana Spa for an oil massage administered with hot stones or warm seashells, or a honey firming facial that promises to provide an instant lift with Fijian honey, totodro leaf (pennywort) and sugarcane extract.

The fab factor

Embrace tranquillity with a Lomana Spa couples massage performed on a treetop platform. You’ll be lulled into a state of supreme relaxation courtesy of your therapists’ firm touch and the gentle murmur of waves on the shoreline below.

SEE ALSO: 7 of the Best Places to Eat in Fiji