Desperate for a bit of self-indulgence? Therapists at Likuliku’s Tatadra Spa, which sits on a lush hillside overlooking the lagoon, use only natural Pure Fiji products. And if you’re not the massage type, blue views from your overwater bungalow are salve for the soul. The adults-only property is a 55-minute catamaran ride from Nadi.

Favoured by celebrities (Oprah, George and Amal) and the ultra-rich, COMO Laucala Island is the fever-dream of Dietrich Mateschitz, the late Red Bull billionaire. The 1200-hectare property of 25 extravagant thatched hideaways, assorted restaurants and bars and the largest lagoon pool in the Southern Hemisphere is now run by COMO Hotels and Resorts and open to anyone who can afford the roughly US$5800 a night rates.

That’s the price of entry to one of the world’s most extraordinary hotels, where guests arrive on private jets – or catch the island’s own airline from Nadi – play golf on a championship-quality course and go fishing, diving and exploring on a fleet of pleasure craft the size of a small navy (the custom-built £8-million submarine will arrive soon).

When it comes to guest desires, the sky is literally the limit (yes, skydiving is one of the activities you can try). Or perhaps a private fireworks show to celebrate a special occasion? Anything’s possible on Laucala.

There are simpler pleasures, too. Horseriding along empty beaches, tours of the 97-hectare farm, which produces everything from Wagyu beef to dragon fruit, and wining and dining in exceptional settings, including a plantation-house restaurant, a seafront teppanyaki joint and a pool bar shaped like the Sydney Opera House.

For all of its exorbitant opulence, Laucala’s greatest luxuries are the most egalitarian of all: privacy and space.

The balance of togetherness and privacy in the Hilton’s one- to three-bedroom suites makes for a smooth stay but the key attraction for a mates’ trip is its proximity to mainland nightlife as well as Fiji’s two best floating pontoon beach clubs – Cloud 9 and the brand new Seventh Heaven. Set up in a poolside cabana and keep the cocktails coming.

This five-star resort is 45 minutes by private plane from Nadi and has impressive conservation cred. Resident marine biologist Cliona O’Flaherty has established a coral restoration project, a manta ray protection scheme, plus Seabin and Adopt a Dive Site ocean cleanup initiatives. Even the seafood here adheres to strict sustainability rules.

The jewel of this 14-hectare property, edged with coconut palms and tropical gardens, is the championship golf course, which features a Pacific Island-style clubhouse and reef vistas. After your round, unwind with a 60-minute cabana massage to the sound of waves lapping gently on Viti Levu’s Natadola Beach.

The Shangri-La was treated to a $70-million overhaul in 2019, primarily designed to position it as one of the best places to eat on the island. Choose from Takali Asian Kitchen, which offers 40 international craft gins in addition to world-class Pan-Asian cuisine, the handmade pasta at Golden Cowrie Coastal Italian or the Black Marlin Tropical tiki bar, which pours locally distilled Yanuca Island small-batch rum.

Bored of burés? How about staying in a moored yacht – complete with bar, jacuzzi and cinema room – or at a clifftop villa in the jungle with ocean views and an infinity pool? These are just two of the exclusive options available at this 21-hectare private resort, which sits just off the coast of Vanua Levu, an hour’s scenic flight from Nadi.

Located between the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups, this modern resort balances adult indulgence with family practicality. A 30-minute boat ride from the mainland, it has six private residences designed to accommodate groups. The newest is the beachfront Reef House, a five bedroom home with breezy living spaces and its own infinity pool. All family bookings come with a “baby butler” babysitting service.

Requiring a second flight from Nadi, it takes a little more effort to reach this adults-only escape but that’s all part of the fun when you’re chasing waves. Located off the coast of Taveuni in northern Fiji, there are several almost undiscovered surf breaks nearby, including the reasonably low-key Bula Bowls and the more advanced Kavas break.

Pretty much everywhere in Fiji spoils you with aqua-blue water views framed by palm trees. This luxury, adults-only hideaway offers all that and more, including beach picnics for two and a floating breakfast served in your private buré pool. The resort is a short helicopter ride from Nadi or you can arrive by speedboat, catamaran or seaplane.

A rustic-luxe resort, Malolo is surrounded by a protected marine park so the coral reefs teem with fish, rays and the occasional reef shark. It’s also a turtle breeding ground so there’s a good chance of spotting one paddling slowly through the waters. Staff can also organise daytrips to other offshore snorkelling sites close to the island if you’re keen to explore further.

Scuba divers take note: a 2.5-hour drive north-east of Nadi, this resort gets you tantalisingly close to Bligh Water or the Vatu-I-Ra Passage, one of Fiji’s best dive sites – teeming with technicolour marine life and shipwreck sites to explore. Above the surface, go sport fishing, mangrove kayaking or stand up paddleboarding or journey to sparkling inland waterfalls.

If you don’t want to share a square centimetre of your tropical hideaway, this exclusive spot is the pick. The resort, its interiors designed by the team behind New Zealand’s high-end Huka Lodge, sits just off the northern tip of the main island of Viti Levu and only permits eight guests at a time. A single booking – for two or with a group – secures the entire island.

There are only three villas at this spectacular and ultra-luxurious hideaway, each with its own infinity pool and personal masseuse. Accessible only by private plane, it makes sense that Harry and Meghan Windsor stayed here on their royal tour in 2018. A chef prepares all meals using produce from the organic garden or fished straight from the sea.

Two words: water park. That’s the latest attraction at this fun-focused stay, a 50-minute catamaran ride from Port Denarau Marina on Nadi. And once your little ones tire of wild water slides, send them to the kids’ club, hire bikes or hit the two outdoor playgrounds.

It’s only 35 minutes by speedboat from the southern tip of Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, yet Royal Davui encapsulates the South Pacific castaway vibe. This island oasis is a self-contained domain of flourishing gardens and 16 stilted pool pavilions anchored to hillsides for maximum wow factor.

Most staff hail from neighbouring Beqa Island and bring a relaxed, superfriendly atmosphere to resort life, whether melting away cares at the cliff-edge spa, guiding excursions to world-renowned dive sites or calling hermit-crab races at the bar.

Royal Davui’s luminous villas prioritise privacy and spectacular views. Glassed walled lounges and bedrooms open to the elements, at one with the shimmering blue world.

Life revolves around the lagoon; snorkelling its impossibly pastel reefs, diving its submarine landscapes and shark reserve, surfing the left-hand break at Frigates Passage, jet-skiing, sailing, kayaking or simply lolling in its crystal-clear waters. Mind the turtles.

On land, visit villages on Beqa and hike to historic sites there, such as a fortified bunker where women and children once hid from rival-island raiders. The must do excursion is a brunch or lunch picnic on Royal Davui’s sand cay, a postcard perfect sandbank lapped by limpid blue. Staff set the mood with seating, shade and boozy hampers; you bring the love.

Almost every time you put your head underwater in Fiji you’ll find reefs bustling with marine life but Treasure Island, in the Mamanuca Islands west of Nadi, goes one step further. Its hawksbill turtles program helps baby turtles prepare for a life in the wild and kids can forage for treats to feed the little reptiles before they’re released.

The Sunset Pool is the stage for spectacular evening lightshows that shimmer and sparkle over the aqua-blue horizon, best enjoyed sipping a Mai Tai from the swim-up bar. The hotel’s location, less than an hour’s drive from Nadi airport, means no island transfers and more time in paradise.

Eighteen luxurious bungalows are dotted across remote and unspoiled Yasawa Island, each just footsteps from a sun-soaked beach fringed by palm trees. Spend your days at the decadent spa, take a Fijian cooking class, explore the picturesque Blue Lagoon Caves and enjoy private dinners on the beach.

Having just emerged from a full renovation, everything’s sparkling at Sofitel. To impress even the unimpressible, the Teenage Zone features arcade games and consoles, plus this is the only stay in Fiji with its own nightclub. A central location in Port Denarau means the 18-plus crowd can head out to the local restaurants and bars.

The arrival and the farewell can both be dramatic. To start, costumed “warriors” welcome you with lali drum and conch. The end may involve tearful departures when children say goodbye to their resort carers. One thing’s for sure: Nanuku Resort takes family holidays to the next level.

Besides a complimentary nanny service from 9am to 6pm daily, with dedicated au pairs for children under five and shared “Nanuku buddies” for older kids, expect non-stop activities ranging from sandcastle building and touch footy to Fijian dance, language and crafts. There’s all-ages fun to be found snorkelling on the house reef, kayaking through mangroves and, thanks to Nanuku’s location at Pacific Harbour, Fiji’s adventure capital, waterfall hikes, rafting and jet-boat thrills on the Sigatoka River.

This 200-hectare estate has ample room for the family in one- to sixbedroom lodgings of modern villas – opened in late 2019 and still as-new, with daybeds, pools and exotic gardens – and more traditional residences fronting the three kilometre beach.

Nacula, with its emerald hills and neon-blue seas, is the South Pacific island from Central Casting. One of the largest and most remote outposts of the western Yasawa group, it fulfils every fantasy of a Fijian idyll.

Remarkably, the 22-square-kilometre island has barely been touched by tourism. There are just four villages and four resorts so the excesses of holidaying humans have been kept in check. Adults-only Oarsman’s Bay Lodge occupies prime position beside the 50-shades-of-Blue Lagoon. Owned and run by Australian Dean Swaagman on behalf of the village trust, the resort provides vital funding for local health, education and housing. Its 13 sky-blue, beach-facing bures, set in tropical gardens with hammocks strung between coconut palms, offer ring-side views of the translucent lagoon and direct access to all its pleasures.

“Keep it simple, keep it basic,” says resort manager Mary “Big Chief” Ratulevu of Oarsman’s ethos. “That’s what our team can do. Mother Nature does the rest.” Laze on the beach, kayak or SUP across the water, snorkel by day or night on the vibrant reef, hike the hills for panoramic Yasawa views or set off to explore the sacred Sawa-I-Lau caves and the chiefly village of Nacula. The ultimate Oarsman’s adventure? A day spent beached on their private island, Yaromo, a volcanic beauty shaded with palms and she-oaks. Get here before word gets out.

It’s an open debate whether the Yasawas or the Mamanucas are Fiji’s most alluring island chain but the location of Six Senses on a golden sweep of Vunabaka Bay on Malolo Island – famed for its flaming sunsets – makes a strong case for the latter.

The 130-guest resort offers luxury on a par with Fiji’s finest, including contemporary villas, all with private pools, elevated dining and every imaginable activity (surfing, deep-sea fishing, scenic flights). But its strongest suits are sustainability and wellbeing.

The resort is powered largely by solar panels and the country’s biggest Tesla microgrid. Fresh water flows courtesy of its own desal plant; food is harvested from its extensive gardens. The property is also a sanctuary for the endangered crested iguana and has recently partnered with French Polynesia-based Coral Gardeners to restore depleted local reefs.

Wellbeing-wise, the resort spa – a fetching arrangement of thatched bures planted in jungly gardens, with a hillside pavilion for meditation and yoga – offers massages and aqua therapy alongside health screenings. These involve temple electrodes, sensor pads for palms and feet and the ancient Ayurvedic practice of nadi pariksha, reading the body through the pulse. Based on the results, house doctor Aju Thattarettu Raveendran can devise a comprehensive regimen for your stay.

Six Senses also serves up a thoroughly decadent itinerary for the hedonists, including in-room cocktails, lobster feasts, 2012 Grange and pizza-and-movie nights under the stars. Whichever path you choose, you’ll feel better for it by the time you leave.

Arriving by seaplane is just the first taste of how extra life can be on Turtle Island. From the moment you glide across the Hollywood-famous Blue Lagoon to a palm-fringed beach lined with staff who sing you into shore then hug you on arrival with a “Welcome home!”, there are no more cares to be had in this world.

Turtle’s hosts, known as Mamas and Papas, take charge of every aspect of leisure and pleasure at this couples retreat. Situated in the sunny Yasawa archipelago, the island is a charmed arrangement of forested peaks and sandy coves for the exclusive use of those staying in its 14 spacious, spotless villas.

While the resort feels carefree, decades of planning and refinement – by the property’s American founder, Richard Evanson, and now his son, Richard Jnr – have gone into creating this illusion. It’s enhanced by lazy picnics on deserted beaches, clam digging, village excursions, hammock stargazing and nightly kava gatherings. There’s also guided snorkelling, fishing, sailing, scuba diving and dinners cooked in lovos (traditional underground ovens) featuring produce grown on the island or fished from its waters.

The island’s allure is obvious but it’s perhaps best captured by a guest visiting from Hawaii: “I had to come all the way to Fiji to understand what the aloha spirit really is.”

Read Before You Leave – Fiji