The Shangri-La Fiji on Yanuca Island, in Viti Levu's Coral Coast.
The Shangri-La Fiji on Yanuca Island, in Viti Levu's Coral Coast.
Sadie Beckman checks in to The Shangri-La Fiji on Yanuca Island, in Viti Levu's Coral Coast.
Check-in experience: A friendly Fijian welcome, with attentive porters, a shell necklace placed around our necks, chilled fresh coconuts with straws stuck in them and a loud call of "bula!" awaited uson arrival. Check-in was painless and there were iPads for self check-in, too.
The room: A ground-floor room near the main pool, with a nice bathroom, daybed and ranch slider leading out to a small but not private seating area. It was comfortable and well-appointed, with air conditioning, but felt a bit as though it lacked fresh air. There are around 440 rooms at the Shangri-La, ranging in price and size.
The bed: A very comfy king size with those fabulous extra-long hotel pillows.
Food and drink: Six different locations cater for everything from casual family dining to formal adult-only occasions. The quality was great, food well presented and portions tended to be generous. There are good options for kids. The traditional Fijian buffet at Takali restaurant, with live fire dancers, is worth special mention.
Facilities: A beautiful spa centre with individual treatment bures invites pampering, while tennis courts, family and adult-only pools, golf, kayaks, snorkelling and all the usual resort facilities, including babysitting, cover all the bases. There are bonus features such as the permanent inflatable water obstacle course anchored in the lagoon, and a marine education centre where you can learn about the unique lagoon environment and the challenges facing it, as well as the regeneration programmes being implemented. Kids will enjoy creating their own "fish house" from shells, coral and cement, and having it placed in the lagoon with a GPS co-ordinate so they can visit it if they return. The resort supports local community initiatives which you can choose to be involved with. We visited a special-needs school to see renovations Shangri-La had funded, as well as the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park.
Room service: Available 24 hours a day but not emphasised, due to the many dining options.
Would I return? The comprehensive facilities on-site at this resort, on what is ostensibly a private island, make it an attractive proposition for the kind of holiday where everything is easy and taken care of for you. If I found myself looking for this kind of getaway, this place would be on the list.
