Taveuni Palms Resort, in Fiji. Photo / Supplied
Andrew Stone checks into Taveuni Palms Resort.
Location: On the waterfront at Matei, the airport town on the Fijian island of Taveuni. If you have a starboard seat on the plane from Nadi you can see the resort out of the window as the aircraft slips down over the coconut
palms on its approach.
Check- in: A ute took us on the three-minute trip from the airport and down the manicured resort driveway. A party of Fijian staff broke into a welcome song as we stepped through a gap in a lush hedge.The first impression of this highly awarded boutique property was of tropical splendour and an impeccably landscaped setting. There is an 8m pool, a covered gazebo and a deck that invites you to gaze out to sea.
The room: At this place you don't get a room, you get a house, with the pool. Ours was the smaller of two adjacent homes. It had two bedrooms, each with an en-suite, with outdoor showers screened by tall rock walls. Pure Fiji shampoos and lotions are provided. The front of the house, which faced the ocean, had a sprawling lounge with an entertainment set-up, a huge dining table and open-plan kitchen with a large fridge packed with chilled wine and beer.
The house opened up to create a cool, airy interior even though it was 30C outside in the sun. Fijian artefacts hung on the walls and a striking floral arrangement with a mass of vivid petals and stalks dominated a space between the bedrooms. A large deck outside the front door was set up for dining and a second, newer platform — the Bula deck — had been built on the edge of the property and gave a sense of being above the sea. Wi-Fi worked inside and out.
