Courtney Whitaker at the Royal Davui Island Resort, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji.
Courtney Whitaker at the Royal Davui Island Resort, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji.
Courtney Whitaker stays at Royal Davui Island Resort, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji.
Location: Royal Davui Resort calls a small island on the picturesque Beqa Lagoon home.
You will need to take a 45-minute flight on a light plane from Nadi airport to the harbour in Suva, where you'll jump on aspeedboat for a 35-minute trip to Royal Davui. Direct helicopter flights are also available.
Check-in experience: The staff warmly greeted us and fresh mango juice was served as we filled out the paperwork, before being personally escorted to and shown around our room ... I mean, palace. Bula!
Room: A Sunset Plunge Pool Suite (villa two), boasting every amenity you could wish for.
The open-plan bedroom encompasses the bathroom as well, with bifold doors leading out to an upper deck with loungers. There is air conditioning and a ceiling fan. In the living area, a bar stands equipped with the essentials: Champagne glasses, a fridge, a wine bucket, and home-baked cookies. More bifold doors open out to a deck with a table and chairs, a plunge pool, and million-dollar sea views.
The hotel: The adults-only Royal Davui has just 16 vales, spread throughout a relatively compact and extremely lush 4ha private island. Each vale is built into the island's natural surroundings allowing guests maximum privacy and views; they all boast plunge pools.
Guests dine at the Banyan Bar restaurant, which is elevated above the ocean, and built into a beautiful old banyan tree.
A luxurious king-size bed with a mosquito net, and stunning uninterrupted ocean views.
Royal Davui Island Resort, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji.
The bathroom:
A few steps up from the bedroom lead you into an open-plan bathroom with a louvred ceiling for open-air showers, a hot tub, twin sinks, robes, and a separate toilet. Soak in the hot tub and peer through the mosquito net to the ocean. Wow!
Delicious Pure Fiji products were in abundance.
Food and drink: At breakfast each morning you can plan your day's meals. Each meal consists of three courses and the menu is creative and varied. There is a well-stocked bar and extensive cocktail menu, as well as a wine list including a handful of New Zealand vintages. There are also the options of private, in-room dining, or private dining decks away from other guests.
Activities: The marine centre caters to all tastes. There are kayaks for guests' use, snorkelling equipment, stand-up paddle boards, croquet sets, beach games and hobie cats. Staff run daily guided snorkelling sessions, and for the more intrepid traveller, there is the option of diving with sharks. Guests have the option of day trips to Suva and local village visits to Beqa Island. A highlight for us was a private sand cay beach picnic. This is a popular one for weddings and proposals - so I've heard.
Facilities: As well as a large main swimming pool near the beach, there is a gym, laundry service, small boutique, marine centre and library (with the island's only TV - usually reserved for rugby matches: go Fiji!). We were treated to full-body massages at the gorgeous spa using Pure Fiji oils.
Views: To die for. Every part of the island has a different vista. From our villa we could see nothing but clear blue ocean, from the restaurant we could see Beqa Island (home to many of the staff members), and further off in the distance, the mainland.
Price: Prices start at $1548 per night for an Island Plunge Pool Villa, though this varies depending on the time of year. The cost includes all meals, tea and coffee, and selected activities.
What's so good about this place: Absolutely everything.
Would I return:
They almost had to prise my claws from the jetty to leave. I would happily live in villa number two forever.
