It’s such a pleasure to be in Fiji on assignment for Glamping.com. I haven’t been here since my husband and I went on our honeymoon.
The Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort made it’s first impression at the Nadi Airport. Mini, who works for the eco-luxury hotel, greeted me at the airport. She had noticed that there was only my reservation on the non-stop flight to Savusavu, the island where the resort is located. My husband was scheduled to take a flight with a connection. Mini pulled some strings and got my husband on my flight so we could arrive together. Impressive!
The one hour flight to Savusavu was easy and we were greeted again by a representative of the resort who gathered up our bags and drove us the 20 minutes to the resort. Upon arrival, we were greeted with tropical fruit juice and live music by the staff which was finished with the traditional Fijian greeting of “Bula!”
At reception we were told “Welcome home.” This is the standard greeting here and I love this sentiment. The staff really goes out of their way for you to make you feel like Jean-Michel Cousteau is your home in Fiji. They also do a really great job of catering to families with children and providing separate areas for families and couples. They even provide a nanny per child. This ensures everyone has a good time lounging around the pool or taking part in the various activities.
Our garden view bure (thatched hut) was not ready yet, we were given a brief tour of the property and given an orientation before sitting down for breakfast. The scrambled eggs with ham and cheese were outstanding, as was the fresh fruit.
We spent most of the day in the daybed in the “serenity area” (aka “no children”) near the pool where we sipped on Mai Tais and fresh green coconuts. It was extremely relaxing, but we did have a light lunch of vegetable tempura, tomato soup and fresh local fish (walu).
Then we were shown to our garden view bure, #18, which is fairly simple, but comfortable and charming and cooled by fans. While there are no televisions in the room, the bathroom is nice and there is a minibar packed full of Fiji water and other beverages. All but the alcohol is complementary.
We changed into our swimsuits and spent the rest of the day lounging around the pool before some late afternoon rain arrived, making it the perfect time for quick nap before dinner.
The resort is big on giving back to the local community, so the evening’s entertainment began with a crab race. I was surprised how fun it was to watch. Then a group of local dancers performed a few songs before dinner.
After dinner, we enjoyed music and a kava ceremony with the Kava Boys before enjoying a good night’s sleep. Turndown service comes with mosquito coils and mosquito nets upon request. We had a good night’s sleep in this friendly Fijian paradise.
