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brewed, and strained into a large bowl. beach butler who delivered the works. The
One by one, our host ladled the drink into evening brought one final surprise: a fully
a coconut shell, which we accepted, drank, catered, sunset dinner for two in our own
and honored with a clap, sharing in a stilted, open-air cabana, perched above the
moment that felt both ancient and deeply shimmering sea.
welcoming. Fiji proved itself to be more than just
Namale Resort spoiled us with a wellness escape or romantic retreat – it
bottomless inclusive experiences. Our revealed itself as an unexpected playground
personal concierge organized a private for pure family fun. The next morning,
waterfall hike, swim and champagne picnic our resort concierge whisked us off to the
for us in the morning. In the afternoon, we marina where we gave paddleboarding a
rode pastel beach bikes under the umbrella college try before bouncing around in a big
of tropical foliage to a golden sand beach. fat yellow banana behind a speed boat. It
With the beach entirely to ourselves, was the kind of joy that makes you feel like
we sunk into hammocks dangling from a kid again, and even better, we had it all to
coconut trees and ordered lunch from our ourselves.
That evening, we reserved the recreation
center for our private use. We ordered tiki
cocktails and snacks, blasted American
80’s music on the surround sound and went
head-to-head in foosball and bowling—
barefoot, sun-kissed, and completely
carefree.
Fiji plane back to Nadi, where we joined the to the remote Matamanoa Island Resort,
From Vanua Levu, we boarded a prop

Sigatoka River Safari—an award-winning where we spent the final leg of our adventure.
jet boat journey along Fiji’s longest river. There, we surrendered completely to
This remarkable experience carried us the rhythm of remote island life. Mornings
Is Not Just for Lovers deep into the island’s interior, offering a unfolded in soft pink sunrises that melted

glimpse into the heart of Fiji and their into languid, breezy beach days and quiet
extraordinary tribal lifestyle. We arrived at sacred sunsets. Time slowed, leaving space for
an authentic local village, where we were snorkeling, swimming, beach combing and
welcomed with a traditional kava ceremony simply meditating to the gentle cadence of
led by the very handsome bare-chested waves and swaying palms.
village chief. When asked to compare Fiji to Tahiti,
Seated on woven palm mats, barefoot I always say this: Fiji feels raw, natural,
children played with our blond hair and and deeply authentic—rooted in culture
our iPhones while we shared a lovingly and tradition, largely untouched by over-
prepared meal made by the village mamas commercialization. Tahiti is equally stunning,
and grandmothers. We were then invited but more polished, shaped and refined by
to join the villagers in song and dance—a decades of tourism.
joyful, heartfelt finale. The experience Did I mention that Fiji is also a
felt both intimate and deeply rooted in tremendous value? If Fiji has ever been on your
tradition. Ultimately, it was so much more dream list, go now—before the world catches
than an excursion; it was a meaningful on and transforms what makes it so beautifully,
immersion into Fijian culture, human unmistakably special!
connection, and community and the
memories are forever engraved upon our
hearts.
No trip to Fiji is complete without
visiting the breathtaking Mamanuca and
Yasawa Islands—famous for their powdery
white sand beaches, the kind you’ve seen
splashed across travel brochures.
We boarded a ferry from Nadi, passing
the iconic Survivor filming island en route
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