Fiji March 2015: Laucala Island

LAUCALA ISLAND

Welcome to Laucala Island!

(Sounds like: La-Thal-La)

Beautiful Main Pool

Arrival Experience

Arial View of 3-Bedroom Plantation Villa

Finding the words to describe Laucala Island adequately is difficult.  Laucala cannot be understood with a presentation or a website.  Photographs only hint and tempt.   Laucala is a 7 star experience in the world of 5 star resorts.  A sixth sense in the world of 5 senses.  You must see the expanse that is the island.  You must hear the birds early in the morning and throughout your stay on the island.  Looking at the Laucala Island's world will take your breath away which is the 6th sense of WOW.  You must smell the gentle Laucala fragrances in the spa or in your villa.  You must touch the natural wood and stone surfaces that are in each villa.  Finally, tasting the local produce grown on the island of Laucala will give you a sense that is all Fiji.

(our) View of part of the outdoor area of Teitei.   
The private pool is luxurious!  

There are approximately 375 employees on Laucala looking after 25 villas.  The villas range from 1-3 bedrooms with options that provide more shade versus sun, an over-water bungalow and a villa on a bluff with views of sunrise and sunset.  On occasion, the owner's villa high on a hill overlooking the island is available.  In my many years of travel, I have not experienced anything like the villas of Laucala.  They are massive!!  Your every comfort is paramount to the staff.  The living room is in a completely separate building from the bedroom which boasts a king bed (a few villas have 2 bed options) and a sitting area overlooking your private pool and the blue Pacific water.  There is a changing area and an enormous bathroom with dual sinks, a separate shower and a bathtub made from stone.  Our villa had 2 outdoor showers, an outdoor bathtub, two private lanais to relax in as well as  a private pool and private beach.

Teitei Living Room in a separate building from the bedroom

We are in Plantation Villa 5 named Teitei.  Each villa has a golf cart to get around the property.  Why, because Laucala Island is huge and spread out with only 25% of the 3,000 acre island used.

Horses to ride around the property

The food is excellent.  Because they have four different dining venues, the meals are all varied – each with it's own specialty.  Everything is so fresh with over 80% of the food sourced from Laucala's farm.  Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are included in the rate so cheers!  There is no need for a reservation at Laucala's restaurants.  There is never a wait or a need to hurry.  You are on Fiji Time!

There are endless things to do here.  Simple things like visiting the local village to their Farm Tour which includes farm animals as well as herb gardens and their hydroponic gardens.  For orchid enthusiasts, there is a unique orchid nursery.  Cooking classes or even creating your own soaps, lotions and candles are also a part of your life here at Laucala.  

Laucala offers complementary horseback riding, has a huge well equipped fitness center and has an 18 hole golf course just waiting for you.

For those with little ones, Laucala offers Red Cross trained nannies at no additional cost.  I observed the nannies while they were interacting with the guests' children and they were safe and were having a blast!

There are fantastic water sport options such as snorkeling or diving tours, a submarine adventure, jet ski's and more.  Everything you could imagine is here waiting for you when you want it.  There is no set schedule at Lauacala because EVERYTHING is on “Fiji Time”.

What I like about Laucala is that when you arrive, you are given the option of a very loose itinerary.  We enjoyed our time with Ronald, one of the Concierges who showed us around.  I found that our itinerary engaged us and gently encouraged us to get out of our amazing villa and try what this magical island had to offer.  You do not need to stick with the exact itinerary or even the suggested times.  Remember, you are on” Fiji Time”.

Beach Bar Area

On our first night at Laucala, we were taken on a private champagne sunset cruise around the calm lagoon.  The water was so blue and calm and then the sky changed to many beautiful hues of gold and reds as the sun set.  We could see thousands of stars on our way back.  When we returned, we had a wonderful surprise.  A romantic candle-lit dinner for two at the end of the jetty.

Private Snorkeling experience (lots of coral)

We loved our private snorkeling experience the next morning.  A crew of 2 people took us out privately about 5 minutes from the resort via a speedboat.  The coral and fish are totally different from French Polynesia ... More coral/less fish.  The water was so warm and peaceful and the crew was eager to help.  After we finished, we enjoyed cookies and hot chocolate.

Spa Area

Our afternoon activity was a visit to the spa.  The spa at Laucala offers four signature scents.  They are Molikaro, a blend of native citrus trees, Wainimate which uses local herbs, Qele which uses indigenous roots and spices and finally, Senikau the blend of countless tropical blossoms.  We were not rushed and thoroughly enjoyed our time in the lovely spa.  Make sure to ask for Lesi – she was a fantastic massage therapist.

Fijian Celebration

Our second day was filled with a tour of the entire island and ended with jet ski's.  Fun, right?

Our last night in Paradise celebrated Fijian Culture.  We joined the guests in a Fijian Celebration.  This included a Kava ceremony (Fijian drink) and a Meke performance which was an 35 Fijian dancers from the next island of Qamea entertaining the guests.  Dinner followed with an authentic Lovo experience.  Lovo is when your food is smoked in the ground for hours under elephant leaves.  It was a lot of fun – especially watching the children interact with the troupe.

Lovo is when your food is smoked in the ground for hours under elephant leaves.

The logistics getting to and from Laucala involve taking a private plane from Nadi Airport.  It took us 45 minutes and the views were spectacular from the air.  When you are ready, I will work with my friends at Tahiti Legends and the staff at Laucala to arrange your trip to Paradise.

Fishing

Many thanks to Janine Cifelli who urged me to visit Laucala as well as Andrew Thomson, the GM and Vincent and Jeime in their sales and marketing department.  I also want to thank Anthony Healy for his wonderful cuisine and wanted to thank Matthew, the Food and Beverage Manager who taught us about Australian and New Zealand wine.

Laucala is all inclusive resort.  As in ALL-INCLUSIVE.  There really is nothing like it.  We left our wallets in the safe and never needed to pay for anything as we experienced Laucala.  The only things that not included in the rate are the spa, activities outside of the huge reef such as a visit to another island and reserve wines.  Ask me about our Virtuoso amenity of a 90 minute spa treatment per person!

Private beaches throughout Laucala Island

I have a friend that works for one of the major all inclusive 5 star cruise lines.  She says you either pay once with us or pay twice with the competition.  At Laucala, it's the “you pay once” philosophy.  I look forward to discussing Laucala when you are ready.

Vinaka Vakelevu or thank you very much for sharing my insight about Laucala and taking the time to learn a little about Fiji with me.

Areal view of Plateau Villas

The World is Our Playground!

Mari