TOKORIKI ISLAND RESORT, FIJI
In Fijian, Tokoriki means “stay here” and you might be tempted to do just that. Tokoriki Island Resort (TIR) is located in the Mamanuca Islands 35 km from Nadi. To get to TIR, we took a high speed catamaran for 1 hour and were met in the water by a TIR boat. We were assisted to the boat by friendly staff and away we went for a quick 5 minute ride to land in the water in front of TIR. Again, we were assisted by the staff to walk 10 steps to land. Funny arrival, right? Our departure will be via seaplane accessing it in the water so I'll have a story for that tomorrow. For those who do not want to land or depart from the water, you can helicopter over and land next to TIR.
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| Jeff and I at TIR! |
TIR is remote. There are 34 bures (what they call their rooms) detached from each other. Each one has water views. TIR is a solid 4 star property with a lot of heart. The people are genuine and call you by your first name. Upon arrival, we were given a general overview of how things worked here, enjoyed a welcome cocktail and were shown to our bure. The bures at TIR do not have TV's or WIFI in them which was really, really hard for me. There is one small TV in the reception area and WIFI can be found around the common areas near the reception, restaurant and the pool. As I'm writing this, I'm sitting on a lounge overlooking the water. There are gentle breezes and I can hear the surf.
Once I accepted that I had to escape technology, I started to relax and enjoy where I was. TIR offers PADI diving, snorkeling trips, a visit to the local village of Yanuya, tennis and a lovely spa. (All except the snorkeling trips are for a nominal fee.) TIR offers complimentary daily activities such as a volleyball tournament, cocktail lessons, torch lighting ceremony and each guest receives a complementary 15 minute foot massage. There are private beaches to have a romantic dinner and even a visit to Monuriki Island which was the location of Tom Hank's move, “Castaway”.
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| Sitting on a lounge overlooking the water (writing this)! |
TIR is not all inclusive. The food is quite tasty and a diverse mix of typical resort fare with a touch of local Fijian and Indian ingredients. TIR has two restaurants for dinner. HINT: The Teppanyaki style, Japanese restaurant, Oishii is a must and only seats 8 people so make your appointment as soon as you arrive.
So, here are the pro/cons:
I love the warmth of the people at TIR. My dear friend, Marisa from Tahiti Legends said that I would and she was right.
I love the resort itself as it is so low key and beautiful. Walking around the resort makes me happy and peaceful.
You get a true sense of place here. The pace is slower and the people are so friendly
My reservations about TIR are not a big deal. If you decide to be adventuresome and to some, being off the grid IS adventuresome, you have to accept their no TV, no WIFI in the room policy. If you can, you will love Tokoriki Island Resort like I did.
Stay tuned!
The World is Our Playground!
Mari
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