TOP 10
Fiji
FAMILY-FRIENDLY RESORTS
Are the palm-fringed beaches of Fiji calling your name? From the mainland of Viti Levu to the tropical Mamanuca Islands, these are ten of the island nation's most family-friendly resorts.
Opening image: Sunset at Plantation Island Resort
1. PLANTATION ISLAND RESORT
On the second largest island in the Mamanuca group, Malolo Lailai Island, accommodation at Plantation Island Resort ranges from poolside rooms the kids will love to beachfront bures.
Scuba diving, surfing, and a massive inflatable water park make this resort a kid-friendly paradise. Plantation Island also has an indoor activities centre and two outdoor playgrounds. For treasured family memories, take a dolphin safari or explore the island with beach cruiser bike hire.
In addition to the resort’s fantastic buffet and a la carte restaurants, you can also pick up fresh coconuts, juices and coffee from the Cocohut Espresso & Frappe Bar.
Images: A family at Plantation Island Resort, Dining at Tavola Restaurant
JUST FOR KIDS
The free Coconut Kids Club keeps under-12s busy with a daily activities program, including coconut boat racing, fish feeding and cultural dance. Tweens and teens aren’t forgotten – the Lairo Club offers plenty of social activities to banish boredom for the 12-to-16 crowd. Babysitting options include a children’s creche and 24-hour nanny services.
Image below: A child with a nanny at Plantation Island Resort
2. OUTRIGGER FIJI BEACH RESORT
Set in beautiful tropical gardens, the five-star OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort is designed like a Fijian village, with thatched roof bures and palm trees dotted throughout. Located on the Coral Coast, just over an hour’s drive from the airport at Sigatoka, the resort’s calm lagoon is perfect for littlies.
Fabulous cultural activities here include village tours, traditional storytelling, fire walking and dance performances. The Vale Ni Kana restaurant has a weekly lovo night with live entertainment while you dine on tender chicken and pork cooked in an underground oven.
Images: Kids' club activities, A sunset ceremony
JUST FOR KIDS
During the day, girls sit by the pool having their hair braided while watching their siblings swim, and at dusk, staff blow conch shells (and often let the kids – or their Dads – have a go). Daily activities include coconut bowling, coconut husking demonstrations, guided reef walks, storytelling sessions and spear throwing for teenagers.
Image below: Face painting at OUTRIGGER Fiji Beach Resort
3. OUTRIGGER CASTAWAY ISLAND
Just a 90-minute boat ride from Port Denarau, this idyllic four-star resort is set on a 70-hectare property. Encircled by powdery white sand beaches, OUTRIGGER Castaway Island offers a gateway to vibrant coral reefs and the crystal-clear waters of the South Pacific.
Set amidst tropical gardens, the resort has 65 air-conditioned thatched roof bures (bungalows) featuring vaulted ceilings lined with hand-painted tapa cloth. There are two pools and a beach bar, a great spot to watch the sunset. Guests can also take part in a range of water sports, including kayaking, snorkelling and stand-up paddleboarding.
Images: Poolside cocktails, Sunset at Water's Edge Restaurant
4. MALOLO ISLAND RESORT
Fijian-owned Malolo Island Resort has beautiful colonial and plantation-style architecture and two pools. The exclusive resort offers only 46 bures in five categories, some of which sleep up to seven people.
There’s something to keep kids of all ages busy here so that parents can enjoy a ‘me time’ massage or lazy afternoon in the adults-only pool (with a swim-up bar and al fresco lounge). Don’t forget to sample the daily rotating flavours at the Coastal Cones Ice Cream Parlour for a sweet treat – after all, you’re on holiday!
Images: The kids' club, An aerial view of Malolo Island Resort
JUST FOR KIDS
Parents can truly relax with a Malolo Mei Mei (nanny) to care for little ones. Tia’s Treehouse kids’ club occupies four to 12-year-olds with Fijian language, culture and culinary experiences, including traditional arts and crafts. For tweens and teens, Khail’s Club provides a cool hangout spot with a karaoke machine, bean bags, table tennis and dance floor.
Image below: A girl discovering marine life with a nanny
5. SOFITEL FIJI RESORT & SPA
The dedicated family side of the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau Island is full of kid-friendly touches without compromising on five-star luxury. Family rooms include two-tier bunk beds and an extended outdoor deck and grass area for Luxury Family Rooms.
Dining options are plentiful and inspired, including Mediterranean-themed Solis, La Parisienne cafe and the refined Vietnamese fare of Madame So (ages five and up). In addition to the family pool and waterslides, the resort offers complimentary water activities like kayaking, Hobie cat sailing and stand-up paddle boarding.
Images: Waitui Family room, An aerial view of Sofitel Fiji
JUST FOR KIDS
For children between three and 12 years old, the stunning Nui Kids Beach Club has six interactive play areas. Kids will adore the climbing wall, water play areas, sand pit, trampoline and beach cubby. Babysitting services are also available for all ages, from newborns and up, while the Teenage Zone keeps 12 to 16-year-olds enthralled with Playstation and arcade games.
Image below: Waitui Beach Club
6. SHANGRI-LA YANUCA ISLAND
Shangri-la Yanuca Island is located on its own private island, connected to the mainland by a causeway, less than an hour’s drive from the airport. The 443-room resort is spread across more than 100ha.
As well as an indoor and outdoor kids’ club, it has a separate entertainment zone for tweens and teens, boasting the largest inflatable water park in the South Pacific. Its Marine Education Centre is a great place for kids to learn about the environment, with activities such as mangrove and coral planting.
Images: The Spa relaxation area, The inflatable water park
JUST FOR KIDS
At the Little Chief’s Club, activity coordinators entertain children with a range of fun experiences, including shell collecting, Fijian dancing and dress-up, basket making, crab hunts, grass skirt making and fish feeding. Babysitting is also available throughout the day.
Image below: An Ocean Deluxe Sea View room at Shangri-La Yanuca Island
7. RADIS SON BLU RESORT FIJI DENARAU ISLAND
The fun begins when kids arrive at Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island and are checked in with their Blu Banana passports. It has 135 spacious hotel rooms, each with a balcony or courtyard overlooking the tropical gardens, lagoon-style pools or 18-hole golf course.
There’s no shortage of water park fun at Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island – the resort has four climate-controlled lagoon pools and Fiji’s only white-water tunnel slide, plus Big Bula Waterpark less than a kilometre from the resort grounds. At dinnertime, choose from Japanese favourites at Teppanyaki, Italian eats at Basilico or buffet dining at the Blu Bar & Grill.
Images: A drum welcome, The waterslide
JUST FOR KIDS
The Blu Banana Kids Club is divided into age groups: four to seven and eight to 12 (seasonal). Three sessions are offered daily, as well as a torch-lighting ceremony at sunset and three themed nights a week. The morning Roroqo Club for littlies aged one to three provides fun and engaging activities for toddlers, along with their own nanny (babysitting charges apply).
Image below: A child with a nanny at Radisson Blu Resort Fiji Denarau Island
8. SIX SENSES FIJI, MALOLO ISLAND
Wellness and sustainability are key philosophies at Six Senses Fiji, a 48-hectare luxury resort in the Mamanuca Islands. Families can relax in their breezy poolside villa, knowing the environmental footprint of their stay is minimal – and relaxation is certainly on the cards here. There are daily yoga classes, Fijian cooking lessons, and the swoon-worthy Six Senses Spa, which even offers junior treatments for mummy-and-me bonding.
Images: Fijian bracelet making, Tovolea and Beachfront Pool Villas © Jeremy Austin
JUST FOR KIDS
Grow With Six Senses kids club is complimentary for all children aged four to 12. Activities include kids' yoga, tree planting, bracelet weaving and tie-dying. Nanny services are also available, and for Residence guests, they’re included in your stay.
Image below: Go snorkelling during a stay at Six Senses Fiji
9. FIJI MAR RIOTT RESORT MOMI BAY
The five-star Marriott Momi Bay Resort and Spa is around 45 minutes from the airport on Viti Levu’s west coast. All rooms include a private deck or balcony so you can soak up the atmosphere of this 100% Fijian-owned resort.
The resort includes three incredible pools: a dedicated children’s pool with water jets, an adults-only sunset infinity pool and the main pool, which welcomes all ages (including a swim-up bar). Cultural activities and eco-friendly adventures abound, including mangrove and coral planting to rejuvenate the local environment.
Images: Kids in the pool, The kids' club
JUST FOR KIDS
The Turtles Kids’ Club has indoor and outdoor play areas where children can enjoy slides, swings, climbing and a sand pit. Activities include a mini-Amazing Race, Fijian language lessons, pirate ship making, coconut husking, basket weaving, crab races, a talent quest and marine life education.
Image below: Overwater villas at Fiji Marriott Momi Bay
10. JEAN-MICHEL COUSTEAU RESORT
Designed like a Fijian village, Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort has just 25 bures made from natural materials, with thatched roofs and timber louvre windows. Located near Vanua Levu’s largest island, Savusavu, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the island’s hot springs, rainforests and waterfalls.
The resort has two pools with waterslides and a toddlers’ pool, a jungle gym, zipline, trampoline, sandpit and crafts centre. The waters surrounding the resort are part of a marine reserve, so the marine life is impressive for snorkelling and diving.
Images: A child with a marine biologist, The pool at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort
JUST FOR KIDS
Each child five and under is assigned a dedicated nanny during their stay. The Bula kids club is open daily from 8 am to 9 pm, leading kids in age-appropriate educational fun. Kids between six and 12 can participate in the Junior Chef’s Program, where they visit the resort’s organic garden to pick vegetables and help make lunch or dinner.
Image below: An aerial view of Jean Michel Cousteau Resort
FIJI’S FAMILY HOLIDAY HOTSPOTS
PORT DENARAU
Less than half an hour from Nadi International Airport, this man-made resort island is attached to Viti Levu by a short causeway. Famous for shopping (and restaurant-hopping), Denarau is also the perfect base for a half-day or full-day island cruise to get a taste of the distinctly different Fijian lifestyle.
CORAL COAST
Head southwest from Nadi International Airport and you’re on the Queens Road, taking an 80-odd km scenic road trip along Fiji’s famous Coral Coast. It’s home to some of the most diverse marine habitats in the world - as well as lush forests, waterfalls and stunning scenery.
MAMANUCA ISLANDS
You don’t need to travel far to enjoy a tropical island getaway. The Mamanuca Islands are the closest to Fiji’s mainland and Nadi Airport – less than an hour’s boat ride from Port Denarau. The Tom Hanks movie Castaway was filmed at Modriki Island, which can be visited on day trips from its many resorts.
