Mr & Mrs Smith

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

Fiji Islands, Fiji

With diving run by the son of legendary scuba-pioneer Jacques Cousteau, shoreside eco-retreat Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is all about underwater exploration, and even boasts a marine biologist. The free Bula Club for kids and dawn-to-dusk nanny service means families flock to this coastal sanctuary on tropical Vanua Levu island, too, while adults-only dining and the seductive spa will please romantics.

Need to know

• Rooms 25, including three suites.
• Rates Double rooms from AU$895.00, excluding tax at 20 per cent.
  The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency (AU$895) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
• More details Rates include all meals, non-alcoholic drinks, kids' club, and transfers from Savusavu Airport.
• Facilities Bula Club for kids, spa, dive shop, marine biologist, watersports, tennis and volleyball court, table tennis, trampoline, library, TV and video room, board games, boutique, gardens, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: minibar with free soft drinks and bottled water, fridge, Pure Fiji toiletries.
• Poolside The adults-only oceanfront Serenity Pool by the bar is a sleek, infinity-edge number flanked by orange day-beds and a shady pergola for a sociable scene. It only welcomes teens age 13 or over, but younger kids can choose between three dedicated pools, including the Family Pool with a 20-foot waterslide alongside the Bula Club, the Junior Pool or the cascading Water Mushroom Pool for toddlers.
• Check-out 11am. Check-in, 2pm, or earlier if room is available.
• Children Welcome: babysitting is free from 8am to 9pm (FJD5, or an hour afterwards), and the free Bula Club offers endless kids' activities. Baby cots and extra beds for two kids are provided gratis (for a third child, a bed costs AU$166 a night, including tax). More...
• Also There's a minimum three-night stay; five nights from 22 December 2012 to 5 January 2013. Smoking is permitted outside; pets are not allowed.

Food and drink at Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

• Hotel restaurant

  Chef Raymond Lee keeps the pans flipping at the open-air restaurant, which stars international and Fijian cuisine that's strong on locally caught fish and seafood, and organic produce from the hotel's garden. Typical dishes on the daily changing menu include New Zealand lamb or chargrilled wahoo with sweet corn and prawn salad. Set under a soaring temple roof, the dining area serves up appetising sea views, too, or you can dine out poolside or in an adults-only sanctuary.

• Dress code We feel a kaftan coming on. Bright and breezy should suit this laid-back South Pacific scene.
• Top table Opt for romance-revving private dining by lantern light at the pier's end, on seductive ocean decks, or in one of the thatched beachfront bures (all at extra cost).
• Last orders Dinner is served from 6pm until 8pm; the bar keeps the cocktails coming until 11pm.
• Room service Available from 8am to 8pm, with dishes from the restaurant menu during meal times, and light snacks at other hours.
• Hotel bar

  Mojitos and margaritas are the order of the day in the poolside bar, which overlooks the ocean and blue-tinged hills beyond. During cocktail hour, expect to be serenaded with tunes from the local 'Beach Boys' band.

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort Savusavu, Vanua Levu