Need to know
Rooms
24 residences across four different settings: beach, hilltop, jungle or lagoon.
Check–Out
12 noon; check-in is 2pm. (There are no set check-out or check-in times during high season).
More details
Rates include all of your dining and drinks (yes, even the champagne), a daily fruit basket and a 60-minute massage in the spa for adults.
Also
Fiji is a year-round tropical destination: temperatures span a particularly pleasant range of 25–30 degrees. That said, the island is at its hottest in January; and cooling easterly winds dance across the island in July and August.
At the hotel
Multiple dining outlets and bars, spa with treatment rooms, gardens, farm, golf course, catamarans, yachts, tennis courts, pickleball, gym, babysitting services, kids club and chapel. In rooms: WiFi, TV, bluetooth sound system, private pool, daybeds and sun loungers, Nespresso coffee, golf buggies and a minibar that’s replenished daily with wine, spirits, local beer and soft drinks. Each residence has a private tau – Fijian for ‘friend’ – so you’ll want for nothing.
Our favourite rooms
Each residence is a self-contained world – one made of Fijian wood, thatch and palm. The distinct settings – beach, hilltop, jungle or lagoon – are reflected in the interiors of the villas, but there are common threads: a private pool, sundeck, outdoor bath and elegant lounge. If we had to pick, we’d go for a plantation residence – there’s little more luxe than your own palm-dotted beach.
Poolside
If you bore of your bure’s ocean-facing plunger, then make for the luxury lagoon-style swimming pool (it’s so large that there are swim-up-able bijou islands and palm trees inside it) leading to a glass-edged above-ground lap pool.
Spa
Not half. Treatments in the spa feature soils, crystals and stones from the island; native flowers and herbs; and home-grown fruits. There’s all the signature treatments, but we’d opt for one with a particularly Fijian flavour. Go the whole hog with the Laucala Island signature journey: a deep cleansing salt scrub and papaya and banana leaf body wrap. For added privacy, book your massage in one of the treatment villas – each has an outdoor treatment space and bathtub. There’s more relaxation to be had post-treatment too: the spa has a garden with tropical flowers, herbs, spices and fruits, and you can use them to create your own soaps and scrubs.
Packing tips
Divers, if your PADI diving certificate isn’t top of your list, then we haven’t done our job well enough. Those less inclined to spend time under water should bring plenty of aloe vera-spiked after sun (one bottle will not be enough).
Also
Head to the beauty salon for a mid-holiday manicure, pedicure or eyebrow tidy.
Children
Children are welcome on the island, and there’s plenty to keep them busy. The kids club organises dawn-til-dusk outdoor, indoor and educational activities; plus babysitting and nanny services are included.
Sustainability efforts
Being sustainable is the dream at Laucala Island, made a reality by the 240-acre farm. The hotel grows its own organic fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices; breeds its own poultry, pigs, chicken and cattle; and bottles its own honey and volcanic mineral water. The fish and seafood featured in the restaurants are sourced exclusively from local fishermen. The island also organises regular beach clean ups and encourages guests to take part in coral planting and mangrove planting. LED bulbs and energy-efficient systems are also in use, plus all spa products are free of harmful substances and made with eco-friendly ingredients.
