Fiji Islands, Fiji

Wakaya Island Resort & Spa

Wakaya Island Resort & Spa Photos

Style

Boutique beachfront bures

Setting

Palm-fringed paradise

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Spread across two palm-fringed acres of a privately owned Fijian isle, Wakaya Island Resort & Spa is the very definition of remote. But you won’t want for much here because, from the all-singing, all-dancing Fijian welcome to holistic massage, farm-to-table dining and reef recreation, there’s little chance of getting bored. You can always try, though: just unplug from the outside world, sip coconut water on the sand, and try not to let those widescreen ocean views distract you from the task in hand. 

Smith Extra

Get this when you book through us:

A 60-minute massage each

Facilities

Photos Wakaya Island Resort & Spa facilities

Need to know

Rooms

12, including 10 beachfront bures and two villas.

Check–Out

4pm. Early morning check-in is available from 7am.

Also

Unfortunately, the remote location and terrain of Wakaya Island Resort & Spa makes it challenging for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility.

At the hotel

Private beach, manicured gardens, gym, tennis court, golf course, free laundry service and free WiFi throughout. In bures and villas: Bose Bluetooth speakers, TV, air-conditioning, cafetiere with freshly ground coffee, Dilmah tea, free minibar (replenished daily), free bottled water, bathrobes, slippers and organic Pure Fiji bath products.

Our favourite rooms

Wakaya Island Resort & Spa’s waterfront bures, with their glorious sea and garden views, outdoor lava rock showers and luxurious freestanding bath tubs, provide decadence enough for most. But if you want to splash out a little (or a lot), opt for one of the resort’s eye-poppingly lavish hilltop villas. At upwards of 35,000 square feet, the sprawling Seqa Na Leqa (Fijian for ‘no worries’) comes complete with an infinity pool, zen garden, entertainment areas, an entire separate guest wing, and dedicated household staff that includes your own private chef and chauffeur.

Poolside

The resort pool (open from 6am to 8pm) promises some of the finest ocean views on the island. Drink it all in over a signature hibiscus margarita served straight to your sunlounger.

Spa

The clue’s in the name at Wakaya Island Resort & Spa, where a dedicated bure by the name of Breeze Spa sits at the end of the beach and delivers the full range of massage treatments, body wraps, facials, manicures and pedicures. If you’re staying in the Vale Levu bure or either villa, treatments can be brought to you.

Packing tips

Wakaya isn’t the kind of place where you can just pop out for forgotten phone chargers and flip-flops. So, pack with military precision, but be sure to leave space for a couple of holiday games and paperbacks for all that low-tempo, offline island downtime.

Also

You’re unlikely to run short of things to do here. Use of the resort’s gym, tennis court and golf course are all included in the rate, and free equipment is provided for non-motorised water sports including snorkelling, kayaking and paddle boarding.

Pet‐friendly

Dogs aren't permitted at Wakaya Island Resort & Spa. See more pet-friendly hotels in Fiji Islands.

Children

Welcome: bures and villas offer a variety of configurations for families, and babysitting is available for US$25 per hour; kids can avail themselves of the resort’s family friendly pastimes, including water sports and a games room that’s open all hours.

Sustainability efforts

So ingrained is sustainability in daily life at Wakaya Island Resort & Spa that it’s hard to know where to begin. Low-rise buildings blend effortlessly with the natural environment and make abundant use of local resources — indigenous Yaka timber flooring, woven bamboo cladding, and doors hewn from trees felled during Cyclone Winston in 2016. The island’s nutrient-rich volcanic soil and bountiful South Pacific waters minimise the need for imported foods — you can even pluck tropical fruits from the garden and fish from the sea yourself. The island also has its own farm, which is entirely organic, sourcing compost from seaweed, island vegetation and natural fertilisers; meanwhile, a dedicated bee colony pollinates the crops and produces honey for the table. This cyclical approach, combined with sustainable fishing methods, helps protect the coral reef and its native marine species, including leopard sharks, turtles and reef manta rays. The resort also runs its own regenerative coral nursery program (you’re welcome to help out here, too) and partners with Manta Project Fiji for the ongoing study and protection of Fiji’s endangered ray population. Finally, in a resort like Wakaya, LED bulbs, motion sensors, bamboo straws, glass bottles and plant-based bath products come as standard. As a nice bonus touch, you'll find a metal water bottle in your room that can be refilled at filtered water stations throughout the resort.

Food and Drink

Photos Wakaya Island Resort & Spa food and drink

Top Table

Dining on your own private terrace, as the stars come out and the jungle’s daytime symphony gives way to the gentle roar of the ocean, is pretty tough to beat.

Dress Code

None, but there's every chance the colourful menu will inspire you into bold tropical patterns and maybe even the odd fish-motif print.

Hotel restaurant

Dining at Wakaya Island Resort & Spa is largely guided by the freshest farm picks and ocean catches of the day, with South Pacific-Mediterranean dishes conjured from seasonal tropical fruits — papaya, soursop and island lychees — and fish steamed in banana leaves. You can even land your own catch and pluck fruits, veggies and herbs straight from the farm, bringing a whole new perspective on knowing where the food on your plate comes from. Wakaya is also the only Fijian island (out of 330) with its own deer population, so you might even expect to find venison on the menu from time to time. Nor does it matter much that the resort is your only dining option on Wakaya: thanks to the island's rich, seasonal bounty, the menu rarely stays the same from day to day, meaning you're unlikely to eat the same thing twice in the same stay. 

The main Palm Grove restaurant’s open-plan design and soaring, woven cathedral roof makes the best of those balmy breezes and superlative sea views. But you can also opt to dine in the intimate Baravi Lai Lai beach house, poolside, or in the privacy of your own bure or villa. 

Hotel bar

The Palm Grove Bar comes on like something from a movie set — all dazzling white parasols, whirring fans and more spirit bottles than you can shake a martini at. It’s open 7am–11pm, promising stirring sea views and signature cocktails from sunrise until long after sundown.

Last orders

Both restaurants open for breakfast 7am to 10am; lunch from noon till 2.30pm and dinner, 6pm–9.30pm. The bar stays open until 11pm.

Room service

Available 8am to 8pm.

Location

Photos Wakaya Island Resort & Spa location
Address
Wakaya Island Resort & Spa
CX2M+PJJ
Wakaya Island
Fiji

Wakaya Island Resort & Spa lies on the shores of a privately owned isle in Fiji’s volcanic Lomaiviti Archipelago.

Planes

It’s around a 35-minute flight from Nadi Airport to the resort, or 15 minutes from Nausori Airport. The resort operates a private propeller jet from both airports and staff will escort you through immigration and customs and straight onto the plane. It’s quite the first impression, with both flights promising tantalising bird’s-eye views of Fiji’s main island Viti Levu, historic Ovalau island, and the Koro Sea.

Automobiles

Wakaya is a private island that clocks in at a diminutive three square miles, so you won’t be needing a car here.

Worth getting out of bed for

For a relatively small island (just over three square miles), there’s a heck of a lot of things you can get up to on Wakaya. Beyond the largely horizontal stuff that Wakaya Island Resort & Spa excels in — soothing spa sessions, poolside margaritas and general beach-bumming — there’s a whole roster of activities that even the most enthusiastic member of your crew might be hard-pushed to squeeze into a single trip.

Land-lubbers can come out swinging on the achingly picturesque nine-hole golf course that weaves through a former coconut plantation just behind the resort, or make a racket on the night-lit grass tennis court. There are scenic hikes up to historic Chieftain’s Leap (don’t jump; no, not even if you happen to be an actual chieftain) and cultural activities held on the resort’s Palm Grove Lawn, including basket-weaving, traditional Fijian dancing and a lip-numbing kava welcome ceremony. 

There are of course also countless water-based activities literally steps from your bure. Scuba or snorkel the colourful coral reefs that fringe the shore, keeping eyes peeled for rare reef manta rays and otherworldly humphead wrasses. You can even go spearfishing in the hope of catching your own dinner. Or keep your head above water on a self-guided kayak or paddle board excursion. The majority of these activities — both land and sea — are included in the resort’s rates. 

Reviews

Photos Wakaya Island Resort & Spa reviews

Anonymous review

By Mr & Mrs Smith

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this privately owned Fjiian island, shaken the sand from their shoes and surprised friends and family with a hearty “bula!”, a full account of their tropical island adventure will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Wakaya Island Resort & Spa in Fiji… 

Devastated by Cyclone Winston in 2016, Wakaya Island Resort & Spa has been reborn — a phoenix from the island’s fiery volcanic soil. Wood from trees felled in the storm has been reclaimed and incorporated into freshly minted doors and furniture. And a duo of grandstanding private hilltop villas have joined the parade alongside 10 luxury beach bures. 

You’ll be greeted with a traditional Fijian welcome dance and, as there’s no tedious formal check-in process (you can pitch up on the resort’s private jet from as early as 7am), you’re able to get straight to the good stuff. And good stuff there is, in abundance: stellar sea views, a beach straight from ‘Cast Away’ (but with better cocktail options), seafood-led dining that brings whole new meaning to the phrase ‘freshly caught’, and a spa for working out any residual stress. Island life never felt so luxe (or laid-back). 

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