Laucala, Fiji - trip report
Jul 13, 2012, 2:53 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
Laucala, Fiji - trip report
I have recently returned from a week at Laucala Island in Fiji with my family.
Quick summary - exceptional! We will certainly return. Definitely worth the journey. This place changed my perceptions of Fiji as a luxury destination.
Access - we were met directly off our flight from Australia, escorted through Immigration and Customs and taken directly to our private 45 minute connecting flight to the Island. It could not have been smoother. On arrival we were greeted by the Managers, senior staff and a wonderful local island welcome song performed by some of the staff. The runway on the island is sealed and can accommodate private jets and I understand it is a designated immigration port of entry (not relevant for us!).
Food - amazing (over 80% of what guests eat is raised or grown on the island, or purchased from local fishermen). Martin Klein, the executive chef, saw us every day and was amazingly responsive to our preferences. There are five main eating spaces:
(a) Plantation restaurant - in a reconstructed colonial style plantation house - the "flagship" restaurant. Also has a colonial style bar and quite an interesting wine cellar;
(b) Seagrass Lounge - a bar/lounge and restaurant offering Asian cuisine including teppanyaki - one of the best places to watch the sunset over a cocktai!
(c) Rock Lounge - perched high on a lushly vegetated peninsula with great views - great place for pre-dinner drinks;
(d) Beach Bar - right on the beach and next to the lagoon pool - we often ate lunch here, good for sushi and other light dishes;
(e) Pool Bar, overlooking the lagoon pool - salads and other light fare for a lazy day in the sun.
We enjoyed fantastic seafood, pretty good teppanyaki and lots of great, fresh, local produce. We ate in our villa on the first night (sitting on the beach in our private outdoor dining space), and experienced restaurant-quality service with two staff present throughout to serve dinner.
Setting is stunning - a variety of accommodation settings to suit preferences of those with families, those wanting more privacy, those wanting a more elevated, tropical vegetated setting etc. There are only 25 residences, the majority of which have private beaches (all have private pools), and it was so private that at times it felt as if we were the only people on the island. It is very spaced out and all villas are provided with one or two golf carts (depending on size of villa). I toured all the "special" villas during my visit so I got a good idea of the range of accommodation on offer. Note that the Virtuoso amenities include upgrade if available but this doesn't really make sense for this resort because of the nature of the villas - there is no difference in quality across any of them, just size (number of bedrooms) and location, which are both very much a question of guest preference. The "special" villas - one overwater two bedroom, the Peninsula Suite (one bedroom) and the Hilltop Residence (three separate one bedroom villas that are taken as one) all offer such particular locations/amenities etc that an "upgrade" might actually not suit guest preference (e.g. the Peninsula Villa is spectacular but not for those with vertigo; the overwater villa is not suitable for young children etc). Happy to expand further on this if others are interested in the differences between various accommodation categories/locations.
Villas - bure-style; all finished to the highest standard with an enormous amount of private indoor and outdoor space. I estimate we had at least 800 sqm, including garden, private pool and manicured private beach, with about 70 m of absolute beachfront (2 bedroom Beach Plantation residence). Our two bedroom villa had two indoor bathrooms and two outdoor bathrooms, baths hewn from massive pieces of stone, and numerous outdoor relaxation spaces including private outdoor massage pavilions, several loungers and a yoga platform on our beach, an outdoor dining and living pavilion, and a couple of daybeds overlooking our pool... There is a large living room in each villa, although I almost never used ours, preferring to relax outside whenever possible (sorry, no pics of this either).
Service - extremely friendly and very professional (any shortcomings more than compensated by the enthusiasm, care and attention and desire to meet guests' needs). The Manager and his wife are ex-Four Seasons, most recently in the Maldives, and they are very present in the resort. We were greeted by name from the moment of our arrival.
Activities - we ran out of time! Sailing (including a gorgeous dragon-class yacht), golf (a world class course that is not played nearly as often as it should be), tennis, all kinds of water sports (diving, snorkeling, skiing, kayaking, jetskis, fishing etc), gym, kids club, nannies etc. They put on a cultural night with a traditional kava ceremony, dance and traditional food cooked in a lovo, which our children loved, and which was a great opportunity to meet other guests and senior resort staff.
Spa - the setting was amazing (four private pavilion complexes - each consisting of three or four large treatment and relaxation spaces and private change and shower facilities - full of natural light, fresh air and open to the sounds of birdsong and the sea below - huge spaces), and the treatments were very good. I spent a lot of time there! The best resort spa setting I have experienced.
I will try to post some more detail and pictures shortly. If there's anything anybody is particularly interested in, feel free to PM me.
Quick summary - exceptional! We will certainly return. Definitely worth the journey. This place changed my perceptions of Fiji as a luxury destination.
Access - we were met directly off our flight from Australia, escorted through Immigration and Customs and taken directly to our private 45 minute connecting flight to the Island. It could not have been smoother. On arrival we were greeted by the Managers, senior staff and a wonderful local island welcome song performed by some of the staff. The runway on the island is sealed and can accommodate private jets and I understand it is a designated immigration port of entry (not relevant for us!).
Food - amazing (over 80% of what guests eat is raised or grown on the island, or purchased from local fishermen). Martin Klein, the executive chef, saw us every day and was amazingly responsive to our preferences. There are five main eating spaces:
(a) Plantation restaurant - in a reconstructed colonial style plantation house - the "flagship" restaurant. Also has a colonial style bar and quite an interesting wine cellar;
(b) Seagrass Lounge - a bar/lounge and restaurant offering Asian cuisine including teppanyaki - one of the best places to watch the sunset over a cocktai!
(c) Rock Lounge - perched high on a lushly vegetated peninsula with great views - great place for pre-dinner drinks;
(d) Beach Bar - right on the beach and next to the lagoon pool - we often ate lunch here, good for sushi and other light dishes;
(e) Pool Bar, overlooking the lagoon pool - salads and other light fare for a lazy day in the sun.
We enjoyed fantastic seafood, pretty good teppanyaki and lots of great, fresh, local produce. We ate in our villa on the first night (sitting on the beach in our private outdoor dining space), and experienced restaurant-quality service with two staff present throughout to serve dinner.
Setting is stunning - a variety of accommodation settings to suit preferences of those with families, those wanting more privacy, those wanting a more elevated, tropical vegetated setting etc. There are only 25 residences, the majority of which have private beaches (all have private pools), and it was so private that at times it felt as if we were the only people on the island. It is very spaced out and all villas are provided with one or two golf carts (depending on size of villa). I toured all the "special" villas during my visit so I got a good idea of the range of accommodation on offer. Note that the Virtuoso amenities include upgrade if available but this doesn't really make sense for this resort because of the nature of the villas - there is no difference in quality across any of them, just size (number of bedrooms) and location, which are both very much a question of guest preference. The "special" villas - one overwater two bedroom, the Peninsula Suite (one bedroom) and the Hilltop Residence (three separate one bedroom villas that are taken as one) all offer such particular locations/amenities etc that an "upgrade" might actually not suit guest preference (e.g. the Peninsula Villa is spectacular but not for those with vertigo; the overwater villa is not suitable for young children etc). Happy to expand further on this if others are interested in the differences between various accommodation categories/locations.
Villas - bure-style; all finished to the highest standard with an enormous amount of private indoor and outdoor space. I estimate we had at least 800 sqm, including garden, private pool and manicured private beach, with about 70 m of absolute beachfront (2 bedroom Beach Plantation residence). Our two bedroom villa had two indoor bathrooms and two outdoor bathrooms, baths hewn from massive pieces of stone, and numerous outdoor relaxation spaces including private outdoor massage pavilions, several loungers and a yoga platform on our beach, an outdoor dining and living pavilion, and a couple of daybeds overlooking our pool... There is a large living room in each villa, although I almost never used ours, preferring to relax outside whenever possible (sorry, no pics of this either).
Service - extremely friendly and very professional (any shortcomings more than compensated by the enthusiasm, care and attention and desire to meet guests' needs). The Manager and his wife are ex-Four Seasons, most recently in the Maldives, and they are very present in the resort. We were greeted by name from the moment of our arrival.
Activities - we ran out of time! Sailing (including a gorgeous dragon-class yacht), golf (a world class course that is not played nearly as often as it should be), tennis, all kinds of water sports (diving, snorkeling, skiing, kayaking, jetskis, fishing etc), gym, kids club, nannies etc. They put on a cultural night with a traditional kava ceremony, dance and traditional food cooked in a lovo, which our children loved, and which was a great opportunity to meet other guests and senior resort staff.
Spa - the setting was amazing (four private pavilion complexes - each consisting of three or four large treatment and relaxation spaces and private change and shower facilities - full of natural light, fresh air and open to the sounds of birdsong and the sea below - huge spaces), and the treatments were very good. I spent a lot of time there! The best resort spa setting I have experienced.
I will try to post some more detail and pictures shortly. If there's anything anybody is particularly interested in, feel free to PM me.
Last edited by Baghoarder; Jul 13, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Jul 13, 2012, 8:54 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
thanks ^^
first report and pics here, and actually probably most pics anywhere
surprising no resort has done that spa concept before, sounds brilliant
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/01...am-island.html
first report and pics here, and actually probably most pics anywhere
surprising no resort has done that spa concept before, sounds brilliant
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/01...am-island.html
“We have two bakers from Germany who get up early every morning in case someone drops by,”
golf with resident PGA-circuit pro Tony Christie
David McLay Kidd’s immaculate 18-hole Scottish carpet carved through Laucala’s dense jungles
golf with resident PGA-circuit pro Tony Christie
David McLay Kidd’s immaculate 18-hole Scottish carpet carved through Laucala’s dense jungles
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jul 14, 2012 at 9:30 am
Jul 13, 2012, 10:13 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
The verandah at the Plantation Restaurant. Breakfast and dinner are taken here, with dinner either a seven course degustation or a la carte. Note dinner can also be taken in the Seagrass Lounge, for a more casual environment with Asian cuisine (Thai chef).
Last edited by Baghoarder; Jul 13, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Jul 13, 2012, 10:16 pm
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
Two views of the Seagrass Lounge. The first is of the lookout pavilion, which is one of the best places in the resort to watch the sunset, cocktail in hand! The second shows the view down from the lookout to the Seagrass Lounge proper. There is also an outdoor teppanyaki bar on a lower level (barely visible)
Jul 13, 2012, 10:24 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
The Peninsula Suite seen from the sea (one bedroom). This suite is quite spectacular (probably not suitable for those who suffer from vertigo!) and very private BUT:
- it is only accessible by private walkway opening off the Seagrass Lounge (or from the water, up many stairs). Not sure whether noise from the Lounge could be heard in the villa at night or not (not that any of the restaurants are noisy)
- rooms are smaller than in other villas, partly because some are split level
- I preferred the layout of other villas
- less usable outdoor space because of the cliffside location (no garden as such), but lots of large terraces and decks, a private beach accessible by MANY stairs, and a SPECTACULAR infinity pool!
- it is only accessible by private walkway opening off the Seagrass Lounge (or from the water, up many stairs). Not sure whether noise from the Lounge could be heard in the villa at night or not (not that any of the restaurants are noisy)
- rooms are smaller than in other villas, partly because some are split level
- I preferred the layout of other villas
- less usable outdoor space because of the cliffside location (no garden as such), but lots of large terraces and decks, a private beach accessible by MANY stairs, and a SPECTACULAR infinity pool!
Jul 13, 2012, 10:26 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
Two bedroom Beach Plantation Villa - some interior views:
The solid stone bath in one of the two indoor bathrooms:
A view into the master bedroom from the entry breezeway:
The interior of the master bedroom. Construction methods are very traditional, with many architectural and interior decorative forms inspired by flora and fauna on the island. My children loved this pendant light!
A view of one of the two outdoor bathrooms and private massage pavilions:
The solid stone bath in one of the two indoor bathrooms:
A view into the master bedroom from the entry breezeway:
The interior of the master bedroom. Construction methods are very traditional, with many architectural and interior decorative forms inspired by flora and fauna on the island. My children loved this pendant light!
A view of one of the two outdoor bathrooms and private massage pavilions:
Last edited by Baghoarder; Jul 13, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Jul 13, 2012, 10:28 pm
#12
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
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Posts: 689
The Spa - a view of one of the private outdoor relaxation spaces in the secluded, private treatment pavilions. To get the full effect here, imagine you are sipping warm lemongrass tea as you recline after your treatment, listening to the sounds of birds in the tropical foliage and the waves breaking gently on the shore down below, and enjoying spectacular views across the water!
All the treatment spaces in a pavilion (a double massage room, a second large space with a beautiful carved daybed where introductory rituals are conducted and an outdoor Vichy space with two beds) have huge doors and windows that are open for your treatment. There is also a separate (dedicated) change and shower space for each pavilion.
All the treatment spaces in a pavilion (a double massage room, a second large space with a beautiful carved daybed where introductory rituals are conducted and an outdoor Vichy space with two beds) have huge doors and windows that are open for your treatment. There is also a separate (dedicated) change and shower space for each pavilion.
Last edited by Baghoarder; Jul 13, 2012 at 11:05 pm
Jul 13, 2012, 10:54 pm
#13
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Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: MEL
Programs: QF CL
Posts: 689
I didn't get out to the reef proper (yet another reason to return, as if I needed one!), but it was impossible to enter the sea from the resort without being surrounded by schools of small fish, which the children just loved!
