In Fiji, the word “Bula” is used to express everything from welcome to love, and you hear it so many times while you are here that the spirit of Fijian hospitality gets into your soul. The literal meaning of Bula is “life,” and beginning your married life together with a honeymoon in Fiji’s pristine corner of Polynesia will have you falling in love over and over again.
Reef-fringed Natadola Beach on Fiji’s main island of Vita Levu is home to the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort, where luxury suites with plunge pools overlook the Pacific at the Club InterContinental, an exclusive resort-within-a-resort. Days spent relaxing in a beach cabana or playing golf by the ocean’s edge are capped by couples treatments in the spa’s Orchid Room and elegant dining at the Navo restaurant.
Private Yanuca Island is just a causeway away from mainland Fiji and home to Shangri-La’s Fijian Resort & Spa, where your stay may include nights in an oceanfront bure and days spent relaxing with a Fijian Fusion treatment at the CHI Spa or exploring the nearby coral reefs with the Shangri-La Marine Education Centre, a center for Fijian eco-tourism.
Named for the famous explorer and conservationist, the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort blends five-star pampering with the soul of an eco-resort. You can dive the local reefs with a marine biologist, take a hike where you’ll learn how local plants are used as medicine, or stroll the markets in the nearby town of Savusavu before kicking back in a spa tub for two in a private bure on Honeymoon Point.
Even more intimate is Turtle Island, an all-inclusive private island resort that accommodates just fourteen couples with an equal number of beaches—that’s right, you are pretty much guaranteed your own private beach when you stay in one of Turtle Island’s exclusive bures facing the Blue Lagoon (ask for the one named for Brooke Shields). Imagine days spent floating in a lagoon or exploring the island on horseback, interrupted only by a beach picnic with champagne and lobster.
Tahiti: the name is almost magical, invoking images of shimmering white-sand beaches and thatched-roof cottages strung like pearls across turquoise lagoons. It all seems too beautiful to be real, but the islands of Tahiti and beyond await discovery by honeymooners seeing the ultimate romance in a destination truly worthy of the word “paradise.”
The overwater bungalows at the Le Méridien Tahiti are crafted from woven palm and timbers, and fish swim beneath your feet as you step out onto your terrace overlooking the open lagoon. Yet for all their cherished isolation you’re hardly on a desert island here: each bungalow is kitted with a flat-screen TV, signature Le Méridien bed, mini bar, and more—not to mention snorkeling gear, of course. On Friday nights, guests are treated to a classic Polynesian show and buffet featuring native dishes, some of which you can learn to make yourself at one of the resort’s cooking classes.
Can’t choose just one destination? The luxury yacht MV Capricorn can make stops at the best resorts in Fiji and Tahiti as you cruise through the islands on your custom-designed itinerary. For the entire week the whole boat and its three-person crew is at your complete disposal for meals onboard or onshore, excursions to secluded coves and beaches, and even the opportunity to experience village life with local hosts, far from the beaten tourist path.
> Written by Bob Curley
