editorial

Developed by an Austrian billionaire and now run by a Singapore-based hotel group, Fiji’s remote Laucala is the private-island resort of your dreams, with a natural beauty that is as extravagant as the accommodations.
Photographs by Christopher P. Hill
<figure id="attachment_138895" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138895" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138895 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Bure-Kalou-spirit-house-The-Plantation-House-Bar-Fiji.jpg" alt="The bure kalou (spirit house) at the COMO Laucala Island’s Cultural Village; the Plantation House bar." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Bure-Kalou-spirit-house-The-Plantation-House-Bar-Fiji.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Bure-Kalou-spirit-house-The-Plantation-House-Bar-Fiji-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Bure-Kalou-spirit-house-The-Plantation-House-Bar-Fiji-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Bure-Kalou-spirit-house-The-Plantation-House-Bar-Fiji-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138895" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: The bure kalou (spirit house) at the COMO Laucala Island’s Cultural Village; the Plantation House bar.</figcaption></figure>
The first thing I learned after the eight-seat Beechcraft turboprop touched down on Laucala was that I’d been pronouncing the island’s name wrong. It’s Lau-tha-la — the c’s in Fijian are said with a “th” sound. Second thing: Laucala employs some 350 people, a good dozen of whom were on hand at the airstrip to greet me with a jubilant welcome song, “Bula Melea.” For a private island with just 25 guest villas, that’s an extraordinary number. But then, as I discovered over the course of my four-night visit, Laucala is no ordinary resort experience.
The remnant of an ancient shield volcano situated in Fiji’s northern archipelago, this 12-square-kilometer speck of jungle-cloaked hills and long, empty beaches is every bit the quintessential South Pacific paradise. Malcolm Forbes, who purchased Laucala in 1972, liked it so much that he had his ashes interred here. Some three decades later, Dietrich Mateschitz, the late Austrian billionaire who turned a Thai energy drink into the Red Bull empire, acquired the island from the Forbes family and set about to create one of the world’s most exclusive resorts. That passion project debuted in 2008 as a paparazzi-free playground for the rich and famous, complete with an 18-hole golf course, horse stables, a small fleet of pleasure craft, and a “village” on the neighboring island of Qamea to house most of the staff. In late 2021, the Singapore-based COMO hotel group took over management with a mandate to reach out to a wider clientele. A refurbishment followed, as did a new name: COMO Laucala Island.
I arrived in Fiji in mid-March at the tail end of the cyclone season; Nadi, the gateway town on the main island of Viti Levu, was inundated with floodwater. But less than an hour’s flight away, the skies over Laucala were clear as the resort’s sleek Beechcraft descended toward the runway. The view from my window was promising: a wild quilt of tropical jungle and palm trees fringed by turquoise lagoons and the endless blue of the Koro Sea beyond. On the ground, the lushness was all-encompassing; only a fraction of the island has been developed. The corridor of primordial rainforest leading to the main resort area has been nicknamed Jurassic Park.
<figure id="attachment_138892" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138892" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138892 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/A-Villa-Bedroom-The-Main-Pool-at-COMO-Laucala-Island-Fiji.jpg" alt="A villa bedroom; the main pool at COMO Laucala Island." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138892" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A villa bedroom; the main pool at COMO Laucala Island.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_138894" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138894" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138894 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Coconut-Trees-A-Tattoed-Staffer-Fiji.jpg" alt="Coconut trees cover a swath of the main COMO resort's area; a tattooed staffer." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Coconut-Trees-A-Tattoed-Staffer-Fiji.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Coconut-Trees-A-Tattoed-Staffer-Fiji-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Coconut-Trees-A-Tattoed-Staffer-Fiji-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Coconut-Trees-A-Tattoed-Staffer-Fiji-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138894" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Coconut trees cover a swath of the main resort&#8217;s area; a tattooed staffer.</figcaption></figure>
Scattered in discreet clusters across the north coast, COMO Laucala’s thatch-roofed villas are as luxuriant as the surrounds. Some are positioned on a hilltop ridge, others on the beach or a rocky peninsula; one split-level residence is perched right above the water. Inside, the high-ceilinged bedrooms and lounges are done up in a contemporary South Pacific style with lots of organic curves and soft edges. Whimsical jellyfish-like chandeliers hang from stout log beams lashed together (in traditional Fijian fashion) with magimagi, a twine made from coconut husk. Original watercolors decorate the creamy coral-plaster walls. Slate-floored bathrooms feature deep stone tubs hewn from single slabs of granite. Just as compelling is what awaits outside: a sprawling garden area complete with a muslin-draped cabana, dining pavilion, sun deck, and free-form pool. Actually, forget the pool: my 2,000-square-meter villa came with its own private patch of beach. And an electric golf buggy: everything is so spread out here that walking isn’t always an option, especially under the hot Fijian sun.
Such extravagance comes with a steep price tag — one-bedroom villas start at US$6,100 a night. Mind you, that includes a host of amenities (such as your own personal wine fridge and spirits selection) and activities, not to mention all food and most beverages. And oh, what food it is. Australian executive chef Dan Boller oversees five bars and restaurants where the menus change daily and the ingredients, grown mostly on the island or plucked straight from the sea, are as fresh as can be. I adored the kokoda — a Fijian raw fish salad marinated with lemon, chili, and coconut — at the Beach Bar, whose leaf-shaped canopies rise above the sand next to an enormous lagoon-style swimming pool. One evening, a real-deal Thai tasting menu awaited me at the cliff-top Seagrass Lounge, courtesy of Bangkok-born chef Nantaphon Didthasara. And then there’s the Plantation House, a British colonial–style affair with a wraparound veranda that overlooks stately rows of coconut palms, a vestige of the site’s earlier incarnation as a copra plantation (the trees are still harvested by a team of dedicated coconut pickers). This is the main restaurant, serving sumptuous breakfasts by morning and multicourse gourmet meals by night. One night there was sous-vide duck with house-made chocolate sauce and basil florets; another, tagliatelle in beef-cheek ragu — one of the most sublime pasta dishes I’ve tasted this side of Italy.
Activities are equally as varied. On land, there are hikes in the hills, horseback riding (the resort has nine glossy steeds, crossbreeds of Australian Thoroughbreds and British Clydesdales), mountain biking, and golf. I’m no golfer, but if any place were to tempt me onto the fairways it would be Laucala, whose scenic David McLay Kidd–designed course weaves through the island’s riotous vegetation, with its trademark hole laid out along the shoreline. You also stand a good chance of having it all to yourself.
<figure id="attachment_139568" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-139568" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-139568 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Kokoda-The-Thriving-Birdland-on-Laucala-Island-Fiji.jpg" alt="Kokoda (Fiji’s version of ceviche) with plantain chips at the Beach Bar; the thriving birdlife on Laucala Island includes white-collared kingfishers." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Kokoda-The-Thriving-Birdland-on-Laucala-Island-Fiji.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Kokoda-The-Thriving-Birdland-on-Laucala-Island-Fiji-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Kokoda-The-Thriving-Birdland-on-Laucala-Island-Fiji-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Kokoda-The-Thriving-Birdland-on-Laucala-Island-Fiji-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-139568" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Kokoda (Fiji’s version of ceviche) with plantain chips at the Beach Bar; the thriving birdlife on Laucala Island includes white-collared kingfishers.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_138889" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138889" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138889 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Fijian-Horses-Traditional-Beverage-Fiji.jpg" alt="One of the COMO’s Fijian horses; a coconut shell full of kava, the traditional beverage of choice among South Pacific islanders." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138889" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: One of the COMO’s Fijian horses; a coconut shell full of kava, the traditional beverage of choice among South Pacific islanders.</figcaption></figure>
One can also take a chef-led tour of Laucala’s 97-hectare organic farm, which produces 80 percent of the island’s food — not just for the restaurants, mind you, but the staff canteens as well. Boller drives me there in a 4&#215;4, following the road that circles the island’s wild fringes. There are vegetable gardens and hydroponic greenhouses full of eggplants and beetroots, cherry tomatoes and lettuces. Orchards yield a bounty of tropical fruits. Then there’s the livestock: ducks, chickens, and pigs, all of which seemed to have it pretty good, their fate notwithstanding. Perhaps none are better off than the residents of the hen house. When I passed by, the brood of clucking Rhode Island Reds was being serenaded by a mellow Michael Bublé playlist. (“Makes for better eggs,” Boller said.)
In need of some soothing myself, I drove my buggy up to the hilltop spa, careful to avoid the plump frogs that appeared after every drizzle. (Alas, this proved much harder at night.) The treatment menu is, as you might expect, strong on COMO’s signature brand of Asian-inspired wellness therapies, including an indulgent coconut body polish and a two-hour bath ritual. I opted for a simpler Fijian bombo, a deep-tissue massage delivered mostly by the therapist’s feet. For high net-worth guests unaccustomed to having someone walk all over them, it must be a novel experience indeed.
<figure id="attachment_138890" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138890" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138890 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Entrance-of-Beachside-Villa-The-Service-at-The-Plantation-House-Fiji.jpg" alt="The entrance to a beachside villa; service with a smile at the Plantation House restaurant." width="1200" height="894" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Entrance-of-Beachside-Villa-The-Service-at-The-Plantation-House-Fiji.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Entrance-of-Beachside-Villa-The-Service-at-The-Plantation-House-Fiji-300x224.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Entrance-of-Beachside-Villa-The-Service-at-The-Plantation-House-Fiji-1024x763.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Entrance-of-Beachside-Villa-The-Service-at-The-Plantation-House-Fiji-768x572.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138890" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: The entrance to a beachside villa; service with a smile at the Plantation House restaurant.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_138888" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138888" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138888 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/COMO-Laucala-Staffer-in-Traditional-Garb-Chicken-Coconut-Curry-Fiji.jpg" alt="A COMO Laucala staffer in traditional garb holding a Fijian war club; chicken coconut curry with fragrant rice, stewed pumpkin, and tomato relish at the Plantation House." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138888" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A COMO Laucala staffer in traditional garb holding a Fijian war club; chicken coconut curry with fragrant rice, stewed pumpkin, and tomato relish at the Plantation House.</figcaption></figure>
Of course, there’s also plenty to do on the water. Sailing, paddleboarding, surfing, snorkeling, diving — you name it, COMO Laucala’s got it. The only extras guests pay for are outer-reef excursions: deep-sea fishing, for instance. One evening I joined the general manager, Gary Henden, for a sunset cruise aboard a pretty kauri-hulled ketch named Rere Ahi. “It doesn’t get better than this,” Henden said over a glass of Champagne as the boat skimmed along the coast, our eyes peeled for the green sea turtles that have started to lay eggs on Laucala for the first time in 40 years. He was almost right: my circumnavigation of the island by jet ski the next morning proved even more exhilarating.
For those keen to see something of Fiji beyond Laucala, Taveuni, the third-largest of the country’s 300-plus islands, is a 30-minute boat trip away. I signed up for a hiking tour of Bouma National Heritage Park (not included in the rate), which covers about a third of the island. The main attraction here is the Tavoro Falls, a trio of cascades situated ever higher on the slopes of Taveuni’s densely forested volcanic spine. While we picnicked in the shade of Tahitian chestnut trees next to the pool of the lowest waterfall, Sonny, my escort from COMO Laucala’s recreation team, told me of a rare flowering plant called tagimoucia that grew only in the misty highlands above us. I asked if we could go there, but he shook his head. “Too far, tough climb. But let me show you…” He pulled a Fijian 50 dollar bill from his pocket, and there it was on the obverse: a cluster of delicate crimson and white flowers.
If the tagimoucia is the floral emblem of Fiji, then kava is the unofficial national drink. Made from the root of a species of pepper plant, it’s the time-honored beverage of choice among South Pacific islanders; Fijians also call it yaqona or — a hangover from British colonial times — grog.
<figure id="attachment_138891" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138891" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138891 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Coral-Trout-Crudo-Tavoro-Falls-Fiji.jpg" alt="Coral trout crudo with pineapple dressing at the Plantation House; the lower cascade of Tavoro Falls on Taveuni Island." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138891" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: Coral trout crudo with pineapple dressing at the Plantation House; the lower cascade of Tavoro Falls on Taveuni Island.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_138896" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-138896" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-138896 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/A-Beach-Cabana-at-One-of-The-Villas-a-Spa-Therapist-Fiji.jpg" alt="A beach cabana at one of the COMO villas; a spa therapist at the hilltop COMO Shambhala Retreat." width="1200" height="894" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-138896" class="wp-caption-text">Left to right: A beach cabana at one of the COMO villas; a spa therapist at the hilltop COMO Shambhala Retreat.</figcaption></figure>
On my last evening at Laucala, I was invited to attend a kava ceremony at the resort’s Cultural Village, a grassy field dominated by three traditional bure (huts), including a spirit house with a steeply pitched thatched roof. I was the only guest in attendance. This made for an intimate and somewhat intimidating experience when I sat down on a pandanus-leaf mat in a circle of seven solemn, burly staffers dressed in liku (grass skirts) and matching armbands, their cheeks daubed with black face paint. After the kava ingredients were swirled together in a cauldron-like bowl, I was handed a coconut-shell cup brimming with opaque liquid. As instructed, I clapped once and cried “Bula!” before downing the kava in one gulp. The ritual was repeated around the circle. All too soon, the coconut shell made its way back to me. Bula!
Kava, I’m not the first to observe, looks like dirty dishwater and doesn’t taste much better. The upside is that it’s said to induce a state of calm and mild euphoria, which is what has endeared it to countless generations of devotees. Still, two swigs of the bitter, earthy concoction was enough for me. Besides, on Laucala, I already had all the euphoria I needed.
Rates at <a href="https://www.comohotels.com/">COMO Laucala Island</a> start from US$6,100 a night, all-inclusive, plus US$825 per person for one-way air transfers to or from Nadi. From Hong Kong or Singapore, fly direct to Nadi via <a href="https://www.fijiairways.com/en-us/">Fiji Airways</a>.
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">June/July 2024</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Treasure Island”).

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