Wakaya Island Resort & Spa

Overview

An exclusive private island, Wakaya Island Resort & Spa has a long history of outstanding hospitality, combining the natural beauty and genuine warmth of hospitality that is synonymous with Fiji. Located in a marine reserve, Wakaya Island Resort & Spa also has access to some exceptional dive sites. There is also an informal 9-hole golf course, a few beaches to choose from and some hiking trails through the dense vegetation on the island. Operating as an All-Inclusive property, a wide array of activities are included within your stay. 

In Depth

10 bures are dotted across the verdant island, along with two larger private villas, each surrounded by lush greenery. The Wakaya Club was renovated after the devastating 2016 Cyclone Winston and the innovative Mexican designer has repurposed fallen trees from the island, using the wood along with finest quality materials to rebuild the spacious bures. The large bathrooms have views out over the villa's private garden. With a staff to guest ratio of 12:1, service levels are unsurprisingly excellent. 

Wakaya prides itself on offering some of the best culinary experiences anywhere in the South Pacific and the award-winning executive chef creates amazing dishes with influences from Mexico and Lebanon. With their strong ocean-to-table and farm-to-table ethos, 80 percent of the ingredients used are sourced from the island itself whether grown, farmed or fished from the local waters. They even have their own red deer on the island so venison is on the menu! Traditional cooking methods are woven into the fabric of the executive chef’s dishes, creating something extraordinary. 

The Diving

The on site PADI dive centre make diving extremely convenient during guests’ stay. Diving is completely flexible on a private or a shared boat basis, but a usual day might include a morning 2-tank departing at 08:00am, and an additional single dive in the afternoon at a time that suits you. Diving is operated from a boat, with most sites being reachable within a 10 minute boat ride so surface intervals can be spent enjoying the sun outside your beautiful villa. The team are incredibly enthusiastic and will make sure to learn guests' interests and tailor the experience accordingly. PADI courses can be completed at the resort which is an ideal spot to learn or further existing diving qualifications. The marine highlight here is undoubtedly the chance to interact with manta rays at the nearby cleaning stations. The dive team work closely with the Manta Trust to ensure responsible encounters between guests and mantas, and to contribute important research data from their tagging projects and identification photos. 

Beyond the Reef

There is a wealth of activities to enjoy during a stay at Wakaya, from golf at the island’s 9-hole course to tennis to an array of water sports, use of the fitness bure or a relaxing game of croquet. The Wakaya Spa has a wide range of skin care products and offers excellent body treatments, facials and massages and yoga classes and meditation can also be arranged. Cooking and baking classes are offered by the in-house chefs so that you can recreate Fijian favourites on your return home - be sure to try the kokoda. For those looking to get under the skin of Fijian culture, a number of excursions can be arranged such as historical guided hikes, lectures, dining experiences, weaving and carving sessions. Community outreach is a very important part of life at Wakaya so do ask how you can contribute to local programmes if you would like to support them.