On the Road, Detailed article on
Cousteau Resort in Fiji
Forbes ASAP Staff, 10.30.99
Web Editors Note: The island
of Vanua Levu is the second largest in the Fiji Group. It
offers some of the most desirable Fiji Island Real Estate
available today. The claim-to-fame is the relaxed
lifestyle, friendly people and outstanding diving.
These are just some of the amazing opportunities
available today:
Fiji:
The only problem with paradise is that it's so far-flung.
Getting to Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort from
New York meant hop-scotching around the globe--21 hours and 48
minutes, not counting layovers. But one glimpse of the verdant
foliage, ramshackle villages and whimsical Hindu temples through
the window of the resort's minivan was all it took for the long
haul to seem worth it.
This impression was only furthered by Cousteau's impossibly
attentive staff, who, upon my arrival, were padding about
plumping pillows, lighting votives and otherwise facilitating a
seamless experience of relaxation and comfort. A joint venture
between Big Sur's legendary Post Ranch Inn and Jean-Michel
Cousteau (son of Jacques, and no slouch in flippers himself),
the ponderously named, eco-sensitive resort succeeds admirably
in its mission of combining the services and amenities of a
top-notch hotel with the intimacy of a small, family-run inn.
At its heart is a cavernous and paradoxically cozy open-air
bure (read: bungalow), housing restaurant, bar and library,
as well as a fleet of enveloping rattan armchairs. And scattered
across the 17-acre waterfront property are 25 carefully
conceived guest bures. Earthy and tropical interior tones,
floor-to-ceiling louvered windows and furnished bi-level decks
blend with the lush garden of flowering shrubs and scuttling
mongoose outside. Ceiling fans twirl noiselessly in thatched
rafters, and French-press coffeemakers gleam from
well-provisioned countertops. But perhaps the most thoughtful
touch of all is the complimentary daily laundry service.
(Have you ever heard a more felicitous phrase?)
Of course, one doesn't endure a full day of air travel to cocoon
in one's room. Rather, one heads for Fiji in the hopes of
experiencing something otherworldly. As you might expect at a
resort named "Cousteau," the diving and snorkeling are
first-rate; the underwater world is conscientiously safeguarded
and teems with a psychedelic display of sea life. Catamarans,
kayaks and glass-bottomed boats offer alternative means to view
the marine panorama, as do guided reef-walks. Water-slippers are
a necessity, especially after you get a load of some of the
lethal life-forms lurking in the rocky crevices. Indeed, minutes
after the staff marine biologist informed us he'd never seen a
deadly banded sea snake in the vicinity, a tiny member of the
species slithered by. We skedaddled.
For decompression there are walks, talks, waterfall swims and
village visits. But perhaps Cousteau's most compelling asset is
the comprehensive Bula Camp for children. There is a nanny or
counselor per family, and caretakers and their charges form a
self-contained unit that engages in safe, diverting and
educational activities from 9 a.m.-to-9 p.m. daily. The parents
among my fellow guests were simply flabbergasted to find
themselves gazing into each other's eyes, uninterrupted, across
the dinner table night after night. They'd echo my
sentiment--it's worth the trip.
For the
complete Forbes article on yachting in Fiji, click
here.
--KERRY MULLETT |
