With 25 luxury residences, unspoiled wilderness surrounded by turquoise-blue seas, this private island escape has your name on it.
[Images COMO/Martin Morrell]
Hey, dreamer, ask yourself this: do you genuinely believe you have experienced the ultimate island escape? We’re talking about a place so secluded and luxurious that absolutely nothing can compare to the privacy, opulence and otherworldly golf on offer?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but if that place isn’t COMO Laucala Island off the crystal-blue waters of Fiji, then you’re still very much living in fantasyland.
They say good things come in small packages, and that’s COMO Laucala Island to a tee. So remote is this 12-square kilometre private island located in Melanesia, it’s accessed only by a 50-minute private air charter from the country’s Nadi International Airport, or directly by private jet if you’re as fortunate as some of the Hollywood A-listers who regularly frequent this extraordinary patch of paradise.
This is a resort where space is king and luxury is paramount: just 25 residences spread out on private beaches, above lagoons, atop hills and amidst jungle. Each tropical home is designed in harmony with Fiji’s extraordinary natural heritage, with menus thoughtfully conceived around the bounty of field and ocean.
Every imaginable activity is part of the Laucala experience, including scuba-diving, sailing, jet-skiing, fishing and, of course, golf.
A staple of the island is the David McLay Kidd-designed 18-hole course flanked by sea and mountains. It was described by Australia’s 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott as one of the most challenging courses he’s ever played, and perhaps best represents the miracles man can perform with some imagination and machete in hand.
“Laucala was a challenge,” admits McLay-Kidd. “We didn’t have great mapping so the course was laid out old-style: machete through the jungle and wading through swamps. Ultimately, we tried to find a way to explore the island through a golf course.”
He succeeded. Playing a round around here gives you as much appreciation for the natural wonders of COMO Laucala Island as it does the adrenalin rush of navigating it.
Off-course, red-carpet treatment abounds. Flavour, health, wellbeing and self-sustainability are core values to the island’s dining experience. Menus include COMO Shambhala options, which are high in taste and nutrition, low in fats and refined sugars.
“We grow fruits and vegetables, breed poultry and cattle, and bottle our own honey and volcanic mineral water,” says the island’s general manager Gary Henden. “This produce then goes into all our restaurant and bar menus, from farm to table.”
Yep, that’s restaurants – plural. There’s the Plantation House offering fine dining and specialty wines, the Seagrass Lounge and Restaurant with Pan-Asian culinary influences, panoramic views and a lively atmosphere, the laid-back Rock Lounge with spectacular sunset views and exceptional cocktails, the relaxed Pool Bar hangout that serves tropical drinks and light bites, and the Beach Bar, a spot on the shore to enjoy fragrant barbecues of freshly caught fish. You’ll be well catered for at all five options.
Every stay includes all dining and beverages (aside from special vintages from the resort’s first-class wine cellar – Château Pétrus, anyone?).
The COMO Shambhala Retreat immerses guests in a wellness path that reconnects them to the rhythms of nature. Treatments make use of COMO Shambhala’s signature products, as well as the island’s herbs, spices, flowers, and fruits. As well as COMO Shambhala’s signature massages, body treatments use the island’s river stones, mineral crystals and rich volcanic soils. Your body will thank you for it.
Back at your villa, make the most of the endless array of wines, beers and spirits on display in your personal bar, or virtually every type of cuisine on offer, all sourced and thoughtfully prepared by Australian executive chef Dan Boller and his team.
Take a dip in your own private pool, large indoor and outdoor bathtubs or your own private beach, where the water is as warm as the hospitality on offer from what have to be the friendliest people on earth.
Everything you need in life is at COMO Laucala Island. Of course, how long you choose to live it will depend largely on how much money you have to spare. Villa rates start from $US5,600 a night for a one-bedroom beachfront offering.
“COMO Laucala is a true escape for everyone looking to rejuvenate and pamper their senses, either by slowing down to island life or immersing themselves in an abundance of experiences,” Henden adds.
Stop dreaming, start living.
THE DETAILS
COMO Laucala Island, Cakaudrove, Fiji Islands
Phone: +679 888 0077
Web: comohotels.com/laucalaisland
E-mail: [email protected]
