On the edge of the ocean in Savusavu, Fiji lies one of the most incredible resorts I’ve ever visited. Located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island, Fiji’s second largest island, Koro Sun Resort is as close to paradise as you can get. Built amongst a rainforest, the property is 160 acres of lush tropical rainforest and beautifully manicured gardens – they even have their own waterfall. From the moment we touched down at the miniature airport in our tiny 16-seater plane, I was in love with Savusavu. The tarmac was fringed with palm trees, the airport was an alfresco-style shack and the locals were super chilled out. It was the perfect introduction to the area, before making our way up the Hibiscus Highway for a 15-minute scenic drive along the coastline to what would be our home for the next three days.
The check-in process at Koro Sun Resort was hands down the best I’ve ever experienced. Along with being greeted upon arrival by the staff singing a Fijian welcoming song, we were treated to a coconut foot and leg scrub, followed by a coconut oil foot and leg massage, all while sipping icy cold coconuts and snacking on toasted coconut.They even applied a soothing ointment help heal my mosquito bites. Never before have I experienced so much coconut at the one time – to say I was in heaven was an understatement. At first I thought this luxurious check-in treatment might only be reserved for media types like us, but that wasn’t the case. Every single guest gets the same coconut themed treatment, so they can begin their holiday in paradise completely relaxed, exfoliated, moisturised, hydrated and fed.
We spent our first night in a three-bedroom villa by the resort’s freshwater stream and fell asleep to the sounds of the surrounding rainforest. While the entire resort is spectacular, the star attraction is their edgewater bures. So the next day we jumped in a golf buggy to change rooms where we got to experience the pièce de résistance for ourselves. The edgewater bures were everything you’d want from a luxurious island resort and more. Perched on the edge of the ocean, each bure has panoramic views and an incredible balcony that includes a day bed for two, outdoor shower and ladder down into the ocean. Every detail of their design has been carefully considered, including the bathroom – the mirrors reflect the azure ocean, giving you a view of your surrounds while you shower. And at the end of the day, the night sky lights up with a spectacular view of the Milky Way. On our first night we saw three shooting stars from the day bed on our deck. We took full advantage of our incredible surrounds and shot a fashion story for Nixon on the balcony and in the ocean.
It wasn’t just the coconut themed check-in and edgewater bures that blew us away at Koro Sun Resort; it was also their day spa. From the moment we arrived we kept hearing about their signature ‘banana leaf wrap’. We weren’t sure what it was exactly, just that we knew we needed to have one. So on our last afternoon at the resort we headed up towards the back of the property to experience the talked about spa treatment. Set amongst the lush green rainforest, the day spa was a short walk through a canopy of trees and ferns. On the way our therapists cut down the banana leaves they would use for our wrap. They explained that many resorts use plastic for their body wraps, which is obviously bad for the environment. I loved it that they used leaves cut straight from the rainforest, and was even more excited to discover a baby waterfall right next to the treatment rooms. We got coated in a mud mask, wrapped in banana leaves and left to ‘cook’ while we zoned out to the sound of the waterfall. The treatment was capped off with an amazing massage – we were so chilled out by the end of it, we had to get transportation back to our room.
Savusavu is an amazing undiscovered paradise, with less than 20,000 tourists visiting each year. Like most resorts in Fiji, meals and activities are included as part of your stay at Koro Sun Resort. So with the resort located in one of the most beautiful parts of Fiji, our day trips were sorted. We visited a traditional Fijian village where the villagers took us to see an amazing waterfall where we shot a ‘bikini love’ story. We also kayaked out to a nearby island at low tide to explore secret caves with our guide Solo – the head of activities (aka head of fun) at Koro Sun Resort.
How to get to Savusavu:
The quickest and easiest way to get to Savusavu is fly direct from Nadi International Airport. The flight takes about an hour and if you manage to get a window seat, you’ll get an incredible aerial view of the islands the whole way there. We flew with Fiji Airways’ domestic airline Air Pacific. Details here.
The accommodation:
We stayed at the beautiful Koro Sun Resort who are famous for their incredible rainforest setting – so famous that an episode of The Bachellorette (USA) was shot there. We stayed in a three-bedroom villa on the edge of their rainforest lagoon for the first night which is perfect for families and groups. And then moved to the edge of the ocean to one of the most amazing rooms I’ve ever stayed in – their new edgewater bures. Details here.
Photography by Michaela Skovranova.
