Paradise Perfected From island idler to active adventurer, Laucala Island raises the bar for a luxury lifestyle experience Written by Bridget Williams
Laucala’s fshing grounds are the largest protected fshing area within Fiji.
Laucala Island ruined me. The experience was so unparalleled that throughout the entirety of my stay I was often left pondering the fact that while I felt fully awake, I most certainly must be dreaming. A veritable tropical fantasyland full of architectural, gastronomic, cultural, natural and recreational delights, it will forever be the high water mark by which all of my future travels will invariably be judged. On a map of the world, Laucala appears as a nearly indiscernible spec nearby the small spec that represents Fiji. Tis is not the kind of place someone comes across by happenstance, but if I were to ever get stranded on a three-hour tour, I’d want it to be here. Volcanic in origin, and ringed by a reef that teems with marine life and keeps the waves nearly as gentle as a kitten lapping up a dish of milk, approximately half of this South Pacifc archipelago, a little more than six miles in length and encompassing 3,500 acres, is comprised of unmolested rainforest not unlike what Dutch sailor Abel Tasman would have encountered when he explored these waters in the 17th century. 52 slmag.net
Disembarking in Nadi following a 15-hour fight, I was thrilled to see a Laucala representative who whisked us through customs so that within 20 minutes we were aboard the resort’s own King Air B 200 for the scenic 55-minute fight to paradise. Fijian employees in traditional attire were waiting to serenade us after touching down on the island’s private airstrip, and though weary with jet lag and the extreme time difference, the music, the fresh coconut water, the pervading smell of lemongrass and the call of tropical birds invigorated us enough to power through the afternoon. The resort is positioned on the north end of the island. Billionaire owner Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder of the Red Bull energy drink company, purchased the island in 2003 from the Forbes family and spared no expense in its development (the late Malcolm Forbes was so enamored with the place that he chose it as his fnal resting spot). A mind-boggling array of infrastructure, which includes bottling the island’s own artisanal water that bubbles forth from underground aquifers, allows the operation to be 85 percent self-sufcient.
