The private Fijian island you’ll never want to leave

Both ultra-exclusive and down to Earth, private-island resort Turtle Island Resort offers a unique and genuine style of Fijian hospitality amid postcard-perfect scenery

“Memory bank.” That’s all my husband needs to say in this moment as we float on the still, almost fluorescent-blue waters surrounding Nanuya Levu, the blindingly white sand of our empty private beach just metres away. His words echo the sentiments of prior guests to Turtle Island, a private retreat in Fiji’s Yasawa archipelago. Look it up on TripAdvisor, as I did before I left, and you’ll find a cascade of gushing reviews flooded with emotionally-charged exclamation marks and heartfelt ‘thank you’s!’

Emotions burst from the screen as prior guests recount how special, authentic, and – for some – transformative, their stay on the island was. So much so that if you visit ‘Turtle’ for the first time,  you may well be outnumbered by those returning for a second, third… or incredibly, eighth visit, as one of the couples was during our stay. This tropical hideaway boasts a loyal clientele the likes of which I’ve never witnessed before.

Cinematic beauty

The almost cult-like following is not the only special thing about Turtle Island. The 200-hectare slip of land welcomes just 14 couples at a time to its powdery shores – meanwhile, there are 120 staff. It’s adults-only for most of the year: children are only welcome at during two pre-determined weeks, when a dedicated nanny called a ‘Bure Buddy’ is on-hand for each family, to ensure worn-out mums and dads have the perfect excuse for a child-free holiday. Or at least, that’s the one we used.

Turtle’s beauty, too, is unquestionable, and no doubt the reason it was chosen as the location for both renditions of the 1949 and 1980 Hollywood film The Blue Lagoon, the latter starring a doe-eyed, 14-year-old Brooke Shields. The island, with its romantic remoteness, pristine, untouched beaches, and craft-led, vernacular design, feels worlds away from Nadi (the Fijian hub on Viti Levu), and makes its ubiquitous resorts feel almost pedestrian in comparison.

In truth, Turtle Island is not really a resort, if your definition includes more pools, facilities and restaurants than you can count. At Turtle, the clear, warm sea just steps from your bure is your heated pool; the snorkelling, scuba diving, paddle boarding, handline fishing, reef trolling, horse riding, diving and hiking are the facilities; and numerous private beaches are your destination restaurants – simply tell the staff what you’d like to eat and drink, and where you’d like to do it. Here, what you get is an authentically Fijian experience from start to finish, from the lush surrounds to the accommodation and unwaveringly friendly hospitality. Unfortunately for the bank account, though, once you experience private island life in Fiji – as you do at Turtle – there is simply no going back. Like its slogan says: “Once visited, never forgotten.” And it makes sure of that from the moment you arrive – by private seaplane, of course.

Touchdown. Doors open… and the cinema (pun intended) of Turtle Island begins. First, a troop of resort staff serenade us with a welcome song from the shore, voices booming, hands clapping, guitars strumming, and, immediately in front of me, two Fijian men waiting. Waiting, it seems, for me to step into their arms and be carried across the aquamarine threshold ashore, their sulus fluttering in the breeze. The experience has me self-conscious and giggling like a schoolgirl, so it’s a good thing I’m handed a glass of champagne the moment my feet touch the beach. A flurry of introductions ensue as we are hugged by every member of the staff, each chorusing, “Welcome home!”

Family ties

If you think you’ve experienced genuine hospitality, you ain’t seen nothin’ until you’ve experienced Turtle Island. The warmth of our Fijian welcome is a big hint at the very particular generosity guests experience throughout their stay. Every couple has the assistance of a dedicated ‘Bure Mama’ while on Turtle, and ours truly looks after us like a mother hen, catering to our every whim in a manner that feels naturally caring rather than obligatory or dutiful – frequent hugs and all (sidenote: everyone is a hugger at Turtle). The staff – who mostly hail from the surrounding villages – address us by name, and when we are in a group, refer to us as ‘family’ (“Ok, family? Any questions, family?”). This idea of guests and staff being an interconnected unit is all-pervading, and in fact, the most distinctive thing about a stay at Turtle Island, spectacular scenery aside.

The charmingly rustic, open-air dining room on the beach welcomes bare feet, sandy hair and plenty of conversation thanks to its sole communal table. Lunch and dinner is from a rotating set menu with a handful of options to choose from (although one guest tells me you can really order whatever you like), and the focus is on simple, fresh sea- and farm-to-table dishes. Think yellowfin tuna, crab and Pacific green lobster caught daily by local fishermen from nearby villages; Australian beef; and fruits and vegetables grown in the very impressive island garden. The idea of the communal table is for the small number of guests to break bread and get to know each other, and according to the autobiography of Turtle Island founder, the late Richard Evanson, many lifelong friendships have begun at Turtle in this way.

Come one, come all

Socialising is at the heart of the Turtle Island experience, and guests are encouraged to participate in group activities such as karaoke, sunset cruises, traditional Fijian ceremonies, dance parties and visits to the local village. After dinner each night you can choose to partake in a kava ceremony, joining staff around a coconut bowl for storytelling and songs. Or, simply retire to your beachfront bure – replete with artisan-crafted furnishings from driftwood and vaulted ceilings woven from palms – to listen to the sound of the ocean.

Less optional is introducing yourself to the group on your first evening at pre-dinner drinks, saying a few words about your Turtle experience on your final night – and doing so again to the entire staff during their morning meeting on the day of your departure. All of this combined can feel a bit like social pressure. For most, it’s what makes Turtle their favourite resort in the world, and a place they return to time and time again. As one Texan guest told me on his last night: “You can’t describe it in words, because it’s a feeling.”

It’s clear that many of the guests – older than us by a few decades (although there are a few couples in their 30s and early 40s, including one on their honeymoon) – love the social aspect the communal dining and group activities foster. We, too, enjoy getting to know the other couples, but as very busy working parents to a young child, our desire to rest trumps our desire to socialise and it’s not long before I’m asking our Mama if we can enjoy a private breakfast on the beach in front of our bure, where we have our own hammock, loungers and table. For us, picture-perfect opportunities to retreat into rare peace and quiet are too compelling to pass by.

Memories in the making

Barefoot breakfast is not the only, or the best, private dining we do, though. One of my favourite things about the resort is its private beach picnic offering, where couples are whisked away to one of the island’s 12 gorgeous secluded beaches every other day (or every day, if you’re lucky).

As we approach the sandy turn-off to our dedicated crescent of sand on our second day, our driver, who has been singing joyfully throughout the short drive, brings the buggy to a halt at a tree bearing two hand-etched signs: ‘Rachel’s Beach’ and ‘Vacant’. He flips the latter over to display ‘Occupied’, and I am filled with childlike delight at this small yet meaningful act that clearly tells us: “This place is yours to enjoy. No-one will disturb you today.” Then, there is nothing to do but enjoy the freshly made lunch set out in our shady beachfront gazebo, pop a bottle of champagne and lean into the simple art of doing nothing – under the Fijian sun.

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Hotel notes

All-inclusive packages at Turtle Island start from AU$3,770 per night for a minimum five nights and include a spacious beachfront villa, a dedicated ‘Bure Mama’, daily meals (including private dining experiences) and all beverages including alcohol, all daily activities, two complimentary half-hour massages and daily laundry. Island transfers are not included. Turtle Island is an adults-only resort offering family time twice a year in June and December.

turtlefiji.com

Self-sufficient luxury

More than 500,000 trees have been planted on Turtle Island, creating lush rainforests and stabilising hillsides, while mangroves have also been preserved to protect reefs, and wetlands nurtured to support indigenous birdlife. The island boasts a two-hectare vegetable garden with hydroponics and an orchard with lemon trees, guava, papaya, watermelon, passion fruit and more, supplying fresh produce year-round. And then there are the 906 chickens laying a combined 400 eggs per day, a desalination plant and rainwater tanks.

Turtle’s beginnings

The late American entrepreneur Richard Evanson purchased Turtle Island – initially a barren, uninhabited drop of land – in 1972. Arriving with little more than a generator, refrigerator and tent, he made it his life work to rejuvenate the land, which had been completely overrun by wild goats, and build himself a new home. He opened the island to public guests in 1980, deliberately keeping the number of guests to a minimum to preserve the island.