Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

Style

The life aquatic

Setting

Seaside coconut plantation

With diving run by the son of legendary scuba-pioneer Jacques Cousteau, shoreside eco-retreat Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is all about underwater exploration, and even boasts a marine biologist. The free Bula Club for kids and dawn-to-dusk nanny service means families flock to this coastal sanctuary on tropical Vanua Levu Island, too, while adults-only dining and the seductive spa will please romantics.

Facilities

Rooms

Twenty-five, including three suites.

Checkout

11am; check-in, 2pm, both flexible subject to availability. Free breakfast and lunch for early arrivals, and lunch for late departures.

More Details

All-inclusive rates cover à la carte meals, non-alcoholic drinks, kids' club, nanny service (8.30am–9pm) and Fijian buddies for older children, most resort activities, meet and greet at Nadi and Savusavu domestic airports, and return Savusavu transfers.

Also

Tap into Fiji's healing heritage at the two beachfront, open-air Ocean Spa Bures, where the signature Bobo Massage harnesses generations-old combinations of sweeping hand strokes and tropical nut oils. Daily yoga, and rainforest and waterfall hikes, are also wellbeing boosters.

Free Internet Access

Laundry

On-Site Restaurant

Spa

At the Hotel

Bula Club for kids, nannies and buddies, private beach and mini island, four swimming pools, spa, dive shop, marine biologist, watersports, fishing, mountain bikes, tennis and volleyball court, table tennis, trampoline, restaurant, bar, library, TV and video room, board games, boutique, playground, gardens, concierge, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: minibar with free soft drinks and bottled water, coffee- and tea-making kit, fridge, black-out curtain, pillow menu, own-label toiletries, beach bags, umbrella, flowers.

Our Favourite Rooms

For soothing views of Savusavu Bay, we like the Oceanfront Bures and Suites, which are closer to the beach than the Garden View Bures (pick one of the more private rooms, furthest from reception). For extra seclusion and space, treat yourself to a stay at one of the three split-level Point Reef Bures, or the luxe Villa, which boasts its own walled garden with spa tub and waterfall. Styling is traditional Fijian, with thatched roofs, plantation shutters and bright bedding.

Poolside

The adults-only oceanfront Serenity Pool by the bar is a sleek, infinity-edge number flanked by orange day-beds and a shady pergola for a sociable scene. It only welcomes teens age 13 or over, but younger kids can choose between three dedicated pools, including the Family Pool with a 20-foot waterslide alongside the Bula Club, the Junior Pool or the cascading Water Mushroom Pool for toddlers.

Packing Tips

Mossie repellent is always handy in the tropics. Bring your dive certificate if you're a scuba devotee, and your mask set if you prefer to use your own gear. An underwater camera is a must for persuading fish to say 'cheese'.

Also

Five-night minimum stay, seven nights during peak season.

Children

Welcome: babysitting is free from 8am–9pm (then FJ$3 an hour, 9pm–11pm), and the free Bula Club offers endless kids' activities. Baby cots and extra beds for two kids under 13 are provided gratis (for a third child, a bed costs AU$170 a night).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Poolside at the restaurant, or opt for romance-revving private dining by lantern light at the pier's end, on seductive ocean decks, or in one of the thatched beachfront bures (all at extra cost).

Dress Code

We feel a kaftan coming on. Bright and breezy should suit this laid-back South Pacific scene.

Hotel Restaurant

Chef Raymond Lee keeps the pans flipping at the open-air restaurant, which stars international and Fijian cuisine that's strong on locally caught fish and seafood, and organic produce from the hotel's garden. Typical dishes on the daily changing menu include New Zealand lamb or chargrilled wahoo with sweet corn and prawn salad. Set under a soaring temple roof, the dining area serves up appetising sea views, too, or you can dine out poolside or in a separate adults-only sanctuary. Musicians may serenade you come evening, and there’s a weekly Lovo Feast, where traditional Fijian food is cooked in an earth oven. Don’t miss the tasty afternoon tea. You can also request a beach or island picnic, or a private barbecue by the pool.

Hotel Bar

Mojitos and margaritas are the order of the day in the poolside bar, which overlooks the ocean and blue-tinged hills beyond. During cocktail hour, expect to be serenaded with tunes from the local 'Beach Boys' band.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served at the resort restaurant from 7am–10am, lunch from 11am–2pm and dinner from 6pm–8pm. The bar keeps the cocktails coming from 8am until 11pm, but is at its busiest from 5.30pm–7.30pm.

Room Service

Available from 7am–9pm, with dishes from the restaurant menu during meal times, and light snacks at other hours. Free drinks include speciality loose-leaf tea, ice tea, all types of coffee, soft drinks and bottled water.

Planes

Fly into Nadi International Airport (www.airportsfiji.com) on Fiji's main island, Viti Levu. From there, it's just under an hour’s shared charter flight north-east to Savusavu Airport on Vanua Levu island with Island Hoppers (www.helicopters.com.fj) – which also offers helicopter rides (75 minutes). Alternatively, guests can fly into Labasa Airport, which is a 90 minute drive from the resort.

Automobiles

The resort is a 20-minute drive from Savusavu Airport. Free return transfers for the 9km drive are included in rates, and the hotel team meets Pacific Sun flights at Savusavu Airport. There's free parking at Jean-Michel Cousteau, but it's not worth hiring a car unless you plan on exploring the island. Savusavu town is 15 minutes’ drive from the hotel.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

With a striking shoreside setting on Savusavu Bay watersports are a big attraction here. Enjoy sea kayaking, paddle boats, glass bottom boat tours or sailing on the resort's impressive catamaran.

Underwater action is also spectacular, given the pristine waters, colourful fringing coral reef and clutch of 13 local dive sites, as well as protected marine areas further afield. The hotel's dive operator L'Aventure Jean-Michel Cousteau offers PADI-certified diving courses and packages, a full-service dive shop with gear to rent or buy, and trips accompanied by a resident marine biologist. Cruise the walls and canyons of Shark Alley, gasp at the coral heads of Namena or join the team to explore new, as yet unnamed, sites. Popular spots include Nsonisoni Pass, a drift dive where experienced divers go with the current flow along a wall alive with purple soft coral, large barracuda and small sharks. Snorkellers can get their kicks on guided boat trips or night safaris.

Eco fun continues on land, care of nature hikes, mangrove tours, reef-flat walks, and rainforest and waterfall hikes. Cultural immersion includes the weekly lovo dinner (with dishes cooked in an earth oven), Fijian story-telling, trad medicine walks, and palm-leaf basket-making sessions. Beyond the resort, you can head out on visits to nearby Nukubulavu village, local church services, clam farms or Savusavu farmers' market, especially lively on Saturday mornings.

Don't miss a trip to Savusavu's acclaimed black pearl farm for gifts for friends (or your good self). Start your tour at J. Hunter Pearl Farm’s (www.fijipearls.com) showroom on Naverea Road in Savusavu, which kicks off with a presentation on how to culture pearls. Afterwards take a 40-minute glass-bottom boat cruise out to their marine farm to see the oyster production process, which includes implanting, cleaning and harvesting at different times of the year. Bring your own gear to snorkel over the farm, where you can see oysters suspended on lines below the water. Wrap up back at the showroom for a spot of shopping. Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort offers pearl-farm excursions.

Savusavu boasts the only natural geothermal hot springs in Fiji, reputed to offer healing properties for your skin and bones. Locals also use the warm, volcanic springs for slow cooking, and a concrete pot has been built to form a stove. Find it by the beach at the west end of town where steam rises from underground, with more springs between the school and sports field

Tennis, volleyball, rugby and beach larks round out your day. Then again you could just recline in a hammock, or hit the beachfront spa, which will pamper you with Fijian-inspired treatments and serene sea views. Free daily yoga at dawn ticks our start-the-day box, with stargazing or a chance to join a kava ceremony (Fiji's shared, slightly narcotic ritual drink) the perfect way to wrap up the night.

You'll need to pay for scuba diving, and other activities not covered by rates such as deep-sea fishing, a private island picnic, trips to the pearl farm, mountain-bike hire, use of Savusavu Gym and guided kayak trips to rivers in Vanua Levu's interior.

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