A small island just off the southwest coast of Fiji, with 24 bungalows, long beaches and impossibly beautiful sunsets, what more could you want? How about kayaking, snorkeling, fire-dancing, basket weaving, coconut husking, traditional cooking lessons, and more, all included with the accommodations!
Likuri Island Resort (also known as Robinson Crusoe Island) ended up being so much more than we expected!
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Where is Likuri Island?
Likuri Island (also called Robinson Crusoe Island) is located just off the South East shores of Fiji, on the Coral Coast, in the South Pacific Ocean. It is a small island which takes about 25 minutes to walk around at low tide, and the resort owns the entire island, so it’s all available to explore! On non-busy days, it almost feels like your own private island. You can see the mainland from Likuri Island, and often it will rain on the mainland, while Likuri Island will still have sunny skies. It is about 45-60 mins from the Nadi Airport to the Robinson Crusoe Jetty where the island’s boat will carry you down a river edged by mangroves and out into the ocean, to the island (about 45 mins).
Island Activities
Each day, a chalk-board is put up with the options of activities for the day (kind of like being at camp as a kid!). There’s snorkeling trips, games, sports, kayaks, crab cooking, coconut husking, basket weaving, bush walks, sand castles, shell collecting, crab races… you name it!! Everything was included with the resort. You could pay extra for massage, private snorkel trips, etc. Saturday to Thursday there are daily tours where up to 50 people join the island activities, and on Saturday, Monday & Wednesday there are evening tours with an additional 100 people arriving by boat for a special supper and fire show (not to be missed!). If the island is feeling too busy, you take a lovely 30-min beach walk all the way around the island at low tide (stop to watch the mud-hopper lizards around the mangrove tree bases), or at high tide you can kayak around the whole island by floating up around the very tree tops of the mangrove trees (an amazing experience)! The island has lots to see and do, or you can always put your feet up on a hammock and just take in the views.
Culture Sharing
The resorts puts on a special cultural evening 3 times a week, with other tours groups joining in for a traditional lovo meal, island dances and a spectacular fire show.
Another wonderful cultural experience is to go on a Village Tour. The nearby village has maintained it’s cultural heritage and invites small groups in to experience their way of life. Sign up with the resort – several of the resort staff live in the village, and will take you on the boat to their village for a traditional kava ceremony, a talk about the history of the island and their experiences growing up there, and show you around the area. Please dress modestly (if you have a Sarang, bring it to cover up without getting hot). There is also a handmade goods market, if you’d like to buy souvenirs.
Food
When you book your stay, you need to also pay for the meal package. It’s compulsory, as the resort is on it’s own island, so there aren’t other food options nearby (it may seem expensive, but all food on Fiji is expensive – it’s an island!). Meals are buffet-style and eaten together at the outdoor picnic tables in the shade by the beach. My favourite: breakfast included a piece of cake, along with a selection of cereals and fruits (who doesn’t like cake for breakfast?)! Lunches and suppers were usually rice or potatoes, with a selection of several meats (including fish), multiple salads and fruits. 3 nights a week, other tour groups join in for a special traditionally cooked evening meal, called a Lovo, where they cook the meal underground using hot stones and leaves, and bury it to cooking for several hours. The food doesn’t have a lot of spice or variety (you can bring your own to add, if you like!), as Fiji has limited access to imports, but there was always plenty of food at meals. If you’re able to, I’d recommend grabbing some items at the Duty-free in your airport, or stopping at a grocery store in Nadi, to stock up on snacks & supplies: large water bottles (the resort provides a 2-litre bottle in your room each morning, but you go through it quickly – the taps don’t have drinking water & drinks on the island are not included in the meal plan, aside from hot tea/coffee), a bottle of rum to sip in the evenings, and chips or snacks to eat between meals (lunch is at noon but supper isn’t until 7 pm). There is a Wreck Bar / snack-shop onsite, but it can get expensive. The resort may be bringing more food/snack options in the future.
Island Friends
Share picnic tables at meals and chat with folks on your bungalow patio over a drink, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you have a real connection with folks from around the world! We met amazing people from Australia, New Zealand, UK, Spain, Singapore and Fiji, and swapped stories about travel and life together. Getting to know your fellow travelers will really enrich your stay.
It’s a fun party atmosphere to have the energy of the day-tripper tours join the island, but when they head home the island is quiet and there is a more intimate feeling at supper times and breakfasts with the smaller group of friends staying on the island together. Sometimes the staff will bring out the guitar and take song requests, and it’s a wonderful and chill time hanging out together singing, laughing and chatting by a beach bonfire.
Accommodations
There are lots of options from small huts to large air conditioned bungalows and family-stays. We booked the Beachfront Bure, and we’re so glad we did! It was further down from the main beach (which had music and activities), so it was a very quiet spacious retreat, literally 5 steps to your own beach. Heaven! It also had air conditioning, king bed, outdoor shower (with privacy fence), couches and private bathrooms (pictured in the first 7 photos below). Some of the smaller 1-room Bures in the main area have a shared washroom (shown in the other pictures below).
How to get to the Island
Contact the resort to pre-book all of your transportation – it’s the smoothest and the cheapest! We made the mistake of taking a cab when we landed – they refused to use the cab-rate meter, didn’t have air conditioning, and charged an exorbitant amount. One the way back, we booked with the resort for a mini-coach (about a 45 mins drive). Our cab had cost $100 plus tip (others at the resort paid $125-150), whereas the coach was about $25 each (it stopped at 1 other resort to pick up people). When you arrive at the jetty, wait in the shade for the Likuri Island boat that runs once daily (pre-booked with the resort), or book a charter boat (at a higher cost) with the resort. The boat ride is a fun introduction to the area with a smooth river sailing, and takes about 45 mins to reach the island. Wear sunscreen and enjoy the wind in your hair as you start to relax on island time!
Communications
We grabbed a travel sim card at the airport (hot-spotted to our other phone), but we’ve heard that the resort will be adding wifi in the future. E-sims are now easier than ever to use as well, but the beauty of the island really is to get away from it all – leave your phone in your room and enjoy! Emails to the resort took awhile to get a response – if you haven’t heard from them in a few days, keep emailing and someone will contact you (they’re on island time!), so email early about your transportation bookings, to ensure you get a response before you fly.
Sunsets
Being on a tiny island, the sunsets are unobstructed and the stars are pure magic!
