From the moment we arrived to the wonderful greeting from Fijian warriors, when we overheard the whispers from the kids, “This place, I give it 10 out of 10”, we knew Nanuku was going to be something, and it just kept getting better as every day passed.
Situated on a volcanic outcrop on the beachfront at Pacific Harbour, Nanuku can be reached by a 90-minute drive from Suva or two hours from Nadi, but a 20-minute flight from Nadi can have you at Nanuku’s own airstrip.
And why would you waste even a second getting to this piece of paradise?
Nanuku is a dream family holiday and all you need to do is sink into the joy of the luxury, the choices, the food and the beautiful surroundings while being pampered, spoilt, entertained and taken care of by the superb local staff – led by the hands-on general manager, Karen Taylor , who seems to have thought of absolutely everything.
Our accommodation, a Grand Villa, no, let’s call it our home because that’s what it truly felt like, was so spacious with a separate media room, a kitchen and enormous living area, luxuriously huge en suites and spas. Furnishings were beautifully integrated in both flow and colour. We even had our own pool. Landscaped gardens are dotted with with daybeds and deckchairs, or you can just put a blanket down on the green grass and laze away.
If you wanted to, you could stay at the Villa without leaving the grounds and it would be a complete holiday. Your choice. I highly recommend the day out to the resort’s private island, however, it was a thoroughly enjoyable 40-minute boat ride. Our trip started in a spectacular way our trip started as we watched flying fish performing, and then one jumped into the boat on one of the kids’ heads! It was a hilarious moment and will always be a treasured family memory of that day. A picnic was supplied for us and we snorkelled, paddled about on kayaks, and lunched – it was a fantastic day out.
There were so many activities on offer: paddle boarding, rafting, diving, jet skiing, zip line, golf, cooking classes, spa services, and more. The area certainly lives up to its reputation as the adventure capital of Fiji.
Meal times were full of choices not just for the food but also where you could eat: the Club House, which we found ideal, or poolside at the Villa, which was the preferred lunchtime spot for the kids. Everything was fresh and healthy and nothing was a problem to provide or prepare by the staff.
We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary while at Nanuku and were so moved and delighted when the staff sang a beautiful anniversary song to us. Another memory of how special this place and these people are.
Our Villa ‘Mumma’ was Wana. Ever-smiling and joyful to be around, keeping our villa immaculate. The washing was always mysteriously done and all the ‘picking up’ done for me – as a mum of four kids that was a holiday in itself.
All villa guests get a villa ‘buddy’ from 9am till 9pm every day – and ours was the wonderful Josh. Our boys could not have had better company and reminded us many times that he was a friend not a babysitter. Josh is a gem. From rugby on the beach, making spears and then spear fishing to indoor board games, our boys had their days filled with excitement.
Little ones aged five and under are allocated a nanny. Our two-year-old daughter Molly’s Villa ‘nanny’ was Va. She would take Molly to collect hermit crabs on the beach and for lots of swims in the pool. She watched over Molly and at mealtimes kept her playfully happy. Another example of how carefully Nanuku is planned for all ages – everything for babies and toddlers was provides, from highchairs in the Villas, to prams, toys, baby baths, and baby seats for car transfers. There was not a thing that wasn’t thought of.
For mums and those who just need a bit of pampering and ‘me’ time, we had our choice of spa treatments, yoga, an onsite personal trainer in the well-equipped gym.
My husband had an incredible experience diving with the sharks at Beqa Lagoon at Shark Reef. This has been a fear from childhood, ever since he watched Jaws, so this was a life-changing event. After his dive the entire staff came to our table at lunch singing and presented him with a hand-carved Nanuku shark made by Chris, one of the local builders. It will be forever as a very special memento.
Perfection, perfection and then some. This is the Nanuku experience.
And to top it off, remember…we all came home with clean clothes that went straight from the suitcase to the wardrobes and cupboards. When was the last time that happened on your holiday?
Yes! It is possible to have a holiday of absolute luxury, fine dining and candlelit dinners every night when holidaying with kids. In the past I’ve found that to achieve this level of luxury there is a trade off in terms of satisfying everyone’s desires, but Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort (JMCR) offers it all…and more.
Every client I have sent to this island paradise has always come home raving about the resort itself, as well as the seeing, doing and complete experience that JMCR offers. Delivering the gifts of quality time out for mums and dads as well as more than satisfying the needs of high-energy kids, the resort is a destination in itself, with a well-deserved 5 star status.
JMCR is located in Savsavu, an hour’s flight on a small plane from Nadi. It has been built on a former coconut plantation and ticks all the boxes of being eco-friendly, child-friendly and most of all parent-friendly. Our family has visited four times now and I know we will go back again.
Every child five years and under has a dedicated nanny for their entire stay. The nannies are available upon requirement from 8am until 9 pm, or longer. The older kids 6 years and above have a buddy with a ratio of 5 kids per buddy, which allows for plenty of opportunities to make new friends. We had no concerns about leaving our four kids with the specially trained nannies/buddies, who are mostly from the local village.
The Bula Club has everything from a toddler pool with a small slide, a mushroom pool, family pool with slide, trampoline, sand pit, cubby house, arts and crafts, flying fox, giant chess board, tennis court and more… There are two programs; the Lei Lei Holiday programme (0 to 5 years) and the Maua Holiday programme (6 to 12 years).
Activities included daily trips on the glass bottom boat; kids can also go with nannies and buddies and parents are welcome too. Those who want to snorkel can. The littler ones just look through the boat, and Johnny, the marine biologist will bring things up for them to see, touch and learn about – an educational plus.
The list of things to do includes tennis, chess, kayak races, fishing, crab races, cookie-baking (using a sun oven), sand castle contests, table tennis, face painting, tee-shirt painting, and coconut painting. Not only will your kids have an amazing time, they will also learn about Fijian culture, and the amazing natural environment around them.
Having said this, we go on holidays not to ditch our kids, but to spend time with them, and this was also possible. While there was plenty of quality time for my husband and I to go off for a snorkel, hike, read a book or just lie by the adults’ only Serenity Pool and enjoy the peace, there was also so much to do as a family: picnicking on a private island, taking out the catamaran, heading for an adventure on the kayaks or stand up pandle boards, fishing, visiting the local town of Savsavu as well as snorkelling, either out to one of the sites nearby, or just off the pier – even scuba-diving. You can also check out the local village, rainforest hike and swim, or enjoy some simple beach combing – it’s amazing what you can find!
We also spent lots of time in the family pool, our kids couldn’t get enough of the water slide and we never knew there were so many ways to flip and turn down a slide – on your knees, lying down, head first, backwards! The joy of seeing happy kids is priceless.
Our eldest son, aged 10, did his Padi Dive Certification during our stay at JMCR and my husband joined in too. They did five incredible dives over three days in one of the best locations in the world and our son is now a certified diver! We are not sure if he knows exactly how lucky he is to achieve this at such a young age. I had not done any diving for over 20 years, but found it was an incredibly memorable experience being able to dive with my husband and son for their first certified dive. I enjoyed it even more once I remembered to stop being a mum and following him around! Our eight-year-old had a go at scuba in the pool (called the Bubblemaker program), so I am sure he will up for the fun of being certified on our next visit.
The food at JMCR is exceptional. Extremely fresh and healthy with just the right portion size. Most of the fruit and vegetables come from the resort’s own organic garden, and the fish are caught locally, very often by the guests.
The kids can either eat at the Bula Club or in the family restaurant, and unlike most other kids’ menus I have seen, they eat extremely healthy three-course meals. As parents we were very impressed.
In comparison to other resorts in Fiji, JMCR seems to have more expensive upfront costs, although I believe it is unquestionably worth it. And having spent some time at other resorts on the mainland, we found all the extras that are included at JMCR all add up: buying lunch and dinner, bottled water for the kids, soft drinks, ice-cream, babysitters, etc. At JMCR the only extras we paid for were alcoholic drinks, diving, fishing and massage – essential! There are packages available which included a couple of dives and massages.
A sign of a fantastic holiday is when you see families leaving and the mum and kids are crying because they have to leave. I didn’t see any Dads crying, but I am sure many have shed a parting tear – on the inside!.
Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is luxurious, romantic and effortless. The staff is the friendliest in the world. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I know our family will be back.
Kate from Fiji for Families visited Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in 2014/2015/2016/2017/2018 with her family including 4 kids.