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Last week my husband Mike and I had a week in Fiji. We just love Fiji, the people, the weather, relaxation and total chill out. Fiji to us is a true holiday where we can recharge and refocus.
We flew to Nadi and stayed at one of our favourite stopover Fiji spots Fiji Orchid for one night. This is a small private resort with only 8 Bures set amongst beautiful Fijian orchid gardens, it's just paradise from the moment you arrive.
The next day we flew to Vanu Levu (The second biggest Fijian Island) we then had a 45-minute four-wheel drive ride up through the island on rough gravel roads. Once we arrived on the other side of the island we were greeted by the Nukubati staff, then a 10-minute boat ride over to Nukubati Private island. This is a very small island with only 7 bures, they are completely self sufficient using rainwater and power from a solar system they have installed. The bures all look out to the sea, are private and sheltered. Both these resorts are owned by the same family, Jenny and Peter.
Each night at sunset the lovely staff brought us “Sunset Cocktails and Canapes” We then went to the pavilion for a couple more cocktails and dinner.
You can walk right around the island, we did this only once, as half the island has nice white sand beaches, the rest has mangroves and coral down to the water and is tricky to navigate.
I enjoyed a traditional Fijian Lomi Lomi massage. This was so relaxing and a great start to the week on the island, Fijians are very good with massage, relieving tension in the back neck and shoulders. We also at V For Hair and Beauty have the Lomi Lomi massage as part of our Pure Fiji facial rituals, if you haven’t tried it you should, I know you will enjoy it!
We spent most days chilling, reading and one day we took some time to think about our goals. I like doing this on holiday as its when I have time to relax and think, so we revised and refreshed our short- and long-term goals. One night we had dinner on the beach and watched the sun go down and solved the problems of the world with a wine or two!
The food at Nukubati is just delicious. It’s all fresh, being grown and sourced from the island and sea. No hotel buffets here, just fresh, healthy, delicious meals. I did a cooking course one day and it was great to see all the fresh local herbs and ingredients being added to the recipes, nothing from a packet. This has inspired me since I’ve been home to be using fresh garlic, ginger and other herbs in our meals this week, it gives such a fresh vibrant flavour.
We went out fishing one day, unfortunately, that day we didn’t get any fish, but we managed to snag a couple and loose them…oh those fish that got away! We also went out to the sand bar for a picnic, luckily we weren’t relying on our fish for lunch, the chiefs had prepared us a beautiful picnic lunch…and a glass of bubbles or two!
When packing for holidays I always stick to my colour palette, this is very easy as when I’m shopping, I stick to it as well right down to swimwear, beach towels and sarongs. This way you don’t need to pack heaps of clothes and everything you have you can mix and match. My holiday clothes are a real mixture, Trelise Cooper, Paula Ryan and some basics from The Warehouse. This season I purchased from The Warehouse a couple of swimwear tops, these doubled as swimwear in the day and then dressed in floaty pants at night. When purchasing clothing items from places like The Warehouse I choose basics and neutral colours such as black, so they aren’t the focus. Paula Ryan has great beachwear, togs, caftans and shear floaty wide-leg pants for over your togs, great for going from the beach to the bar!
My colour palette is winter so it's clear and bright. I love bright colours; this is where I add in some Trelise Cooper pieces. The clothes featured in the photo below were all purchased 3 years plus ago. Again, when I’m spending good money on items, I want them to last. The pink Trelise caftan hanging in the photo below I have worn dressed up to the races, casual to bbq’s and this time as a caftan on the beach. To me its all about wears per item and making the most of your wardrobe.
The beauty treatments I recommend for holidays are, gel polish for fingers and toes, my pedicure as pictured above I had done two weeks before my holiday and it still looks great today. I never wear makeup on holiday, so I get henna brows and henna lash tint before heading away. A spray tan is also great and covers up skin blemishes making you feel more confident in your togs. Even though I’m a hairstylist I don’t like fussing with my hair on holiday, I like it to be easy-care, wash and wear so I had a top-up of Keratin smoothing before I headed away, as you can see in the photos my hair still has waves but is frizz-free and manageable.
