Our trip to Fiji was nothing short of a dream! I always had Fiji in my top 5 bucket list destinations for the longest time and I am so grateful that we were finally able to cross it from our list this year. Fiji has over 300 islands, of which only around 100 are inhabited. While we had a myriad of gorgeous islands to choose from we chose to split our stay this time for the first half in the Yasawas and in the second half on the mainland of Viti Levu. And like anyone who’s been to Fiji would tell you, one visit is certainly not enough; with so many beautiful islands to choose from you are bound to be back for more. Lucky for us that Fiji Airways flies directly nonstop from SFO and LAX, so its an easy trip to make anytime! I will be writing a travel guide to Fiji on the blog next week, so I will cover more of this in that post. In this post I will be focusing on our incredible stay at Yasawa Island Resort and Spa.

The Yasawas are home to some of the best remote and unspoiled islands in Fiji. These islands represent the ultimate “island life” that you can imagine – no commercialization or modernization, just raw natural beauty that is simply breathtaking. Infact visiting the islands was once limited to cruise ships, and passengers were forbidden to actually set foot on the Yasawas until the 1950s. The islands now offer a few backpacker accommodations but if you are looking for pure luxury in the most perfect traditional setting – Yasawa Island Resort is your go to! The resort is a short 30 min flight from Nadi International Airport. The scenic flight takes you along the coast of the mainland, and then over the turquoise coral reefs and gorgeous islands of the Yasawa Islands group. You land on a grass runway and arrive at quite possibly one of the cutest airports in the world (see below).

Flying into Yasawa (the small swimming pool on the lower right corner is the resort!)

I mean – how cute is this airport!

“Yasawa” means heaven in Fijian and the description could not be more precise. The all-inclusive resort sits on the northernmost Yasawa island called Yasawa I Rara. It is the only resort or commercial development on the entire island (that is 22 kilometres long) which makes it super exclusive and true to its name (Yasawa). It has 18 luxury bungalows built in traditional Fijian “Bure” style, that are tucked away in the palm trees and are just footsteps away from the blue shores and white sands. Our Deluxe Beachfront Bure was pure island perfection – it had a roomy living area, a spacious bedroom and patio with a million dollar view of the ocean , a bathroom with two showers + two sinks and my fave part – an outdoor shower! Each Bure also came with a hammock strung between palms; incredible views of the ocean, and a thatched cabana with sun loungers. Anush and I were quite surprised to discover that the resort had Wifi only in public spaces. But it actually turned out to be such a refreshing experience as we got the chance to truly unwind, disconnect and spend time with each other without any distractions. It was so effortless to be in one with nature here, given that the Yasawa Island Resort was so peaceful, green and relaxing.

Dress : c/o Pitusa 

Living area in the Deluxe Bure

Beautiful ceilings! and the bedroom behind me.

Chemise : c/o Eberjey

Loved the outdoor shower!

Our hammock and palapa with sunloungers

Enjoying Yasawa both in rain and sunshine! (suit : c/o Lovewave)

Being all inclusive, all food and non alcoholic drinks are included in the room tariff. The food here isn’t like any of your run of the mill all inclusive resorts. There were no buffet meals (a pleasant surprise cos I am always vary of all inclusive buffet food being recycled in large resorts!) but instead each meal came with a special menu of gourmet options with a fusion of local and international cuisines to choose from. I must say that our dining experience at Yasawa was out of this world! I have travelled a lot and me saying that this was probably the resort where I have had the most number of consecutive meals that were all fantastic is really something. My favorite meals were all the breakfasts that we had there cos as you know I live for a yummy brunch/breakfast haha! I had this Mango Panna Cotta with homemade coconut granola every-single-morning! It was so so delicious.

Dress : c/o Tiare Hawaii ; Clutch : c/o Hat Attack

Delicious breakfast every morning

Mango Panna Cotta that was out of this world!

Enjoying some mid afternoon fresh coconut water on the beach. (romper : c/o Planet Blue ; Hat : c/o Hat Attack)

On that tropical fruit diet! (suit : c/o Lolli swim top and bottom)

Yasawa is also home to Fiji’s first beachfront spa and has won many accolades including winner in the 2016 world luxury spa awards. Read more about our amazing afternoon at the Baravi Spa HERE.

My favorite part about this beautiful resort was undeniably the gorgeous beach right in front of it! Having won titles like “One of the 100 Best Walks in the World To Do Before You Die” and “One of the 1000 places in the World To Visit Before You Die”, you can imagine how dreamy the beach is. Unfortunately we did get some rain for the first two days we were there, so the seas were a bit rough and the waves were rolling, but it was breathtakingly beautiful nonetheless! Once the weather cleared up, it was even more pretty. I was told by the staff that in the drier months the water is much more calm. The sunsets at Yasawa were something else – honestly goes down as one of the most divine sunsets we have ever witnessed. The sky was lit up in pink and the colors lasted for over 25 minutes, it was insane!

Suit : Frankies Bikinis from Palapa Lounge Beachwear (top and bottom)

Suit : c/o Mia Marcelle swim (top and bottom)

The colors of the sunset were unreal! So so stunning.

Dress : c/o Cool Change ; Bag : c/o Kayu

Aside from lounging and relaxing, the resort has tons of activities to choose from like hiking, kayaking, cooking demos, tennis, scuba diving, fishing, cultural activities, village visits and more. We chose to do two of their most popular activities – the blue lagoon caves and the private island beach picnic. Yasawa Island resort is surrounded by 11 secluded tropical beaches that offer the perfect romantic escape! The resort also packs you a delicious picnic lunch and all the essentials that you need for a sunny afternoon in paradise. Read more of my birthday private island picnic HERE.

Birthday beach picnic (Romper : c/o Juliet Dunn)

Our visit to the Blue Lagoon Sawa I Lau Caves was one for the books. Without a doubt it was the highlight of our trip to Fiji! Read more of our magical experience swimming in these spectacular caves HERE.

Our stay here would not be as memorable without the fantastic staff. Anush and I felt like everyone was like our “favorite aunt or uncle”, the hospitality of the staff was beyond amazing, every one was so friendly, kind and helpful. Its the small touches like the entire staff singing for you upon your arrival and departure that make your stay that much more special. With all these beautiful experiences that the resort has to offer, it is no surprise that it has been recognized over and over again, including winning an award for being one of the top 10 (no 6) best luxury resorts and best small resorts in Fiji !

Romper : c/o Eberjey ; Flower Crown : Crowns by Christy

All in all, we had such a wonderful stay here at Yasawa Island Resort and can’t wait to visit back soon enough! Vinaka Yasawa. Here’s a recap video from our stay here :

Thanks for stopping by! xoxo

Jyo

**This post is in collaboration with Yasawa Island Resort and Spa but all thoughts and opinions are my own.