Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nucas with a single village on its west coast, lined with lush coconut trees which stick out
amongst its sunburnt barren hills. If you come in the evening or early morning, there's a good
chance of spotting fruit bats and doves, which feed in the forests, and possibly the elusive
crested iguana, which is usually well camouflaged in the canopy.
ACCOMMODATION: MATAMANOA
Matamanoa Island Resort
672 3620,
matamanoa.com
.
If you're looking for a
good-value romantic getaway this is the place to stay. The resort's twenty spacious thatch
bures are raised slightly from the beach, giving fabulous ocea
n view
s; ther
e are a
lso fourteen
a/c rooms at the back in a single-storey cement block. Rooms
F$495
; bures
F$795
Tokoriki
Surrounded by a fringing reef, hilly
Tokoriki
has two resorts either side of a rocky outcrop
that divides a long stretch of beach on the west side of the island. In recent years the island
has suffered from beach erosion and large amounts of seaweed washing up on certain tides,
although the resorts remove it before it gets too whiffy. The offshore reefs are unaffected by
the seaweed and
snorkelling
is excellent about 200m from the beach at both resorts. From
May to July the lagoon teems with tiny bait fish, attracting both
seabirds
which circle and
dive bomb from above, and locals from the neighbouring villages casting fishing nets from
small boats.
ACCOMMODATION: TOKORIKI
Amunuca Island Resort
664 0640,
amunuca.com
.
Overlooking a turquoise lagoon, this
resort has a contemporary feel, and its affordable one- and two-bedroom whitewashed units
are pe
rfect for families. Wakeboarding, banana-boat rides and parasailing are all available.
F$371
Tokoriki Island Resort
672 5926,
tokoriki.com
.
This upmarket retreat for honey-
mooners has a gorgeous infinity pool overlooking the ocean and several beach bures. Perched
against the hillside at the far end of the property are a series of private villas ranking amongst
the m
ost deli
ghtful in Fiji, each with handcrafted wooden interiors and their own plunge
pools.
F$1170
Yanuya, Monuriki and Modriki
Tokoriki is owned by the people of neighbouring
Yanuya
, a long thin island with several
knolls. The village here is renowned for its
pottery making
and you can visit on a day-trip
from either resort, or on the daily
Seaspray
sailing cruise from
Mana
Island which comes
ashore for a traditional
kava
ceremony and village craft market.
Off the west side of the village are the islands of
Monuriki
and
Modriki
, used as the setting
for the 2001 film
Castaway
. With steep craggy rock faces and thick forests, it's difficult to
explore these islands, but with a guide you can reach the summit of the long flat rock face
of Modriki from where Tom Hanks looked out in despair seeing nothing but ocean (though
