This Island Resort in Fiji Puts the Planet (and Pampering) First

If sunshine, surfing and sustainability sound like the perfect vacation recipe to you, perhaps a jaunt to Fiji is in order. We checked into Six Senses Fiji on Malolo Island and discovered a resort intent on preserving its environment, to the benefit of other hotels and the beautiful slice of paradise they share.

“YOU CAN ALWAYS measure it with your heart—that’s the best way,” smiles Maria, my spa therapist, as I look around for guidance before scooping dried papaya seeds into a jar at the bar. I take her advice, and randomly heap in the sugar, dried coconut, noni oil, udi (a native Fijian plant) and powdered lemongrass. Hold the vodka, please. We’re in the DIY-style apothecary at the Six Senses Fiji spa known as Alchemy Bar. Here, the shelves are stocked not with tequila and Aperol but with glass jars featuring an array of herbs and plants, picked from the resort’s gardens, dried in the sun and blended into fine grain. “Guests can make face or body scrubs, and lip balms and either use them here at the resort or take them home,” Maria says.

Spas worldwide are getting savvy about ways they can personalise pampering, but this is the first time I’ve encountered something so connected to place. Earlier, Maria and I explored the tropical gardens together so I could learn about the native plants and their traditional uses (including which ones people were using during covid to keep the elderly out of hospitals). It’s a nice touch and a testament to how seriously the brand takes sustainability. That’s not surprising, given their surrounds. Set on sun-drenched Malolo Island, just a 45-minute boat ride from Fiji’s main island Viti Levu, this 24-villa resort is fringed by beautiful reefs, world-class surf breaks and provides a habitat for a population of 28 Fijian Crested iguanas, a critically endangered species that’s native to the Mamanuca islands, in its forested ‘Green Belt.’

Many of the eco principles are centred around the property, such as the Earth Lab, which provides sustainability activities for kids and Cluckingham Palace, a chicken farm comprising more than 100 roosters and hens that produce fresh eggs for the resort. But a number of initiatives also look to the bigger picture. “We’re getting into a partnership with an NGO out of Tahiti called Coral Gardeners,” says Clyde King, guest relations manager at Six Senses Fiji. “Within next two years we plan to plant 43,500 heads of coral out there. It’s really going to benefit resorts closer to the reef, but we do it anyway because, for us, the priority is sustainability.”

Lifestyle and wellness are also strong themes here. Luxury surf company Tropicsurf runs the resort’s surf program, and boats are scheduled most days to take people out to Cloudbreak or nearby smaller waves. During my stay, I had a wellness screening with Dr. Aju from Kerala, who was excellent and recommended some home remedies to rebalance my health. The complimentary 8 a.m. Hatha yoga was extremely popular, while the menu at main restaurant Tovolea suggests options to optimise health, sleep and fitness. Fijian-wise, the coconutty, ceviche-like local raw fish delicacy of kokoda (with local sea grapes for crunch) is divine, and the chilli crab gets plenty of appraisal from neighbouring diners.

For many of us these days, wellness means lounging, too. Each of the villas comes with its own private plunge pool and the rooms are designed in traditional bure style with high, tapered ceilings, modern wooden furnishings and a plush bed. As my ‘GEM’ or butler Wati is always available via WhatsApp if I need anything, I barely have to lift a finger (if you don’t count typing).

One evening before dinner, I lather the sweet-scented body scrub I made earlier that day over my legs in the shower. What a treat to have made it myself and know exactly where the ingredients come from. That is the true essence of luxury.

sixsenses.com/en/resorts/fiji, beachfront pool villas from FJD2,511.

Images courtesy of Six Senses.