Written By : PETER LOMAS. Make that Savusavu trip. Forget those stories about the cyclone.
The country’s “Hidden Paradise” is busy with activity. Savusavu town and tourism operations along its adjacent coast were largely and luckily sheltered by the hills as Cyclone Tomas passed to the east.
Savusavu is getting on with life. There is plenty happening.
Savusavu might be a small town with a slower pace compared with Nadi and its impressive range of international-brand resorts. But this friendly gateway to south-eastern Vanua Levu has its own niche in the tourism sun.
EXAMPLE from a quick check last week: Just along the coast from the town at the Daku Resort, owners John and Delia Rothnie-Jones were preparing for their next round of courses. These bring groups of visitors to stay and study in retreats amidst the lush green of their resort.
Participants mainly come from Australia. They take part in courses led by international experts in topics as diverse as choir music and yoga.
The couple say people from Suva and the West are welcome to sign up and come North and join in too.
If you’re interested in seascape and landscape painting, for instance. Australian artist, teacher and writer on the arts Elena Parashko will be there running a course in August.
EXAMPLE: At Tim and Lorna Eden’s Savusavu Hot Springs Hotel – the best location in the town area – they were hosting guests to cocktails in The Mahi Bar.
They were doing this with a warm friendliness that makes this no-frills hotel popular with both visitors from Suva and tourists from overseas. In fact anyone looking for somewhere comfortable, clean, convenient and affordable.
Guests from near and far were in the dining room next to The Mahi Bar. This opens up to a breathtaking panoramic view of Savusavu town and the cruising yachts anchored below in the waters just off the main street.
The guests were there to savour a specialty of the hotel’s kitchen, the “Curry Night”.
EXAMPLE: At the internationally-renowned Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort, general manager Greg Taylor was proudly telling a visitor of their success running a resort within a resort. This provide a special attraction for families.
One part of the resort is where the children are looked after and kept active and entertained all-day. This is through a unique “nannies” (for the very young) and “buddies” (for those older) programme.
Meanwhile, their parents enjoy the serenity of the other part of the resort without worrying about the children.
Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands is a classic beachside boutique resort with a reputation for quality accommodation, fine food, relaxation and maritime recreation.
Savusavu has cleaned up and fixed up quickly after the Cyclone Tomas onslaught on the North.
“Lots of people contacted us and said how’s the resort going?” says Mr Taylor, an Australian who is a veteran of running quality smaller Fiji resorts.
“I said fine. Essentially cosmetic damage down in the south-eastern corner of the place where the prevailing winds were.
“Around here (the main section of the resort) the place looks fantastic. Once people were reassured by that many who were perhaps half thinking about coming got it back on the top of their minds.”