Room review: Six Senses Fiji, the perfect combination of luxury resort and health retreat

The Pacific island of your dreams, Malolo is the largest of the Mamanuca Islands.

Descriptors like ‘crystal-clear water’ and ‘picture-perfect white sand beaches’ are thrown around a lot when describing the Fijian archipelago, but what can you say when that’s exactly the situation?

A morning stroll down the beach in front of the resort was almost dream-like with bluer than blue skies, not a soul in sight, and fish darting around my feet in the shallows.

This truly stunning bay is surrounded by lush, native tropical vegetation, so the location is densely green one way and airily expansive the other.

Six Senses Fiji is set on a 48.5-hectare site nestled in lush, native vegetation and highlighted by a spectacular white sandy beach.

There are two marinas and the development is framed by massive prehistoric baka trees with Malolo Hill in the middle of the island.

There are 24 spacious villas, all with private pools ranging in size from 110 to 150 square metres including interior and exterior spaces.

The word sanctuary comes to mind as you enter your Hideaway Pool Villa. Dark wood interior, with a Fijian design aesthetic, enormous bed adorned in the kind of artfully draped mosquito nets that give you instant delusions of royalty.

The bathroom is large with two sinks and a spacious shower – there’s also an outdoor shower and bath in a white stone garden setting just outside.

All villas come with their own private pool and a wonderfully secluded patio area with loungers and daybeds to relax on.

It’s pretty hard to want to do any of the activities available when your accommodation is constantly trying to seduce you into a dreamy cycle of reading and lounging and disconnecting from everything, right from the moment you open the door.

While the physical interior is traditional, the room has all the mod cons you could ever need – electric blinds you control from your bed, modern Japanese-style toilet with every bidet option you can imagine , and buttons for everything so you only ever have to make the minimum effort to make anything happen.

You have your own wine fridge, a gorgeous desk (why anyone would want to open their laptop here is beyond my comprehension), relaxing sofas, a flat-panel TV with satellite channels.

There’s a laundry service, gorgeous spa facilities, daily yoga, an Earth Lab for sustainability activities, fitness centre and personal trainer, library with a wide selection of books and magazines, plus a kid’s club, tennis court and babysitting upon request.

There are several dining options onsite: Tovolea Restaurant and Bar (breakfast is served here as well as sharing plates and larger meals at lunch and in the evening) RaRa Restaurant for casual dining on the marina (they do a lot of different themed nights) and Teitei Pizzeria – which also has an outdoor cinema for entertainment while you eat.

There is also a gourmet deli and ice creamery which provides complimentary ice cream for all guests. Much of the produce for the restaurants is grown onsite with massive expansion of veggie gardens in progress.

Six Senses is all about health and wellbeing. If you have a health consultation while there, you can match what your body needs to menu items that will be marked for their particular health benefits.

The great thing is that it’s not only for people looking for wellness in their food. If one of you is more about coffee and pancakes than green juice and chia seed pudding you are catered for too. It’s health as you choose it, to whatever degree you wish on any given day: yoga, meditation, health advice and tonics all the way or pizza and beer – or a bit of both.

The absolute food highlight for me was the Fijian cooking class, where chef Kami taught me to squeeze my own coconut milk and cook fish traditionally on hot stones wrapped in a banana leaf.

Right here, in this lush tropical luxury setting, was a man teaching me to cook exactly how his grandfather did in his village in the highlands. A very special peek into traditional culinary culture.

Stepping out isn’t quite the same when you’re on an island – no malls, parks or art galleries to visit down the road.

But there is plenty to do if you can tear yourself away from your super comfortable accommodation – sailing, jet-ski safaris, scuba diving, snorkelling, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, water-skiing, island-hopping, sunset cruises, local village tours, and a Nadi day trip are all available.

Six Senses Fiji is a magical experience on all fronts.

Highlights include having breakfast looking out on a beach that looks almost too perfect to be real, luxurious but comfortable accommodation with your own private pool, the incredible health program, and super friendly staff.

All guests are assigned a personal Guest Experience Maker at the start of their stay.

It’s a beautiful experience from the moment you step off the boat to the moment you reluctantly leave this piece of paradise.

That you ever have to leave.

Six Senses Fiji is the perfect kind of luxury. The type where everything is of the highest quality and style but where you never feel intimidated by the experience.

The health and wellness philosophy is present across everything, but you never feel judged if that’s not your vibe.

The conservation of the iguana, sustainability initiatives and programmes to help the local village with clean water, repairs and creating new opportunities for income generation add an extra dimension to staying in a place this beautiful.

Book a Hideaway Pool Villa at Six Senses Fiji from $2187 per night. See:

Fiji Airways and Air New Zealand have regular flights to Nadi from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Malolo is only 45 minutes by boat from Denarau. See: ;

Flying generates carbon emissions. To reduce your impact, consider other ways of travelling, amalgamate your trips, and when you need to fly, consider offsetting emissions.