An Awakening of the Senses

So fabulously inconspicuous are the rooms at Six Senses, Fiji’s luxurious new accommodation offering, Tiffany Carroll wonders whether she’s the only occupant until her Guest Experience Maker fills her in on the resort’s attractions, other than her private pool and spectacular view.

It was a long time in the making, more than three years in fact, but Six Senses Fiji on Malolo island has finally and gloriously opened its doors.

Whilst loyal to the Six Senses brand of wellness, relaxation and proving a crucial link between nature and contentment, Six Senses embraces the Fijian culture more than expected.

The property stretches over 120 acres and was built in and around a tropical jungle. So inconspicuous are the rooms and buildings one wonders if you’re sharing the resort with anyone else.
In fact from arrival, you’re made to feel as though you are the only person on the island.

Check in happens in your room with your designated Guest Experience Maker (GEM) for the duration of your stay. There’s no reception as such and you’re given your GEM’s number should you want for anything – at any time.

I’m staying in an ocean front villa. It is cool and dark but once the blinds are opened the room is stunned by the view out front. A private pool bordered by timber decking and daybeds, a sandy path leading to your own private cabana and that gin coloured water the Mamanuca islands are famous for.

There is no one on the beach in front of me, I have the half-moon bay to myself and I have to remind myself I am at a resort – not a private holiday home.

“Would you like a tour of the resort, perhaps a drink at the bar or would you like to plan your activities?”

I’d just like to take it all in, I think to myself. Stop, breath, relax.

Six Senses offers personalised wellness programs designed to suit each individual. You can choose from weight loss, detox, relaxation or motivation plans – or none at all. The menus at each of Six Senses’ restaurants note suitable offerings should you choose a plan to follow, but it’s not an in-your-face health retreat. The gin cocktail on arrival is testament to that.

Instead of any specific plan, I choose to go with the flow, starting with a sunset yoga session in what must be Fiji’s most breathtaking yoga pavilion, followed by drinks at the Rara bar then dinner at the fabulous Tovolea Restaurant.

Ex-Likuliku chef Ihaka Peri is at the helm after spending four years in Fiji, he began his journey with Six Senses when he traveled to Samui, taking up the role of executive chef at Six Senses Samui.

His menu is fresh and exciting, with Fijian influences, it’s a sophisticated menu you’d expect from a leading Melbourne laneway restaurant.

After dinner it’s back to the villa for the best night’s sleep I have had, thanks to Six Senses’ amazing bed and linen.

The next morning after a walk around the resort I’m booked for a spa treatment. Six Senses, spa is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional Fijian village. Surrounded by lush tropical jungle, cascading water features flow down through the village and into the tropical greenbelt.

Again your spa treatment can be designed to match your wellness plan, or you can choose your own. Either way, the highly experienced therapists ensure it’s a massage you won’t forget nor will be easily surpassed.

Six Senses offers many activities from surfing Cloudbreak to visiting Cloud 9, day trips and village tours, cooking classes and alchemy lessons. You can make your own body scrubs, mix your own cocktails or indulge in the complimentary icecream available at the icecreamery on site. There’s an open-air cinema, a wood-fire pizza bar, a poolside bar, gym and marina.

Or you can grab a book from the library and read by your own private pool.

Three and a half years after construction began, Six Senses is a new sort of luxury in Fiji where the emphasis is all about you.