Pacific Island Paradises

— F i j i — – 52 – www.paradises.com Garden Island Resort PO Box 1, Waiyevo, Taveuni, FIJI Tel: +679 888 0286 Fax: +679 888 0288 Email: relax@gardenislandresort.com www.gardenislandresort.com G A R D E N I S L A N D R E S O R T Wake up to beautiful panoramic views of the ocean and be lulled to sleep by the sound of the waves at the award-wining Garden Island Resort on Taveuni. The resort offers a choice of 15 Oceanfront Suites with a private patio and 15 Ocean View Rooms fully refurbished with private balconies. Each room offers a private space for luxurious comfort and complemented by the resort's warm hospitality, it'll become your home-away-from-home. Surrounded by lush green forestation, indulge in spa massages and relaxation therapies with exotic fragrant oils and natural sugar scrubs. For weddings, honeymoon and special occasions, celebrate with an ocean-view sunset ceremony under a cascading flower arch by the pool, followed by a local-style celebration. The options are endless for recreational pursuits. World-class dive sites are only moments away. Fed by the nutrient-rich waters that flow through the Somosomo Straits, Taveuni's Rainbow Reef is home to the Great White Wall, The Ledge, Annie's Bommie, Blue Ribbon Eel Reef and much more. Garden Island is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort has a fully equipped dive centre on-site with professional and friendly dive crew. Introductory 'Discover Scuba' up to 'Dive Master' PADI Certification courses are offered and nitrox is also available. Journey through national parks, secluded spots where you might spot the orange dove and the silktail, rare bird species only to be found on Taveuni, take in the surrounding landscape on horseback, enjoy natural waterslides and waterfalls, visit the local villages or head down to the watersports centre to go kayaking or snorkelling. the island and, until 1879 when an ordinance placed all of Fiji west of the dateline, unscrupulous European planters were able to work their labourers seven days a week by claiming that it was Sunday at one end of the plantation and Monday at the other. As a result, visitors are no longer able to straddle two days, with one foot in yesterday and the other in today. 'Must visits' include the three waterfalls at Bouma which cascade 20 metres into a deep pool at the foot of the falls where you can take a refreshing dip. Lavena has another waterfall and one of Fiji's most spectacular beaches. Taveuni offers every 'classic' Fijian scenic image, as well as an abundance of tropical fruits, trees and vegetables. The main product is copra and although some of the most extensive, privately owned plantations are in Taveuni, there is still a large Fijian population living in the villages mainly on the gently sloping northwest side. The southeast coast features plummeting waterfalls and soaring cliffs bordered by crashing surf, and is almost inaccessible. A good road stretches the full length of the northwest coast from Vuna in the south to Wainibula in the north. At Vuna, lava f lows have formed pools by the ocean that f ill with fresh water at low tide and are used for washing and bathing. There are spectacular blowholes at nearby Namboundrau Bay. Taveuni is a mecca for deep-sea f ishing enthusiasts and divers have access to some of the world's best dive sites on the Rainbow Reef in the Somosomo Strait between Vanua Levu and Taveuni islands. Bird watchers will enjoy the kula parrots and orange doves and there are also many wild chickens. Somosomo is the port for inter-island ships and there is an airport at Matei in the north making Taveuni easily accessible by air and ferry from Viti Levu.

• Cover