Vatulele Island

Vatulele is considered one of the most exclusive islands in the world, surrounded by pristine white beaches and crystal clear aquamarine waters.

The stunning Island sits south of Fiji’s largest island Viti Levu. Facing directly on to the South Pacific Ocean, but protected by a magnificent barrier reef that forms an extensive lagoon in front of the Resort, this island itself is like no other in the world.

Even from its initial conception, Vatulele has endeavoured to have a minimalist effect on the existing environment. In order to protect the island upon original construction of the Resort, all materials, were imported from the mainland. Buildings were carefully placed to avoid the removal of significant trees, and the site took three months to selectively clear, using one hundred men with cane knives. Ten thousand tons of materials were barged to the beach and manually unloaded during the three years of construction.

No cranes were available, and everything, including the trees in the main bure had to be put in place by “man-power” alone. The road to the airport was hand built over a period of 2 years, and for the first opening months all staff had to commute by water. The airstrip, which has become an important bridge for the local residents, was also largely hand "hewn" and became operational in May 1992.

Apart from a core of mainland tradesmen, most of the work-force came from Vatulele. Almost all were unskilled and had to be taught the basics of construction - ‘not to mention become used to the strange notion of a clock!