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Have you ever dreamed of having an adventure like Swiss Family Robinson? Imagine life on a tropical island with no phones, no TV and no cares. That is exactly what life is like on Castaway Island on the South Pacific Island of Fiji! As a matter of fact the movie CASTAWAY with Tom Hanks was filmed on another small island just across the bay from this resort. If you've seen the movie then you'll have an good idea of the beauty that awaits you at Castaway Island Resort.
Take an overnight flight from Los Angeles, of course if you live elsewhere in the US you'll have to connect into LAX...from there, it's 10 hours fly time but basically you fall asleep on the plane and wake up in the morning a day later. Yes, you loose a day outbound when you cross the international date line. No worries you'll get an extra day on your return. The morning you arrive in Nadi airport, you're family will be met and driven just a few minutes to the boat terminal. From there you can take a one hour South Sea Cruise on a 150 seat air conditioned catamaran through exotic crystal blue waters to Castaway Island. Vacationkids can also arrange airport island transportation by sea planes or helicopter which are a short 10 minute hop flight.
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Vacationkids own Sally Black recently visited and reviewed Castaway Island resort. She says it's one of the most beautiful spots she's ever visited. There is NOTHING on this gorgeous, first class, 174 acre private island except the resort! There are no towns, no civilization, No worries...NO NOTHING...except some of the finest Fijian hospitality. The staff welcomes new guests beachside with a song and a heartfelt "BULA" as soon as you arrive and their hospitality continues throughout your entire stay.
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General Manager Lingo Reece told Sally..."If people say they don't like it here, then there is something wrong with them". Sally says Lingo is absolutely right. Castaway Island is just about the most perfect spot for a family vacation. Lingo's embrace in this photo speaks volumes about the true spirit of Castaway Island Resort. The friendly staff here treat their guests like they were members of their own family. It's the staff here that are the heart and soul of this beautiful island resort!
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Castaway Island is the perfect escape for busy families who want to get away from it all and enjoy the natural beauty of Fiji. First of all the beach here is close to perfection and a wonderful playground for parents and kids who want to swim, sail and soak up the sun. As a side note, can you imagine a more perfect spot for a wedding or family moon?
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Non-motorized water sports are included like catamarans, windsurfers, paddleboards, spyboards, kayaks and sailboats. Snorkeling equipment is also included and Sally says you'll be amazed by the schools of beautifully colored tropical fish, rays and corals that you'll encounter just off shore in the crystal clear waters.
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Waz & Elle Meredith are the dive managers of Castaway's Padi Gold Palm 5 star dive center which for a fee, can arrange dives for novices through assistant instructors. There are 20 world class dive sites located all within 20 minutes boat ride of the resort. Waz and Elle have a wealth of diving experience from all over the planet that they eagerly share with Castaway guests and are absolutely delightful.
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In addition for a fee, Castaway Island offers waterskiing, banana boat rides, jetskis, parasailing, game fishing excursions or day trips aboard Fiji's fastest speedboat for day trips to visit other nearby deserted Islands. families are also free to enjoy the beautifully lush Castaway Island pool.
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Besides all this guests enjoy complimentary use of championship sized tennis court or they can go exploring the island on a bush walk to the top of the mountain for a bird's eye view of this wonderful paradise.
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The food on Castaway Island is bountiful and delicious! Vacationkids recommends the food plan here for families and includes it in our pricing. Adults have full choice from the plentiful hot and cold buffets, unrestricted selection from the a la carte lunch and dinner menus, gourmet wood-fired pizzas and themed buffets like Wednesday's Lovo nights featuring Castaways "Meke" group entertaining guests with traditional Fijian song, dance and food as well as Saturday's BBQ night featuring grilled prime rib, chicken and fresh fish complimented with superb salads, tropical fruits and a huge selection of deserts. Castaway cares and caters to kids with special kid's menus including burgers, sandwiches, fresh vegetables and salads, stir fry, pasta, cookies and ice creams. There is also a lovely gift shop at reception that offers fresh snacks and assorted sundries. Alcohol is purchased separately. The Lali bar opens at 8am and closes when the last guest calls it a night. The Sundowner bar overlooks the beach and lagoons and is open daily from 11am till 10pm offering "Bula-Bula" happy hour during sunset hours. The Lily pond pool bar opens at 11am offering poolside refreshments.
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As far as the rooms are concerned, Castaway island offers "bures"...what we Americans would call bungalows. There are three categories of bures offered based on location, location, location...There are 27 island bures, 12 oceanview bures and 27 beach bures. All of the bures will sleep four people and at Castaway children are considered to be under the age of 16. Depending on how busy they are, some exceptions can be made to add a cot or crib for an addtional small child but this is completely on a request basis. As you can see each bure is separate unto itself so architecturally there is no such thing as an adjoining room here. There is one large family bure that will accomodate up to 10 family members.
All bures have ceiling as well as floor fans and are "breeze conditioned" as Lingo says. With the island breezes Sally said the rooms were surprisingly comfortable. All the bures are built in traditional Fijian style with vaulted ceilings allowing the breezes to flow thru and the heat to escape. All bures have semi private sleeping area and sitting area as well as en suite bathrooms with sinks, showers and toilets. All rooms offer coffee and tea making facilities, a small refrig stocked with cold drinks, hair dryer, iron and ironing board. Again there are no phones and no TV. If you need a wake up call, just tell the front desk and someone will come and knock on your door. If you must absolutely keep in touch with the outside world, phone, fax and internet services are available for a fee at reception. |
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The Fijians' love of children is legendary and the Castaway Island resort has a renowned kids club. The Castaway Kid Club is designed for children ages 3 and older offering supervised activities from 9am to 4pm reopening again from 5:30pm to 9pm so that parents can enjoy some alone evening time.
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Sally knows Vacationkid parents like to see photos of kids clubs but she says these photos don't tell the true picture of the Castaway kids club. She says she could never get good photos of the kids club because the staff and kids were always off doing different activities. The closest she got was when the kids were out on their glassbottom boat ride...
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Sally said the kids club staff had the littles ones going non stop, all day long and the only tears she saw was when parents came to collect their kids at the end of a long day. To Sally this is the best kind of recommendation. While these kids were sailing in a glass bottom boat, others were making homemade Fijian costumes and practicing Fijian words and dance so that they could perform that evening for parents and resort guests. Later Sally spotted some kids off on a nature walk to hunt for geckos, big fruit bats and giant moths while others were warming up for races with their new pet hermit crabs on the beach. Castaway Island is truly a kids paradise kept safe under the watchful eyes of loving staff.
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Teens from the ages of 12-18 also have their own special list of organized activities including snorkeling and island safaris, bush walks, learning how orchids grow in the Castaway greenhouses, trips to nearby traditional villages, classes on traditional Fijian underground cooking ending each night with mocktails and campfires at Monkey Rock to hear all about the legends of Fiji.
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For parents with younger babies or those wanting individualized attention, nanny services can be arranged for a nominal fee. The care and attention showered on these little ones by the loving Fijian nannies was incredible. The littlest guests seem to be the biggest VIP's. All of the staff knew every child by name and you could tell how much the children enjoyed being with their nannies.
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All too soon it's time to say good bye and the entire staff shows up on the beach to serenade guests and say farewll running after you in the water as your boat pulls away from shore. This is the moment when you realize, the journey to get here now doesn't really seem as far as the journey to be able to return to Castaway Island once again. Many families Sally spoke to in resort have been coming back to Castaway year after year for ten years or more from all parts of the globe. Do not let the travel time to get here discourage you from enjoying this perfect piece of paradise. Castaway Island is what family vacations are all about!
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