This is the first holiday that I had felt compelled to write just after spending one day at the resort. We travelled with our daughters aged 7 and 9yrs and stayed for 7 nights. Flew overnight from Melbourne and it being only a 4 1/2hr flight we had arrived there very early. Even at the airport we are greeted by wonderful Fijian songs whilst we queued for immigration. The custom officers are smiling unlike the rest of the world whom put on a tough face. You instantly know that you are onto something special when greeted with handmade necklaces at the Nanuku front desk in the airport. The adults get a different size necklace from the children which is only the first sign of their thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Whilst waiting for our bags to be loaded onto the air-conditioned transfer vehicle we are offered beautifully scented cold towels with bottles of water (meanwhile the other people waiting around to be transferred to another resort looked on enviously). The driver Save is relaxed and jovial, ensures us that we are on 'FIJI TIME' so there is no rush, please use the toilet facilities and we will begin our journey when everyone is ready. He filled us in with the history, culture, religion of Fiji and have a good sense of humour too (how I wished my history teacher at school was as entertaining). If you have read other reviews...This is the first holiday that I had felt compelled to write just after spending one day at the resort.

We travelled with our daughters aged 7 and 9yrs and stayed for 7 nights. Flew overnight from Melbourne and it being only a 4 1/2hr flight we had arrived there very early. Even at the airport we are greeted by wonderful Fijian songs whilst we queued for immigration. The custom officers are smiling unlike the rest of the world whom put on a tough face. You instantly know that you are onto something special when greeted with handmade necklaces at the Nanuku front desk in the airport. The adults get a different size necklace from the children which is only the first sign of their thoughtfulness and attention to detail. Whilst waiting for our bags to be loaded onto the air-conditioned transfer vehicle we are offered beautifully scented cold towels with bottles of water (meanwhile the other people waiting around to be transferred to another resort looked on enviously). The driver Save is relaxed and jovial, ensures us that we are on 'FIJI TIME' so there is no rush, please use the toilet facilities and we will begin our journey when everyone is ready. He filled us in with the history, culture, religion of Fiji and have a good sense of humour too (how I wished my history teacher at school was as entertaining).

If you have read other reviews of Nanuku, upon arrival you'll be expecting an entourage. It must truly be experienced to do it justice. More cold and beautifully scented fresh towels and fresh coconut juice on holders that have been carved from - yes you guessed it Coconut is served. The coconut tree is the 'tree of life' in Fiji. Attend the complimentary coconut demonstration at the resort to learn all about it. You'd be amazed! Amongst other included activities are the cooking in bamboo demonstration, craft by Papa Leo, non motorized sports to name a few.

We had our breakfast by the infinity pool, freshly blended juice of watermelon, pineapple, banana and a few other ingredients which I forget as the scenery is breathtaking, the basket of pastries enticing and the fruit platter served is just the starter before being offered the breakfast menu.

Lovely Joachim appears as soon as we finish breakfast telling us that they have prepared a room for us to refresh ourselves whilst waiting for the Grandvilla. He is an angel as I have not slept since I woke up the day before!

Feeling more sane after a nap we drove up to the Clubhouse in our private buggy. The girls loved it! There are two choices for entree, main and dessert daily. The menu has never been repeated throughout our stay for lunch and dinner. The breakfast menu is standard but they have an extensive list and you can mix and match any combo you can think off but I love the Fijian eggs so much that I had it 8 days in a row! There is also a children menu for lunch and dinner which also have never been repeated. Three chefs hat Jacques Reymond from Melbourne is their consultant and the bread, pastry recipes and menu is from him. He flies in regularly to keep the menu fresh and varied. Bread is made fresh at each service session.

Now for the icing on the cake - all parents know how invaluable time with your partner can be. This is where the magic happens. Each child under the age of 5 has a dedicated nanny, and ours had Cecelia whom was attentive plus. As soon as our girls leave the breakfast table I can hear their names being called by Cecelia, asking them what they like to do that day. They had the privilege of having experience when they were the only two children in the resort and everyone was just focused on them and also when other families arrived with their children. It was great fun for them meeting others and they instantaneously gravitated to two girls and had been inseparable since. Hence the four girls and the two nannies constantly moved together in a pack. The head of the 'Kid's Club' is wonderful energetic beautiful Mere. She is a gorgeous person inside out and she carries this bag of tricks everywhere she goes - she is ready for anything and everything, even has a bag of popcorn for the children in the event that they want to watch a movie at the drop of a hat! She organises the daily events, coordinates and assigns all the nannies to each family and matches each one beautifully. There was a four month old baby whose nanny never left his side. I saw her kissing his forehead when he woke up from slumber. This is not put on at all as the boy's parents was not even there. At that moment I wished I had known this place when my girls were babies but of course it is not possible as this place is relatively new headed by General manager Karen Taylor. Karen is very hands on, each night she comes around, talks to all the guests and even held my hand one evening to take me pass the little harmless geckos which aren't my favourite species. She oversees all the villa decoration and food that are served daily. How she does it I don't know as she has an ever ready warm smile and just glides from one place to another.

On Easter Sunday the neighbouring village came to sing hymns at breakfast time followed by an Easter egg hunt for the children. Besides this treat, there are many other activities available in the resort. We went game fishing one afternoon and caught 9 yellowfin tuna - size ranging from 20kgs to almost 60kgs! The boat is well equipped and the captain was unrelentless until he found us a spot to catch these mega fish. Solo from Nanuku is priceless, running around the boat, helping my husband hold the rod (on average it took them 30 mins to reel in one due to the nature of the fish that would swim directly down once hooked), mopping up the mess when the fish were gaffed, getting me refreshments etc. Another must do is snorkeling at Nanuku island. The water is crystal clear and we snorkelled straight off the beach. Amongst all the beautiful coral reef, clams, schools of fish, angelfish, the highlight for the girls was the clown fish, perhaps it was Nemo's dad as it was a good size. It's a good introductory to snorkelling as it is less daunting than jumping off a boat in the middle of the ocean. All the men in the activities team and the only lady Sisi (whom coincidentally is also ranked the 9th Judo champion in the world) are certified lifesavers. We felt really save with the security around (with hibiscus flowers in their left ear, just so they blend in), two Judo champions, Pela being one of them who also heads the yoga class, climbs coconut tress the traditional Fijian way and makes a wicked Mojito! The wind picks up in the afternoon which makes it perfect to take the Hobie Cat out to sea. Guided by Andy we viewed some real estate whilst cruising along. The warm waters and gentle evening sun makes everything okay in life. Andy is very thorough and checks 4 different websites to determine the best weather for us to do each water sport. Saturday is the best day for the Food Safari tour as it's market day for the locals. There are two other events included in this tour which I'll leave it as a surprise but if you enjoy food then you must seriously consider this.

I celebrated my birthday on the final night. We decided to eat in our villa just so that the girls will not be tempted to go on their merry way with their friends and indulged in the after dinner activities. We had often felt 'ditched' by our children as Mere had all sort of fun things planned for them. The children eat together at lunch and dinner on an extra long table daily. They get their entree, main and dessert and are then whisk off by their nannies/buddies to various activities after lunch or movie night after dinner. Babies and younger children get tucked into bed after dinner and they wait in the villa until their parents return. Each night I am reassured by Mere to just take my time, enjoy our dinner together, don't worry, they are all here and she is only a phone call away. She is a true gem!

Kudos to the Nanuku team, Mere, Charlotte (thank you for my birthday gift), Logan (thank you for the birthday cake) Cecelia, Isaac, Nathan (barista), Tony (villa buddy), Seru, Sisy (villa mama), Joachim (offers us the villa again after the official checkout time until we leave the resort the last minute at 1pm to refresh ourselves before the trip home), Vesi (thank you for birthday song), Lita (spa), Annie, Sophie (always smiling), Pela and your wife (whom I only met at the last day, but the girls know you well) and especially Karen who runs a tight ship. There is a generous staff to guest ratio, they genuinely love children, helps each other out, things are run seamlessly and they all know the names of both our daughters and know where they are or where they were 5 minutes ago. There are many behind the scenes that we don't see so thank you everyone for making the place beautiful and memorable for us.

Fiji relies heavily on tourism as their bulk source of income, so if you are planning a picturesque holiday with warm waters and friendly people whilst helping their economy then please consider Fiji. However, if you are looking to tick all the boxes above AND feel ultra special, relaxed, with good food & coffee, palatial settings & ambiance and children whom cry on the last day because they miss the people so, then Nanuku is your next destination. Children never can lie about their emotions. You'll have no regrets!More