Namotu Island Fiji :: private surf resort

my husband and i got married several years ago and we opted to hold off on our Fijian honeymoon for a variety of reasons.

first, we were older than the average newlywed and had learned from other friends that delaying the honeymoon would make it more enjoyable, particularly after planning a wedding in under 2 months (yes, everyone was sneaking peeks at my belly…and no, i wasn’t preggers!)

second, my surfing husband and his surfing brothers knew that spring in the US = sub-optimal surf conditions in Fiji.

so we waited…but did i mention that i agreed to a surf trip with my husband and brothers-in-law for my honeymoon?

right, so back to that.

well, my thought process was as follows:

1. we’ll end up meeting a bunch of ‘friends’ on our honeymoon…may as well spend it with real family and friends!  my single brother-in-law commented “that was the best honeymoon i’ve been on!” 
2. i love to watch surfing.  always have and always will.  there’s just something very peaceful about watching the water, its power and intensity…
3. the trip would give me an excuse to completely get off the grid for a week
4. the flight is only 10 hours from california.  you hop on the plane in LAX, snooze, and wake up in Fiji.  not too shabby…esp if you take 1/2 an ambien.
5. i’ll forever have a hall pass for future travel

who jedi mind tricked whom?

so we stayed on the private 5 acre island called namotu in fiji.  it’s heavenly, houses 20 people max, and if you plan it right, you’ll be there with all your besties.  if you surfers really plan it right, you invite a bunch of non-surfing wives and girlfriends, leaving even more waves for you!

the hosts/owners, Scotty and Mandy, are awesome.

their Fijian staff is incredibly friendly.

and their life guards really do know how to save lives.  within 30 minutes of arrival, i got stuck in a monster set of 7 – 8 waves with 12′ – 15′ faces.  yes, i was that dumb girl having no right being out there in such a big set.  but i figured i was safe in the channel…until i tried to paddle to a small wave, only to turn around to find a huge wave macking down on me.  lesson learned and thank God for Cullen for saving my life.

the lodging, while not luxurious, is simple, clean, and very comfortable.  when you arrive at the airport in Fiji, a bus picks you up, loads all your luggage, then takes you to a hotel where you wait for a few hours.

then you hop onto another bus which brings you to a boat.  a short boat trip later, you’re greeted on the island.  welcome to fantasy island!  really.

it just doesn’t get any better than sleeping in a burre (hut) on the beach, listening to the waves crash all night long.  you step outside your burre to an attached and enclosed outdoor shower which makes you feel like you’re right out there with the geckos…b/c you are!

the food…oh, the food.  the staff fish daily and prepare whatever they catch.  while i’m not into fishy fish, i loved every meal that was prepared.  fresh, healthy, organic.

unlike the neighboring Tavarua, which boasts the world-class Cloudbreak, Namotu’s boatmen take you out as frequently as you want to surf.  in Tavarua, there are designated times when the boats bring you to certain breaks.

when we were there in Nov. 2006, only people staying at Namotu could surf the Namotu breaks.  since then, the Fijian travel bureau changed the rules to allow anyone to surf any break anytime.  that rule has changed the spirit of the long-standing Fijian tradition, and has caused certain popular breaks such as Cloudbreak to get over-crowded by boats and surfers from the mainland.

while at first we were concerned about this, the truth is that Namotu hasn’t really been affected.  Cloudbreak gets all the attention, leaving Namotu’s three breaks still pretty quiet.

i absolutely loved our trip there and look forward to bringing the kids there in the near future.  with 5 acres to ourselves, the kids can paddle, fish, jet-ski, go on boat rides to watch Daddy surf, swim, build sand castles, and just hang out without a care in the world.

the only way to book a trip to Namotu is through Waterways Surf Adventures.  get your friends together, and book a week.  it’s definitely worth it!

here are some parting shots….

there’s an option to leave the island in a helicopter.  it doesn’t really save you much time as the boat ride is only about 20 minutes, but it sure seems like fun!