There are places you go to switch off, and then there are places that switch something on. A little voice reminding you that luxury and responsibility don’t have to be mutually exclusive. That maybe, just maybe, you can sip cocktails from a coconut while doing a little good for the planet.
Likuliku Lagoon Resort, an adults only resort in Fiji, is that kind of place.
Set on Malolo Island, about a 45-minute speedboat ride from Denarau or a short helicopter skip across the reef, Likuliku’s overwater bures appear like a mirage as you approach—stilts sinking into gin-clear water, sustainable thatch roofs golden in the sun, the word paradise barely covering it.
Owned by 100% Fijian family-owned Ahura Resorts, the resort has just emerged from a AUD$7 million glow-up—its first major closure since opening in 2007—with subtle, thoughtful updates across all the bures, public spaces and its breezy restaurants, including the new Saluwaki. You still won’t find TVs in the rooms (why would you need one?), but you will find a deepening of purpose at this adults only resort Fiji travellers are quietly falling in love with.
Because while Likuliku looks every inch the dream honeymoon destination (and it is), it’s also doing something few resorts in the South Pacific can claim: actively protecting the island and its rarest inhabitants.
Left: The new Na Vanua Conservation Hub. Right: Saluwaki restaurant.
Iguanas and intentions
Some guests might come and go without ever realising they’re sharing the island with a critically endangered iguana species—Brachylophus vitiensis, or the Fijian crested iguana. But behind the scenes, a small team of conservationists is quietly ensuring their survival, with a breeding program now in its eighth year, dry forest restoration and careful reintroduction efforts happening behind the scenes.
It’s part of a much bigger vision. Unlike most resorts that stick to reef rejuvenation, Ahura Resorts Conservation Foundation—the only one of its kind in both the Yasawas and Mamanucas—is tackling both marine and terrestrial ecosystems. They’ve created coral nurseries and lead snorkelling trips with a side of science, but they’re also propagating mangroves, building educational hubs, and restoring what’s left of the island’s vanishing dry forest.
The freshly built na Vanua Conservation Hub is the new brain trust for sustainability on the island—but it’s more than just a centre for eco-talks. Na Vanua, meaning “the land” in Fijian, carries deep cultural weight. It speaks not only to the physical environment, but also to the people, their traditions, and the symbiotic relationship between community and nature. Think barefoot chats over morning coffee, native birds darting overhead, and ideas exchanged as naturally as the tides.
Garden to glass, and plate
If you eat at Likuliku (and chances are, you’ll do little else), you’ll be tasting the island in more ways than one. The chef’s morning starts in the sprawling kitchen garden, which spills over with everything from lemongrass to pumpkin, rosemary to bananas. The gardens don’t just serve Likuliku either; the team from sister property Malolo Island Resort regularly hike over with woven baskets to gather herbs and veggies for the day’s menu.
There’s also a honey program quietly buzzing along in the background, with beehives producing golden nectar used in dressings, marinades and even spa treatments. And that obligatory bottle of Fiji Water that once graced every resort room in the country? From next month it will be replaced with refillable glass bottles filled onsite from a new bottling plant.
It’s just another layer of intention that makes this adults only resort in Fiji feel so different from cookie-cutter luxury escapes.
Local lives, local love
The beauty of Likuliku isn’t just in the water—it’s in the connections that ripple far beyond its guest list. Many of the team hail from the surrounding villages, and the resort continues to support nearby communities through education grants, training programs and health initiatives.
Guests can opt-in to a $20 per night donation—something most do without a second thought—which helps fund everything from school books to coral planting dives. It’s a model that feels quietly effective. Not performative. Not flashy. Just a gentle invitation to tread a little lighter while staying at a Fiji adults only resort that’s walking the talk.
And that’s what this place does so well. From the recycled waste centre discreetly hidden behind the staff village, to the goal of running 50 per cent of the resort on solar power by 2026, there’s a sense of purpose woven through the palm fronds.
The barefoot brief
It’s easy to forget all of this when you’re floating in the lagoon at sunset, wondering if another glass of rosé would be excessive. Or when you return to your bure after dinner to find your cookie jar topped up and the night air thick with frangipani.
But that’s the point. Likuliku isn’t asking you to sacrifice comfort for conscience. It’s just inviting you to consider that the two can—and should—go hand in hand.
And maybe, as you wave goodbye to staff who now feel like family, singing Isa Lei (Fiji farewell song) from the jetty, that inner voice is louder now. The one that says: you can leave a place better than you found it. Even in paradise.
Quick facts: Likuliku Lagoon Resort
Getting there:
Fly into Nadi International Airport, then it’s a 45-minute speedboat ride, or a swift helicopter transfer if you’re feeling fancy (and time-poor).
Stay:
There are just 45 bures—some overwater, others tucked along the beachfront with private plunge pools, or set back in the gardens. All refreshed. No TVs, no kids.
Eat & drink:
Daily-changing menus spotlight island produce, fresh-caught seafood, and house-made everything—from bread to ice cream. Local honey and garden herbs sneak into cocktails, too.
Sustainability creds:
- Fiji crested iguana breeding program
- Island-to-plate organic gardens
- Goal of 50% solar by 2026
- New recycling centre & water bottling plant opening June 2025
- Coral propagation + mangrove and dry forest restoration
- Educational conservation hub + community support
Do good, feel good:
Guests can opt-in to a $20 per night conservation donation. It’s not compulsory, just quietly encouraged.
More info + bookings:
likulikulagoon.com
