After 26 years, Australians still flock to this sprawling Pacific island resort

The place: Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort

Check-in

Sitting on main island Viti Levu’s aptly named Coral Coast, the Outrigger is about 90 minutes’ drive from Nadi (longer if traffic in the city is bad). The sprawling, 255-room resort that first opened in 2000 sits on the edge of a large lagoon, with a beach that ranges from small to enormous, depending on the tide. There are various types of rooms available, including standard, hotel-style rooms and suites in the large main building, as well as 47 bures (villas based on traditional Fijian homes with thatched roofs) located from the beachfront back into the resort grounds. Seven new bures with private pools designed for couples, along with 19 new family rooms with courtyards, were added last year. Upon check-in I’m advised to download the Outrigger app, which has handy details such as daily menus for the restaurants, the activities program, a resort map and more. It’s a popular place, particularly with Australians, and only seems to have grown more popular in the time since I last stayed here (more than 12 years ago). That seems to be indicative of Fiji as a whole, with the latest figures showing a 17 per cent year-on-year increase in the number of Australians visiting the country.

The look

It’s island vibes from the outset, with towering palm trees throughout the resort, thatched roofs over the walkways and restaurants and ponds and waterways running through the property. The eight-storey main building houses reception, shops and many of the guest rooms.

The enormous main pool is the centre of activity for most guests. This is a family-friendly resort and, while there is a separate, adults-only pool on the property, if you’re not a fan of kids you’d best look elsewhere (at breakfast I can probably count on one hand the number of tables in the large, open-air restaurant that don’t have kids sitting at them). The pool is spread into different zones, with several shallow areas for young kids, a three-storey-high waterslide and newly added inflatable zone featuring various things for older kids to jump, slide or swing from. It’s little wonder I don’t see many guests making use of the lagoon itself. The winds are quite high during my visit, and in order to make the most of the snorkelling opportunities, the tide needs to be high. There’s a large kids club that runs three two-hour sessions a day.

The room

I’m here with my partner and two young kids, and we’re booked into a one-bedroom suite in the main building, which is fortunately just a short walk from the centre of the resort (farther flung rooms can require a bit of a hike or a buggy transfer from staff). The suite has a living room with two couches, two armchairs, a small kitchen area (though no cooking facilities or microwave) and a large TV. The main couch converts to a double bed for the kids, while the second couch can also convert to a single, making the maximum occupancy of the suite five guests. The bedroom features a king-size bed, a second large TV, and ample storage space for all four of us. Decor is modern – greys and blacks offset the light floorboards, with just a hint of tropical vibes thanks to pot plants and some wicker touches. The bathroom is a good size, with a large shower but no bath for the kids. The slatted bathroom doors won’t block any sounds emanating from within. The balcony, with views over the resort and out to the lagoon, stretches across both rooms. This suite category comes with several inclusions, such as a complimentary drink each evening, a turn-down service, and one free laundry service during your stay (provided it’s at least three nights).

Food + drink

There are several restaurants throughout the resort, each with its own menus, vibe and prices. The main buffet restaurant, Kana, has a different theme every night, so it’s best to check the menu before you pay up (and ensure you have a large appetite). We mostly opt for Baravi by the main pool, which features South-East Asian dishes, and the beachside Sundowner with steaks and wood-fired pizza. Service ranges from terrific (two different staff members come over separately at one sitting to try to placate my four-year-old during a meltdown) to poor (at one lunch the waiter takes the order for our kids but forgets to return to take our order, and also fails to take a drinks order). However, the Fijian reputation for child-friendliness is apparent throughout – staff go out of their way to interact with the many junior guests.

Out + about

There’s a huge number of daily activities within the resort itself and the lagoon – including guided snorkelling and kayaking tours. The Outrigger also has its own adventure park, though the activities – a driving range, archery field and paintball course – aren’t suitable for our young kids. If you do want to get out of the resort, the nearby Sigatoka Sand Dunes, the country’s first national park, are only 15 minutes’ drive from the resort and home to gigantic dunes and important archaeological sites. It can be explored independently or via guided tours. Entry $FJ10. See https://nationaltrust.org.fj/ssd/

The verdict

It’s easy to see why the Outrigger remains so popular among Australian holidaymakers. While it’s probably not a place to get away from it all and relax, given the number of energetic kids running around, it is somewhere where children – and adults – will never get bored.

Our rating out of five

★★★½

THE DETAILS

Rooms at the Outrigger Fiji Resort from $383 a night. A one-bedroom suite from $576 a night. See outrigger.com

Highlight

The pool is so big that, despite the resort being busy, it never feels too crowded or much of a battle to find deck chairs.

Lowlight

The “live chat” function on the resort app isn’t so live – one request made via that service takes more than an hour to get a response, while another is ignored completely. Stick to using the in-room phone.

The writer stayed as a guest of Outrigger Fiji Resort.