Denarau Island

Denarau is a former mangrove island west of Nadi, reclaimed and developed from the 1970s into the country's main resort concentration: a golf course, a marina and a line of large international hotels along a beach of grey volcanic sand. Its real function is as a hub, because the catamarans to the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands leave from Port Denarau, and most visitors pass through whether or not they stay.

History

The development of Denarau began in 1969, when the American developer Dennis McElrath bought the land, and its first hotel, the Regent of Fiji, now the Westin Denarau, opened in 1975. Between 1988 and 1991 the Japanese developer EIE International bought the whole island in stages and began a $200 million project, clearing 850 acres of mangrove for an 18-hole golf course, a marina and more hotels; after EIE went bankrupt in 1995 the resort passed to a consortium of Tabua Investments of New Zealand, ITT Sheraton and Air Pacific (Wikipedia, Denarau Island).

What you'll find

• Port Denarau - the marina where the island ferries and day boats depart.
• The resort strip - the country's densest concentration of large hotels.
• The golf course - an eighteen-hole course through the estate.
• The boardwalk - shops and restaurants around the marina.

When to go

May to October is the drier season and the peak. Ferries to the islands run year-round and are the main reason to be here. Cyclone season is November to April.

Things to know

The beach is grey volcanic sand with a mangrove-fringed shoreline, and it is not why anyone comes to Fiji; the good beaches are on the islands the boats go to. Denarau is a gated enclave with little Fijian character. Prices are the highest in the country.

Nearby

Nadi is east, and the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands are reached by boat from the marina.