Laucala Island, Fiji

Asia & Australasia

12 Mar

Written By Simon Campbell

Golf in the world’s largest private island resort. Set adrift among the big blue of the Pacific Ocean, is the intimate Fijian island of Laucala, where golf is played in the most breathtaking of settings.

When a billionaire decides to buy an island, they have a tendency to go for a good one, and it’s hard to fault the choice of Red Bull’s Dietrich Mateschitz who snapped up Laucala Island for a bargain $10m almost 20 years ago, from the late Malcom Forbes.

The 3,500-acre Fijian island has everything you’d want from your five-star, away-from-it-all Pacific Ocean paradise, with private villas speckled across a land of rainforest, hilltops, and lagoons, but he’s also added a few personal touches, including an 18-hole golf course, designed by the architect behind Bandon Dunes, one of the world’s finest.

You can horse ride along the beach and into the mountains, you can dive to see the spectacular soft coral for which Fiji is world renowned, you can take a tour of the island from which the orchards, wagyu and local pork comes from to fuel the farm-to-fork ethos of Laucala. There’s other islands to explore, including Taveuni Island, just 30 minutes away and the place for spectacular hikes to stunning falls. Or just stay at home, trek into the forested interior, play tennis, mountain bike or just relax in your village with the Pacific as your soundtrack.