Luxury Adventures are conducting a series of interviews with some of our key suppliers looking at the different aspects of their lives and how these influence the experiences they offer. Qamea Resort and Spa is located on the Island of Qamea near Tavenui Island which is a 60 minute flight from Nadi in tropical Fiji.

Tell us what sets Qamea apart from other top Fijian resorts, whats your point of difference? Qamea Resort & Spa is the only resort on Qamea island. Qamea is an adults only (all year) resort that offers specially tailored holidays to suit our customers personal preferences. All of our accommodation is beachfront and is air-conditioned. We offer unique experiences that are not replicated or mass produced. Our large staff of 85 caters to a maximum of 34 guests. We have a stunning white sand beach directly in front of the resort, amazing world renowned dive sites -minutes from the resort, an incredibly relaxing “Jungle Spa” that is stocked with the best Guinot products. As well as a huge range of exciting activities that make the most of Fiji’s culture and unique local geographical features. Our latest -surfing- started 1 Nov 2012. Our cuisine is also world class. We have 5 dedicated chefs who also use vegetables grown from our own organic garden. Qamea has a large staff who make it their mission to personally get to know our guests, their likes and dislikes and what they are seeking from their time at Qamea. When guests leave us often they feel as if they are leaving family. We have recently won the following awards;

·        2013: CONDE NAST JOHANSENS- WINNER – Most Excellent Eco Resort
·        2012: WORLD TRAVEL AWARDS – WINNER -Fiji’s Leading Spa Resort
·        2012:  MR & MRS SMITH – Top Ten Boutique Beach Breaks of the World

What can you share with our guests about the island of Taveuni? Taveuni Island is where we pick up our guests. It is the third largest island in Fiji. Taveuni Island is also known as The Garden Island and has a population of approx 9000. Taveuni Island is also where the movie The Blue Lagoon movie was filmed and is home to the famous- Bouma Waterfalls. We are the closest resort of any to Taveuni’s main tourist sites- Bouma National Heritage Park and Lavena Coastal Walk.

We understand the diving is fantastic in the region, why is it so good and what marine life should visitors expect to see? As Qamea is far removed from the mainland of Fiji our coral and marine life is breath taking  and undamaged. Divers and snorkelers will see incredible hard and soft corals (the area we dive is known as the soft coral capital of the world) a vast array of colourful tropical fish and maybe a reef shark or two… 95% of our dive sites are within 8 minutes of the resort – this allows guests to enjoy their surface intervals between dives on the comfort of the resort. It also means more time to enjoy all that Qamea Resort and Spa has to offer- besides diving. We dive world famous Somosomo Straights (White Wall & Rainbow Reef)  in addition to The Yellow wall. We own our own dive department – it is not outsourced to a third party operator which is the norm in Fiji. This means we have 100% control over the quality and safety of our dive operation. We are a Padi accredited 5 Star Dive Resort with highly experienced instructors, Full equipment hire and Nitrox if required.

Qamea offer a range of complimentary activities such as snorkeling, hobie cat sailing, windsurfing, sea canoeing, hiking, croquet etc. What off site activity would you recommend to our guests staying there? It really depends on what the guest is wanting to do and how active they wish to be but I would definitely take advantage of the diving, surfing, The Lavena Coastal Walk and The Bouma Waterfalls hike. If you are in the market for a new piece of jewellery or a special reminder of your stay then The Pearl Farm Tour is definitely worthwhile too! Local village activities also give you an unique perspective in relation to traditional Fijian “island life.”

As your rates include meals what are our guests going to be indulging in and do you cater for different ethnicities & religions? We offer a 14 day rolling menu so guests should never be served the same meal twice – unless they specifically ask. We routinely welcome guests from all over the world and have successfully prepared meals for Muslims, Indians and people of Asian backgrounds. We are not able to offer Kosher options given our small remote location. All of our meals offer a vegetarian option. Guests can look forward to menu items such as Citrus marinated local Lobster tail on crisp salad greens with a coconut sauce or Grilled Beef Fillet w Rosemary Potatoes, sautéed snow peas finished with a green paw paw jam or New Zealand Roast Lamb Rack on creamy kumara mash, sautéed local spinach finished with a fresh mint jus.  Yes we are happy to make changes to our menu if guests have any special dietary requirements.

Qamea has recently undergone some renovations, tell us more about that? We recently completed a full  renovation and refurbishment of our popular Beachfront and Ocean View Bures.  We have also recently re-thatched the entire resort with the exception of the Royal Beach Houses, and the resort has never looked better.

Tell us more about your adventure and exercise package, what does it include? When guests book our Six Nights in Paradise package @ USD$1750++ pp- they can choose a value add on of their choice. Our adventure and Exercise package is one of these add on options.

This package includes:
·        Free Bouma Waterfalls Tour
·        Free Lavena Coastal Walk
·        Free guided Jungle Hike
·        And to unwind a FREE one house relaxation massage in our Jungle Spa

A wedding at Qamea sounds idyllic, tell us more about this and what a typical wedding package includes? We have a dedicated Wedding specialist at Qamea to take care of all of the finer details of the couples nuptials. The resort has designed three wedding packages to meet the requirements of most wedding couples. Customized wedding packages are also available.  As a maximum of two weddings are scheduled per week ceremonies are unique to each and every couple. Our standard wedding packages are  below.

VEIDOMONI WEDDING PACKAGE: USD$950.00++

·        Full legal registration
·        Fijian Village Minister
·        Floral salusalus for bride/groom
·        Candlelit champagne dinner

DODOMO WEDDING PACKAGE: USD$1,450.00++

·        Full legal registration
·        Fijian Village Minister
·        Floral salusalus for bride/groom
·        Candlelit champagne dinner
·        Floral bouquet for the bride
·        Floral decorations for the wedding site
·        Fijian village choir
·        Wedding cake
·        Champagne breakfast served in bure the next morning

VAKA VITI WEDDING PACKAGE: USD$1,900.00++        

·        Full legal registration
·        Fijian Village Minister
·        Floral salusalus for bride/groom
·        Candlelit champagne dinner
·        Floral bouquet for the bride
·        Floral decorations for the wedding site
·        Fijian village choir
·        Wedding cake
·        Champagne breakfast served in bure the next morning
·        Floral headdress for bride and groom
·        Use of traditional tapa costumes for bride and groom
·        Fijian warrior escorts and Fijian flower girl for bride
·        Formal Fijian Meke and Kava ceremony

What great specials do you currently have on offer and do you have any that you tend to offer annually? We have currently available 7/5 and 5/4 stay pays. These are valid up until 31^st March 2013. Guests are also able to take advantage of our beverage offer up until 31^stMarch 2013. A Stay 10 night pay 8 is available year round in ALL accommodation categories. All other applicable stay pays are as below for any other time of year.

STAY PAY OFFERS VALID FOR OCEANVIEW BURE & BEACHFRONT BURE:

Stay 5 Pay 4:      Valid for travel all year

STAY PAY OFFERS VALID FOR ALL CATEGORIES:

Stay 7 Pay 6:      Valid for travel 01 Jun 13 – 31 Oct 13
Stay 7 Pay 5:      Valid for travel 01 Apr 13 – 31 May 13; 1 Nov 13 – 20 Dec 13; 10 Jan 14 – 31 Mar 14

You must be proud to have won the “Fijis Leading Spa Resort 2012” at The World Travel Awards in October, in your opinion what is the most luxurious spa treatment available at Qamea? Definitely The Night of Decadence is our most luxurious treatment available. Couples are collected personally from their accommodation, escorted to our famous Jungle Spa and treated to a bottle of champagne and tropical fruit platter. From here they indulge in a relaxing sugar body scrub, a candlelit outdoor shower and followed up with either a signature Qamea massage or Guinot facial. Guests  are then escorted back to their bures for a private meal of their choice, more champagne and serenaded into the night by our Qamea band. A night you will never forget!

The journey to Qamea is an adventure in itself, tell me more about the journey from Nadi to Qamea? Guest arrive in Nadi airport and then fly to Taveuni (approx 60 minute flight.) Qamea staff then meet guests at Taveuni airport where they are transferred by vehicle for a short and scenic coastal drive along Taveuni to our boat launch. A short water crossing (approx 10 minutes) to Qamea Island then completes the journey. You have then arrived in paradise!