RELEASE NUMBER 58/16
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – June 1 will be a day of celebration at Castaway Island, Fiji, as this private island resort reopens and welcomes guests back after a three-month island cleanup and property renovation following February’s Tropical Cyclone Winston.
Resort General Manager Steven Andrews proudly boasts, “Winston may have been classified as the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Fiji in recorded history, but the reopening of our beautiful island resort just three short months after such a severe storm is proof that our Castaway Island vuvale, our family, is so much stronger and more resilient than any storm can be.”
In addition to repairing the significant damaged caused by the cyclone, Outrigger Resorts, which owns and manages the property, took advantage of the down time and invested further in the resort with an upgrade and refurbishment of a number of bures and public areas.
“Our hosts, most of whom stayed on the island during the cyclone, have worked tirelessly for the past three months,” Mr. Andrews said. “They have put in back-breaking days clearing debris, cleaning swimming pools, restoring gardens and making repairs to bures and thatched roofing,” he said.
Fourteen of the island’s 65 bures have either been completely rebuilt or upgraded, but the comfort and traditional style remain, including the beautiful vaulted ceilings featuring traditional hand-painted tapa cloth.
The opportunity was also taken to upgrade the outdoor kitchen servicing the resort’s award-winning 1808 “feet in the sand” restaurant.
To celebrate the reopening, Executive Chef Markus Nufer has created new menus for all of the resort’s four restaurants.
“We so look forward to welcoming our guests back to this island paradise we call home and offering the high standard of holiday experience for which Castaway Island is so well known,” Mr. Andrew said.
“The island is looking great again and our hosts are ready and enthusiastic about the June 1reopening and returning to a normal operation.
“It’s important not only to Castaway Island, Fiji, but to the overall Fijian economy.”
“Castaway Island has a 40 percent return guest rate and the highest guest satisfaction scores in the Outrigger portfolio, so we are very much looking forward to being able to open the doors and continue this trend,” Mr. Andrews concluded.
About Castaway Island, Fiji
In November this year Castaway Island, Fiji, will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The first private island resort to be developed in Fiji’s renowned Mamanuca Islands group, Castaway Island has become the standard by which South Pacific resorts are judged. The island resort features 65 air-conditioned beachfront and garden bures, four bars and four restaurants including the award winning, feet-in-the-sand Restaurant 1808.
Only 10 percent of the private island is occupied by the resort, allowing guests to enjoy its natural beauty.
Castaway Island guests can enjoy North and South Beach, two of the most acclaimed white sand beaches in Fiji with crystal clear waters that deliver the tropical island experience of which guests dream.
There are two freshwater swimming pools, one for families, the other an adult environment complete with a swim-up pool bar and a wide range of water-based activities such as water skiing, parasailing, jet skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling excursions and banana boat rides.
The Fijians’ love of children is legendary and the staff of the Castaway Kids Club continues this tradition with complimentary access from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. for children aged three years and over. A supervised children’s dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Massage is an essential part of the Fijian experience with Castaway Island’s experienced staff offering a suite of treatments including the traditional Fijian ‘bobo’ massage using cold pressed coconut oil infused with tropical fragrances.
A part of the Outrigger Resorts brand, Castaway Island, Fiji, embraces the company’s global conservation initiative Ozone, the Outrigger ZONE, which is committed to preserving coral reefs around the world. An emphasis on marine education, including coral planting, is a key focus for guest involvement at Castaway.
For current seasonal deals, visit castawayfiji.com/2016-to-2017-fiji-accommodation-rates/email enquiries@castawayfiji.com.fj, or contact your local Fiji travel specialist.
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