Four best friends, multiple bottles of white spirits, chocolate, books and a beautiful location: these girlfriends embarked on a four-day trip to a tropical island and found the perfect mix of fun, feasting and relaxation….

Fafá Island Resort offers the natural beauty of a tropical island with only 13 falés discreetly dotted within the island, all beautifully secluded within their own natural habitat of bird life, tropical plants and private beach.

From the water, the palm covered island appeared to be unspoilt. We had read that the commitment of the resort to use solar energy and natural construction keeps the imprint to a minimum whilst still delivering high quality food and service to the guests. It all sounded splendid.

However, this group of ladies were not going to be very demanding: the fact we had all managed to co-ordinate a weekend away together overseas, leaving our children with their respective Dads and work commitments behind for a few days, was enough for us!

Imagine how lucky we felt when we discovered we made up four of the total of six guests on the island that weekend… we virtually had the island to ourselves! We couldn’t wait to crack into all that Duty Free liquor and celebrate our small win for womankind.

Arriving at the eco-resort you disembark on a removable gangplank so as to preserve the beaches which surround this slice of paradise. The Kingdom of Tonga’s government has declared this reef a natural marine reserve - so the clear lagoon waters filled with coral and tropical fish are protected and continue to thrive.

Our gallant captain set the gangplank for us and we hopped onto the pristine beach.

Pathway to Paradise - follow that Pukeko!

We were warmly greeted by Julia the manager along with her happy, smiling staff. Julia introduced us to the Fafá Island map which was guarded by two impressive carved wooden Tongan statues. She then showed us around the open dining area and library.

We were led through the beautifully manicured pathways filled with lush plants to our Falé. Our bags were waiting for us when we entered our authentic thatched roof and wooden/bamboo accommodation, nestled in more lush surrounds.

Vaulted thatched ceilings & “fairytale” mosquito netting…

We had opted for a Superior Falé which would accommodate the four of us together - two rooms separated by a large deck, an outdoor bathroom/shower, lounge area in one of the main rooms, fridge (very important for the tonic!) and plenty of couch seating. The beds were under thatched vaulted ceilings and were surrounded by full mosquito netting so sleeping would be:

a) more comfortable and

b) more magical (in a fairytale kinda way.)

Outside was decked complete with loungers, padded seating and an outdoor table and chairs under a thatched roof which looked out onto a secluded lawn area (with a large hammock hanging between two palms). The quintessential island image of relaxation.

The lawn was scattered with cheeky pukekos and honeybirds - who looked rather fondly at our collection of crackers, chips and cheese - and above I spotted colourful parrots souring overhead amongst the palm treetops.

Drinks poured, we sat and enjoyed our private surrounds, celebrating our friendship and pinching ourselves that we had actually made it to Tonga. After a lot of chit chat we strolled to the edge of our garden through a little shell-filled walkway to discover our own stretch of white sandy beach.

Drinks were promptly moved to the beach chairs and we chatted and watched the sun setting on the first night on our “private” island getaway.

It was now time for dinner. Fafá Island Resort offers guests the option of having breakfast, lunch and dinner pre-booked (which must make it easier for them to bring in fresh food supplies from the mainland) and we had opted for the Breakfast & Dinner option for our stay.

Chocolate ice-cream Choux Swan - delicious!

We were astounded by the calibre of food served considering our location: veal tagliatelle, pretty choux pastry swans, tuna steaks with caper cream sauce, banana & caramel flambé ice-cream, coconuts filled with fresh coconut water and a myriad of tropical cocktails…. we lapped it all up and congratulated ourselves once again on our current position.

“We were astounded by the calibre of food served considering our location…”

The next three days we entertained ourselves in relaxed island fashion: showering with zippy purple geckos and lush plants in our private outdoor shower; breakfasting (think fresh fruit, beautifully light omelettes, toast and preserves, bottomless tea and coffee); followed by reading, drinking and laughing. Walks along the beach, dips in the water, snorkelling, looking for baby sharks (unsuccessfully) and sunbathing were also part of our daily routine.

“…my favourite part of the trip was in the early mornings: waking to the sound of waves lapping on the shore and the cacophany of bird life, revelling in Tonga’s tropical beauty on this secluded Island.

One day we decided to be really energetic and embarked on a little 20 minute bush walk through a more tangled part of the island, looking for the “flying squirrels” which Julia had enthusiastically told us about. [Spoiler alert: they are not furry, cute squirrels with 1980’s style capes - When we finally spotted one we concluded unanimously that they were bats!.]

We discovered the parrot house, found some interesting hanging fruit and didn’t bump into one single spider (this arachnophobe was delighted). Emerging from the bush on the other side of the island we enjoyed watching the transparent tiny fish flitting in the waves right by our feet at the water’s edge. We ended up circumnavigating the whole island and chanced upon a volcanic-like shore on the opposite side which had some pretty interesting crabs hiding in the crevices. I made a unanimous decision for our group that we wouldn’t hang around for them to come out. This was after I saw one claw that was nearly the same size as my hand!

This “island tour” took us around 1 hour which was plenty long enough for us to deserve another drink or two before going to dinner on our final night.

There were so many beautiful memories from this island paradise far, far away on Fafá Island…

…but my favourite part of the trip was in the early mornings: waking to the sound of waves lapping on the shore and the cacophany of bird life, revelling in Tonga’s tropical beauty on this secluded Island.

Fafá Island Resort is one of the 12 offshore islands near Nuku‘alofa, The Kingdom of Tonga’s capital.
To reach the island, you have the option of being collected from the airport by the resort’s transfer service which drives you through Tonga for about 30 minutes then puts you on a small motor which sails for approx. 40 minutes to the island.
I recommend pre-ordering the Breakfast and Dinner option as you are able to bring in food and drinks to Tonga - although finding Tonic is near impossible, even if you get your transfer driver to stop at the large and well stocked local super market!
What to expect: Birdlife, bush walks, beautiful food and baby sharks are part of the island experience
What to take: all you need to take along are books, bacardi (or gin) and a bikini!