September, 2018
We just want to take a moment to share one of our discoveries this cruising season: The Lawaki Beach House. In any given season in the tropics, one thing we always hope to find is what I’ll call “the special place.” There is at least one every season, and while the countries differ, these special places have several features in common:
–It starts with a small, casual resort set in bay that’s well protected from the prevailing winds. The kind of place that’s yachtie friendly, with a covered deck where we can go have a meal, a drink, a coffee, or just ask questions. Often, these places offer outings, dive trips, and other activities.
–Always, it’s in a beautiful setting, generally with palm trees backing a white sand beach and clear, calm water. Sometimes there’s no beach but a rocky shoreline, but the water is always clear in beautiful shades of blue and green.
–Generally there’s snorkeling nearby. It’s not a requirement but most resorts tend to be built near a reef. Often, there are places to walk or hike also.
–The magic element is a relaxed feeling. This is the key component that comes from a combination of the setting, the people who run the resort, the guests, and just the general air about the place.
When we find places like this, we like to stick around for a few days and take a breather. We usually get to know the owners and chat with the guests, snorkel the reef, do a dive outing, have some great meals (the food at these places is always terrific), and enjoy some afternoon swims. We have a few such special places in Fiji and this season have added another to our list: The Lawaki Beach House in Beqa (pronounced Benga). Below, a few photos; click to enlarge and scroll through them.
We’ve had a couple of enjoyable visits here this season, but the reason we feel compelled to write about this right now is that we’ve noticed so many cruisers don’t seem to know much about the island of Beqa, much less the Lawaki Beach House and its anchorage there. Southern Fiji (Kadavu, Beqa, Suva and Pacific Harbour) definitely gets the short shrift overall; so we’ll get to work on an information page section for this area for next season. Meanwhile, we’d recommend to anyone going to Beqa to put this spot on their list. It has all the elements listed above plus a marine sanctuary, and the snorkeling there is beautiful. They have one mooring, available free of charge, or if it’s taken you can anchor just south of it.
They don’t have their own dive shop per se, but they do have tanks you can rent, and you can hire a boat and driver (from the resort) who will take you to some terrific dive spots nearby (we did this and had some great diving). If you want to do the shark dive or one of the famous-name dive spots, they’ll provide transport to the dive resort about 2 miles up the coast, the Beqa Lagoon Resort.
Below, a map showing where this place is, plus some other places to know.
There are a couple of things to mention. First off, the anchorage is calm and lovely in the prevailing east to southeast trade winds. If the rare westerly or southwesterly wind is forecast, it’s best to move to Malumu Bay, a deep and well protected harbor on the east side of the island. It’s gorgeous and we consider it a must-see in any case. We also need to mention that they don’t have a liquor license and can’t sell alcohol, but you are welcome to bring your own to the resort (which ends up being quite a bit cheaper than buying alcohol at resort prices).
One final thing: they do care for and maintain their marine sanctuary and ask for a $12FD per person donation for the sanctuary if you wish to hang out there. This goes toward a payment made to the local village in exchange for not fishing there.
Awhile ago the owners, Sam and Christine, wrote a letter to the yachties explaining what the resort is about and urging people to stop by. You can download that letter below. –Cyndi
