Who: Sean Glenn and Anita Langdon, Broomfield
Where: Matangi Island (Bouma Waterfalls in background)
Out and about: A magical, zenlike private island experience, Matangi is in northeastern Fiji. It houses guests in 14 beachfront traditional bures (bungalows), three of which are treehouses. This family-run island hideaway caters to those who truly need to stop their worlds, as there are no TVs or phones, just the sounds of nature – roosters and baby goats were our wake-up calls in the morning. The scuba diving is beyond anything we have experienced in Mexico or the Caribbean – exquisite, almost virgin reefs that see maybe four divers a week. The soft coral for which Fiji is famous looked like a cross between cotton candy and cauliflower in many color variations. Matangi also offers half-day trips to neighboring islands for authentic Fijian village tours and a magnificent waterfall on Taveuni (shown at left). Besides diving, you can snorkel, kayak and hike around the private 240-acre island, get pampered in the spa (we did every day!) and look forward to the Asian/Pacific inspired meals.
Travel tip: Fiji’s topography ranges from land that looks a lot like Colorado in the west to the mountainous rain forests that grow right into the water as we experienced in the Matangi area. Do your homework and work with a travel agent who specializes in the South Pacific. Or investigate different sites online. And more than anything, get your scuba certification and go experience reefs and underwater life that will blow your mask off!
