When we stepped off  the small boat onto the sands of Treasure Island in Fiji (679/666 6999), my 12-year-old mistook it for the jungle cruise in Disneyland. We had just taken an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles, stopping in Hawaii for a layover that lasted far too long, but the excitement of finally arriving at our destination buoyed our spirits.

The first thing that greeted us was a band that sang songs of welcome in the Fijian tongue. Music and dance are very important to the Fijians and we enjoyed excellent live music every lunch and dinner until midnight, although we preferred Fijian songs to such classics as "Girl from Ipanema."

To avoid school conflicts, we went in our summer, which was, fortunately, the off-season for tourism in Fiji, being winter in the southern hemisphere. Our bungalows were equipped with air-conditioning, but we preferred the breeze through the open windows. Temperatures ranged from about 85° F during the day to 75° F at night.

Fiji has hundreds of islands, but the majority of the tourism is in the Mamanuca Islands west of the main island of Vitu Levu, where we landed. Treasure Island itself is only 14.5 acres, and the resort is the only thing on the island. This made us feel relaxed and safe as the only people there were other tourists and resort employees. Treasure Island has European management and the General Manager then, John Blacket, was most pleasant and knowledgeable. (My husband is a surfer and he connected us to people who would take him to Fiji's famed waves.) The resort only has about 70 bungalows with approximately 100 guests; at cocktail parties during the week it was fun to meet a lot of different people, including some very interesting Fijians.

Being the only Americans there, we were a novelty. My girls (ages 12 and 15) were asked to repeat certain words that sounded odd to the Australian and New Zealander kids' ears.

The island was absolutely beautiful -- there were no roads or cars. Bungalows had a thatched roof, either two or four rooms and were nicely spaced over the island, with the dining area and game room at one end. The rooms were not large, but certainly in the deluxe category. The fresh flowers left everyday made us feel pampered. The non-motorized water sports were all included; gear was in great shape as were the minigolf and tennis areas. We kayaked, canoed, and tried our hand at windsurfing. I also waterskied and parasailed.

The best part was the snorkeling, as the island sits within a nature preserve. The fish were abundant and accustomed to being fed. How we regretted not doing our Scuba certification before we went! 

The food was gourmet. We bought the meal plan which meant we could have anything that we wanted off the menu for lunch or dinner. Breakfast was a buffet, and tea and cookies were served at 4pm. They had a very busy kids' program which may have been a bit too young for my children, as they are in that teenage range. Also, babysitters could be hired for little ones. They showed two movies every night: an early Disney one and later, a teen-appropriate one. The Fijians absolutely love kids and seemed to really enjoy entertaining them. One of the Kids' Club directors grabbed my 15-year-old from the beach and took her out on the catamaran one brisk afternoon. She was thrilled and had the ride of her life. Even though my husband and I sail, it has been awhile, and we wouldn't have been as adventurous. The staff knew everything about the local waters and fish, and were very trustworthy.

Treasure Island is more than a beautiful beach and warm clear waters, it was a great family time without the distractions of TV, computers and telephones. Our girls joined in or opted out of the Kids Club program at their own discretion. Because there was nothing else on the island, we felt completely comfortable letting them roam on their own. They joined us for tennis, a game of minigolf, or cards. Sometimes they met us for dinner and sometimes they chose the earlier 5:30 children's dinner with more kid-friendly choices.

The only thing that put a damper on our beautiful island vacation was the political situation. I had purchased the tickets in November 1999 for travel the following July. In May, a coup d'état shattered the tourist industry. We vacillated about canceling and, in the end, chose to make the trip. We truly sympathize with those most affected by the decrease in tourist dollars.

First published by FTF in 2000.