Lawaki Beach House

Set on its own stretch of sand on Beqa, an island off Fiji's main landmass, Lawaki Beach House is reachable only by boat, a 60-minute run from Navua on Viti Levu. The property is run by a Fijian-Swiss couple who cleared the site themselves in 1999 and have added to it steadily since. Five bures sit close to the water, each raised on its own solar system, with gas-fired hot water and mosquito nets over the beds. It is a small stay. Two of the bures are tucked near the tree line for privacy, while the newer two share a common deck with table tennis and volleyball nearby. A family bure at the back of the garden sleeps up to six, under the rise of a forested hill, looking onto a turf volleyball court rather than the sea. Guests eat at communal tables, with meals built from the property's own garden, village farms and Viti Levu produce. The house maintains a marine protected area just offshore, begun in 2004, which guests reach by snorkelling straight off the beach. Days run on no fixed schedule. There is no pool and no shop; the reef, the hammocks and the boat are the amenities, and the tide sets the pace of most afternoons.