Musket Cove Island Resort

The water off Malolo Lailai runs shallow and clear at low tide, close enough to the reef that a sandbank snorkel trip needs no boat at all. Musket Cove sits on 400 acres of coconut palm and tropical garden in Fiji's Mamanuca Islands, reached only by boat from Port Denarau. It opened in 1976, built by Richard Smith on land once leased for cotton and copra, and the resort remains Fijian owned and run by more than 170 staff. Fifty-five bures and villas spread across lagoon, beach and garden settings. Lagoon Bures stand over an inland canal on stilts, six in total, while ten Island Villas occupy their own private islet with a shared pool. Beachfront Bures sit a few steps from the sand and take adults only. The reef beyond the resort holds turtles and schooling fish in water that stays near 27°C year-round, and Subsurface Fiji runs dives out to the Malolo Barrier Reef. Surf breaks including Cloudbreak lie within twenty minutes by boat. On land, sand and dirt trails follow the island's ridge past an organic farm and stands of raintree. Evenings gather at the Yacht Club Island Bar, a long-standing meeting point for guests and visiting yacht crews, or at Dick's Place overlooking the bay. A coral farm and mangrove programme run alongside 10,000 native plantings, part of the resort's ongoing environmental work.