PARADISE found

Vomo Island, Kokomo Private Island and other Fijian retreats beckon well-heeled escape artists

- SI SI PENALOZA

If jaw-dropping beauty tops your Fiji bucket list—as it should—verdant Vomo Island delivers on every level. It is fringed by three miles of pillowy, creamy sand beaches that drift into impeccably clear water. As you tender to the island’s shores for the first time and the mirage comes into focus, the sudden, inexplicable urge to turn cartwheels should not be repressed. If there was ever a place to unleash your inner child, this is it. Think footprint-less stretches of sand and zero noise pollution. Hit the beach during low tide for the maximum in delicious stretches of cake-flour fine sand. By all means work from home, but be prepared to tune out the rest of the world when you trade FOMO for Vomo.

Featuring Majestic Mount Vomo rising at one end, sprawling private residences and luxury villas along hillsides or beachfront, this perfectly-designed luxury resort is popular with guests who take both style and seafood seriously. With its harmonious mix of minibars and meditation areas, the resort is a masterclass in seclusion. A few of the oversized private residences are endowed with massive private infinity pools that flow effervescently from the living areas.

Which begs the question, what’s the record number of days a couple has spent at Vomo without ever leaving their villa? With a Mona Lisa smile, the concierge mouths, “Five”.