T R AVEL
As the world gets smaller,
hideaways such as Laucala
remain the last frontiers for
affluent adventurers looking
for blessed isolation
For those millionaires and billionaires seeking the ultimate privacy there is only one island
to consider, the ultra-exclusive Laucala. Set in the clear cerulean waters surrounding Northern Fiji,
Laucala – an amalgam of lush Jurassic jungle, palm-studded beaches and cinematic views – it is an
incomparable Elysian private island escape. This 25-villa oasis was once a former coconut plantation
owned by the late American media mogul Malcolm Forbes who chose the island as his low-key
spiritual hideaway. Now owned by the reclusive Austrian billionaire Dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder
of the Red Bull energy drinks company, it retains the atmosphere of an indulgent private domain.
Originally acquired as his own South Seas hideaway, Mateschitz spent three years restoring
and renovating the island into one of the world’s most exclusive refuges. Reservation at the resort
is upon application and access is via the resort's Beechcraft King Air aircraft, unless you, like many
of Laucala's guests (including John Travolta, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oprah Winfrey) happen
to have your own. Guests can even be cleared by Fijian immigration in situ, their itineraries and
identities kept tightly under wraps.
Fiji is a destination coming into its own. As the world gets smaller, hideaways such as Laucala
remain the last frontiers for affluent adventurers looking for blessed isolation. Lost in the seemingly
endless South Pacific, this nation of islands - where clocks are irrelevant, luxury is on tap and serenity
enwraps you in its blissful clutches long after you reluctantly depart – will stir the heart, inspire
the imagination and bring eternal joy to the soul.
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