Kokomo Private Island Resort

On Yaukuve Levu Island in the Kadavu Archipelago of southern Fiji, Kokomo Private Island Resort occupies a privately owned island that was developed from scratch as a luxury resort on one of the Fijian archipelago’s most biologically rich marine environments, adjacent to the Great Astrolabe Reef — one of the largest barrier reefs in the world — whose protected waters provide diving of exceptional quality and diversity. The 22 villas and five residences are distributed across the island’s beach, hillside, and cliff positions, with the cliffside villas providing elevated views across the reef passage and the open Pacific beyond in what is among the most visually dramatic residential positions available in the southern Pacific. The island’s position in the Kadavu group, which sees very limited mass tourism compared to the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups further north, gives the marine environment a quality of relative undisturbed richness.

Diving on the Great Astrolabe Reef encompasses the full range of Fijian underwater habitats: the dramatic wall dives of the reef’s outer edge, the soft coral gardens of the inner passages, the manta ray cleaning stations, and the schooling fish of the Kadavu channel, all within easy boat access of the island’s dive centre. Stand-up paddleboarding in the calm lagoon, kayaking to the uninhabited islands of the Kadavu group, game fishing on the deep-water passes, and helicopter excursions to the outer reef and the Kadavu volcanic peaks provide the activity range beyond the water. The restaurant’s menus draw on the extraordinary seafood of the surrounding reef and the organic produce of the island’s own farm.

Kokomo’s conservation work on the Great Astrolabe Reef includes an active coral restoration programme and participation in the Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area network, whose community-based approach to reef management is considered one of the most effective models for combining conservation and fishing community sustainability in the Pacific island context.