How to find the perfect resort kids’ club in Fiji

Some of the high-end resorts provide a personal nanny for babies or assign each family a nanny for older siblings, for up to 12 hours per day. Other resorts take an all-in family approach to their kids’ club. The Sheraton Denarau, for example, developed a specific “side-by-side” program for families, so they can experience small, set activities together, such as cooking the traditional Fijian dish, Kokoda, or playing volleyball together.

Also using the family model is Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort. While it offers personal nannies for children under six and a “buddy” assigned to up to five children aged 6-12, the all-inclusive resort also provides family excursions to attractions outside the resort. Adults meet up with their children on the resort bus for activities such as visiting a waterfall to splash and play.

However, just because kids have the choice to do a family activity doesn’t mean they’ll actually want to hang out with you. When we take a trip from the resort to the local market in Savusavu, we give our son the choice of staying with us or being with the other children and his buddy – and he ditches us without looking back.

Other resorts have set kids’ club hours – normally two- to three-hour sessions at a time. Plantation Island’s Coconut Kids’ Club, for example, has a giant air-conditioned indoor playground, offering morning, afternoon and dinner sessions for children from age four. Likewise, The Outrigger’s Coral Club runs sessions from 10am-12pm, 2-4pm and from 6-9pm. Interestingly, some resorts, such as the Sofitel on Denarau Island, are now offering paid sessions at their Niu kids’ club for visitors who are not guests at the resort.

While you’re nursing a well-earned cocktail by the pool or snorkelling the reef, it’s questionable whether it’s you or your children who are having more fun. Most kids’ clubs run a mix of cultural, nature-based and adventure activities. They might be weaving one session, learning traditional dance the next, planting coral on the reef in the morning then painting T-shirts in the afternoon.

Your children might even surprise you. From having the responsibility of using a lit torch to light the lanterns at sunset, to working up the courage to snorkel at night to hunting and catching their own crab, there’s an amazing growth that happens when children are taken out of the neat lines of their everyday routine, given a chance to foster independence and develop their socio-emotional skills.

Above all else, it will get them away from the screens and force them to get to know other children outside their circle of comfort: an ideal antidote for any parent struggling to pry an iPad from their child’s vice-like grip.

For most parents, however, their initial hesitation about sending their children off to kids’ club is knowing they will be OK. For parents who are nervous about leaving children with strangers at a kids’ club, don’t be. Fijians are one of the most child-friendly cultures on the planet; they simply love children. Carer-to-child ratios vary from resort to resort and program to program, but are generally strong. Many resort staff have worked in childcare for decades, and are trained in first aid.

Of course, like everyday life, there will be children your kids might not get along with, and those who attend kids’ club who (for want of a better expression) would be better served by staying in a soggy campsite with a dirty shower block than spoiled at a five-star resort.

However, even if you do select the perfect kids’ club for your family, keep in mind your children might simply refuse to go. Even the most confident child might just be too intimidated to leave their families. If this is the case, spend a little time with them in the new environment, or look at options to hire a one-on-one nanny to give you some time out.

Another consideration is that some children also feel they “age out” and are too old for kids’ club (even if they fit within the recommended age-range), so always consider what a resort offers older children to keep them amused. Some resorts, like the Sofitel, have a specially designed teen zone for children aged 8-16, with PlayStation 5, a pool table and foosball; while the Outrigger has a teens program aimed at ages 13+ that includes weaving lessons, spear-throwing, pool volleyball and beach bonfires.

For older children, we adored Jean-Michel Costeau’s “school under the sea” program. Run by marine biologists, our son received a passport at check-in, which is stamped for each learning activity he undertakes during the week, from recycling to rubbish collection, night snorkelling to coastal ecology.

This program is a key example of how kids’ clubs aren’t just a babysitting service: they’re formative and developmentally important experiences for youngsters. Our son has to learn to get along with others, experience another culture and gain a greater appreciation of the environment.

The morning we leave, my son collects mangrove seed pods from the beach outside our bure, dutifully planting them in the intertidal zone, just as he was shown at kids’ club. He crouches by the water, arms wrapped around his legs, staring out at the ocean. Seeing your child grow – conquer their fears, try new things, make new friends and embrace another culture – is the part of kids’ club no one really talks about. It becomes part of who they are, makes them more independent, and their world crucially bigger. But just remember: when you leave, they’ll be asking when you can come back next. And so will you.

The details

Do
Sadly, Fiji has become an increasingly expensive destination, and this money doesn’t necessarily trickle down to staff: the disparity between the per-hour payment received by those looking after your children and what you’re paying per night for your resort is uncomfortable. Consider showing your appreciation to those looking after your little ones by contributing to the staff Christmas fund, and staying at resorts that have a reputation for treating staff well.

Fly
Fiji Airways fly offer multiple direct flights daily from the East Coast of Australia, starting at $530 return. See fijiairways.com

Stay
Nanuku Resort has suites from $708 a night. See nanukuresort.com
Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort has villas from $1746 a night, with a five-night minimum. See fijiresort.com
Plantation Island Resort has Garden Rooms from $452 a night. See plantationisland.com
Sheraton Fiji Golf and Beach Resort has garden view king rooms from $594 a night. See marriott.com
Sofitel Fiji has king superior rooms from $636 a night. See sofitel-fiji.com
Outrigger has ocean view rooms from $495 a night. See outrigger.com

More
Fiji.travel

The writer travelled as a guest of Tourism Fiji.