Fiji(2)：Oh no, I’m leaving Ono!
This is how to get to Ono Island: fly 10 hours from Hong Kong to Nadi International Airport in Fiji, take a 45 minute internal flight to another island in the south called Kadavu, then take a 1.5 hour boat ride to The Maidive Resort. It sounds like a long journey, but it brings you to a place completely out of this world. Ono Island is like one of those last frontiers of paradise on earth. A place where everyone is happy, free of worries, hassles and troubles. So, compared to the travel time to get to a place that can’t be farther away from your routine and stress, it is actually quite an efficient and worthwhile journey.
Upon arrival by speedboat, everyone walked out into the crystal clear water to greet the arriving guests, with a welcoming hand shake and cheerful smile. This was a proper greeting, people were introduced by names, unlike any welcome from any other concierge or front desk. Like meeting new friends, your names would be remembered and you would be addressed on a first name basis throughout your stay. There are only four bungalows in the whole resort, so the maximum number of guests at any given time is eight. This guarantees personal and personalised service. In fact, a party of eight friends could book the whole resort. The rooms are spacious, and tastefully furnished with good quality hardwood furniture, earthy colours and adequate facilities. There is no television or mobile phone coverage in the resort. No Blackberry to be checked no matter how addicted you are; you can just get away from it all. My favourite part of the room is the outdoor shower. You are open to the elements, a true rainforest shower. Taking a shower under starlight is an unforgettable experience, I can assure you. The resort ground is very clean and neat covered with soft green grass next to a fine sandy beach. During my stay, I didn’t wear any shoes, not even slippers; I haven’t felt so free ever before, no high heels, no brand name shoes. I felt so close to nature. This is how people have lived for centuries on Ono.
There is an array of activities on offer with world class scuba diving and snorkelling being the main draw. The resort faces the Great Astrolabe Reef, an amazing barrier coral reef system that runs over 100km, most of which is uncharted and never dived before, making it almost entirely virgin reef. Diving is confined to a few dive sites mainly in marine reserves and there is a famous Manta Ray site as well within 10 minutes of the resort, and although sightings are not guaranteed, most visitors see them – sometimes 50 Manta Rays at a time. Now that’s snorkelling heaven!
Fiji is renowned for its soft coral and is justifiably labelled the ’soft coral capital of the diving world’ and the reef topography is simply amazing, with garden swim-throughs and drift diving off the edge of the walls guaranteeing big pelagic action. Considering how other dive sites in the world are over-run and over-dived by tourists, the pristine condition of this soft coral kingdom makes it very unique. Underwater visibility ranges from 15 to 70 metres and water temperature hovers in the mid to high 20’s C all year round – perfect diving conditions. So, take note diving enthusiasts – you’ll find your diving nirvana around Ono Island. The dive crew at Maidive are an excellent, professional and hard-working team who definitely enhance the experience making each dive a pleasure to be part of. And, divers note that the number of people on each dive is low, sometimes just two, making this once again, a very unique diving experience.
On land, you can hike to the lookout for a panoramic view of the surrounding islands and the reef, walk to a waterfall and swim in the fresh water pool, kayak around the mangroves and coast, join in the music and dance at parties in the nearby local village every Friday evening, and enjoy a picnic at a beach on a small deserted island. You can be as active or as inactive as you please.
Time doesn’t matter in such a relaxing place. The only reason to wear a watch is to keep an eye on dining times. Meals are served in the dining room around a communal table. Guests and staff eat together and socialise like a big family. Food is certainly a highlight in The Maidive Resort. The ingredients include organic vegetables home-grown in the terraced gardens and freshly caught fish from the unpolluted sea. The chef is a great cook as well as a superb baker. The bread and cakes are all homemade, better than anything you can taste in five-star hotels. He’s also very proud of his food – everyday he came out from the kitchen to tell us what was on our plate. I love people taking pride in what they do, and justifiably deserved to be proud of the tasty meals he prepared. Even the water there is sweeter – it comes from a natural spring that has provided fresh water for generations. The source is untreated (no chemicals) and used for everything, so you can drink from any tap – it’s all the same.
As the resort is small and personal, you build up trust and confidence with the people and place. All the usual caution and security concerns are lifted. There is no need to lock your room doors; closing doors is more for keeping away mosquitoes than from theft. It is unheard of in modern day hotels to be so trusting. What a nice and kind reminder that human nature is good. From day one I was worried that I would be bored in a place with nothing but a small beach and a few activities to keep me interested throughout my stay, however, I found that the place grew on me. During my short stay, I experienced a new level of relaxation and freedom that I never knew before and a completely unique hospitality that is so down to earth and genuine – this is near impossible to find in today’s modern world. I simply can’t put in words my feelings – if I hadn’t experienced it first hand, I may not even believe it.
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Hi, Like you we had an utterly amazing stay at Mai Dive in 2009 – review posted on Tripadvisor under the name NZShaz. We keep up with Danielle and Jason and will be back as soon as we can. We are very lucky though – Fiji is a mere three hours flight from New Zealand so going back is easy. Yours is a great review and perfectly reflects our experience too.