Natadola Beach: Fiji's Best Beach
Romantic White Sand Beach Fringed by Palms with its own Blue Lagoon
© Rod Quin
Natadola Beach, Viti Levu, offers all-tide swimming in crystal blue waters, snorkelling, horse riding and picnic facilities in an idyllic South Pacific beach environment.
Just south of Nadi on the west coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, Natadola Beach comes highly recommended. It has been named:
- the best beach on Viti Levu by Lonely Planet
- one of the top 10 beaches in the world by AskMen
- one of the 25 sexiest beaches in the world by Forbes Traveller.
Natadola Beach is a curving 2 km (1 mile) protected stretch of white sand bounded by coconut palms which meets every traveler’s dream of a romantic Pacific island beach. A lagoon of clear, azure water is created by an offshore reef and swimming is possible in all tides.
At the southern end of the beach a deeper bay with overhanging cliffs formed by the channel between the mainland and Navo Island offers great snorkelling for visitors who bring their own snorkelling gear.
There are plenty of shaded areas, and public barbecues are available for those wanting a picnic. Horseback rides to more deserted stretches of the beach are possible by hiring a horse from one of the locals.
Accommodation at Natadola Beach
Currently there are only two accommodation options at Natadola.
- The Natadola Beach Resort offers just 11 Spanish style suites surrounded by tropical gardens.
- More budget style accommodation is available in the 50 timber bungalows of Yatule Beach Resort right on the beach.
Future Developments at Natadola
The Intercontinental Natadola Beach Hotel is currently under construction at the southern end of the beach and is due to open in July 2008. This will be the first phase of a much larger 638 hectare development, the Natadola Marine Resort.
By 2017 this will include four more hotels, a convention centre, residential estates, vacation villas and apartments, commercial and entertainment facilities, an 18 hole golf course and a 30 boat marina.
Directions to Natadola Beach
- Take the Queen’s Road south from Nadi for approximately 35 km or north from Sigatoka for 25 km.
- Turn off the Queen’s Road at the sign pointing to Nataola Beach Resort.
- The next turn-off is 6 km further and is easy to miss, because there is no sign saying ‘Natadola’ – look for signs saying Robinson Crusoe Jetty, Natwa Village or Yatule Beach Resort.
- A 4 km long unsealed road leads to Natadola Beach.
Coral Coast Railway
Another way to visit Natadola is to join a one day excursion on the Coral Coast Scenic Railway (tel: 652 8731). A restored sugar train locomotive chugs out of its home station at the village of Cuvu, near the entrance to the Shangri La Resort at 10 am each day. Tugging an open-sided passenger carriage, it winds its ways on narrow gauge lines through villages, banana and sugar plantations, across rivers and beside the coast to Natadola Beach.
The tour includes four hours at the beach and a barbecue lunch. The train returns to Cuvu by 4 pm. Pickups and transfers to the train can be organised from Nadi and Coral Coast hotels.
