This luxe Fiji resort is perfect for families, with rooms from just $157 a night

Formerly a backpacker haven, Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort and Spa is the first upper-end accommodation in Wailoaloa, near Nadi. Fully opened in November 2025, it is just 10 minutes from Nadi International Airport, and you can hear the occasional boom of "non-lethal pyrotechnic firing" (bird scaring cartridges) to disperse mynas and other birds before planes take off and land. A multimillion-dollar redevelopment has made Fiji's first Crowne Plaza a well-laid-out, professionally run enterprise. More developments are underway on this stretch of coastline, including new builds for St Regis and Sofitel.

Non-lethal pyrotechnics aside (and you don't hear it very often), the proximity to the airport means you can be sipping a cocktail on Wailoaloa Beach or by the pool within minutes of clearing customs. The sprawling beachfront features a broad grassed area lined with palm trees, a sliver of sand and tropical sunsets. Weddings are popular here, which is always a promising sign.

In addition to the main pool area, which includes a swim-up bar overlooking the sea, more long, thin pools stretch around the three-level accommodation.

Eminently loll-able and also brilliant for really long lap swimming, these are largely deserted during our stay. We enjoy a lovely treatment at Mareqeti Spa, which is currently housed in a demountable building. A new spa, gym, kids club and pan-Asian restaurant are under construction.

This is a sizable resort, with 324 rooms ranging from budget motel-style to top-notch. Looking around the resort, I recommend a ground-floor and/or ocean-view room.

Families can book one of the 16 two-bedroom suites with bunk beds available and easy access to the kids' pools. Our Junior Suite is quiet, comfortable and opens onto one of the long-lap pools.

High-quality throughout, Crowne Plaza offers 10 dining options, ranging from kid-friendly to epicurean. La Bottega Italian Ristorante is buonissimo, with notable Italian dining in a decor of cruise-ship art deco, an open kitchen and a wood-fired oven. At the urging of our delightful smiling waiter, Vilisi, we order minestrone, calamari, caprese, pastas and tiramisu. The portions are enormous, and Vilisi is spot on about the delicioso.

Urban Sugar Beach Club and Azura Poolside Bar and Kitchen offer impressive and worldly menus. "Melbourne cool" Bean Bar Cafe will sort out your early caffeine needs, while Harvest's buffet breakfast hits the mark (and provides handy hints on a noticeboard as to the best times to eat to minimise the queue).

Jesse and Mitieli explain the fascinating history and culture of the area, from the arrival of their ancestors from Tanganyika by canoe, through tribal customs, guiding spirits and communication by drums, to the challenges of maintaining respect for "kastom" in a modern world. Half an hour later, these wise and talented multitaskers are running a hilarious Aqua Fit Splash class in the main pool.

The magnificent open foyer is the setting for the start of a nightly torch-lighting ceremony that extends a good 300 metres down to the beach. Drums beat, dancers prance, song bursts forth and nighttime begins.

The writer was a guest of Crowne Plaza Fiji Nadi Bay Resort and Spa