For many of us, it’s the transient moments in travel that cause us to pause, reflect and dream. One can only imagine this was the case for the late property icon Lang Waker who discovered the abandoned resort site while sailing the Great Astrolabe Reef, today known affectionately as ‘Kokomo’ for those lucky enough to visit as I was with my family.
It’s impossible not to be overwhelmed by the extraordinary vision for this special place, where sustainability is woven into the infrastructure. From its earliest sketches, Kokomo was built with a deep sense of responsibility and integrity. Solar panels gleam across the rooftops, powering much of the island’s daily rhythm. A desalination plant transforms ocean water into drinking water. Waste is composted, glass is crushed and recycled, and food scraps feed the farm animals that, in turn, nourish the gardens. There’s an organic hydroponic farm that supplies the kitchens, a coral restoration project that rewilds damaged reef, and a marine biologist who can name every turtle in the lagoon as if they were old friends. It’s not performative sustainability; it’s a way of life that seems to flow seamlessly with the air here: unspoken, unforced, beautifully untouched. It is without a doubt, a resort built from the heart: lovingly restored and now protected by the Walker family, Lang’s son Chad and wife Camille.
Landing on the island – a cinematic moment where ocean meets reef after a 45-minute flight from Nadi – feels like discovering a kind of utopia. As is customary in Fiji and similar islands, the island team line the small airstrip, singing in soft harmony. But Kokomo is a place that doesn’t need to announce itself. A stark departure from heavily branded luxury resorts, it hums with understatement and avoids any cliché through its embrace of the local culture. You feel it in the warmth of the greeting and by the looseness that starts to unfurl inside you before you’ve even reached your villa.
Architecturally, there’s an ease to the design that feels distinctly humane and respectful. In touring a number of the villas on the island – intimate spaces for couples with private beaches, right through to sprawling villas that can host intergenerational families with ease, or a large glamourous party in ultimate privacy – each is elegantly disguised among palms and hibiscus, their thatched roofs folding into the landscape. And while the modern appointments are exceptional – the technology is state-of-the-art – it feels almost invisible.
The infinity pools and open-air bathrooms offer a seamless play between privacy and exposure, structure and sky. Materials are local – an ongoing theme here: Fijian mahogany, woven magimagi, natural stone. You can tell the resorts’ creators knew where the wind would move, where light would fall or exactly where you might want to sit for sundown. It is an aesthetic study in barefoot luxury — rich in detail, humble in delivery — the kind of design that makes you exhale rather than gasp. A ‘tamed-but-not-too-much-so’ jungle, Kokomo has successfully broken the mould of a luxury resort and replaced it with something more meaningful, unique and authentic.
Days on island unfold with the rhythm of the tide, the ocean the constant, both as muse and playground. You can dive directly from the beach into the reef, one of the largest and most pristine barrier reefs in the world. My family – best described as outdoorsy– had to be prised from the ocean trampoline and clear waters where they could have explored for hours on end.
For energetic souls the activities on offer were beyond what we could sample in a few days, despite rising early for family bootcamps on the beach with the local trainers. From steep walks around the hills taking in the gardens and workshops (where everything on the island is fixed, nothing is ever thrown away), we were busied with yoga and lessons with a tennis pro to pasta making classes (more physical than you might think). The gym, outfitted to the highest standards and with unbeatable views, became a haven as well as the spa where I indulged in a massage, enjoying the privacy and the use of natural products native to the area.
While reef activities were on offer, our favourite day was when we were whisked by boat to the neighbouring unoccupied island with a picnic basket, snorkles and a walky-talky and left in complete and utter privacy, Blue Lagoon-style, until we were ready to return. I still dream of this day.
Food becomes another kind of storytelling at this retreat. Much of what you eat has been grown, caught, or crafted within sight of your table. The island’s chefs work closely with local fishermen and farmers, translating the day’s harvest into subtly inventive dishes. Coral trout grilled over coconut husk, a crisp garden salad laced with edible flowers, handmade ice cream folded with island honey. The menus change daily, but the philosophy never does: simplicity, freshness and respect for provenance. Menus are in stark contrast to the luxury resort formula (there wasn’t a club sandwich in sight) and I especially loved the BBQ on a balmy night, smoke wafting while children played with a ball on the grass nearby.
When the day turns to evening, the island changes tone only ever so slightly. Although there is a focus on healthy living, the experience here manages to be restorative but also celebrational. While there are a number of restaurants, all intimate and authentic, I was consistently drawn back to Walker d’Plank, the overwater restaurant tucked into a cove, where food takes on a distinctly Fijian flavour and is driven by catch of the day, with your feet dangling just above the tide. There’s a bar built on sand where the barman likes to unpack the day as he mixes your cocktail, and the song ‘Kokomo’ by The Beach Boys comes to mind, undoubtedly was an inspiration for Walker and his family. The sunsets feel like you can reach out and touch them, the Milky Way guiding us for walks on the sand and back to the villa when we are ready for bed.
Just like the island itself, the guests here are lowkey, and I didn’t witness any elaborate social media shoots or a nightly runway of designer looks. And yet while a casual sense of calm pervades, it is also not sleepy or hushed. There are jolly groups returning from a long day fishing and parties uniting for significant birthday moments, however with enough room for everyone there’s an ultimate sense of unity. Not one for small talk on holidays, the dialogue here is natural and easy: most guests are returning with family members, an intergenerational love-in where they feel they are sharing ‘their place.’ A handing down of sorts. Less about a place to tick off the list, guests in house have been here before and will come again.
What makes Kokomo so extraordinary is not just its lack of grandeur, but its balance — between architecture and environment, between indulgence and intention. The genuine warmth of the people who live and work here reminds you luxury can coexist with care. After just a few days, I left reattuned to the natural world, and in many ways, myself. Lighter, skin kissed by the sun, cleansed by the salt, and carrying the rarest souvenir of all: a sweet memory.
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