The holidays at VOMO Island Fiji come with a theme, and the private island resort picks a new one every year. This year’s choice turns New Year’s Eve into a hunt, with staff playing characters and a mystery that guests have to solve before midnight.
Last Christmas, the resort threw a full carnival, and this year it picked Alice in Wonderland. The season opens with Fijian culture nights in early December and closes with a countdown that moves across the island on New Year’s Eve.
Nearly a Quarter of Guests Are Repeat Visitors
VOMO Island Fiji sits on a private island of 255 acres in Fiji, with fewer than 50 villas and residences. Nearly a quarter of guests are repeat visitors, most coming back for the holidays, according to the resort.
How VOMO Does Christmas
The Christmas lineup mixes Fijian traditions with a few things you’d expect back home. Here’s what’s on before and after Dec. 25.
- Ko Viti nights on Dec. 2, 23 and 29 pair a traditional feast with a meke dance and a kava ceremony.
- On Christmas Eve, the VOMO Choir and a visiting saxophonist perform carols at sunset.
- Santa shows up on Christmas morning. Lunch is a spread of shared platters, and there’s a whole room just for dessert.
- On Boxing Day, VOMO takes on the guests in a cricket match on a beach that earned a spot in the top five on a global beach ranking.
- There’s a Billecart-Salmon champagne tasting at sunset and a degustation dinner on Dec. 27.
- Buddy the Elf roams the resort the week before Christmas.
- Every guest gets a personalized ornament, and gifts show up overnight on Christmas Eve.
New Year’s Eve Goes Through the Looking Glass
VOMO calls its New Year’s Eve party “Through the Looking Glass,” and staff and professional performers play the characters.
The night plays out in four chapters at four venues. Guests follow clues to find a missing “Chronosphere” before midnight, on a trail that runs from sunset cocktails to a mirrored room, then a garden on the golf course and the final countdown.
Last year’s New Year’s Eve party also moved around the island in chapters, and the resort has posted photos from that night.
Getting There From North America
Fiji Airways flies nonstop to Fiji from Los Angeles and San Francisco. Canadians can fly nonstop from Vancouver, and VOMO sits 15 minutes by air or just over 30 minutes by boat from the mainland. Lock in that last leg when you book your flight, then brush up on your Lewis Carroll before Dec. 31.