Malamala, here I go again!
After an incredibly tough three day week, we enjoyed two days this weekend at the Malamala beach club.
After loving Leleuvia so much, we really wanted to do another island stay this weekend, but no matter where we looked, the price of transfers to and from the island accomodation (even the most remote ones!) were just too expensive for us to justify. Luckily for us, I was my usual genius self and managed to solve the problem using a brochure I'd picked up at the airport a few weeks ago for Malamala beach club.
Malamala is based on a small island about half an hour from Denaurau (the heavily manicured tourist haven in Nadi), but unlike the other islands nearby, it doesn't allow any overnight guests. Your ferry transfers are included in your admission fee, and even better, if you return again within a week, it's only around £20 each, including the boat out! We'd booked a cheap hotel in Nadi to stay at overnight, from which a coach could pick us up in the morning and drop us back in the evening- leaving us with 10:30am to 5:15pm to spend realxing on the island each day.
The island itself was lovely- clean, photogenic and plush, and definitely wouldn't look out of place on an episode of Made in Chelsea. Half the island was covered with private cabanas that could be booked for an extra fee, but we easily found three comfortable beachfront loungers (though we did make sure to get to the front of the boat on Saturday!) where we could settle down for the day.
The island is still very new, and you can tell from the brilliant state of the central clubhouse and the facilities there, but the staff are all great, and the operation is slick. There's a beautiful infinity pool to swim in, free water sports like snorkelling, kayaking and paddleboarding, and enough space that you never feel too cramped by the other guests. Top tip though- if you want nice photos, take them early in the morning before people start getting too active!
The drink prices are reasonable for this kind of set-up: soft drinks were only $5 a can, and there's free water, although alcoholic drinks will set you back a bit more. The food was less good for us, especially with two vegetarians. There was lots of very fancy menu options, which looked beautiful on the plates that we saw coming out, and were obviously constructed with a lot of love and care, but also just weren't quite what any of us fancied at lunchtime on a sunny beach. The first day we stuck with a big ice-cream, but on the second, hunger got the better of us and we tried some of the lunch options. Mazza faired the best, with an artistic looking club sandwich, while Ellie tried a chickpea roti wrap, and I had spicy chinese mushroom soba. We all agreed that the meals were lovely, but absolutely not what we were fancying right then, which is a real shame.
Overall, we had a lovely time lounging on the stunning beaches at Malamala, and while it couldn't quite live up to our time Leleuvia, I would definitely reccomend a visit.
Malamala kept us busy for most of both Friday and Saturday, leaving us just the evenings to grab some dinner, watch a movie and do really important things like put on facemasks and make Ellie braid our hair. On Friday we grabbed dinner in Denaurau at Mama's pizza, and ended up watching a dance show put on for tourists- it was very impressive but I made the others leave quickly after one of the performers dropped his flaming baton twice in a row- I didn't want to have to be responsible if he needed medical help!
After loving Leleuvia so much, we really wanted to do another island stay this weekend, but no matter where we looked, the price of transfers to and from the island accomodation (even the most remote ones!) were just too expensive for us to justify. Luckily for us, I was my usual genius self and managed to solve the problem using a brochure I'd picked up at the airport a few weeks ago for Malamala beach club.
 |
| When you love it enough to go twice in two days |
Malamala is based on a small island about half an hour from Denaurau (the heavily manicured tourist haven in Nadi), but unlike the other islands nearby, it doesn't allow any overnight guests. Your ferry transfers are included in your admission fee, and even better, if you return again within a week, it's only around £20 each, including the boat out! We'd booked a cheap hotel in Nadi to stay at overnight, from which a coach could pick us up in the morning and drop us back in the evening- leaving us with 10:30am to 5:15pm to spend realxing on the island each day.
 | ||
| The harbour at Denaurau- the boat on the left is the one to Malamala |
The island itself was lovely- clean, photogenic and plush, and definitely wouldn't look out of place on an episode of Made in Chelsea. Half the island was covered with private cabanas that could be booked for an extra fee, but we easily found three comfortable beachfront loungers (though we did make sure to get to the front of the boat on Saturday!) where we could settle down for the day.
 |
| The already iconic jetty |
The island is still very new, and you can tell from the brilliant state of the central clubhouse and the facilities there, but the staff are all great, and the operation is slick. There's a beautiful infinity pool to swim in, free water sports like snorkelling, kayaking and paddleboarding, and enough space that you never feel too cramped by the other guests. Top tip though- if you want nice photos, take them early in the morning before people start getting too active!
 |
| Taking ourselves too seriously in the infinity pool |
The drink prices are reasonable for this kind of set-up: soft drinks were only $5 a can, and there's free water, although alcoholic drinks will set you back a bit more. The food was less good for us, especially with two vegetarians. There was lots of very fancy menu options, which looked beautiful on the plates that we saw coming out, and were obviously constructed with a lot of love and care, but also just weren't quite what any of us fancied at lunchtime on a sunny beach. The first day we stuck with a big ice-cream, but on the second, hunger got the better of us and we tried some of the lunch options. Mazza faired the best, with an artistic looking club sandwich, while Ellie tried a chickpea roti wrap, and I had spicy chinese mushroom soba. We all agreed that the meals were lovely, but absolutely not what we were fancying right then, which is a real shame.
Overall, we had a lovely time lounging on the stunning beaches at Malamala, and while it couldn't quite live up to our time Leleuvia, I would definitely reccomend a visit.
 |
| Leaving the island at sunset |
Malamala kept us busy for most of both Friday and Saturday, leaving us just the evenings to grab some dinner, watch a movie and do really important things like put on facemasks and make Ellie braid our hair. On Friday we grabbed dinner in Denaurau at Mama's pizza, and ended up watching a dance show put on for tourists- it was very impressive but I made the others leave quickly after one of the performers dropped his flaming baton twice in a row- I didn't want to have to be responsible if he needed medical help!
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