VOMO Island and Monuriki Island, Fiji

Made by the chef of VOMO Island and enjoyed on the beach of Monuriki Island, in Fiji.

It’s almost impossible to describe the warm hospitality felt upon arrival at VOMO Island.

With so many hotels and resorts to choose from around Fiji, it was a difficult – yet extremely fun – task in finding and selecting VOMO. We didn’t really know what we were in for, but the photos almost undersold the experience.

Approximately 30 villas were sparsely nestled together around the west side of the island, with bright white sandy beaches and green palm trees plush with coconuts surrounding the shores of this incredible getaway.

This was paradise.

I’ve been to many tropical destinations around the word, but VOMO stands apart. And while I could spend countless hours writing up the many reasons why, for this post, I’ll jump further ahead to the club sandwich.

On day four of our trip, we headed to Monuriki, where the movie “Cast Away” starring Tom Hanks was filmed, a personal favorite of mine. The all-day excursion included a trip to a local village – where we had to bring kava for the chief in order to enter – and ample snorkeling.

The chef of VOMO Island prepared us four items to dine on during our picnic on Monuriki island: a mezze platter, a chicken club sandwich, a vegetarian club sandwich, and baked Spanish mackerel, which I had caught while fishing the day before.

Yes, that’s a lot of food – but snorkeling not only tired me out, it made me hungry.

It might be good to note that after catching the Spanish mackerel the day prior, I had asked the chef if he could make a club sandwich out of it. His swift reply of “absolutely” pleasantly surprised me, but the disappointment of finding them separately prepared the next day pointed to a gap in communication on that one. Oh well!

We found shade under a thatched hut on the east side of Monuriki, and dove into our perfectly packaged lunch.

First, the Spanish Mackerel. Amazingly fresh and delicious. I had only dined on this fish raw at sushi restaurants – and I now learned, I preferred it baked, cold, with some lemon squeezed over it. Just fantastic.

Next, onto my chicken club sandwich.

Disappointment over missing out on a Spanish Mackerel club sandwich quickly dissipated as I savored the superbly seasoned shredded chicken mingling with the ripe ingredients wonderfully sandwiched together. The thick cut bacon and over-medium fried egg added wonderful texture and taste to each bite down. A light amount of cheddar cheese and a delightful sprinkling of crunchy lettuce lead me to divine moments as I savored the setting around me on Monuriki island… just paradise in more ways than one.

I was sad to leave Monuriki, but I was thrilled to be heading back to VOMO. What an epic day island hopping in Fiji… and I couldn’t help but think on the boat ride home, I was thankful the chef prepared our picnic in fashion for the day.

Location