Every night at Turtle Island, a little circle forms on the beachfront: couples sip cocktails and discuss home life, while the resort's intimate butler-like “mama” listens. Then, as the sun goes down, something unusual happens: One by one, as they depart by seaplane from this Yasawan island off Fiji's northwestern coast, they open up. They reminisce about their memories over the five nights they've spent here – the minimum – of how touched they were by the kindness of their mamas, the smiles of the local village children, the late nights spent sitting on kava mats with the resort's maintenance workers, farmers and cleaners.
To the uninitiated, it's all very sincere. When the tears start to flow, as they inevitably do, it's disconcerting. Then, four days later, as I recount my experience, something strange happens: my stubborn cynicism loosens up.
“One of the measures of our success is the 'tear factor,'” says the private island's owner and managing director, Richard Evenson Jr. “How many of us are crying when we say goodbye to our team when we leave? A significant percentage, actually.”
With 110 full-time staff for just 28 guests, there are plenty of opportunities to interact with locals at Turtle Island.
Courtesy of Turtle Island
But it's not just the wet handkerchiefs that make Turtle Island unique among five-star beach resorts (all-inclusive rates start at $12,750): It's best known to foreigners as the setting for the 1980 Brooke Shields film “Turtle Island.” Blue Lagoonand even today, the resort retains its simple, undeveloped castaway feel. Notable is the lack of a central pool, spa, or gym. There's no Wi-Fi or TV in the villas. Meals are served communally, and usually outdoors. Each day, couples are whisked away to one of 12 private beaches, where they isolate themselves to enjoy a packed lunch, tropical breezes, and just each other. The resort's slow, daily rhythm floats on a mattress of traditional songs and mellow island guitar music performed by the 110 full-time staff who live and work here. Against this backdrop, the 500-acre island has just 14 bures, and guest numbers are kept to a maximum of 28.
“I grew up here while my father was building and creating this island, and one thing we always talked about was that we wanted a seven-star emotional experience rather than a seven-star brick-and-mortar resort,” said Evanson, whose father, the late Richard Evanson Sr., sold his cable TV business in 1972 to pursue a happier life on the island. “We made a conscious decision to focus on the emotional, intangible aspects rather than the physical experience.”
That might sound like a lot of fun, but don't expect any crystal-wielding eccentrics here. Instead, doctors compare Ferrari collections at dinner tables. Aspen real estate moguls order Napa cabs. 40-year-old tech retirees come to snorkel. Some of Senator John McCain's ashes were scattered here, and former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison likes to stop off to play the ukulele with staff. Turtle Island has a reputation as a top honeymoon destination, and has been the site of Britney Spears and K-Fed, who tied the knot in 2004, as well as Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey and Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson.
Experts say minimalist amenities have a greater emotional impact.
Courtesy of Turtle Island
An astonishing 55 percent of these guests return to the island at some point, with many, like the McCains, returning again and again for the healthy blubber.
“It may seem unusual, but one of my philosophies when making a travel show is that if you can make people laugh or cry with the experience, then your job is done,” says John Sutherland, a lifestyle consultant and private concierge who specializes in luxury travel. “You have to remember that a lot of these people live in cities and lead very stressful lives, so they go to places like this to completely unwind.”
Sutherland said customers want an emotional experience and he bases his business on thrilling experiences.
“A client in Malaysia came up to me and said, 'He'd made a lot of money and I asked my dad if there was anything he'd ever dreamed of doing all his life that he'd never been able to do, and he said he'd always imagined flying into the creator of volcanoes. Flying into a dormant volcano and just wandering around,'” Sutherland says. “So he got two helicopters and took his family up to a crater in Indonesia. I said, 'What did your dad say?' And he got the usual answer: 'He couldn't say anything. He couldn't speak.' There's nothing more emotional than fulfilling a childhood dream.”
But sentiment markets are not universal.
Providing a gentle experience and a space to connect with loved ones is part of the mission.
Courtesy of Turtle Island
“I cried when I left Fiji,” says Jacqueline Sienna India, founder and CEO of Sienna Charles. “I know this is a national thing, but places like Fiji and Bora Bora are just for my Los Angeles-based clients, and they're home run trips for them because they get to go to another world in just an overnight trip. If you say 'Fiji' to a client in New York, they think you're a total idiot.”
A pathological fear of typical British stubbornness and loyalty is equally at odds with the maternal embrace of a place like Turtle Island. Even Evenson acknowledges that “it's the Americans who get the most out of” his resort.
But he adds that India has a shortage of well-managed private islands, making places like Turtle Island ideal for families and corporate retreats, regardless of where they're from. (To rent Turtle Island for itself costs $36,600 a night.)
“It's a place to take grandma or celebrate your mom's 60th birthday,” she says. “You can create an immersive experience while having the peace of mind that you're staying in a really well-run hotel.”
The islands where the movie “The Blue Lagoon” was set are so beautiful they will bring tears to your eyes.
Courtesy of Turtle Island
Still, Evenson says there's more to gain than to lose when it comes to crafting a compelling experience for guests (British and American alike). Managing guest expectations and encouraging staff to build relationships with guests and engage in meaningful conversations is key, he says. As an example, bure mums on the island carry photos of their families so that when guests tell stories about their families back home, the mums can share stories of their own families with the guests.
“I've had a lot of people ask me, 'Do you have any recommendations or suggestions?'” Evenson says. “Usually at the beginning of their stay they'll say, 'Yeah, we need a sauna. We need a gym. We need a pool.' But by the end of their stay, most people come to me and say, 'By the way, drop all that. Don't change anything.'”
