Escape to Blue Lagoon

Forty years ago my friend Emily went on a Blue Lagoon Cruise in Fiji and loved it.

She always dreamed about returning, so I took it as a sign when a special deal popped up on Facebook.

We booked two cabins and flew out of Sydney with DD on July 16, bound for a seven-night adventure in the Yasawa Islands.

As a pre-flight treat, DD and I dined at the Neil Perry restaurant in the Qantas First Class Lounge, due to DD’s frequent flyer status.

And what did we order? Cheeseburgers! I was eyeing off the gourmet fare on the menu to accompany my Lallier Champagne when DD announced he was having Perry’s award-winning burger.

Yep, Australia’s top-ranked burger is the American Cheeseburger at Perry’s Margaret restaurant in Double Bay, Sydney. It was also ranked third globally in the 2026 World’s 101 Best Burgers guide.

How could I resist? It was very tasty, but third best in the world? I’m not convinced.

All too soon it was time to rejoin the masses for our economy flight to Fiji, a four-hour hop and skip from Sydney.

Our arrival was uneventful, although the Ebola warning signs were a little off-putting. Our taxi ride was a bit hairy, but otherwise our first night away was perfectly peaceful.

DD had booked our first-night accommodation opposite the Blue Lagoon departure wharf, so we dropped off our bags and secured an outdoor table at Port Denarau Marina for Mexican food and a cocktail to toast our arrival.

Next morning we boarded a ferry to Malamala Beach Club, a tiny island 30 minutes from the mainland.

It belongs to the owners of Blue Lagoon, with a visit included in our cruise fare, together with a FJ$50 voucher for each passenger to spend on food and drinks.

Emily pre-booked cabanas for us and we spent a gorgeous day snorkelling, snoring lightly on our daybeds, eating, drinking mocktails and reading books.

The snorkelling wasn’t dazzling, but it was lovely enough to bring a tear to my eye, with patches of pretty coral, colourful fish and an octopus with its tentacle stretched out from under a rock.

At 3pm, the Yasawa Princess II collected us for our cruise (the main pic is taken from our tender as we approached the vessel).

First stop was a tiny, sandy island for a beach walk and selfies at sunset, then it was back to the ship for a four-course Captain’s dinner, which we attended barefoot! Gotta love a casual dress code.

The holiday has only just begun and it already feels like we’ve been away for months!

Song of the day: David Lee Roth “Just like paradise”