Today I learned that this photograph I often come across floating around the net, is not a fabrication of Photoshop. In fact, the sole purpose of this post is pretty much just to confirm that yes, such a place exists on Earth and hell yes, you can stay there– because if you’re going to stay on a dreamy tropical island, you might as well make it a heart-shaped one.
This is the island of Tavarua in Fiji, five miles by boat from the main island of Viti Levu. It is 29 acres in size and surrounded by a coral reef. While the internet might know it as the heart-shaped island, Tavarua is a longtime beloved spot for surfers who journey to its unusual coastline for the world-class waves it creates. As recently as the 1970s, the island was completely uninhabited, until a Californian teacher, Dave Clark, came to the island in 1982 after a tip-off about some incredible-looking waves. Clark spent two months with his cousin camping and surfing on Tavarua until realising he never wanted to leave their heart-shaped island.
Clark and professional surfer Scott Funk met with the three local Fijian tribes and soon enough, they began building their surfing resort. The early version of Tavarua Island Resort could accommodate just 24 surfers in basic cabins for rent at about $100 a day. Word spread amongst the global community of wave-hunters and soon the secret was out that Tavarua boasted some of the world’s finest oversized waves ever ridden.
Today the island has 15 cabins and hosts annual pro surfing contests, but the small island resort still has its simple charm and remains largely undiscovered by mainstream tourism.
So, if heart-shaped islands in paradise are your kinda thing, maybe add Tavarua to your bookmarks.
