Solace for All

 CASTAWAY ISLAND - Qalito, FIJI

As a parent of pre-tween kids, when looking to escape for a week or so I need to find something compelling for them, as well as a place that gives my wife and I an escape from the kids too. Otherwise it’s just the challenges of parenting as usual, albeit in a new location.

Traveling outside of Australia with your kids is always a great opportunity to engage them in new experiences and cultures, and provides opportunities to show them how other children live. Qalito (Castaway Island) in Fiji provides you with the best of all worlds: Exotic climes tempered with an immersive back-to-nature kids club, as well as local cultural experiences to remind us all how simple life could be if we choose to slow down a touch.

A typical day on Qalito begins with enjoying time together: Snorkeling the dramatic tropical reef, kayaking the island, or taking a catamaran out to sea. The afternoon wind-down is ideal for snoozing in beachside hammocks while our kids investigate what’s inside coconuts, or how far they can climb up a palm tree, or how big a drawing they can make in the sand.

By evening it’s time to wave goodbye, as the youngsters head off to kids club. Leaving us to sit back and sigh with cocktails outside our beachfront bure. An ice cold mojito always does the trick, enhancing the stunning sunsets over the coral atoll. This is the time to take in the balmy dusk and lapping seas in peace and quiet, knowing that our kids are fully engaged in crabbing, taking part in Fijian fire ceremonies, racing frogs, learning traditional dance or how to speak the local language.

Qalito is a special place for everyone.

- Damien