Castaway Island Celebrates 60 Years of Barefoot Luxury

When Castaway Island, Fiji first opened on 6 July 1966, Fiji’s tourism industry was still finding its place on the international stage. Workers cleared the island’s foliage using bush knives, creating a small beachfront retreat with only four bures where fishermen could stay overnight. From those modest beginnings, the resort helped introduce travellers to a quieter and more personal style of South Pacific hospitality.

A significant new chapter began in 1992 under owner Geoffrey Shaw. His stewardship helped establish Castaway Island as a destination associated with authentic barefoot island hospitality. Guests returned year after year, while some members of the resort team built careers spanning more than three decades. These longstanding relationships helped turn the resort into a family tradition shared across generations.

Today, Castaway Island’s hospitality also incorporates environmental stewardship. Through the OUTRIGGER Zone programme, its work includes coral restoration, the Sculptural Coral Gene Bank, the return of endangered Fijian Crested Iguanas to Qalito Island and Green Key Certification. Its 60th-anniversary programme will bring these themes together through cultural ceremonies, environmental activities, guest memories and a week-long celebration of the people who shaped the resort.