#fijimarriott

On Monday afternoon my mum got home from work and suggested that her and I should go on a vacation to a resort somewhere. Two days later I get an email from Sally Yuen, Cluster Marketing Executive of the Marriott Group, wanting to know if I was keen on doing a collaboration with the Fiji Marriott Momi Bay Resort. My first reaction to the email was, “WOW! did my mum really speak it to the universe and have it reciprocated?” I don’t know, but this is a miracle if I should say so myself. After a few email exchanges and some phone calls, the agreement was signed and delivered and my mums dream vacation was booked for that Saturday.

The sun was out in Suva so it was the perfect morning for a cruise along the coast to the Marriott in Momi Bay. The rain caught up with us as we reached the resort but we made sure it wouldn’t dampen our spirits. Javed and Lillian welcomed us and assisted us with check-in.

Bure 2104 was a luxurious lagoon-side bure with the perfect view of the over-water rooms, the lagoon and the surrounding cyan blue water. Apart from having one of the best views, in my opinion, of the resort, the bure was well furnished and incorporated wooden and cultural details. The Marriott team left us a little note and some gifts together with a platter filled with chocolates, fruit and macrons. Since the weather wasn’t on our side, my mum and I thought we’d order room service for lunch which also allowed me to create my first travel TikTok lol. For just $64FJD we scored one of the most delicious beef burgers with fries together with a shao-mai and dumpling dish that was covered in a soy and sweetened sauce. I’m a sucker for Yum Cha and these dumplings were delicious.

We headed for a short swim straight after lunch and thought we’d take a nap before dinner which was scheduled for 7:30pm. Since Valentine’s Day is just around the corner the Fiji Marriott thought it would be nice that mum and I try out their VDay menu for two. Our Valentine’s Day themed dinner was set at the Goji Restaurant and our amazing hostess, Shilpa, escorted us to our perfectly-set table out at the deck. Our dinner for the night was a three course meal beginning with the sesame tuna, aubergine puree and garlic prawns as the entrée, perfectly cooked lamb rack with butter and peas as main and topped off with a three-layer strawberry mousse and chocolate for dessert.

What was only meant to be a Valentines dinner soon changed when Chef Afroz introduced us to two of his dishes from the Chinese New Year set-menu – sweet and sour chicken with jasmine rice and braised duck in soy sauce. You can imagine how full our table was with at least five different dishes all made with love.

Early the next morning my mum and I headed straight to the infinity pool at 6:30am. It was a clear day and the pool area was nice and empty. She was gushing at how beautiful the view was and how it was her first time swimming in an infinity pool that even till today she keeps talking about the view to everyone that asks “how was the Marriott?”.

In 2017, my last Momi Marriott experience, I found myself loving the breakfast menu the most as I do almost all the resorts I visit. This time, as much as I noticed a change in the Marriotts breakfast menu, it really didn’t disappoint at all. There was a huge selection of pastries and cereals and at least six to eight A la carte menu options. Fifita was a great host to mum and I and made us feel so welcomed. We had breakfast further out on the deck that morning while the sun was out and the blues from the water was clearer. Perfect morning for bubbles with breakfast.

Our Spa treatment was scheduled for 9:30am and me and my mum struggled to get to the Marriotts Quan Spa after a full breakfast. It was mums first spa experience so she was very nervous but our masseuse, Manaini, made both of us feel absolutely comfortable. The Tadra Massage was what we both got and it was one hour of

total relaxation and deep tissue massage. Manaini was telling us about how, even during Covid, the Marriott didn’t close and local guests would still visit. She also spoke about the effects the pandemic had on her and her colleagues and their reduced hours. Manaini was still super grateful to still have her job and kept repeating to us how lucky she was. A humble being with magic hands, Manaini, the Marriotts’ ‘Spa Star’ who comes from Vatukarasa, Tailevu, gave us the best one-hour Tandra Massage. It really is worth every dollar and I will be recommending a spa visit to anyone who tells me they’re heading to the Marriott.

I’ve had my fair share of going to fancy resorts (sometimes for holiday, most times for work) but I’ve never been to a place quite like the Fiji Marriott. I was telling my mum about my trip to California and how every other town has a Marriott hotel by the highway. This time it wasn’t in the United States, this time my ‘Marriott experience’ was just a few hour’s drive from home and nestled in one of the most breathtaking places. Yes, this pandemic has hit our tourism industry hard, but the storm won’t last too long. I was glad that my mum accompanied me for this Valentine’s Day collaboration with the Marriott. You should have seen her reaction when I first told her about this trip and even today, as I write this blog, she’s sitting across me reminding me about the details that she think’s I’d miss out on. LOL. I loved this trip for her, it was something new, something she needed and a great weekend as she draws closer to retirement in a few months.

Thank you to the team at the Marriott – Sally, Javed, Lillian, Shilpa, Manaini, Afroz, Fifita – and the General Manager Silvano for having me and my mum over for the weekend and for making her wish come true. It really was the best Valentine’s Day experience.