Denarau Island
Denarau Island is a small private island in the Republic of the Fiji Island, west of the main island of Viti Levu. The 2.55 km2 island is attached to the mainland via a short causeway and is located 5 km north west of the town Nadi and 10 km west of Nadi International Airport.
Denarau is known for its hotels and resorts fringing the island with the 18-hole Denarau Golf course as its centrepiece. The resort island includes international chains such as Hilton, Sheraton, Radisson, Westin, Sofitel and Wyndham (formerly Worldmark).
Denarau Marina is located on the island and provides sea transfer services to the island chains of the Mamanucas and the Yasawas.
Port Denarau, as well as containing Denarau Marina, is a shopping precinct with a variety of restaurants, a supermarket, bakery, hairdressers and tour operators.
History
The development of Denarau Island started in 1969, when American developer Dennis McElrath purchased the land. The first hotel, the Regent of Fiji (now the Westin Denarau) opened in 1975. and built an 18-hole golf course, a marina and more hotels. After EIE went bankrupt in 1995, the resort was purchased by a consortium of Tabua Investments of New Zealand, ITT Sheraton and Air Pacific.
