Malolo Lailai — “Little Malolo”, and often simply called Plantation Island — is separated from its bigger sister by a shallow channel you can almost wade at low tide. It is the most developed island in the group in the best sense: three resorts, a marina, an airstrip, a small shop, a dive centre and a nine-hole golf course, all linked by sandy tracks.
The three resorts could not be more different. Plantation Island Resort is big, lively and built for children. Musket Cove is the yachties’ home in Fiji, with a marina and a bar on a sandbank. Lomani is a small adults-only hideaway. Because you can walk between them, staying at one gives you the restaurants and bars of all three.
Top things to do: Malolo Lailai
Spend a day on the lagoon
The beach in front of Plantation Island Resort shelves gently into a wide, calm lagoon — ideal for small children, kayaks and paddle boards. At low tide the water retreats a long way; plan swims around the high tide.
Have a drink at the island bar
Musket Cove’s bar on the sandbank beside the marina is a Fiji institution: cook-your-own barbecues, cold beer and yacht crews from all over the Pacific. Fiji Regatta Week brings the fleet here each September.
Go out to the reef
Boats leave daily for snorkelling on the outer reef, for sandbank picnics and for the surf breaks to the south. Cloud 9 is a short ride away. Divers have easy access to the Malolo Barrier Reef sites.
Walk or cycle the island
A track climbs the low ridge behind the resorts for views over both Malolos and the reef. The whole island can be explored on foot in a morning.
How to get to Malolo Lailai
- By Malolo Cat: the island’s own catamaran runs several times a day between Port Denarau and the Malolo Lailai jetty in about 50 minutes. Check the current timetable when you book — sailings are fixed and the last one leaves Denarau in the late afternoon.
- By air: the island has a grass airstrip served by short scenic flights from Nadi, and seaplanes and helicopters also land here. See getting here.
- By yacht: Musket Cove Marina takes visiting boats and is a regular stop for cruising yachts.
Insider tips
- Self-catering villas at Musket Cove and the island shop make this the easiest Mamanuca island for keeping food costs down.
- Families: Plantation gets busy in Australian and New Zealand school holidays — book well ahead.
- Couples who want quiet should choose Lomani or Musket Cove rather than Plantation.
- Reef shoes are useful at low tide, when the lagoon floor is exposed.
Tours that include Malolo Lailai
These bookable experiences are the easiest way to see Malolo Lailai:
Sailing day cruise from €109 Fiji: South Sea Sailing Experience with Lunch & Drinks
A day on a large sailing catamaran rather than on an island: morning tea as you leave Denarau, a buffet lunch on board, and stops to swim and snorkel. A good choice if the boat ride is the bit you look forward to most.
- A full day under sail through the Mamanucas
- Buffet lunch and drinks on board
- Swim and snorkel stops in the lagoon
Sunset cruise from €72 Fiji: Sabre Sunset Cruise with BBQ Dinner & Drinks
A short evening sail from Port Denarau towards the Mamanucas as the sun goes down, with a barbecue buffet and drinks on a 78-foot sailing catamaran. It fits neatly on the evening you arrive or the night before a ferry.
- Sunset sail on a 78-foot sailing catamaran
- BBQ buffet dinner
- Drinks included
Scenic flight from €330 Nadi: 25-Minute Mamanuca Islands Scenic Flight
The reefs of the Mamanucas are at their most spectacular from above. This 25-minute flight from Nadi covers the lower islands; it is expensive for its length, so read recent reviews before booking.
- See the lower Mamanuca Islands from the air
- Coral reefs, sandbanks and resort islands below
- A short flight that fits any itinerary
