A popular resort located in Suva’s forest reserve at Colo-i-Suva has rebranded with a new logo and name.
Formerly known as the Raintree Lodge, the Rainforest Eco Lodge is now under new management and is now 100 per cent locally owned by a consortium of investors including Donny Yee, the Bentley Fisher Trust and CMHL.
In a media release issued by the new management yesterday, the resort’s new general manager Hiram Whippy said the Rainforest Eco Lodge now offered its guests 22 rooms, catering to all, from budget travelers to families who wanted self-contained bures or honeymooners wanting privacy in their natural rainforest environment.
Mr Whippy who has about 20 years of experience and expertise in management and operations roles across the hospitality industry in Fiji, said the lodge was Care Fiji Commitment (CFC)-certified, meaning that overseas travelers could spend their first three days in Fiji in the lodge’s COVID-safe environment.
The Rainforest Eco Lodge was originally built in 1999 as the Raintree Lodge by founder, Thomas Davis, as Fiji’s first ecotourism resort and is approximately 15kms from the Nausori airport and 9kms from Suva, built around a 100 ft-deep lake that was originally a quarry in the 1950s and 60s.
Mr Whippy said they had upgraded some of the bure and would work through other rooms over the coming months.
“We are also excited about the new restaurant that has opened on our premises, Batiniwai (Water’s Edge), a Pacific fusion restaurant on the edge of the rainforest overlooking the iconic Colo-i-Suva lake.
“Batiniwai now offers a range of breakfast, lunch and dinner options to our guests and customers, including live music on weekends, BBQ nights and a Jazz Sunday brunch.”
Mr Whippy said his team would work to maintain the original spirit of the lodge as an environmentally-centric and nature-loving business, while continuing to lift standards for local and international guests.
