IMAGINE relaxing at the edge of a rainforest surrounding in the urban centre with a peaceful environment.
By fully embracing ecotourism principles fully into a business, the potential to create a unique tourism experience using the natural resources of the local area is endless.
With a relaxed atmosphere, the rebranded Colo-i-Suva Rainforest Eco Resort is the perfect getaway for a rainforest retreat for tourists and locals.
Located along Princess Rd in Suva, the resort is proud of its ecotourism efforts in the country.
The resort, under new management, plans to conserve the undisturbed natural area and improve the wellbeing of biodiversity in the surrounding areas.
Visitors will enjoy their stay in homely bure with Fijian settings or take a moment to admire the natural landscape from the comfort of their own veranda overlooking the resort’s lake.
It also offers two-storey poolside studio apartments or budget accommodations with shared facilities.
The resort is ideally situated for seeing Fiji’s unique endemic birds, which are found within a few kilometres from the resort.
History
The site was a quarry used from the 1950s to the 1970s as a source of rock for road building.
Quarrying operations were prematurely and permanently halted when freshwater springs were encountered, and the site quickly filled with water to a depth of 110 feet.
Among equipment workers who were unable to move to safety were two trucks and a bulldozer, which remained on the lake bed to this day. Participants in a specialist Fiji Navy training exercise conducted in the lake reported all three vehicles to be in excellent condition.
In 1994, the abandoned quarry was developed for use as a plant nursery and landscaping business. Four years later, the construction of Raintree Lodge started.
Colo-i-Suva Rainforest Eco Resort (formerly known as Raintree Lodge) was Fiji’s first purpose-built ecotourism resort and great care was taken by the previous owner to preserve the site’s natural beauty and ecosystems.
The timber buildings were carefully located so as not to disturb even large rocks and boulders and to give pleasant lake and forest views.
New management
The ecotourism resort celebrates one year under new management this month.
Resort owner Brian Riches said they had made a substantial investment in acquiring the resort a year ago.
“We have received tremendous support from the community and have built a loyal customer service focused team of employees, of whom we are very proud of, our venue is second to none, unique if Fiji in fact where we are stereotyped as sand and surf.
“Our rainforest setting is truly unique. If you live or work around Suva and need a breather from the bustling city life, the resort is a perfect getaway.”
The resort is renowned for its traditional Fijian architecture, glorious gardens that exude elegant, simplicity and create a sense of serene exclusivity matched by the convenience of being well connected to everything Fiji has to offer.
“This is a very nice place to be and it has a lot of potential. My wife discovered the place almost two years now and she was up here for coffee with a friend of hers and decided this is something we are looking to do in our retirement.
“We began our negotiation with the purchase of this new business and here we are.”
He said they rebranded from Raintree Lodge to Colo-i-Suva Rainforest Eco Resort to maintain its local identity.
“We’d like to blend and capitalise on what Colo-i-Suva has to offer. Raintree is actually an important species and we want to be local and truly Fijian.”
Location
The ecotourism resort is a 20-minute drive from the Capital City and Nausori International Airport.
Located opposite a police post and next to the Colo-i-Suva forest park and Forestry Department, the resort has come a long way since the 1950s.
Standing on remnants of an ancient volcanic plug, the site which the lodge stands on is known as Naulukaroa, which means the head of the clan.
Future development
“We have invested a lot of money into this resort and we have lot of things to do. We are doing it at a pace that is sustainable and making sure that whatever we do has a green tick.
“We have been investing in a lot of people with a lot of training.”
He said during the acquisition, a lot of workers remained with the resort while others decided to move on.
“We gave everybody an opportunity to grow and change with this. We concentrate on our customer service and hospitality.”
The resort will also introduce a new menu soon.
