The Scenic Resort Matavai Niue sits on a cliff edge on the island's southwest coast.
The Scenic Resort Matavai Niue sits on a cliff edge on the island's southwest coast.
Julia Gessler checks into Niue’s only resort, a clifftop vacation spot secluded between the palms.
Location: Tapeu-Porritt Rd, Tamakautoga, on the southwest coast of one of the world’s largest coral atolls.
Getting there: The resort offers free transfers from Niue’s Hanan International Airport (the only airport), a 10-minute drive.
Scenic Matavai Resort Niue sits on the southwest coast of one of the world’s largest coral atolls.
Style: This is a resort that hugs a cliff face and almost everything is calibrated to maximise those ocean views. The main terrace is long and expansive, like it’s being pulled and stretched, and towering palms dot its rugged, beautiful coast. It is lush but not White Lotus lush (crisp white balustrades, canopied day beds), a level of luxury that translates well for holidaymakers with kids and people who want something nice but not financially debilitating, fancy without feeling prohibitive.
Perfect for: Finding a comfortable place to base yourself on an adventurer’s paradise, and for seeing spinner dolphins, which frequent the waters below the terrace almost daily.
Poised on a cliff, the Scenic Matavai takes in sweeping views of the Pacific.
First impressions: When you arrive at Scenic Matavai, you move unwittingly and inexorably to the front of the deck. To the blue. It’s gorgeous, the sweep of ocean, like looking at something infinite. Music is playing, a welcome serenade, but you don’t really notice, not when you’ve been hit by a wall of something you’d see on a postcard.
Rooms: I’m in Room 38, one of the Deluxe Clifftop Rooms that comes with either a deck or a patio, and an uninterrupted view of the sea. It’s a tonic, being this close to the water; waves break, steady and unyielding, against the reef that can be accessed via a walkway a few metres away. They lull me to sleep on a super-king so enormous that I sidle a lumbar next to me, a comfort. I’m told that in whale season, from July to September, you can hear their singing through the darkness. This is all mercifully bolstered with air-conditioning and a fan (it’s always hot in Niue). There’s a small fridge, a Nespresso machine and fluffy slippers at your disposal.
A Superior Room, which includes a super-king bed and a patio or balcony.
Bathroom: The bathroom is roomy and slick, all tiles and rain shower heads. Its lotions and potions are from Earths Botanics, with notes of cucumber, mint and mānuka honey.
Food and drink: Buffets, by their nature, tend to prize volume and it’s no different at the Scenic Matavai. Guests are sure to find something they love among the slew of choices, from eggs to croissants. There’s also a pancake machine, a metal contraption on which you press a button and, by laws of baking and magic, a slim line of cooked batter pops out. A novelty for adults and children alike.
If you fancy mixing things up, Fana is a lovely corner cafe 10 minutes up the road. Have the “umu” focaccia, a hulking sandwich filled with ribbons of pulled pork and layers of taro and pawpaw, or the three-egg omelette.
The Scenic Matavai has two pools, one with a swim-up bar.
Facilties: Wi-Fi is free, and slow but dependable. There are two pools, one with a swim-up bar, which are often empty, owing to the generally low number of tourists; I complete laps in relative silence, the only person anywhere in the orbit of chlorine. Each morning, staff will leave a copy of the Matavai Messenger, a sort of daily news update replete with weather forecasts, tide times (important for when you want to explore the endless array of sea tracks on offer), activity highlights (coconut husking, hakupu weaving, live music) and island goings-on, snug in the frame of your room door. Laundry tokens are available from reception ($7 to wash, $7 to dry, $2 for powder), as are towels. Cats, several of them, vocal and friendly, prowl the main terrace, and will likely follow you to your room if you offer them a smidge of attention. The car park is sizeable, a necessity for an island that offers no public transport.
In the neighbourhood: A short pathway leads to watersports specialists Niue Blue, a neat shortcut you’ll want to use to discover the island’s diverse marine life by way of snorkelling or diving tours. Alternatively, hop in your rental car to several of the nearby villages, Tamakautoga or Avatele, the latter a great place to swim in crystalline water (the whole island is, really) or grab a burger at Washaway Cafe, which is open only on Sundays but has the unique advantage of running an honesty bar. Alofi, the capital, is a 15-minute drive away, where you’ll find most of the island’s dining outposts.
The Deluxe Clifftop Rooms have uninterrupted ocean views.
Family friendly: The rooms are big enough to accommodate kids, but if you want more space, self-service apartments are also available down the road, complete with multiple bedrooms or a pull-out sofa, communal barbecue area and private balconies.
Sustainability: The resort’s linen policy means sheets are changed every third night, and towels remain unchanged unless you leave them on the floor – an effort to reduce washing loads and tread more lightly on the planet.
Getting there: Air New Zealand operates non-stop flights from Auckland to Niue twice weekly on Tuesday and Saturday between April and October and one flight a week on Saturday during summer. The flight time is 3 hours and 30 minutes.
For more things to see and do in Niue, visit niueisland.com
Julia Gessler travelled to Niue courtesy of Air New Zealand and Niue Tourism.
