PARADISE FOUND

During a stay at the luxurious Kokomo Private Island in Fiji, JOANNA HUNKIN discovers a whole new world of relaxation – and the cleansing power of noni fruit.

- JOANNA HUNKIN

I have discovered a new state of being. It sits somewhere between deep relaxation and full catatonia. I’ve decided to call it obscene relaxation. It’s a state I enter repeatedly during my time on Kokomo Private Island, a resort found 45 minutes’ flight south-east of Nadi. Even thinking about it now slows my breathing and warms my skin, a phantom sun beaming down.

I first enter this curious state while swinging in my oceanfront hammock, strung between two perfectly angled coconut trees, as a light sea breeze gently rocks me like an infant. It strikes again as I float in my private infinity pool overlooking that same hammock and the shallow, azure water of the island’s beautiful eastern shore.

It comes as no surprise that within hours of arriving in this tropical oasis and discovering this new state of calm, I immediately fall ill, finally succumbing to whatever lurgy had wiped out half our office earlier in the week. Typically, such a malady would spell the end of any holiday fun. But not at Kokomo.

My first stop is to see the island’s naturopath, Kim Campbell, who devises a custom menu of natural remedies to speed my recovery, all sourced from the island’s farm and native bush. Pineapple and ginger juice is the most palatable of the panaceas, while a herbal tea made from dried papaya leaf has to be forced down with several teaspoons of honey. Anything that unsavoury must surely be good for you, and when I wake up the following morning, I’m stunned to find I’m almost completely recovered.