Turtle Island - City of Fiji

Turtle Island's Owner and Managing Director, Richard Evanson, was an entrepreneur on the fast track to success. He earned an Engineering degree, went on to study at Harvard Business School, and made his fortune in cable television. By 1972, he was burnt out and found a welcome escape in the Fiji Islands. Richard purchased Nanuya Levu, a 500-acre barren, uninhabited island in the Yasawa Islands where he arrived with little more than a generator, refrigerator, and tent.

The island had been completely overrun by wild goats, and Richard made it his life work to rejuvenate the land and build himself a new home. In order to reverse the damage inflicted by the wild goats, Richard employed a team of local villagers to plant hundreds and thousands of trees. Richard then renamed his property “Turtle Island.”

In the late 1970s, film producers who had searched the world for the perfect location to remake “The Blue Lagoon,” starring Brooke Shields, approached Richard to use his island. When the project finished filming, Richard realized how much he enjoyed having people on the island who appreciated its beauty as much as he did, so he decided to open the property to guests

Rich in culture, Turtle Island and its surrounding islands have resisted over-development. There are no towering high-rises or tennis courts. No airfields or shopping malls. No televisions or billboards. Just unspoiled natural beauty and the gentle rhythm of the tides. After a few days, most guests realize the real pleasures here go beyond what the eye can see.