AUSTRALIA may have won The Ashes, but another of the cricket season's main events, the Castaway Island, Fiji Australia Day Beach Cricket Match, remains to be played.
Managed by Outrigger Resorts, Castaway Island, Fiji, is a pristine, private island resort in the heart of the Mamanuca Islands group. Its 70 hectares are covered in tropical rainforest fringed by white sand beaches and vibrant coral reefs.
January 26 will begin with free snorkelling lessons for children followed by the resort's answer to the Australian Open tennis competition.
Family beach games culminate in a tug-o-war while chefs prepare an Aussie-style barbecue lunch.
The keenly contested Australia Day Beach Cricket Match will be played mid-afternoon with hosts and guests vying for the honours.
Dinner will feature an Australia Day chef's special with a la carte dining at the Water's Edge or 1808 restaurants also available.
The day rounds off with a bonfire and trivia contest on the beach.
Castaway Island, Fiji's Share the Happiness Sale is offering five-night stays with rates from FJD$989 plus taxes per bure per night (about $780 inclusive) which includes all meals and either a family or aqua pass.
The family pass includes a beach dinner for two adults with a bottle of champagne, five hours of babysitting and inner reef snorkelling and hand-line fishing for two adults and two children.
Guests who choose the aqua pass receive two banana boat rides, two hand-line fishing experiences and two outer reef and night snorkelling expeditions.
The package can be booked up to March 31 for travel between January 20 and March 31, October 15-December 23, and in 2019 January 14-March 31.
The island is accessible from Nadi by a scheduled daily ferry service, private sea taxi, seaplane or helicopter.
