Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Fiji / Laucala Island / LAUCALA
LAUCALA
Laucala Island, Fiji · Independent · Apex Luxury
Malcolm Forbes bought Laucala in 1972 from an Australian trading company for $1 million — a record sum in the South Pacific at the time — and was buried there after his death in 1990. In 2003, Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz purchased it from the Forbes family for $10 million, transforming the former copra plantation into one of the world's most expensive private-island resorts: 25 individually themed villas on 3,500 acres, an 18-hole course by Bandon Dunes designer David McLay Kidd, and rates reaching $45,000 per night for the Hilltop Estate.
- 25 rooms
- Opened 2008
About LAUCALA
- Forbes's gravestone on the island reads "When Alive, He Lived."
- Mateschitz reportedly insisted minimal trees be felled during the golf course's construction.
- The resort's 3,500 acres host just 25 individually themed villas, making it one of the lowest density ratios of any large private-island resort in the world; the golf course is played fewer than 200 times per year.
- The island runs at approximately 85 percent self-sufficiency, with a 100-hectare farm producing beef, pork, and poultry, three hydroponic greenhouses, and one of the largest off-grid solar installations in the Southern Hemisphere.
- The island now books as LAUCALA on laucala.com: 25 pool villas, a personal host, inclusive dining and most activities, and AIR LAUCALA or private-jet arrival. There is no COMO branding on the current operator page.
History
Laucala Island in Fiji was a coconut plantation that Malcolm Forbes bought in 1972; after his estate sold it, Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz acquired the island in 2003 and spent five years building an ultra-exclusive private-island resort. It opened in 2008 with 25 villas across some 3,500 acres, complete with its own farm, golf course and even a submarine.
The island now trades as LAUCALA on the operator site, with 25 pool villas, inclusive dining and most activities, and private air arrival. A former COMO management name is historical.
Experiences
- Reef — Reef activities among the on-island options, as part of days shaped by nature rather than schedules.
- Farm to table dining — Farm to table dining without formality, following the day and moving with the island, with barefoot beach ease and candlelit evenings.
- Wellness — Wellness offered as part of days shaped by nature rather than schedules.
- Golf — Golf available on the island.
- Horses — Horse riding available on the island.
- Trails — Trails available for guests to explore the island.
Amenities
- private beach
- beach
- spa
- water sports
- golf
Awards
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- Oceania's Leading Beach Resort 2025 (World Travel Awards) (2025)
Open LAUCALA in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.