Wild beauty, splendid seclusion, cocooned by nature, your every wish fulfilled. In a hyper-paced, hyper-connected world, is a private island getaway the ideal coconut-enriched recipe for wellness? Storied may have found just the place…
There had been a storm, so it was later than he would have liked when Barry Walker last arrived at his family’s retreat on Vawa Island. It’s the last in the string of Fiji’s exquisite Yasawa Islands, that stud and skim along the gin-blue waters of the South Pacific Ocean. The boat he’d travelled in was buffeted by waves and rain and he was wet to the skin. But – as is the way out here – as suddenly as the storm came, it went, and the bruised purple sky broke open to reveal the sun, setting just at the moment his house appeared through the trees. A huge contemporary glass and steel structure, the lights were on, their reflection rippling on the water of the swimming pool.
“Arriving at dusk like that, honestly I had a tear in my eye,” he remembers. “It may as well have been a spaceship – there’s just nothing else out here. Even after all these years, I’m still so touched by what we’ve achieved. We broke the mould.”
Concrete, glass and geometric shapes softened by “lots of pillows” come together in the wild landscape of Vawa Island to create an escape of thoughtful design and laidback comfort. (Barry Walker)
Other people might buy a piece of land and build a traditional South Pacific type house, but not Barry. The co-founder of cannabis company Dub Bros bought a deserted forest-clad island on the edge of the world. “What little boy grows up not wanting their own Mosquito Coast?” he muses. “It sparked so many childhood dreams. We didn’t want that same white tile or ‘authentic’ thatched roof. The image we had was concrete, glass and soft wood. Lots of pillows. A place to just flop down on the couch and not care you have sand on your feet. So that’s what we built.”
As humble as he is visionary, that simple sentence belies the complexities of the project. The island – in three words from Barry: wild, magical, paradise – was pristine. So he needed to install 150,000 liters of freshwater storage, a sewerage system and power, which is currently being upgraded to solar. “A project this size? It’s insane. Totally cuckoo. Absolutely nutty. You can’t just go to Home Depot to pick up some tiles.”
Arriving at dusk like that, honestly I had a tear in my eye. It may as well have been a spaceship – there's just nothing else out here…
Everything had to be imported, each detail personally sourced. Pool tiles from Paris, doors from India, lamps from Syria, soft wood from Hungary. There are four perfectly crafted primary suites, with beautifully tiled outdoor showers. The tiles, of course, from Morocco. His wife, Shawna, is a designer and in a previous incarnation, Barry explains, he was an antique dealer.
“I love old things. The house is contemporary, but softened through the stories of the artefacts, furniture and tapestries collected from our travels.” A terracotta statue of Madame Du Barry (the last maîtresse-en-titre of King Louis XV of France) that decorated the garden of Versailles in 18th-century Paris now overlooks this tropical swimming pool.
Designed as a family home, everything speaks of the passions of the people who’ve lived here: in the hallway are 15 black-and-white photos taken by Barry in his early days in Fiji. “These are the people and villages that I know and love.”
The house took many years to complete. “That’s because it’s not just a house, it’s a kingdom,” says Barry. “My children, Quin, 20, and Belle, 14, grew up out here. Belle was five or six when we started building, and we’d pitch tents on the beach and have the most incredible experiences. Cooking over an open fire. Sheltering in the trees from lightning. Exploring the volcanic hillside looking for semi-precious rocks and stones. Hidden on the backside of the island is a huge lava field where, at low tide, the water recedes to reveal five giant pools filled with magnificent fish and lobsters, sea urchins and clams. It’s like snorkelling in your own private aquarium. There are just so many adventures to be had.”
At low tide, the water recedes to reveal five giant pools filled with magnificent fish and lobsters, sea urchins and clams. It’s like snorkelling in your own private aquarium.
In its true form this island is a place of serenity. Of wild abandon. A place to let your imagination take control. And if the dreams are possible, Barry will make them happen. “You can surf world-class breaks, snorkel lava tubes, be cast away on a spit of sand with a packed lunch and bottle of champagne.” And although it’s come a long way since the tent encampment on the beach, “wild” remains the USP. Starlink now enables the fastest Wi-Fi connection in the islands, but all it takes is the touch of a button for complete disconnection.
Under the sky, under the sun, under the stars. Architecture that fits into and reaches out to its natural setting. (Barry Walker)
Because the real gift of Vawa is the gift of space and time. The opportunity to connect with those you love. “These experiences – the sunsets and the sunrises and just laying on a beach and being absolutely alone with your family,” says Barry. “It’s hard to describe. I don’t know if it’s the wildness of the island, the remote location, or the beautiful Fijian people who make each stay such a joy. But we always come away feeling better.”
Until now, a stay at Vawa has been limited to the Walkers’ friends and family – the customary invite is a rusted cane knife with your name carved into the handle. But now Barry is opening his home to a few select guests. “These will be people who dare to dream,” he says. “Who want to be better. Experience more. Have life-affirming adventures. We can’t keep on keeping it to ourselves.”
You can surf world-class breaks, snorkel lava tubes, be cast away on a spit of sand with a packed lunch and bottle of champagne. We'll fly in world-renowned chefs. Top masseuses. Indian yoga gurus.
And as the former owner of a chain of luxury wellness sanctuaries in Los Angeles, he absolutely knows how to deliver: privacy and exclusivity are his watchwords. His attitude? Ask and if it can be done we’ll do it: “We’ll fly in world-renowned chefs. Top masseuses. Indian yoga gurus.”
But the feeling here is that wellness runs deeper. “Just stand here on the deck for a moment,” he implores. “Winds travel thousands of miles without touching anything, and then they just hit you as you stand there, moving through your body, filling you with life. And if you eat two coconuts a day, I promise you’ll feel better.”
Guests of Vawa Island can expect supreme privacy and the promise of every reasonable request endeavored to be met. “Ask, and if it can be done, we’ll do it.” (Barry Walker)
Despite its remote location, Vawa Island is easily reached from Nadi via a 20-minute helicopter ride or seaplane flight. The island offers the ultimate modern luxury – complete privacy – and now welcomes private short-stay rentals.
Main image: Being cast away on Vawa Island means total privacy, perfect solitude. (PPG/Forbes Global Properties)
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