The Real Life 'Love Island': Inside Fiji’s Dreamiest Private Island Escape

If you’ve ever watched Love Island and thought you could happily do without the drama but wouldn’t mind the villa, beaches and ridiculously blue water, this could be the holiday for you.

Hidden away in Fiji, in the beautiful islands that have become synonymous with Love Island USA, VOMO Island is the grown-up version of the fantasy – a private island resort where you can disappear for a week, live barefoot and pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist.

And those beaches aren’t just Instagram-pretty. VOMO’s East Beach was just named No. 5 in the world in the World’s 50 Best Beaches for 2026, putting this little Fijian island alongside some of the most spectacular stretches of sand on the planet.

Once you see it, you understand why. White sand, ridiculously clear turquoise water and coral gardens just offshore – with none of the crowds you’d normally expect to find on one of the world’s best beaches.

The rest of the island isn’t too shabby either.

Set across 255 acres, VOMO recently emerged from a refurbishment with refreshed two-bedroom villas and the new Vuda Bar & Restaurant. There are just 29 villas on the island and no day visitors, so even when the resort is full, it doesn’t exactly feel crowded.

Days can be as lazy or active as you want – snorkelling, diving, paddleboarding, hiking, yoga and spa treatments are all on offer. Or you can simply find a quiet stretch of that award-winning beach and stay there.

There is even another tiny island, VOMO Lailai, exclusively for resort guests. Head across and you’ve basically got your own deserted island for the afternoon. Romantic? Very.

But VOMO isn’t just somewhere to escape à deux. It’s also a clever option for anyone facing that familiar Thanksgiving question: how do you get several generations of a family together without everyone driving each other mad by day two?

Swap the crowded house, cooking and Thanksgiving logistics for Fiji and suddenly a big family gathering sounds rather more appealing.

VOMO works particularly well for multigenerational trips because nobody has to have exactly the same holiday. Grandparents can retreat to the spa or beach, teenagers can snorkel, paddleboard or explore the island and parents can steal a few precious hours to themselves. Then everyone comes back together for dinner, sunset drinks and evenings under the stars.

Families with younger children have VOMO’s complimentary Kids’ Village, where the emphasis is on getting kids outside and enjoying island life rather than keeping them entertained by a screen.

And parents travelling with a baby aren’t forgotten either. VOMO’s Baby Butler service might just be the most appealing luxury of all, offering an extra helping hand so parents can actually enjoy some downtime too.

Because let’s face it: taking a baby on vacation can sometimes feel suspiciously like doing exactly what you do at home, only several thousand miles away.

With larger villas giving families room to spread out, no day visitors and 255 acres of island, three generations can holiday together without having to spend every waking minute together. Which might just be the secret to a genuinely happy family Thanksgiving.

Food is another big part of life here. The newly opened Vuda Bar & Restaurant has added a fresh dining spot to the island, while VOMO has been building its reputation around special culinary experiences rather than the standard resort buffet.

For couples, there are plenty of opportunities to disappear too – from private dinners and sunset drinks to simply leaving the phone behind and spending the afternoon swimming, walking or doing absolutely nothing.

And perhaps that’s the real luxury here.

There are no day visitors and no crowds coming and going. You wake up, throw on a swimsuit, wander down to breakfast and decide whether the day’s big decision is going to be snorkelling or another hour on one of the world’s best beaches.

Even getting there feels suitably glamorous. From Nadi International Airport it’s around 15 minutes by helicopter or approximately 40 minutes by boat.

So no, we can’t guarantee a bombshell arrival, a firepit recoupling or that you’ll come home with a new boyfriend.

But a private Fijian island, the No. 5 beach in the world, your own villa and a Thanksgiving where nobody has to do the dishes?

We’ll take that version of Love Island any day.