How this thatched roof shack become one of Fiji’s most-loved family resorts

Decades before Tom Hanks became marooned in the tropical paradise of Fiji in the movie Castaway, another island, home to a resort of the same name, had already been making a reputation for itself.

Castaway Island Resort Fiji first opened on 6 July, 1966, on Qalito Island. At the time, straw-roofed shacks welcomed visitors for the bargain price of $18 a night.

The property was originally carved from the island’s foliage, with workers clearing scrub with bush knives to build the very first bures six decades ago.

It quietly opened with just four bures for fisherman to stay overnight, but that small step would go on to kick-start an entirely new kind of South Pacific escape.

In 1992 new owner Geoffrey Shaw took over the island’s transformation.

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Under his stewardship, Castaway Island became synonymous with authentic, barefoot island hospitality, a blueprint that has drawn guests back year after year.

The people who live and work on the island are known to all as the Castaway family and are the resort’s best asset, according to Geoff, who remained the island’s owner for 22 years.

“There are resorts with taller palm trees and better white-sand beaches in other parts of the world, but they don’t have the genuine warmth and hospitality of the Fijians,” Geoff told the Sydney Morning Herald.

These days, the family-friendly resort in the heart of the Mamanucas Islands has 65 bures, restaurants, and modern comforts. You cannot get stranded here à la Tom Hanks.

And this year, Castaway Island Resort Fiji is celebrating a milestone 60-year anniversary, becoming one of Fiji’s longest continually operating beachfront resorts.

Now under the OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels banner, the legacy continues with some of the resort’s hosts having worked there for more than 30 years.

And there are the guests who have made Castaway Island a family tradition across generations, such as the Costello family from Sydney.

Married couple Peter and Carlene Costello have returned to Castaway over 50 times.

They have three children: Kane, Shasha, and Jake – who began visiting the resort when Kane, the eldest, was around eight years old.

Today, all three children are married with families of their own, and the Costellos continue to visit annually, always bringing their children and grandchildren, some of whom have made their first trip at just three months old.

Over the years, they have become like family to many of the long-standing Castaway staff. 

“Apart from being a beautiful place, the people are just sensational, you know, friendly, they’re real, they don’t put on an act, they’re just lovely people. And they make us welcome,” Peter told FBC news.

Celebrating 60 Years

From 22-28 November 2026, Castaway Island, Fiji will celebrate its 60th Anniversary with a full week of events themed around 1960s vintage, a nod to the era in which the resort was born.

To mark the occasion the resort has launched a guest and host-driven storytelling campaign inviting generations of loyal guests to share their favourite memories and the hosts whose warmth has shaped the resort’s enduring spirit.

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“Castaway Island represents something rare in hospitality – more than a destination, it has allowed travellers to connect with each other and for generations of families to bond across six decades,” Steven Andrews, General Manager of Castaway Island, said.

“The loyalty of our guests and the dedication of our hosts are a testament to what happens when a destination is built on authenticity.

“It’s the reason why our returnees and multi-generational families continue to call Castaway Island ‘home’.”