Betham's Beach Cottages

Nananu-i-Ra is a small island off the Suncoast near Rakiraki — the northern coast of Viti Levu, a two-hour drive from Nadi along the Kings Road and a ten-minute boat crossing from Ellington Wharf to the island. It is one of the few islands directly accessible from Viti Levu’s main island without a domestic flight or a long ferry journey, and its position catches the southeast trades that give the windward side of the island some of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions in the South Pacific. Betham’s Beach Cottages has been on the island for more than thirty years — long enough to have accumulated the repeat visitors who return specifically for what the place offers, long enough to have watched other properties come and go on the island, and long enough to have refined the offer to the specific version that works for the guests who suit Nananu-i-Ra. What Betham’s offers is not the managed resort experience but the specific alternative to it: self-catering cottages on the beach, kayaks for exploring the surrounding reef, walks across the island to beaches and viewpoints that only a property with this much land and this much accumulated local knowledge can point guests toward, and the unhurried, genuinely peaceful island rhythm that starts the moment the boat from Ellington Wharf pulls away from the mainland.

Betham’s Beach Cottages is a family-owned self-catering island retreat on Nananu-i-Ra, reached by a ten-minute boat transfer from Ellington Wharf near Rakiraki — approximately two hours from Nadi along the Kings Road. Cottages are positioned directly on the beach, with fully equipped self-catering kitchens (gas stove, fridge/freezer), outdoor covered verandas, and the space between units that the property specifically maintains for privacy. Kayaks are available for reef exploration and beach paddling. Generator power runs from morning through to 10pm. Cold water showers. Snorkelling from the beach is excellent, particularly at mid to high tide. The Anchor Bar overlooks the Nakovadra Ranges. Walks to Sunset Point, the back beach, and the windward side of the island are among the property’s most frequently described highlights. Day trips to Oni Beach and Kontiki Island are available by boat.

Betham’s is explicit about its character in the property’s own description: if you enjoy peace and quiet, water sports, walks, swimming, and lazing on the beach, you are the right guest for Nananu-i-Ra. Generous space between cottages is maintained specifically to preserve privacy — a deliberate choice rather than an accident of layout. The cottages are larger and better-appointed for value than comparable island accommodation. And the thirty-plus years of operation behind the property means that what Betham’s provides has been tested and refined against the preferences of the guests who keep coming back.

The Cottages

The cottages at Betham’s are positioned directly on the beach — close enough that some of the beach-facing units are footsteps from the sand and the sea. Cottage 4 is the property’s most sought-after accommodation: positioned at the waterfront with a substantial covered outdoor area that provides shade throughout the day and into the evening, with outdoor seating and a dining table that make the veranda an extension of the living space rather than just a transitional area. Guests who book Cottage 4 consistently describe it as the reason to request a specific unit at the time of booking.

All cottages are self-catering — equipped with gas stoves, fridge/freezers, and the full complement of kitchen equipment for guests who want to cook for themselves. Packing your own food from Rakiraki or Nadi before the crossing is the recommended approach for independent guests; the island has no supermarket, and planning ahead ensures a comfortable and well-stocked stay. The fridge/freezers keep food cold overnight even when the generator is off; the kitchen equipment covers the full range of meal preparation.

The cottages have louvred windows and natural airflow supplemented by the sea breeze — the island’s position catches the trade winds effectively, and the nights are comfortable for most guests without air conditioning. Generator power runs from approximately 8:30am through to 10pm, covering the active hours of the day for lighting and charging and the early evening for fans and whatever electrical needs guests bring. The power schedule is part of the island rhythm rather than a limitation.

The property maintains generous separation between cottages — spacing that allows guests to feel that their particular stretch of beach and garden belongs to them during the stay, and that the presence of other guests is peripheral rather than adjacent. For couples and families who choose Betham’s specifically for the quiet and the privacy, this spacing is valued and maintained.

The property’s resident dogs — Cammo, a characterful animal who accompanies guests on beach walks and who swims with the children, and Tilly, the more selective greeter who operates as the unofficial meet-and-greet representative — are part of the daily life at Betham’s. Both make an impression on virtually every visitor.

Snorkelling, Kayaking & the Reef

The snorkelling from Betham’s beach is the standout water activity. The reef begins offshore from the property and extends along the waterfront and around the jetty; the best time to enter is at mid to high tide, when the clearance above the coral is sufficient for comfortable swimming without the risk of contact at low water. The fish populations and coral variety around the jetty and along the reef stretch are excellent — the kind of marine life density that a reef this far from the main tourist corridors maintains because it receives limited diving pressure.

The windward side of the island — a short walk across the island from the cottage-side beach — provides additional snorkelling and offers some of the best windsurfing and kitesurfing conditions in the South Pacific. The southeast trades that hit the windward coast produce the consistent wind and manageable swell that windsurfers and kite surfers seek, and the other resorts on the island can be contacted for equipment rental for guests who don’t bring their own.

Kayaks at Betham’s are available for guests to use from the beach. Paddling around the island, exploring the reef flat, and reaching sections of beach not accessible on foot are all practical with the kayaks. The reef flat in the calmer sections provides easy kayaking accessible to all fitness levels; the windward coast offers more exposed paddling for guests who want it.

The other resorts on Nananu-i-Ra can accommodate guests for diving, organised water sports, and additional dining if guests want variety — the island is small enough that walking between properties is easy, and Betham’s guests use the range of facilities across the island as part of the stay.

Walks and Viewpoints

The walks available from Betham’s are one of the defining features of a stay on Nananu-i-Ra, and what differentiates the island from the more manicured resort environments elsewhere in Fiji. The island’s topography — forested ridges, varied coastline, the contrast between the calm leeward side and the windward coast — produces a set of walking options that can fill days of different lengths:

Back beach — A ten-minute walk across the island to the windward coast, which offers a completely different character from the calm leeward beach in front of the cottages. The contrast between the two coasts — one sheltered and gentle, the other open to the trades and considerably more dramatic — is one of the specific pleasures of an island that is large enough to have both.

Sunset Point — Twenty minutes from the cottages to the elevated point on the island’s western coast where the views over the surrounding ocean and the setting sun produce what guests describe as breathtaking — the specific panorama that this part of the island’s topography, at this time of day, delivers without any competition from resort infrastructure or development.

Ridge walks — Three to four hour hikes over the island’s ridgeline to beaches on different sections of the coast. These are longer and more demanding than the shorter walks, and they reward the effort with the isolation and scenery that only reaching distant, quiet beaches on foot produces. The variety of terrain and the succession of viewpoints along the ridge make the full circuit one of the more satisfying half-day outdoor experiences available on any island in the Suncoast group.

Day Trips: Oni Beach and Kontiki Island

Two boat-based day trips from Betham’s are specifically recommended for guests who want to extend beyond the island itself:

Oni Beach — At the far end of Nananu-i-Ra, accessible by boat, Oni Beach is one of the most perfect strips of white sand in the area — a palm-edged, quiet beach with excellent snorkelling offshore and the kind of genuinely secluded atmosphere that a beach accessible only by boat maintains. Day trips to Oni Beach, arranged through the property’s boat operations, make it a practical excursion for guests who want to explore beyond Betham’s immediate vicinity.

Kontiki Island — A nearby small island accessible by short boat ride, captained by Sikeli, for a picnic and snorkelling excursion. The island provides a change of scene from Nananu-i-Ra and the snorkelling over the surrounding reef adds another site to the marine life observations available from the island’s location.

The Anchor Bar

The Anchor Bar at Betham’s provides the social space for the evening hours — a bar with cold beer, a wine and spirits list, and the view over the Nakovadra Ranges and the surrounding water that the island’s position commands. The Anchor Bar’s outlook — looking back across the water toward the ranges and the Suncoast — provides the evening setting that the property’s outdoor character naturally produces. The bar is the place where the day’s activities are compared, the reef encounters and ridge walk stories are told, and the Nananu-i-Ra evening settles into its natural pace.

The bar also serves meals and restaurant-style food for guests who prefer not to self-cater. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner options are available at the Anchor Bar for guests who want to eat out rather than cook — the self-catering model and the bar restaurant work in tandem to give guests flexibility across the day.

Getting to Nananu-i-Ra

Rakiraki, on Viti Levu’s north coast, is approximately two hours from Nadi International Airport along the Kings Road. The Kings Road — unlike the more heavily travelled Queens Road along the southern coast — passes through the agricultural interior of Viti Levu, through rice paddies and sugarcane fields and the Suncoast’s quieter coastal landscape. Ellington Wharf near Rakiraki is the departure point for the island boat transfer.

The ten-minute crossing from Ellington Wharf delivers guests to the island jetty. The property arranges boat transfers and can advise on taxi connections from Rakiraki for guests arriving by public transport or hire car. Guests who want to arrive well-stocked for self-catering should plan their food shopping at Rakiraki town or in Nadi before the crossing.

Final Thoughts

Betham’s Beach Cottages on Nananu-i-Ra works for a specific and well-defined type of guest: the one who has decided that what they want from a Fiji island stay is beach access, good snorkelling, a kayak, walks to viewpoints that aren’t on any resort map, the ability to cook their own breakfast on the veranda while watching the morning light on the water, and an evening at a bar with a view of the Nakovadra Ranges and a cold beer. The thirty-plus years of repeat visitors reflect the consistency with which Betham’s delivers exactly this.

The island itself — the winds, the reef, the ridge walks, the contrast between the two coasts — is a significant part of what guests come for. Betham’s is the property from which it is most conveniently accessed. For the Suncoast traveller who wants an island that is genuinely there rather than constructed for tourism, Nananu-i-Ra is the answer, and Betham’s has been its most enduring address.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Betham’s Beach Cottages located?

On Nananu-i-Ra Island, off the Suncoast near Rakiraki, northern Viti Levu. The island is reached by a ten-minute boat transfer from Ellington Wharf near Rakiraki, approximately two hours from Nadi International Airport along the Kings Road.

Are the cottages self-catering?

Yes — the cottages have fully equipped kitchens with gas stoves, fridge/freezers, and all the cookware and kitchenware needed for independent meal preparation. Guests are advised to bring food supplies from Rakiraki or Nadi before crossing to the island. The Anchor Bar also serves meals for guests who prefer not to cook.

Is there electricity?

Generator power runs from approximately 8:30am to 10pm daily, covering the active hours and the early evening. The fridge/freezers maintain food overnight. After the generator switches off, fans go with it — the island’s trade winds typically keep evenings comfortable.

What is the snorkelling like?

Excellent — the reef off the beach in front of the cottages begins offshore from the jetty, with the best entry at mid to high tide. The fish populations and coral variety are reliably strong. The windward side of the island provides additional snorkelling, particularly when conditions suit. Day trips to Oni Beach add another snorkelling site.

What activities are available?

Kayaks for reef and beach paddling, snorkelling from the beach, walks to Sunset Point (20 minutes), the back beach (10 minutes), and the ridge for 3-4 hour hikes across the island. Day trips to Oni Beach and Kontiki Island are available by boat. The other resorts on the island offer diving and additional water sports equipment rental.

Is it suitable for families?

Yes — the beach proximity, kayaks, good swimming at mid to high tide, the walks (varying lengths), and the Oni Beach day trip suit families with children who are comfortable in a natural, self-catering island environment. The resident dogs, Cammo and Tilly, are a reliable highlight for children.

Does Betham’s have hot showers?

No — showers are cold water only. In the island’s tropical climate, most guests find this practical rather than uncomfortable.

By: Sarika Nand