By Samantha Magick
Maria Ronna Luna Pastorizo-Sekiguchi has a big, infectious and frequent laugh. As the founder of Greenhouse Coworking and a respected member of Fiji’s entrepreneurial community, she is well known as an innovator and cheerleader for fellow start-ups. And it is this warmth, enthusiasm and energy that makes her and her husband Richard such excellent hosts, and ‘Vale ni Vula’, such a sanctuary.
Located in a quiet pocket of Pacific Harbour, the property sits at the rear of her family home.
Ronna describes Vale ni Vula as a place of connection and separation, connected by the sense of peace and welcome she seeks to create, and separated physically by the pool between the homes, providing privacy when it is needed.
“We wanted to replicate what we saw our family experiencing,” says Ronna, of the warm and welcoming space. “We wanted it to be peaceful and a kind of retreat, a place to think.”
Ronna says on first moving to the area, she and her husband felt like they were taking a ‘long weekend’ on their commute home from Suva. “It’s such a great feeling, when you come home like that, [you] exhale at one point … that that mental shift really does happen.”
Guests to Vale ni Vula have included overseas visitors to Fiji, groups of friends, families visiting relatives in Suva and Pacific Harbour, and people simply looking for a break from the capital. Ronna has partnered with local businesses who offer her guests discounts on a wide range of experiences in Fiji’s adventure capital, from river tubing to Rivers Fiji’s canoeing trips to shark dives. But she says Vale ni Vula is not just for adventurous travellers, it also caters for those looking for peace.
The home has a personal, welcoming feel without falling into beach-decor cliches. There are distinctly contemporary Fijian touches such as cushions with prints from Rise Beyond the Reef and Penelope Casey’s playful ‘Tui’s gang’ range, masi flowers and woven mats, and a hand-painted mandala by a local artist, alongside objects and furnishings from further afield.
There’s also lots of signage to help guests find and operate amenities around the home.
“I’m not an interior designer, but I think as a graphic designer I have this very particular sense that I want for this space. I always look at it from a user experience point of view,” Ronna says. “I’ve never liked a very sterile looking place. That’s why there’s so much wood in there, because it creates warmth and a sense of peace, and it makes people feel safe.
“I want them [guests] to feel like they can let down their hair, they can put their feet up, go to the back [patio] and take a deep breath.”
Guests to Vale ni Vula have access to two outdoor spaces, a lovely sliver of a pool, three bedrooms, a loft study/tv room/hang out space, and downstairs lounge room. In time, Ronna and her family hope to also offer a yoga space and guides, charging for electric cars, a kitchen garden, and more.
“I wanted to bring a bit of healing to the space. That’s important to me. I wanted to be close to the beach because it heals us, the sound of water.
Ronna believes there is ample space for similar accommodation across Fiji to supplement the offerings of more traditional hotels and resorts. She suggests a mapping exercise could help the broader tourism industry understand what’s available in the bnb sector, what interesting experiences they might offer, and how they might tap into global and growing markets such as ‘sister circles’, families taking gap years, and digital nomads, in the same way that Bali and other destinations are doing.
For now, whether you are travelling with your ‘sisters’, your families, or just looking for a quick weekend getaway, Vale ni Vula and its hosts provide a wonderfully relaxing and comfortable experience.