Fiji - Grand Pacific Hotel

"The construction of a magnificent building in Suva, such as the Grand Pacific Hotel will be, is a good augury for the future of Suva as a tourist resort ... when finished the hotel will be in every way a model of luxury and comfort and should compare favourably with such buildings as the Galle Face Hotel and the Grand Oriental of Colombo."

Extract Fiji Times, 24th August 1912

That grand "old lady" of Suva, Fiji, the Grand Pacific Hotel, had provided accommodation for many years for travellers who appreciated the fine service offered. Sadly, this once grand hotel has now become a vacant derelict building. In this respect, it is most pleasing to hear that the Grand Pacific Hotel has now been handed back to the Fiji government with the aim of restoring her to her former glory! What follows is a nostalgic trip down memory lane to have a look at some images of this grand "old lady"! I do hope that you enjoy this journey back in time.

The following was kindly provided by Francis H. Clifton:

James A Michener's description of the Grand Pacific Hotel in his book

"THE WORLD IS MY HOME" (1992) Pgs. 28-29.

"And then came the target of my trip I would ever make to Fiji: one of the memorable hotels of the world, not majestic and not particularly spacious, but a haven to all who crossed the Pacific on tourist ships or who now came by airplane. It was the Grand Pacific Hotel, famed G.P.H of the travel books, a big squarish building of several floors, with a huge central dining area filled with small tables, each meticulously fitted with fine silver and china, bud vases, and a facing porch leading out to the lawn that went down to the sea. It was grand, and it certainly was pacific, and the barefoot Indians who served the meals had a grace that few hotels in the world could offer and none surpass."

I agree one hundred per cent. Along with other members of Navy Patrol Squadron VP-23, I spent two nights in the G.P.H in January 1944 waiting for a typhoon to clear the area. Room rent was one pound per day.

Francis H. Clifton

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