Jane E. Fraser

Holiday nannies not just for the rich July 23, 2010

Who needs a kids’ club when you can have your own nanny for less than $35 a day?

The Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji resort says it has been knocked down in the rush since introducing a nanny service priced from about A$4.20 an hour. The original complement of six nannies was fully booked within 10 days of the service being introduced in April and the resort has been in recruiting mode ever since.

The service provides care for eight hours a day and parents can book four consecutive days for the princely sum of $A135. Children aged six months to two years are cared for on a one-on-one basis, while older children are two per nanny.

The resort’s general manager, Australian Peter Hopgood, says he expected the service to be popular but the demand has been “incredible”. Hopgood says the ‘meimeis’, or nannies, introduce children to the Fijian culture, through traditional arts and crafts, fishing and basic language lessons, while parents get the chance to have some time out by the pool or in the spa.

And for those who prefer a traditional kids’ club style of care… the resort has two of those, too!

This article is an excerpt from Jane E. Fraser’s weekly travel column in The Sun Herald, Sydney