Black Marlin Bar - at Shangri-La's Fijian Resort & Spa

Fiji

This resort was originally just referred to as "The Fijian", or technically, "The Fijian Yanuca Island Resort".

On June, 25, 1966 the formal laying of a foundation stone for the first 36 of the 108 lagoon wing rooms was officiated by Sir Derek Jakeway, the last Governor of Fiji before Independence.

It was built in 18 months at a cost of F$1.7 million.

A year later on October 22, 1967 the resort was officially opened by Ratu George Cakobau, the Paramount Chief of the Kubuna Confederacy.

When opened, it had the 108 rooms, a pool, the Lagoon Restaurant, Golden Cowrie Restaurant, Black Marlin Bar, and about 130 staff. It's original logo symbol was a conch shell.

Eventually, the resort was sold in 1974 to Malaysian-Chinese business magnate Robert Kuok. Kuok had introduced a luxury hotel brand in 1971, named Shangri-La, after the fictional utopia in which inhabitants enjoy unheard-of longevity. Robert Kuok is a highly respected businessman in Asia - a legendary Chinese entrepreneur, commodities trader, hotelier and property mogul. Kuok's wealth is rooted in palm oil and shipping. At age 94 Kuok's personal wealth was $18.9 billion according to the Forbes’ 2018 The World’s Billionaires list. With the change in ownership, the resort came under the management of the Kuok owned Shangri-La International Group and the davui conch shell was replaced by the Shangri-La logo. Over the years Shangri La invested heavily in the resort

In 2017, the resort celebrated its 50th Birthday as the Golden Lady in the Fijian tourism industry.

The Resort has grown from 108 rooms to 442.

It is home to five restaurants, six bars, a spa, a nine hole golf course, three pools and most recent addition – Fiji’s largest inflatable water park – all combined, these facilities makes the resort, the largest single hotel in Fiji.

Of the six bars, The Black Marlin, has been here in one form or another since the very beginning and is the most iconic.

From their website:

"Every last detail of Black Marlin Tropical Bar has been carefully considered from the high ceilings featuring classic Fijian architecture and intricate local 'Masi' decorations to the colonial Caribbean feel of the private room. Whether you’re looking for a private corner to enjoy a rum-inspired cocktail or a vibrant tropical bar for a boogie, Black Marlin has it all. With over 100 rums on offer, including two varieties created exclusively for the resort, Yanuca Island small batch rum, take your pick from the many tiki classics."

Although The Black Marlin is wholly remodeled from what the original bar looked like (see photos below), they have attempted to give it a more classic tiki bar feel, including of course, several large carved tikis at the back of the bar, cocktails served in tiki mugs, and a huge emphasis on rum.

The Black Marlin is not to be confused with the sleeker, brightly lit, and more modern looking Golden Cowrie Lounge also on premises. Or the Bilo Bar, or the Beach Bar & Grill, or other poolside bars also on premises.