Paradise Courses
A week’s workshop wrapped up in a holiday in Fiji
Daku Resort has been running Paradise Courses since 2004: wonderful weeks of holiday and learning, when people of like minds come together to explore and celebrate their passion – writing, painting, singing, yoga, textile art, quilting, birdwatching… Many of our guests have come back for a second and even third time, finding a unique bond with others during their week and revelling in the welcoming warmth of Daku Resort. It’s been beautifully captured by one of our guests at a singing week:
There was a wonderful feeling of returning to something special. When Raj stepped forward at the airport with the welcoming hug – it really was like coming home. Seeing the many friendly faces – some new, some ‘old’ – made us realize why we had looked forward to it for 12 months!
Michael Mason – Australia
Here’s a bit more detail:
What are they? Each course runs for a week. It offers a series of intensive workshops – usually in the morning – in a particular subject. There’s a full description of each course at www.paradisecourses.com – and here’s a list of what we have planned for 2012:
Art
- 17 – 24 March : Botanical Art and Holiday Sketching : Leonie Norton
- 12 -19 May : Drawing for Nourishment : Jenni Doherty
- 22 – 29 June : Sketching and Watercolour Painting : Malcolm Carver
- 1 – 8 September: Evoking the Elements – Seascapes and Landscapes : Elena Parashko
- 8 – 15 September : The Joy of Painting : Kerrie Lester
Beading and Quilting
- 2 – 9 June : Traditional Quilting : Lessa Siegele
- 9 – 16 June : Designing with Rulers : Chris Timmins
- 16 – 23 June : Beading : Annlee Butler
- 11 – 18 August : Light Up Your Landscape : Gloria Loughman
Bird Watching
- 13 – 20 June : Bird Watching : Phil Gregory
Music
- 19 – 27 May : Singing in Paradise : Rachel Hore
- 21 – 28 July : Gospel Acappella : Tony Backhouse
Diving and Snorkeling
- 7 – 14 January : Snorkeling : Fiji Below the Water
- 21 – 28 April : Snorkeling : Fiji Below the Water
- 9 – 16 June : Marine Photography
- 9 – 16 June : Snorkeling : Fiji Below the Water
- 22 – 29 September : Snorkeling : Fiji Below the Water
Writing
- 10 -17 March : Breakthrough Writing : Jan Cornall
- 28 July – 4 August : Truly, Madly, Deeply : Margo Lanagan
- 18 – 25 August : A Dream with a Pen in its Hand : Mark Tredinnick
- 15 – 22 September : Life Stories – From Experience to Memoir : Beth Yahp
- 22 – 29 September : Manuscript Mentoring : Rosie Scott
- 13 – 20 October : The Joy of Writing – A Romantic Retreat : Valerie Parv
- 20 – 27 October : The Joy of Writing – A Romantic Retreat : Judy Krupp
Yoga
- 14 – 21 January : Hatha Yoga – Free the Body, Free the Mind : Michelle Jayne
- 12 – 19 May : Wonder in Yoga : Mark O’Brien
- 29 July – 4 August : Holiday for the Heart : Donna Gianniotis
- 4 – 11 August : Iyengar for Peace and Strenth : Simon Marrocco
- 18 – 25 August : The Power of Peace : Lotus Jade
- 25 August – 1 September : Nia – Journey into Joy : Sophie Marsh
- 1 – 8 September : SomaChi Yoga – Feast, Chant, Live : Lianne Metcalf
- 15 – 22 September : Hatha Yoga: Free the Body, Free the Mind : Michelle Jayne
- 20 – 27 October: The art and science of the yoga practice: Therapeutic yoga: Judy Krupp
- 25 November – 2 December: Open Source Yoga: Dynamic Hatha : Dan Clement
How are they structured? Most of the courses have morning workshops, and in the afternoons we have a mixture of local excursions, time for getting on with your subject, or free time for just relaxing by the pool and reading a book. In the evenings we come together for dinner and, depending on the course, there might be more discussion or exchanging ideas – and when there’s a singing course, there’ll nearly always be some informal singing.
Who are the teachers? The teachers are highly experienced in their own field; most come from Australia or New Zealand – although in the case of birdwatching we have local teachers who are familiar with Fijian bird life. Have a look at their profile on each course page at Paradise Courses.
What’s the itinerary? Most courses run for 7 nights and 8 days; the first and last day is for travel, and the six days in between are for the course.
Who goes? We get a huge mixture of people and all are welcome. Broadly speaking, we get people in the over 40 age group; some are married and some single; some bring their partners and some don’t; some come with a friend – and plenty come alone.
What’s the cost? The courses vary in cost: please check the webapge.
How can I book? You can fill out an enquiry form at www.paradisecourses.com and we’ll then contact you for the final booking. If you’d like to ask some questions first, you can email paradisecourses@iinet.net.au or call:
Australia (+61) Sydney (02) 8094 1613
The 2012 courses can be seen at Paradise Courses.










