Bula Fiji!

What did I expect before I arrived in Fiji? Well I guess a couple of small islands with palm fringed beaches, lots of coconuts and a place perfect for a few nights stopover on the way to Australasia. How wrong could I be?

The country is much larger than I had anticipated with some 1000 islands, only 333 of which are above water at high tide so we were warned not to buy land when the tide is out! The two main islands are an hour’s flight apart and then you have a myriad of smaller islands dotted about which are accessed by boat or seaplane.

Viti Levu is the largest island and has the international airport (Nadi), and Savusavu is the main town on the second island of Vanua Levu. Vanua Levu as we discovered is very unspoilt and very lush. We stayed two nights here in two quite different hotels: one a small guesthouse and one a more established beach resort both of which were really lovely. What did strike me is the natural beauty of the surroundings here and the jungle comes right down to meet the beaches. The diving and snorkelling like everywhere in Fiji is fabulous and this is where you would head to enjoy unspoilt natural beauty.

Back on Viti Levu, we took a private water taxi from the nearby Port Denerau out to the Mamanuca islands. If you are looking for a short stopover, you can either stay in one of the well-established international branded hotels around Port Denerau and I saw quite a few of them, or you can head out straightaway to this group of islands as they are just 30 minutes away by boat or seaplane. Like the Maldives, the islands are quite different in size, facilities and ambience and we saw quite a variety from the backpacker charm of Matamanoa, to the lovely, elegant five star Tokoriki, and the luxury hideaway resort of Tadrai with just five rooms. Mana Island resort is more suited to families, but one of my favourite hotels here was Likuliku which again is a five star hotel for couples and this is the only Fijian hotel with overwater bungalows. This group of islands really has hotels to suit anyone.

Back on Viti Levu, we enjoyed a fabulous drive along the scenic Coral Coast which has many large bays, interspersed with small villages and backed by hills and rainforests. You can see the reef from the road exposed in the shallows: this is the second largest reef in the world and offers spectacular diving. We then took a private boat for the one hour journey south to what was definitely my favourite hotel of the trip: Royal Davui. Everything about this hotel was perfect for couples. You can walk around the island in about ten minutes, it has a lovely beachfront pool and the villas are so private high up on the hill, each with a deck and plunge pool with the most amazing views. Apart from that the food and company were sublime here and I could have easily stayed for two months!

All routes seem to lead back to Nadi and nearby Port Denerau. We saw quite a few of the hotels here and you could easily make this area a main holiday as there are just so many activities on offer. The hotels are extremely different in style. The Intercontinental is awesome and immaculate with clean lines, fabulous service and one of the nicest main pool areas we saw BUT it isn’t particularly Fijian. At most hotels, we enjoyed the traditional welcome and goodbye songs which was a wonderful experience but not here: this has more of a corporate feel about it. The Sofitel is a good five star hotel but my vote probably goes to the Outrigger if you want everything laid on for you. This has a main building with very lovely rooms, and also if you want more of a traditional bure, they have those too in the grounds. In the evening the hotel comes to life with entertainment, and a wide variety of dining options, all set in thatched low rise buildings in the wonderful gardens. It has a real ambience and the food was excellent. I would go back to this hotel for a quality family holiday.

I have come back a complete and utter Fiji convert. Everything was just so different from what I expected. The scenery just took my breath away – I never expected it to be so varied and I loved our time in the north. Waking up in the guesthouse at 6am and watching the wildlife wake up from my deck overlooking the mangroves was just amazing. The beaches are pretty good and some are completely awesome. We motored out to a sand bar which only appears at low tide and had a Robinson Crusoe experience there for a few moments: honeymooners can book a champagne breakfast on these sand bars which is a wonderful experience.

The wildlife is everywhere: I found a couple of snakes on my doorstep one evening, and saw spiders the size of a clenched fist. Paddling in the shallows, we saw baby black tipped reef sharks, puffer fish, parrot fish and bright blue starfish. On the fruit tree by the pool at one hotel, we found the most amazing iridescent blue and green beetles all clustered together. Children would love this aspect of the country and whilst some hotels do not accept children, there are several family friendly ones which do.

The diving is world class and all hotels offer this. Most have spas as well and we enjoyed a fair few treatments along the way, all of which were fabulous.

We did fourteen hotels in seven nights, and apart from the four long international flights to get there, we also did four small domestic flights, thirteen boat trips and no less than sixteen road transfers, so a fair bit of travelling. Even after that, I would definitely recommend that any visitor to this amazing country does not spend all their time in one place. Get out and about and travel around and enjoy the variety that is Fiji. The people are just so welcoming, happy and lovely!

We travelled via Los Angeles and immigration was an awful experience. The best and quickest route would be via Hong Kong which would make for a fabulous contrast or via Seoul which is a bit cheaper. If you are staying for two weeks, stay in three different places, or for ten days split it across two. There is so much variety there and you can even include a short cruise!

It was an absolutely amazing experience and thank you to all the amazing Fijian people for making it possible.

I have my trip notes and itinerary if you wish to have a copy.