Suggestions for Fiji

[Andrew]

My wife and I have managed to obtain a couple of air tickets to Fiji in the spring. We are in the process of trying to sort out where to spend the two weeks we will have there. We were thinking about splitting the trip to hit at least two areas. Anybody have favorites/suggestions?

[Aussie]

Originally Posted by Andrew

My wife and I have managed to obtain a couple of air tickets to Fiji in the spring. We are in the process of trying to sort out where to spend the two weeks we will have there. We were thinking about splitting the trip to hit at least two areas. Anybody have favorites/suggestions?

My Favourite spot is an island call Taveuni. Its a short flight North East from the main HUB of Nadi.

I stayed at the Garden Island Resort while I was there and highly recommend it. I stayed in a dorm room but basically got the whole room to myself. Food was great with Lobster on the menu most nights and not bad for $20. Next door there is a local cafe and I ate there for lunch as it was very very cheap and good.
Accomodation was cheap and the service high. Well high for Australian standards. If your after a quiet get away or Honeymoon I would recommend it for sure.

The resort has their own dive shop and the service by the local staff is great.Diving is awesome as its in the middle of the world famous rainbow reef. Blue clear warm water heaps of things to see.

www.gardenislandresort.com


Another place to keep in mind is the shark feed at Beqa lagoon. Where they hand feed Tiger sharks. Thats if your into that kind of thing. Bega lagoon is on the southern side of the main island. I didnt get the chance to go there as they had bad weather and floods (one in hundred year flood)

I flew to Kadavu which is an island to the south. Its remote and it isnt 5 star (1 star) but the diving is also awesome. I could only get a couple of dives in until they had really bad weather.

Most of the 5 star resorts are near Nadi and the Mamanuca islands to the east of Nadi. I dived some of the Mamanuca islands but I didnt like the service provided by the dive company I used, this spoiled the dives that I had there. They only dived areas which would be suitable for inexperienced divers and they treated everyone as inexperienced. This might be different if another company were used.


But if you had a choice of two places I would pick Taveuni and one for sure and maybe a nice resort in the Mamanuca's. Also another option is to Sail up through the Mamanuca's and Yasawa island group. I have been told it is awesome and a must do.

Something to think about.

Aussie

[Aussie]

Also Fiji is only about 3 hour flight away from Australia!

Aussie

[Andrew]

Aussie, thank you for the information. The unfortunate part of our trip is that we are looking at a bit more than a 3 hour flight. We have a small picture of Taveuni via the film "Reel Paradise". It gives you a glimpse at the island's culture. We will certainly put it high on the list.

[Texas Girl]

I second the recommendation for the Garden Isle Resort. We had a wonderful stay there on our way back from Australia, very friendly people and amazing diving.

[carohard]

Fiji is amazing. There are several nice resorts in the Mamanuca group. Probably the best place to start is to decide what you're after. Do you want quiet and secluded or do you want a busier, partying island? Also, what budget you have makes a big difference. We've been to Treasure Island (family oriented), Beachcomber (party), Malalo, and Musket Cove (both bigger resorts). Anyone can come to these islands for the day.

We found a smaller, private (no one can come there if they're not staying there) island that we love. It's pretty small and somewhat pricey. But a secluded beach all to ourselves with amazing snorkeling right off the beach is what we're after. Also, the local dive shop will come pick you for any dives.

Transfers is another thing to pay attention to. Some resorts will pick you up and take you via boat or helicopter to the island. Others, it's up to you to get there.

Hope this helps.

[vimalp]

Fiji is a really good dive vacation destination.
My vote is for Beqa Lagoon Resort. Small, intimate luxury resort and great diving.