Before moving to Australia, when I heard people talk about Fiji as a holiday destination it conjured up images of the ideal honeymoon place. I imagined that it would be full of couples and out of reach for a long time. It was also always so far away from the UK, it wasn’t a place that I felt I could truly visit in the near future.
How wrong could I have been… especially now I’m living here in Sydney – it is the ultimate must see place – and only a 4-hour flight away and perfect for a cheeky getaway with your mates.
The girls and I all booked a long weekend trip to Fiji for one of our 30th birthday celebrations – four days, three nights, the Sheraton, Fiji Airlines for $790 each!
Whilst on our trip, we picked up a few insights and tips along the way to pull together the ultimate Fiji 101 Guide just for you.
One good tip is to stock up on duty free shopping at Sydney Airport the load up on alcohol, although bear in mind that there are restrictions in place – 3 litres spirits + wine.
Fiji is the place to unwind, relax and indulge in massages and beaches, boats, bars and scuba.
So here it is, in all its glory – the must do check off list when heading to the stunning place that is Fiji:
Bed & Board
Denarau Sheraton was our board for the trip and it is absolutely gorgeous. Denatau is a man made island /wet land about 25 minutes transfer from the airport.
The rooms are gorgeous and are set out like little villas, perfect if there’s a group of you – either a set of three couples per villa or six mates!
There are three pools to choose from in stunning locations to relax the day away.
Denaru consists of about 10 resorts all lined up. For a short break we were told that it made sense to stay close to the airport – however next time we’ll be sure to head to islands – the great thing – there’s 333 to choose from.
Morning walks along the resort strip are a must! You’ll get to peak in the other resorts too and check out any restaurants or bars you want to try.
Eating Out
On our first night we headed to check out Flying Fish at The Sheraton, great service, wine and ourfeet in the sand. It is on par with Sydney prices, but the food is incredible and the attention to detail is phenomenal. The kokoda in particular was out of this world and is amazing. It’s a local dish is fish cooked in lemon juice, coconut milk and chilli. Pronounced “ko-konda”
A stop down to the marina at Port Denerau is recommended. It’s a FJD $2 BULA bus ride or better FJD $7 ride via cab. This is the best option if you’re looking to stock up on supplies at a local supermarket to stack up in water, coconut water and Buja. Anything outside the resort is best priced.
Places to eat @ Marina:
If you want to try local Fijian curry go to Nadina’s. It’s water facing and has great Kokoda or a selection of really tasty curries.
Cardo’s Steak has a cool vibe at the marina too. Live band, outdoor, great steak and seafood platters! The mojitos are to die for!
LuLu offers the best sashimi platters, which are amazing. The cocktails are deadly but delicious – our perfec combination!
Activities:
Sailing
http://www.sailinfiji.com – Gipsea
An absolute must when visiting Fiji is booking a day charter with Gipsea Boat Tours – Gipsea is a 50 foot yacht. During 2012 and 2013 she underwent an extensive refit to take up to 25 passengers for day-trips or sunset cruises.
We were completely looked after by Luca (the Captain) and were in the company o a group of local sea plane pilots – which worked out really well as they were a great group of guys. We also had regular fly bus from the sea planes as it was one of the pilot’s birthday, which was just awesome!
While cruising in style, the attentive crew made sure that our needs were always fulfilled – we wanted for nothing and Luc was just a delight to deal with! At anchor, we were invited to chill on the Li-Los, the hammock, jump from the diving stations and snorkel some beautiful reefs. Some of us chose to take it as an opportunity to relax and or lay on the deck under the wide sunshades.
The day trip departs at 9:00am from Wailoaloa Beach. Transport can be arranged from your resort destination.
Once we were on board and familiarized with Gipsea, the fab team hoisted the sails and set the heading towards the Mamanuca group of islands.
For the next few hours, we experienced cruising over Fiji’s pristine blue waters. Fishing lines are always out for the catch of the day and we were offered fresh seasonal fruit platters, snacks and soft drinks.
Upon arrival to an immaculate sand bar we literally had to take a moment to enjoy the incredible scenery before heading out to enjoy the water and see the underwater sights. (The crew provide snorkeling gear and encourage you to discover the amazing underwater world.)
While you relax, the crew prepare a healthy lunch served on board. As they do not sell any alcohol on Gipsea, BYO is encouraged. They do provide ice and cold storage.
They sail back to wailoaloa with the trade winds later in the afternoon. Try your hands on the helm or just sit back, relax and enjoy another beautiful sunset as we reach Nadi Bay.
The boat is very comfortable and offers wide shaded areas, cushioned seating, toilets, outdoor showers, a nice galley and a good sound system. It is the perfect platform to celebrate birthday parties, engagement proposals, intimate weddings, corporate outings or just friends and family gatherings.
Couples looking to enjoy spending a few days cruising the Mamanucas getting wined and dined need look no further. Gipsea can comfortably sleep up to 6 passengers. They can organise BBQ at the famous Musket Island Bar, nights in front of Likuliku, Honeymoon Island, Mana Island, Cloud Break, Namotu etc…
WHAT TO BRING:
– Sunscreen, swimwear
– Towels, hat and sunnies
– Music (Ipod, phone …)
– BYO Beer, wine, liquor …
Scuba Diving:
Scuba Bula is based at the Seashell@Momi Resort located in Momi Bay. They are 40 minutes away from the Sheraton. They helped us to arrange our transport, they work with a company called ‘Selva Tours’.
Scuba Bula is owned by Adam and Carrie Hewitt and they have an excellent reputation and are good friends I highly recemmend. They are based at a resort called Seashell@Momi. It’s approximately 60 minutes drive from Nadi and offers great diving in the area of the Navula Passage which is the shipping entrance to the inner reef area of the Mamanucas. Big fish and can see all sorts of things up and down the outer reef on any given day.
Diving in Fiji is an experience not to be missed. Fiji has some of the most beautiful, untouched and diverse reef ecosystems on earth. I’m not even, joking we dove with three reef sharks and as we surfaced a pod of about 10 dolphins swam past us – incredible!
Whether you are a certified diver, want to learn to dive or simply want to experience Fiji’s natural beauty Scuba Bula can cater to your needs. Scuba Bula is a PADI 5 Star Dive Resort, SDI/TDI 5 Star Dive Centre and a DAN Training Facility and offers a range of courses from Open Water to Assistant Instructor and also offers a wide range of speciality and technical courses.
The nearest Dive Site is only 10 minutes away on one of the custom built dive boats.There are 23 dive sites – all with moorings, so no anchoring on the reef! There is a wide variety of dive sites for you to enjoy, including, wall dives, swim-throughs, caves, canyons, and picturesque reef dives.
Jacques Cousteau called Fiji the “soft coral capital of the world” but it is so much more. Fiji has over 390 coral species in a complex coral system housing over 1200 varieties of fish and a multitude of invertebrates. There are 7 known endemic species of fish in the Fijian waters and it’s also a spawning ground for the endangered humphead wrasse and the world’s largest parrot fish, the bumphead parrot fish.
5 of the world’s 7 species of marine turtle are to be found in Fiji’s waters and the warm waters are also important migratory routes for 12 species of whale. The ecoregion is also home to some other unique marine life, like an endemic seabird, the Fiji petrel. With deep drop-offs, canyons, walls, gullies, caves and wide passages with strong currents Fiji has something for every diver.
In June 2010 Scuba Bula became the only dive centre in the South Pacific to be partnered with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) SPPO. “Such enthusiasm and commitment to support biodiversity conservation is encouraging. WWF South Pacific acknowledges the spirit in which Scuba Bula conducts its business, in support of nature conservation and sustainable livelihoods” said Monifa Fiu, the GEF Project Coordinator for the WWF South Pacific Programme. That’s pretty fucking cool in our opinion!
You can check out more on the Facebook page: Scuba Bula’s Facebook page or look on the website – www.scubabula.com
Other scuba options:
1. Ra Divers is based at and owned by Voli Voli Resort. Good guys and nice big boat, but you do need to check if they have sufficient numbers to warrant their trip to Vatu-i-Ra Passage (about an hour trip time), otherwise they will take you to a closer reef system, which is nice but not as good as further out.
2. Wananavu Dive, owned by Wananavu Beach Resort. A very good operation and dive base facility. Got their own mini marina and good facilities. Again, need to check to make sure they got the numbers to head out to the further reefs.
Down on the Coral Coast towards Suva there’s another two operaions that are very good and offer excellent outer barrier reef diving:
2. Diveaway Fiji is owned by Gary and Catherine Griffin. Based at the Outrigger Resort they have an excellent reputation forproviding a complete diving experience. They have owned the business now for just over two years and have done a great job with improving it to being a top line operation.
THEN – there’s the two shark dive operations based at Pacific Harbour and diving with the Bul Sharks of the Beqa Lagoon. Both operators are first class and this is a must do experience for any diver visiting Fiji. Best to simply check out theor respective websites.
1. Aquatrek Fiji – Managed by Brandan Paige, who’s was the originator of the shark dive at Pacific Harbour.
2. Beqa Aventure Divers – Managed by one of the owners Mike Neuman. Another top class dive operation offering the Bull Shark dive experience – at a different reef to the Aquatrek operation, so each has a quality of its own and not a shared site experience.
Vanua Levu/Taveuni:
Up on the other major Islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni there’s a few good operators and while I haven’t as yet been up there, I’ve had very good feed back on the qualty of sites at Rainbow Reef, White Wall, reefs of Somo Somo Straights and around Taveuni.
1. Taveuni Dive are good for the Rainbow Reef area. Been around for a long time and have a good reputation as operators. Some sites such as White Wall are only dived a few days each month due to tide times and full moon etc (hairs growing on palms and stuff hey)
2. Korosun Dive, at SavuSavu – the resort isn’t far from SavuSavu township. This operator has also been around a long time and has good reputation in the industry. They do the Namena Marine Reserve dive sites which are supposedly fantastic sites. They also to the sites in Somo Somo Straight which I understand are slightly more suited for advanced diver level.
3. Jean-Michel Cousteau Diving, also based not far from SavuSavu. Got a great reputation and seems a good operation, but have heard that from time to time the dive team seems a bit jaded. Duncan can soon sort those kind of guys out though LOL. Worth investigating further regardless.
www.jeanmichelcousteaudiving.com
4. Namena Divers. Operate from SavuSavu port. Head out to the Marine Reserve each day. A new company and I don’t know much about them. Advantage is you can stay anywhere and not locked into a particular resort to dive with them.
Now for the day trip boat/yacht operations out of Port Denarau Marina:
1. Oolala operated by Storck Cruises is the number one TripAdvisor recommended day trip. It’s on a mid sized launch, with a fantastic crew out to a small sand quay. We provide the diving services to passengers onboard this boat, must be pre booked dives for our team to be onboard.
2. Whale’s Tale – another top TripAdvisor day trip. This trip is onboard a 100 foot old schooner that has huge charm and old world appeal. The crew are highly entertaining and engage with everyone on board, and the drinks flow freely. We also provide the diver services to this day trip and have a dive team of instructor and divemaster everyday. Consequently guests may elect to dive, or not, once they get on board and have a chat with the dive team about what is out there – greater flexibility.
Cloud 9
Imagine being surrounded by the clearest blue waters you’ve ever seen whilst sitting on a floating bar in the middle of the ocean whilst sipping o the most delicious mango daiquiri you’ve ever tasted – Cloud 9 is your answer!
Cloud 9 – is a floating island bar/restaurant located at Roro Reef in the magical Mamanuca Group of Islands (Off Malolo lailai). It features wood fired oven pizzas, a great team, fine wine and dine for the day and lots of water activities to participate in. Opens from 10.0o am to 5.00pm. Charters & function hire also available.
Cloud 9 is amazing and can be accessed by Jet Ski Safari – weather permitting you can travel to some out Islands in the Mamanuca region. It only takes about 45 mins – 1 hour out.
This can be booked at Marina or through your hotel. *you can prebook these or do it at the port marina when you arrive and know what the weather is like.
For more information, please contact Tel: (679) 8697947. Email: sales@cloud9.com.fj; www.cloud9.com.fj
Flavours of Fiji
Located at No.5 Denarau Industrial Park, Denarau Island is a cooking school managed and operated by local directors: Ms Melissa Raffe & Ms Alona McElrath. For a visit and a treat to try out one of your delicious meal, please contact (679) 6750840/9906992; Email Melissa@flavoursoffiji.com /alona@flavoursofofiji.com/ reservations@flavoursoffiji.com; www.flavoursoffiji.com
Watersports & Leisure
Adrenalin Fiji the premier providers based at Denarau Island offers all Denarau house guests’ fun filled and excitement activities including parasailing, waterskiing, sailing, jet-skiing, kayaking, scooter hire, snorkelling for everyone! Do enquire at hotel tour desk for horse riding, volleyball, lawn bowling, offering fun, adventure and action for all ages please visit – www.adrenalinfiji.com
Heli Tours
A helicopter tour is an adventurous and unique way to be transported throughout Fiji and explore the islands. You can see sights, such as beaches and mountains, from an aerial point of view that you would not be able to access with a car, all while simply sitting back and relaxing comfortably in a modern turbine-powered helicopter.
Views – There are many areas in Fiji that you can fly over for a beautiful aerial view. You can see the picturesque Sleeping Giant Mountains, Mount Evans Ranges and Nadi Bay in the town of Nadi, along with vast rainforests, flowing rivers and waterfalls. When flying over the Mamanuca Islands, you can see secluded islands, pristine beaches and even famous resorts. For bookings please call Tel: (679) 6728166; Fax: (679) 6750293; Email: sales@helitoursfiji.com
Spa Talk:
A must visit is Pure Fiji at Denarau Port Marina. Stock up on their mango and coconut body butters and sugar scrubs. They’re delicious and not badly priced. They offer massages too and are really authentic Fijian.
Sabeto Mud Pools – a series of natural hot springs and mud pools nestled in natural surrounds where the sulphur in the natural mud is believed to have healing powers. After a good bath and cleanse off in the warm to hot springs you will feel rejuvenated. NB: Please bring along your dry change and a towel. Bookings please contact Viti Eco Tours on Tel: (679) 6724312; Email: fijiecotours@hotmail.com
Sleeping Giant Fiji Zipline – offers an incredible outdoor zipline tour with 10 zips and Orchid Falls Jungle Safari from ‘mild’ to ‘wild’ adventure experiences. Come check it out!
Bookings please call. Tel: (679) 6667935 or 9996360; www.ziplinefiji.com or write to PO Box 10314, Nadi Airport.
There’s our mini guide for a mini break – we’ll be sure to update the guide for a longer trip around the islands – as you can guarantee that without a doubt, we’ll be back!
Thanks for this Lisa! Got lots of great ideas 🙂
I’m going here next Sunday for my 30th for 6 days, so trying to figure out what to do!
I’m also staying in the Sheraton too! Can’t wait x
More than welcome – the one thing you HAVE to do whilst you’re there is the sailing tour! Let me know if you want Luc’s e-mail
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