Dec 1, 2023
Kuata, Fiji
Taken by Nicolas Weldingh
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Kuata, Fiji
Taken by Nicolas Weldingh
Updates on the Kuata Strait
July 9, 2053
The Korlanic military has installed more high frequency devices along the coast of Hokotae where they first landed. They have begun to push the insects into Ramisola to cause chaos on the island in order to prevent aid to Hokotae. These insects will fly north into Volios and cause famine and disease.
The Korlanic government have used a small Vakasavuliga bomb on Hokoihoko to clear out the hostile environment that is present in the north of the island. The bomb was launched late July 9, 2053 and was successfully contained within the island. The government hopes to move troops into the area soon to construct several airstrips as well as coastal defences along the northern coast.
July 12, 2053
The Korlanic military has begun to lay out sound activated mines in the Kuata Strait near the coasts of Ramisola. There is some concern of the mines activating on Korlanic ships, however the government says precautions have been taken to prevent this.
Several unused oil rigs have been transformed into bases for defending Korlanic soil, with the military moving in and weaponizing the structures. Korlan will shoot on any unauthorized ships that approach the rigs.
President Ikaroa Storinka made an official statement about the current situation in the Kuata Strait earlier today.
“The Kuata Strait has long served the purpose of separating the two strongest powers of Ailou from one another. This week, the barrier between Korlan and Vau’sena has been torn down, the two giants of our continent have begun fighting. The Kuata Strait is now highly contested, and highly dangerous. However, I am confident in the ability of the Korlanic military and the Allied Effective. Together we can overcome the barrier of the Kuata Strait, together we can reach Ramisola and further. Today, the Kuata Strait becomes the domain of Korlan and Korlan only, and tomorrow, Ramisola will be as well.”
July 13, 2053
The official government of Korlan has issued a warning to all those living near the recent location of the nuclear detonation by Vau’sena. The nuke being dropped over the sea has caused complications all across the Kuata Strait, and radiation has spread significantly in the heavy winds of the Korlanic Isles.
Fijian coral reefs are amazing and vibrant. . . #coral #reef #kuata #yasawa #fiji #fijibulabible #fijifinds #tourismfiji #snorkel #dive #freedive #sorustic #liverustic #menofoutdoors #fish #gopro #goproanz #goprohero5 (at Kuata Island, Fiji)
3 WEEKS IN FIJI
9th June to 3rd July 2015
Fiji: "the ultimate Pacific holiday destination", a quote I found in the Fiji Airways magazine on the flight over. With 333 islands spread over 518 sqkm, we were excited to arrive and start exploring this tropical island paradise as much as we could in the time we had available. We knew we wanted to go island hopping from Nadi, and then explore Viti Levu (the largest island) before leaving for Taveuni, the "garden island" east of Vanua Levu (the second largest island).
After a bit of planning both before and after our arrival, we worked out the following 24-day route:
Nadi (3 nights)
Yasawas (Barefoot Kuata Resort, White Sandy Beach, Bay of Plenty - 2 nights each)
Mamanucas (Beachcomber, Bounty - 2 nights each)
Coral Coast (Pacific Harbour, via Nadi - 3 nights)
Taveuni (via Suva) (4 nights, and 2 nights on the ferry)
Nadi (2 nights)
I have gone through our time in each of these in separate sections below - I realise this post is extra-long so please do skip through to the parts that apply to you!
Note all prices hereafter will be in FJD, and the exchange rate at the time of writing is $3.1 FJD to £1 GBP.
Sitting on Manpolo viewpoint, Kuata Island
NADI
We had 3 nights to spend in this town before starting our island hopping tours. It felt really strange to be returning here after 7 years, but also great to be in a place we recognised!
Transport: Fiji Airways flight from Hong Kong (10 hours), which cost £258.81 pp. This was a very comfortable journey, with a good range of movies, 2 meals on offer and very friendly staff. The airline's brand strategy is the "home away from home", and we could see they made an effort to create this!
Accommodation: Bamboo Backpackers for 3 nights ($15 pppn), in a 12-person mixed room, our first dorm of the trip so far. Clean, sheets changed each day, a pool and great location on the beach. We actually stayed in the sister Capricorn hotel (left of Smuggler's Cove), finding it quieter and more relaxed, with lots of evening musical entertainment and kava sessions, but the restaurant was quite pricey for us.
Food and drink:
Parisha's Curry House; chicken curry with roti/dhal rice for $6 pp. Good portions and tasty, took us back to our India travels a few months ago. Not the cleanest of places but good value for money; located just off the main road in Nadi Town, near MH supermarket.
Horizon restaurant; half price pizza on a Tuesday ($8/$9 vegetarian/tandoori chicken) - very quick, tasty and reasonably priced. We returned on Thursday for their $9 pasta deal, enjoying the good-sized portions of carbonara/chicken and mushroom dishes on offer.
Mini-superette; 5-minute walk from the resort, selling essentials and alcoholic drinks (try the rum and coke zero for $2.99), e.g. 1.5-litre water for $2.
Raju's Khana Khazana; Indian restaurant in the same complex as Life Cinema (mentioned below). Great value dishes; so good we came here twice! First for $6 chicken stir fry and $11.50 chicken kebab combo, next for the $6 chicken chopsuey and $5 chicken palao special. All were large portions, tasty and accompanied by free drinking water, plus the staff were very friendly. Definitely worth the walk.
The Bilo lounge; reasonably priced lunch options; we recommend the Falafel / shredded chicken (wholemeal bread!) toasted sandwiches ($9.50/8.50).
Several supermarkets in Nadi town, and RB Patel opposite Raju's (mentioned above). Shop n Save seemed to be the cheapest, but RB was the biggest and had the most options.
Raju's chicken stir fry
Activities:
Taxi into Nadi town, shared with another couple ($1.25 pp). We wandered around, browsed the shops (especially the sports/branded ones) and walked to the end of Main St, checking out the famous colourful Hindu temple at the end (supposedly the largest one in the Pacific!).
Organised our Mamanuca and Taveuni Island trips with a local couple, after a friendly man greeted us on the street, pulled us into his office (left of the garage on Main St in Nadi), and walked us to his home where we sat for 2 hours discussing our travel plans, trying to get the best price possible (see below for further detail). We were glad we paid this money to some locals, rather than the resort who didn't really seem like they cared. The playful kitten in their living room also sealed the deal!
Half day trip to Port Denerau; $1.15 purple New Town bus to Nadi Town (which stops outside Smugglers Cove almost every half hour), then a public bus to Denerau for $1 from the stop outside Kantis Market on Main St. We spent a couple of hours browsing the tourist stores (with the classic Fiji bitter tops and "designer brand" merchandise), having lunch and wandering around the harbour.
Life Cinema trip; $8 each for the 12.45pm screening of the new Entourage film. We LITERALLY had the comfy cinema to ourselves; it was amazing! Only a 3km walk from Wailoaloa, off the main road running from Nadi airport to town (turn left as you meet it, and you will see a sign for the cinema on your right).
Walk along Wailoaloa beach; a long stretch of sand, extending from the four or so Wailoaloa resorts to ~3km away. There were lots of people walking, running and even horse riding along this, with others renting kayaks during sunset. We spent most of our time in Bamboo's hammocks and enjoying the view.
Bamboo day trips; Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Sabeto Hot Springs and Mud Pool, etc. These were slightly too expensive for us (taking into account the entrance fees and cost to hire a driver), but we did hear from others you can take a cheaper public bus to these places on your own.
Life cinema complex
Total spend here: $85.38 (accommodation $45, transport $6.40, cinema $8, food and drink $25.98) or around $28.50 per day.
THE YASAWAS
We booked this trip via Awesome Adventures, using the online website backpackerworldtravel.com and paying for our places a week before arriving in Fiji. This cost £365 pp for 6 nights/7 days, including 2 nights at 3 different resorts (all Coconut 1 rating) and covering all accommodation, meals and transport.
To reach the islands we would be taking the Yasawa Flyer, which follows the same timetable each day; departing from Denerau each morning at 8.30am and travelling north past all the resorts, before heading back past them from the most northern island at 1pm. I will go through each of the islands we visited and our experiences there below!
Note we had to reconfirm this trip with Awesome Adventures a couple of days before departure; we did this at the travel desk in the Port Denerau ticketing office. We also decided to change our last transfer so that instead of heading back to Port Denerau we were dropped at Beachcomber Island (meaning we avoided paying a $75 transfer fee to this resort later on - read about this in the Mamanuca section below!).
1) BAREFOOT KUATA RESORT, KUATA ISLAND
Transport: Collected by a coach at 7.00am with the other tourists from outside Smuggler's Cove (included in the £365 mentioned above). The transfer took half an hour, and on arrival at Port Denerau we handed over our bags (telling the staff we were heading to Kuata Island so they could label and put them on the right ferry), and withdrew money from the ATM while one of us queued to check in.
10 minutes later we were boarding the yellow Yasawa Flyer catamaran (for an 8.30am departure), finding seats on the top deck and waiting to leave. We ended up arriving in Kuata at 11am, where we had to hop onto a smaller boat to be taken straight to the island's beach. We were greeted by a warrior posing on a tall summit rock, as well as the Fijian resort staff singing and clapping on the beach, before hugging each of us as we got off the boat. What a welcome!
Accommodation: 12-bed mixed dorm RIGHT on the beach. Probably our most beachfront accommodation so far, and only a Coconut 1 rated option, i.e. better than the more expensive, private bures located further away. The resort also houses a new beach bar (for dinner, drinks and music in the evening), reception area with a small selection of soft drinks & snacks, volleyball court, 3 small pools, plenty of hammocks, an outside eating area and dive shop with many water sports and rentals on offer. There is no wifi available, but the owner/manager did say we could use their computer for anything urgent.
Food and drink:
Breakfast: buffet selection of banana pancakes, cereals, porridge, toast, baked beans, boiled eggs and fruit - such a feast!
Lunch: first we enjoyed a beautifully presented plate of fresh bread, salad, ham/vegetable frittata and watermelon. The second day we had basil vegetable pasta (again with watermelon); people asked for seconds it was so good!
Dinner: fresh bread roll with lettuce (?) soup to start, chicken and vegetable chowmein with rice for the main and a banana split for dessert; delicious! The last night we had fish chowder with the same delicious bread roll, mashed potato and fish fillet with sweet and sour vegetables, followed by a fruit salad.
Note you can buy cocktails ($10 during happy hour, 5-7), beer ($5.50 at HH) and shakes ($8) from the bar, although we tried to minimise our spend as much as possible! There is also free hot water, tea and coffee throughout the day (which kept us going between meals) and the best news ever: drinkable tap water! All of the meals above were signalled by the blowing of a not-so-loud conch shell :)
Activities:
Swim and relax on the beach/by the pools - use the free noodles/inflatable rings on offer!
Water sport rentals, e.g. Kayaks, stand up paddle boarding, snorkels (all around $15 per day).
Scuba diving; $150 for one fun dive, which was slightly too much for us so we didn't enquire any futher!
Daily trips run by the resort; a village tour ($25), snorkel with sharks ($55), guided sunset kayak or summit walk, Fijian language lessons, volleyball, and many more. (Note these would have been included in the Full Monty price for the trip, but we decided they weren't worth the extra cost).
Saturday night kava session; with the chief and appointed spokesman, we drank this traditional Fijian drink, after first taking it in turns to pound the root with a metal pole in a bucket. The muddy water was passed around the circle of people in half of a coconut shell; you say how much you want (high, medium or low tide), clap your hands once and say bula before receiving and drinking it all in one. You then pass it back to the chief, clap your hands three times and say vinaka (thank you). After a few rounds we were all full and ready for bed, but the Fijians were still going strong when we left! It was cool to be involved and experience this cultural ceremony, although the drink tasted pretty awful.
One-hour hike to other parts of the island; facing away from the bar towards the peaks, we walked along the path until reaching a grassy area on the right, then crossing this to find another path on our left with a signpost to the different sites, including a beach on the other side of the island, Manpolo viewpoint (where the warrior stood before we arrived), a cave, and the Summit (which takes 1 hour and requires footwear!).
Total extra spend here: $9.25 between us (I.e. the cost of 2 drinks).
Overall rating: 9/10. The facilities were amazing, the staff were so friendly and attentive (especially Kuru, who made an effort to learn all our names), plus the food was great and has set a high standard for all the other places we visit! We could tell the resort is being developed into a 2/3 coconut rating (e.g. the private rooms were being renovated, the new bar had just opened, there were 3 pools, etc.), so we're glad we were able to visit while it was still relatively cheap and unknown.
2) WHITE SANDY BEACH, NAVITI ISLAND
Transport: Yasawa Flyer 2 from Barefoot Kuata Island at around 10.30/11ish, being seen off by the staff who were singing and hugged us all goodbye. The journey took around 1 hour and a half, during which we tried (with difficulty) to access the free wifi on board on the lower deck.
Accommodation: we had to walk from the smaller boat to the beach (as it was low tide) through the seaweed and tricky coral. Again we were greeted by the resort staff singing and clapping (as well as fresh welcome drinks), before being shown to our mixed dorm above the main dining room, which resembled a tree house! We chose non-bunk bed beds (such a treat!), which had clean sheets and their own mosquito nets. The rest of the resort was very open and cabin-like, spread out across the right hand side of the ~3km beach (with an Eco-resort further to its left), providing plenty of hammocks and benches to relax/sit on. Electricity was only available in the morning and evening, but you could buy Internet for $0.30/minute or $10/hour.
Food and drink:
(Note all of these meals were announced by the rapping of a drum, which was particularly loud before breakfast!)
Breakfast: 8am buffet selection of cereal, (lots of) fruit, (banana) bread, eggs, some odd deep-fried pancakes, squash, tea and coffee.
Lunch: the first day we had vegetable-fried rice with a jacket potato and salad; the following day we enjoyed a potato/aubergine/tuna(?) curry with rice and salad. Both meals were tasty and served at 12pm.
Tea and coffee: this was available every day at 3pm.
Dinner (7pm Fiji time): we were fortunate to arrive on a Sunday (their buffet BBQ night), and enjoyed lots of barbecued meat, rice, cassava, and salad, followed by banana trifle. The next day we were served fish chowder with fresh bread, spaghetti bolognaise and banana/Oreo crepes; yum!
Mini-bar selection: there is a small range of snacks and drinks for sale behind the bar (e.g. Oreos for $0.40, 1.5-litre water for $6), and although the tap water isn't safe to drink, you can fill up your bottle at the water tank behind the resort with rain water.
Activities:
Snorkelling off the beach (high tide is better!); this was unexpectedly good - we managed to borrow snorkels from a French couple we met (but you can hire them for $10 for the day) and swim out to the right side of the bay, spotting a sting ray, pufferfish, lots of colourful angel fish and some cool blue/yellow-tipped coral. Later when we walked along the beach we also saw an octopus in the shallows!
Walk to Honeymoon beach; there is a signposted path at the back of the resort. You literally walk 5 minutes up and over a steep hill, before paying $2 to enter the isolated bay. We visited this during low tide so weren't able to swim, but the rocks at either end were good to climb and take photos from.
Free resort activities; e.g. fish feeding, papaya smashing, Fijian language lesson. We only took part in the coconut smashing, crab racing and volleyball with all the locals. On our last evening the staff hosted a fun and games night, where we learnt the Bula dance, played musical numbers and the bang bang game. They then made a beach bonfire, before providing us with cookies and singing some Fijian tunes.
Paid activities; you can go snorkelling with the manta rays ($35 pp) or visit a local village and buy their handicrafts (not sure of the cost!).
Relax on the hammocks, sunbathe or walk along the beach.
Total extra spend here: $3 pp ($2 beach visit and $4 Oreos).
Overall rating: 7/10. There was a very relaxed feel to the place, with plenty of space and live music always being played, plus the food was decent (especially the buffets), although sometimes there wasn't enough of it! The staff in particular were fantastic; they made a huge effort to keep us entertained the whole time and ensure we enjoyed our stay. The volleyball game with all of them in particular made us feel welcome and included, while also giving us a real view of the Fijian lifestyle.
3) BAY OF PLENTY RESORT, MATACAWALEVU ISLAND
Transport: Boarded the small WSB motor boat at 12pm (which was stranded on some coral!) to catch the northbound Yasawa Flyer 2 five minutes later. The porters took our bags, labelled them with the next stop and we settled inside on the first deck, trying to use the wifi for the next 2 hours. We arrived outside Nanuya Resort at 1.30ish, where several boats came to collect their expectant passengers. It was all a bit hectic, and after a confusing 10 minutes we were told to hop on the Gold Coast boat, which then drove us to our resort.
Accommodation: We were greeted by the resort owners and their family, and the tide was very low so we walked with our bags through the 'swampy' shallows before settling down for some lunch in the beachfront dining deck area. Martha showed us to our bure up on the hill, which was a small 5-dorm cabin overlooking the bay (and because we were the only guests it was essentially private!). We also met Rosa, the main owner, who was very friendly and cooked most of our meals, as well as the cute resident dog Tim Tam. Overall the resort was simple and relaxed with 4 bures and one hammock in total, while electricity was only available in the dining area, which had an amazing view of the mangrove-lined bay.
Food and drink:
Like the last place, meal times were signalled by the beating of the drum, and we enjoyed these good-sized, tasty, more traditional Fijian dishes on the deck.
Breakfast (8am): first we tried babakau, which were small, traditional, fried pancakes made with coconut milk, alongside fresh ('colacola') fruit and coffee. The next day we instead enjoyed western pancakes (again, made with coconut milk and served with fruit and coffee); both times we were very full afterwards!
Lunch (1.30/12.30pm): simpler dishes: an omelette with boiled cassava, salad and papaya, and then 2 omelette/salad sandwiches with fruit and cold water. Unfortunately lunch on the last day (before our long boat journey) was not included in the price, so bear this in mind at breakfast time!
Dinner (6.30pm): by far the biggest and best dish; first we enjoyed a chicken curry with rice and fruit (and ketchup?), and the following day we feasted on Rosa's chicken chopsuey with rice (and again ketchup!).
Tap water here was (thankfully) drinkable, while small snacks and drinks were also available at the deck bar, which were the same price as other resorts e.g. cookies for $4, beer for $6, etc.
Activities:
Storytelling: aka 'talanoa' after meals, where we learnt about the Bay of Plenty family and their business.
School visit: we walked along the bay at low tide, trying to avoid the mini crabs with their oversized yellow claws! The school buildings were on another hill 5 minutes away, and all the kids said bula through the classroom windows as we walked past.
Farm tour: Martha guided us along the path from the deck towards the hills, where we spotted goats, pigs, plantain/papaya/coconut/lemon trees, the infamous "giant's nipple", chickens, a horse, as well as a vegetable patch at the top (with tomatoes, cabbage, herbs, etc. that they sell to the other nearby resorts).
Kayak rental ($15 pp for half a day): luckily we chose a calm, sunny day for this 2-hour strong paddle around the bay. First we stopped outside Turtle Resort (eyeing its private sea planes, floating dining table and luxury beachfront bures), before continuing on to Blue Lagoon (by Nanuya Resort), where two boat tours were already there on the popular snorkelling trips. We stayed on the beach for the afternoon, swimming (while spotting a sea snake and blue starfish) and hanging out with the cute resident dog.
Other resort activities: see the photo below for the full list (e.g. Cave trip, basket weaving, cockle dig, etc.); unfortunately most required more money and people to be involved.
Chilling on the hammock, or walking around the bay at low tide - this really was a place to relax and escape from reality!
Final extra spend here: $15 pp (kayak rental).
Overall rating: 7/10. The family were lovely hosts, the views were amazing, the location (I.e. close to Blue Lagoon) was great, and the food was tasty, plus slightly more traditional than what we had tried already. While this resort would be perfect for anyone seeking a quiet, hillside retreat, who is satisfied by a relaxing spot to read/sunbathe, we found the activities to be quite limited (especially with just the two of us) and prefer somewhere with its own beach rather than just a mangrove-lined bay. It certainly contrasted the other places we visited, but maybe that's a good thing! Showing us a different side to Fiji than we would otherwise see. We certainly tried to appreciate and enjoy it for what it was while we were there.
THE MAMANUCA GROUP
We booked these trips with the local travel agent we met in Nadi town (from Paradise Tourist Link, read above) around 10 days before arriving. The booking included accommodation, meals and the relevant transfers, for which we paid a deposit and then settled the remaining balance at each stage of the journey. Please read below for details of the prices!
BEACHCOMBER
Transport: after a stressful transfer from Bay of Plenty to Nanuya Resort (Jerry, the boat driver, went off to the nearby village to stock up on supplies and we didn't know where he was when we saw the catamaran arriving, then the boat's engine kept failing and we didn't know if we would make it on time!), we finally boarded the Yasawa Flyer 2 at 1.30pm ish. We then sat on board (after quickly buying a potato roti wrap for $2.50!) for the next 3 hours until we arrived at Beachcomber, experiencing a very choppy journey en route!
Accommodation: This island was one of the places we visited 7 years ago on a school tour, and we were very excited to see it again after all this time. The layout was still the same, with the open, beachfront dining room and bar situated at the front of the island, and the big dorm just behind. This time we were separated into female/male dorms, each with around 32 beds in each section (2 sections per gender) with adjoining, spacious and clean bathroom facilities for each half (with hot water!!). All the decor had been updated (I.e. repainted, modernised, etc.), plus there was free wifi in all communal areas. Each house guest was given 2 sheets, a blanket, pillow and fresh towel each day, as well as a key to the locker under your assigned bed. All in all, this place was so much better than what we were used to, especially for a dorm!
Food and drink:
Buffets, buffets and more buffets; these were dangerously good!
Breakfast (8-9am): buffet cooked breakfast (including sausages, beans, chips (!), pancakes, muffins, and a personalised omelette) as well as fruit, cereal, toast, juice, tea and coffee.
Lunch (1-2pm): first we had a BBQ style lunch, including a selection of chicken/beef/fish dishes, with salads, rice, fresh bread, and Fijian vegetable sides (one was cabbage lolo, i.e. cooked in coconut milk) plus fruit salad for dessert. The next day was even better; again there was rice, fish, salads, Fijian vegetable sides and fruit salad, with the addition of cheese burgers and chicken pizza.
Dinner (6-7pm): the first night we enjoyed chilli beef with mash potato, 2 pasta dishes, grilled fish, lamb stew, with custard tart for dessert; next we were served an assortment of chicken/lamb/fish dishes, with potatoes, okra and then chocolate cake with ice cream for pudding. Both nights there was the usual selection of salads, fresh bread and pasta.
Morning/afternoon tea (11am and 3.15pm), along with fresh fruit/chocolate muffins or leftover pancakes.
Happy hour: 12-1, 5-6pm, 9-10pm and 12-2am, drinks were served at decent prices (e.g. Bottle of Fiji Gold for $5.70, Iced sex on the beach for $7.90, glass of wine for $5, etc.).
Activities:
Snorkelling; free for house guests to hire, so long as you each gave a $25 deposit to the shack in front of the dive shop (to the left of the bar), with flippers included. The waves became slightly choppy while we were out on the reef, so we had to cut it short - make sure you go in the morning or when it's calm!
Crazy golf; again, free for guests - we just gave our key as a deposit to the same shack as above. We ended up playing the 9-hole loop in the centre of the island 3 times; it was a perfect break from the sun during the day, with great scenery from every shot.
Other free activities; turtle feeding at 2pm, where we watched an employee feeding the baby hawksbill turtles raw fish in their pen (apparently they are released after 1 year when they are able to defend themselves from predators, and these ones were only tiny!), plus coral viewing and fish feeding in both the morning and afternoon, but we wanted to stay and enjoy the island as much as possible.
Watersports; plenty of rentals on offer (e.g. Jet ski $90, parasailing $160 tandem/$120 solo, kayaks $20/hour, 2 fun dives for $260, etc.) but we were happy just use the free activities above.
Sunbathe and walk around the island; although the walk only takes ~15 minutes, it's great to see all the different views and find your way around the island paths.
Dancing; the main selling point of Beachcomber (no other Fijian island has a night club), it's safe to say the music goes on until late at night (I.e. 2am). Don't forget your ear plugs, especially if you're staying in the big dorm! The entertainment starts after dinner (with the bula, Viking and other dances), coinciding with happy hour from 9-10pm.
Watch the sunset/sunrise; this is a great way to start and end your days here, as the lighting is incredible and scenery provides for some amazing photos.
Total spend here: $241.70 pp ($228 pp for 2 nights, including all meals; $27.40 for drinks between us)
Overall rating: 10/10. This was by far our favourite island, which probably/most certainly has something to do with the amazing time we had here when we were 16. The meals were all incredible, the updated facilities were so comfortable (even for a dorm), while the 'combed beach' was better than we had remembered (there used to be a lot more coral!) and there were even more hammocks than before. The free crazy golf and snorkelling were great bonuses, while the friendly staff made a huge difference to our stay (especially the laundry woman, who let us use fresh towels before our transfer on the last day even though we had already checked out!). Although their milkshake selection wasn't as great as last time (the popular caramel option in a huge silver flask was no longer available!) and the loud music played until late, everything else was amazing and we're so glad we came back.
BOUNTY ISLAND RESORT
Transport: Yasawa Flyer 2 from Beachcomber, where we handed over and paid the rest of our voucher at the travel desk on board. 10 minutes later we were arriving, and disembarked onto the smaller boat with a huge group of American tourists - clearly the island was going to be busy!
Accommodation: We were greeted by a big 'bula' and warm smiles from all the staff on the beach. After checking in at Reception, one of the employees told us about the resort, including what activities were free/on offer, meal and happy hour times, where all the facilities were, etc. Internet was available to purchase ($8/hour or $25/day) but again, this was much to expensive for us. We were shown to our mixed 14-bed dorm, which was clean, had a huge ensuite bathroom and AC, while each person was provided with a blanket, sheet and pillow, as well as bed number to be used for bar tabs.
Food and drink:
Breakfast (7-9am): a buffet selection of toast, baked beans, sausages, wedges, scrambled egg, weetabix, condiments (including peanut butter!), apple juice and fruit. The next day was the same food, except you chose and ordered the cooked breakfast from a set menu, and there was bacon instead of sausages :)
Lunch (12-1.30pm): first we enjoyed a(nother) buffet, which included fresh bread rolls, salad, roasted vegetable pasta, vegetable curry, rice, Thai fish curry, chicken/beef casserole, potato salad, as well as tinned fruit for dessert. The second day we missed lunch as our transfer to the mainland arrived early, but we managed to grab a bread roll each before leaving!
Dinner (6.30-8pm): not only was it Saturday night, but the huge group of 22 American tourists meant the spread was a bit unusual: a buffet of traditional Fijian foods cooked Lovo-style (wrapped in banana leaves on an open fire), which included "kokoda" soup (local marinated fish with coconut milk, lime and various vegetables), a sort of risotto cooked in squash, baked potato, a huge grilled fillet of fish, lamb steaks, a chicken dish, spinach with beef/on its own, as well as fruit for dessert. The second night was very different; we chose from a blackboard menu, which included a starter (chicken clear soup), main (lamb curry or fish fillet) and dessert (coconut tart with ice cream). All dishes were tasty, and the setting (with less people) was much more relaxed and enjoyable.
Extras: free tea, coffee and cold water available all day, while the bar served cheapish drinks, especially at happy hour (draught Fiji Gold/Bitter for $4.50, margarita for $10, rum and coke for $7, etc). There were also smoothies, iced coffee and ice cream for sale, but we were content with the meals included.
Activities:
Jump on the sea-trampoline; it was the first thing I noticed as we pulled into the island, and after learning it was free Ed and I knew we had to go on it. It was actually much harder to bounce (and get on) than I expected!
Sunbathe on the deck chairs/any one of the sun loungers, or swim in the fresh-water pool.
See the baby hawksbill turtles in the tank behind the games room; apparently they were from the same nest as those on Beachcomber!
Play free table tennis or pool in the games room, as well as volleyball on the beach court.
Stroll around/through the island; each of these take 20-25 minutes, from which we discovered both the wilderness and grassy side to the island as well as its beautiful golden, coral-covered coast line.
Polynesian Dance performance; on Saturday evening (just after Happy Hour) the Fijian staff performed a fire show, machete routines and traditional dances from the different islands, on the deck just by the pool. It looked dangerous but was very entertaining, especially from up close!
Sunday songs; after dinner the staff came together to sing a few Christian (I think?) hymns/songs, as well as the usual departing tune for those leaving Bounty the next day. Something about this performance made it much more genuine and sincere, in comparison to the other acts that we have seen so far. It was definitely a good note to leave on :)
Water sports rental; Banana boating for $25, snorkelling for $20, kayaks for $20/hour, seaview ultimate underwater experience ($59 per adult), cloud 9 snorkelling and sand bank trip ($119 pp), etc. This was the same company running the sports programme in Beachcomber, and again, we found their prices too high so didn't participate in any of them.
Total spend here: $337.50 each (Transfer from Beachcomber $49pp; accommodation & meals $210; 1 Fiji Gold beer $3.50 pp; transfer to Nadi $75 pp)
Overall rating: 9/10. We had a great time here; the dorm and resort facilities were comfortable, the pool and games area was ideal, and the staff were both friendly and accommodating, while the island itself was beautiful. This would have been a 10/10 with a hot, decent shower and if towels had been provided!
CORAL COAST - PACIFIC HARBOUR
Intended as a three-day rest stop between Nadi and Suva, we thought Pacific Harbour would be the best place to stay before catching our ferry to Taveuni. Unfortunately we didn't find a lot to do here (with the main attractions, including scuba and adventure tours, costing too much) and ended up repeating a lot of the cheaper activities and going to the same restaurants to pass our time.
Transport: Sunbeam bus from Nadi bus station (walk through MH supermarket and it's out the back); tickets cost $11.60 each. You can also take the Pacific bus, but Sunbeam was the first one leaving (at 1.30pm). The journey was very comfortable (AC, movies on board, good seats) and took just over 3 hours, with one toilet stop in Sigatoka for 10 minutes, plus great views of the natural, green countryside along Queen's Rd (sit on the right if you want to see the coastline!).
Accommodation: Club Coral Coast, found in the Lonely Planet guide and encouraged by positive tripadvisor reviews (described by someone as "a hidden gem"), we booked a private twin room via email from their website for $25 pppn. Located just a 5 minute walk from the bus drop off point (opposite The Pearl Resort), this was in a lovely residential, peaceful area by the river, with large grounds and a fantastic 20m swimming pool. Our fan twin room at the back of the main building, although equipped with everything we'd need (towels, fridge, kettle, toaster, tea, crockery, cutlery, and lots of storage), was slightly dirty and damp; certainly not the conditions we were used to! Still not bad for the price and compared to other resorts nearby.
Food and drink:
Rik's Harbour Restaurant Curry House; the ONLY budget restaurant nearby and open around dinner time, we went here twice and enjoyed their chopsuey ($6-7.50), chicken fried rice ($7) and chowmein ($8.50) dishes. Located opposite the Pearl Resort, next to the garage.
Skinny Bean Cafe; our saving grace! Free wifi with any purchase (e.g. $2.80 can soft drink / one of their amazing smoothies ($9.50); try the peanut butter or banana one), we kept returning to use the Internet and catch up on everything (even when they weren't open!). Located at the front of the Arts Village.
Mum's Rotisserie Cafe; also in the Arts Village, they serve very cheap food, including roti parcels ($3) and chicken wraps ($7).
Oasis Cafe Restaurant; we visited this place in the Arts Village for our treat meal at the end of the 3 days, and thoroughly enjoyed their chicken and grilled fish burgers with chips and salad ($15.95/12.95).
Singh's Restaurant; the cleanest and most suitable diner in Navua, we stopped here briefly to feast on their vegetable fried rice ($6) and chicken stir fry ($8).
(Note there were also small supermarkets by the drop off point on Queens Rd and one quite large grocery store in the Arts Village to stock up on cheaper food and drink).
Activities:
Arts Village; ~1.5km away from our resort (via the quiet street running parallel to Queens Rd), this is best visited during the day when everything is open and you can browse the souvenir stalls, chill in one of the cafes or restaurants, withdraw money from the ATM, or wander around to appreciate the tranquil setting.
Navua; the closest town to Pacific Harbour, we hopped on the Pacific bus and rode the 10-minute journey ($1.85 pp each way). We wandered and looked at the shops, but I'm not exaggerating when I say there was nothing really there worth seeing. We ended up walking along a street heading to the ocean, but even when we reached the end we couldn't find any good coastal area, and so headed back for a quick lunch before returning to Pacific Harbour via the 1pm Pacific bus.
Walk along / relax on the beach; running parallel to Queens Rd (with access points down the road leading to the Pearl Resort/opposite the furthest end of the Arts Village), this was almost empty when we visited and looks out onto Beqa Island and lagoon, which houses many popular dive sites (see below).
Scuba dive; we enquired about prices at Oceanus Club (on the road opposite the Pearl Resort) and were quoted $250 for 2 dives, which was way too expensive for us and a shame, as this (in particular, the Shark Dive) is the main drawing point to Pacific Harbour (and the nearby Beqa lagoon).
Terratrek; self-drive tours in dune buggies around the local countryside, we didn't even ask about prices as we knew this would be too much for our budget. Located along Queens Rd before the Arts Village.
Swim in the resort's pool and sunbathe; free and even more enjoyable when the sun appears!
Total spend here: $169.46 ($75 pp for accommodation; $15.30 for transport; $76.36 on food; $2.80 on postcards).
Overall rating: 6/10. The setting was beautiful, while both the Arts Village and beach were cool, however we would only recommend staying here for 1 night maximum if you don't plan on splashing out on a nice resort or the expensive activities available (e.g. scuba dive). Our hotel was pleasant, however the 'private dorm' was unclean and the cold shower/leaky shared bathroom was awful; I wouldn't stay in this room again.
TAVEUNI
Known as "the garden island" of Fiji, a friend of ours stayed here last year and recommended a visit to this place, in spite of the long ferry journey. We hoped it would be worth it and live up to the hype!
We would be travelling from Pacific Harbour and boarding the ferry in Suva, the country's main port and largest city. We had around 8 hours to spend here before boarding, and managed to do the following:
Walk into town from Walu Bay, after leaving our big backpacks with the Goundar Shipping office (mentioned below under 'transport'), reaching the centre after 15 minutes, passing the bus station on Rodwell Rd and flea market opposite (which sells cheap souvenirs; worth visiting if you need to fill time).
Enjoy a roti parcel ($2.50ish) and sweet pastry ($1.70) from The Hot Bread Kitchen (on Butt St) for lunch, which conveniently had a sit down area and free wifi from a building nearby!
Wander around the streets, browsing the shops in the Tappoo City (TC), MHCC and BSP buildings, checking out the colonial architecture and later taking a coffee break in the TC food court, choosing a large latte from Gloria Jeans Coffee ($6.95) and Chatime matcha smoothie ($6.40).
Walk along the coastline on Stinson Parade, enjoying the sunset before heading to the same food court above for dinner and eating a Submarine baguette ($10.95 each).
Buy snacks for the ferry journey from MH supermarket.
Note there are many cultural buildings (e.g. The Fiji Museum) and other areas worth visiting (e.g. Albert Park, Thurston Gardens, etc.), which we had heard of but didn't have enough time to see!
As for Taveuni itself, please read the following sections...
Transport:
On the way there: $5 pp shared mini-van from Pacific Harbour to Suva, taking ~45 minutes and hailed opposite the Pearl Resort, followed by the $75 Lomaviti Princess 2 ferry. This was supposed to leave at 6pm on Thursday 25th*, but ended up departing at 1am on Friday 26th due to public holiday constraints, slow offloading and cleaning delays. We bought tickets on the day from the Goundar Shipping ticket office opposite Tofua St in Walu Bay (where you later end up boarding the vessel). We were picked up by a resort staff member on arrival and taken to our accommodation 35 minutes away.
On the return journey: Driven by Chino (the same Maravu staff member as above) to the Taveuni ferry port for free (included in our combo deal, the others paid $10 each). We paid for tickets at the booth on the ferry ($75 each again), and waited for boarding. The ferry ended up leaving at 4pm (1 hour later than expected - Fiji time) and arriving at 10am the next day.
Saloon deck on the ferry - the best place we found to sleep!
*Note usually the ferries depart Suva every Monday and Friday, but ours was on a Thursday due to National Sports Day being held on the Friday. Check whether a public holiday will affect your day of departure before you make plans! The ferries then depart Taveuni every Tuesday and Saturday.
Taveuni ferry port
Accommodation: Maravu Plantation Lodge, booked through Pa (our local agent mentioned above) for $510 each for 4 nights, which included all accommodation, pickups, activities, and meals. This is the sister resort of Bamboo Backpacker's and was converted from a bankrupt, delapidated 5-star resort just over 12 months ago. Our private bure (number 11*) was amazing; a huge bamboo cabin with a four-poster king size bed, fridge, ensuite and outdoor shower (which unfortunately mostly gave cold water!). There was housekeeping everyday providing fresh towels, linen and toiletries, while the views of the surrounding plantation from every window were stunning.
*We were moved from Bure 9 because the indoor shower wasn't working, but otherwise this room was just as great. Do check the shower is working before you settle in!
Food and drink:
Breakfast: we were told originally we could only have a standard combo breakfast meal (2 fried eggs on toast, fruit and a cup of tea or coffee), however after seeing the extensive a la carte breakfast menu, finding out from one of the staff we were allowed a meal worth $10 and not wanting 2 eggs every morning for the rest of our trip, we then asked for the plain pancakes / muesli with fresh fruit and yoghurt from then on, both of which were so much better!
Lunch: the first two days we were out on trips, where lunch was brought with us. These were both disappointing (not to mention cold!); first we were served battered fish, chips and salad, and the next day a triple-layer bacon, salad sandwich, then fruit (both days we were also given homemade lemonade). The third day we were able to choose a meal worth $15; we went for the vegetable quesadilla and chicken wrap with chips - both were amazing! The last day we asked for a take-away (very tasty) chicken wrap, which the staff happily prepared for us before our ferry journey back to the mainland.
Dinner: we chose the $25 special every night (included in our combo deal), which were definitely the best meals of all! Following our tiring ferry journey, we were delighted to be presented with a 3-course special menu, which included pumpkin ginger soup to start, sweet and sour pineapple chicken/Lovo fish with vegetables as a main, and banana/caramel cake for dessert. The second night we had grilled beef and sausages (with an okay potato salad and coleslaw), fresh from the poolside BBQ, then ice cream and jelly. Next was an Indian meal, which included dhal soup and papadums to start, a chicken curry with steamed rice, potato side dish and parothas, followed by a delicious custard tart with passion fruit. For our last night we chose the slow cooked roasted chicken with rice and Fijian vegetables, afte enjoying the sweet corn soup starter, plus the fruit salad with ice cream for dessert. It is safe to say we were spoiled!
There are two small stores a 20-25 minute walk away from the resort (turn right as you exit), which sell cheap food and drinks (e.g. Loaf of bread for $0.83, cookies for $1.85, bottle of soft drink for $2.60).
Activities:
Bouma Waterfall trip; (usually $60 pp) following a 45-minute drive along the coast by Chino, with our tour guide Ted and 3 other guests, we arrived at the ticketing centre and car park (which also had toilets, changing rooms and a picnic area by the river). We wrote down our information, Ted paid the necessary entrance fees ($15 per tourist) and we set off. 10 minutes later we arrived at the first waterfall (where we returned at the end before lunch), and after another hour we reached the third area that was apparently the best. We also briefly stopped by the second cascade for photos on the walk back. All were spectacular and much bigger than I expected, and definitely worth the slightly slippery/treacherous trek through the jungle and cold water plunge once we eventually jumped in!
Natural water slide and international date line trip; (usually $50 pp) while the dateline was mostly just a photo opportunity at a stand next to a rugby pitch (just outside Somosomo village), the waterslide was amazing! Ted guided us through the jungle to the river, where naturally smooth rocks formed a 50m stream of water, and all you had to do was sit down and let it carry you to the next pool. The last part was the most windy, and potentially bruising! After enough repeats of the slide, we walked to the 'white house' at the top of the hill for a quick lunch, while checking out the amazing views of the island.
Honeymoon Island snorkelling trip; (usually $40 pp) we walked to the white sandy beach 5 minutes from the resort with 4 other guests and Ted, hopping on their small motor boat and driving to the island 10 minutes away. The sea was choppy and cold, but turquoise and really clear; we were able to see lots of colourful fish and coral while swimming around and circling the small islands nearby.
30-minute massage; (usually $40/hour I think!) this coconut oil back and leg massage was so relaxing; the half an hour was not long enough!
Other possible paid activities; Fijian village tour ($15), Lavena coastal walk ($80), rainbow snorkelling trip ($80), and Nanuca overnight island trip ($150 - this is great apparently!).
Relax on the white sandy beach 5-10 minutes down the road from the resort (turn left as you exit). There is one after the wooden fence of Tides Reach Resort, and then another stretch of sand a further 5 minutes past Tramonto Restaurant on the bend of the road.
Free resort activities: Swim in the resort pool, sunbathe on the deck chairs, swing in the hammocks, or play either volleyball or table tennis. There is also (of course) a nightly kava session with the staff.
*Note all activities above were included in our combo pass EXCEPT for scuba diving (we heard from others that 2 dives cost $210), the rainbow snorkelling trip (an extra $45 each), and the island day/overnight trips. We usually left for our trips at 9.30/10am, bringing sun screen, a towel and bottle of water.
Total spend here: $671 pp ($510* for the 4-night combo package, $150 for both ferry tickets, $11 for extra drinks and snacks).
*Excluding a 3.5% credit card charge.
Overall rating: 9/10. Again, this would have been 10/10 if we'd had a hot shower! We are so glad we made the effort to visit this eastern island, and could have spent a lot longer here if we'd had the time and money. The resort was beautiful and so peaceful, while the staff were extremely attentive and friendly. The owners have managed to reform it back into an amazing place, although not 5 star as it once was. We managed to fit in a lot of the trips during our 3 full days, and were really pleased with the ones we were offered! We also worked out that by deducting food costs ($50 pp per day), drinks (~$25 - a glass of homemade lemonade for lunch and dinner, plus a cup of tea/coffee for breakfast was included), activities ($190) and port transfers ($20) from our combo price, the private room only ended up costing us $75 each (or $18.75 per night), which is amazing, especially in Fiji! I would thoroughly recommend this resort and island to anyone visiting Fiji, and who is looking for a more authentic, relaxing and varied experience of the country.
FINAL DAYS IN NADI
We came back here for 2 nights to relax and prepare for our outward flight to Australia, which we found was more than enough time.
Transport: mini-bus straight from the ferry in Suva for $20 each, taking 3 and a half hours (with a rest stop in Sigatoka) before arriving right outside Bamboo.
Accommodation: returned to Bamboo Backpackers for 2 nights at $15 pp (which we booked when we were there before), and this time we were put in the 16-bed dorm behind the main resort. With single non-bunk bed beds and 2 big bathrooms, this was much more comfortable although very chilly in the evening!
Food and drink: back to Raju's Khana Khazana (see the Nadi section above) THREE times for their cheap Asian dishes, while also trying out Maikana Cafe and Brasserie right by the river in Nadi town; the chicken Pad Thai ($9.90) in particular was great!
Activities: walked along Wailoaloa beach and visited Nadi town for the afternoon to send some postcards (the post office is on the road opposite the main bus station). We also sunbathed and chilled a lot more in the hammocks, as the weather was much better!
Total spend here: $105.60 (accommodation $30, transport $24.20, food and drink $47.55, postcards $3.85), or $35.20 per day.
FIJI TOP TIPS
Find a travel agent asap; I read this advice from another blog and found it incredibly useful, as they can add decent discounts to your bookings. We found Pa from Paradise Tourist Link in Nadi town on our first day, and were glad to pay the cheaper, inevitable booking fees to locals instead of a resort.
Look out for bed bugs; although we didn't actually experience any, we did hear from others we met along the way that this was a problem in some places.
Bring a padlock; this is incredibly useful if you're staying in a dorm, especially if they have lockers available (e.g. in Bamboo Backpackers), and for the ferry journey from Suva to Taveuni.
Use free wifi where you can; we knew before arriving that internet would be difficult to find, but not as tricky as it was! Beachcomber, Maravu and Bamboo were the only resorts offering free wifi; everywhere else we had to make do with the availablity in local restaurants or on the Yasawa Flyer 2.
Stock up on snacks for the islands and ferry trip, from the main towns; the 3x meals a day provided by the resorts are usually sufficient, but sometimes we found we needed something to keep us going. The 16-hour ferry trip was also very long; bringing tuna sweet corn sandwich supplies with us on the return trip was a smart move! (Although the cafeteria meals on offer were relatively cheap and sufficient, e.g. Chicken curry with a bread roll for $5, pack of biscuits for $3.50).
Bring a water bottle to the islands; tap water was drinkable on all the resorts we visited, so you can fill up whenever you need.
Think carefully about the Full Monty package offer when booking trips...
We did NOT choose this option when booking the Yasawas trip, because many of the activities available we had either already done or they didn't seem worth the extra cost. Some of them (e.g. snorkelling with sharks in Kuata, or with manta rays in White Sandy Beach) looked great and had amazing feedback, but these were the only ones we would have chosen anyway and their individual prices ($25, $35) were much lower than the extra price for the Fully Monty package ($120).
However, we DID choose this 'Full Monty' type-package for our Taveuni trip (we weren't given an alternative price without the activities anyway!), and were glad we did. The activities listed seemed much more to our taste, and we wouldn't have found much else to do on such a big island without these daily trips. Plus their individual prices were a lot more than we would have paid as a one-off, e.g. waterfall day trip for $60. It depends on what suits you and your bucket list!
Expect Fiji time to affect your plans; sometimes things run on time, but more often than not everyone is very relaxed and this attitude will impact your timings!
When planning your itinerary don't spend much time in Nadi; this really is a gateway town and limited in what it offers, plus we found most restaurant and activity prices to be expensive for what they were.
A cool Fiji sign in Taveuni :)
FINAL THOUGHTS
So there you have it; a very detailed account of our three weeks in Fiji! We had an amazing time here, and although we had to spend a lot more than the other countries in our trip, it was all worth it. Like many others, we found it very easy to stay in the western islands and be tempted to splash out on all the activities, but we managed to stick to a budget where we could and make the money we did spend stretch as far as possible.
Looking back, we are glad we were able to explore more of Viti Levu, although 3 nights in Pacific Harbour was definitely too long (I would recommend 1-2 nights max), and despite the long ferry journey (which was an experience in itself!), the trip to Taveuni was fantastic. It was great to do and see something different in Fiji that many other travellers we met at the beginning didn't have time to do, and the perfect way to end our trip. Vinaka Fiji and everyone we met!
Bounty Island resort