Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# 10 hours in Fiji!! Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Fiji
jvinecombe 06:07 UTC 02 Dec 2008 | I have a 10 hour wait at Fiji's airport. Is it worth leaving the airport to go and do something else? Is it practical, how easy is it to get into town/back to the airport? |
oldpro 10:33 UTC 02 Dec 2008 | Definitely worthwhile, since the airport itself is so small. It's only a 5 minute walk from the terminal to the main highway. Minibuses between Nadi and Lautoka pass the airport entrance quite frequently (several per hour), although if you're a first-time visitor these might not be easy to recognize. A taxi is another possibility but you'll pay more. You're looking at travel time on the order of 20 minutes or so. Nadi is more tourist-oriented, with perhaps more obvious tourist distractions for 2-3 hours (mostly shopping and sitting in restaurants, not many sights). Lautoka has less tourism infrastructure and much fewer tourists, and has the feel of a more genuine local town. Other than that, it might be possible to go to Raffles Hotel across road from airport entrance -- relax there and use their pool/restaurant facilities. | 1
fyrelizard 22:47 UTC 03 Dec 2008 | I'd agree with Oldpro. Buses also come right into the airport, outside departures. The airport is small and won't have much to keep you occupied for 10 hours! Cabs are inexpensive, and it's easy enough to hail one. You'll have plenty of time to wander round town and have a leisurely meal, or see if you can hang out and eat at one of the beach resorts. Raffles is a sensible suggestion if you don't want to go too far afield, or for passing time when you are done with town. | 2
rotuma 00:03 UTC 04 Dec 2008 | If you have got 10 hours to wait I suggest you haggle with a taxi driver over a price for say 4 or 5 hours of use of the taxi and get him to take you to Lautoka then back to Nadi then maybe out to the resorts. Taxi's are pretty cheap in Fiji so $100 will probably cover it for half a day. You may as well have a good look round if you haven't been there before. | 3
mandja 00:12 UTC 04 Dec 2008 | Id be inclined to go into Nadi to see the shops/market, then back to the Raffles hotel opposite the airport. Speak to the hotel prior to going to Fiji, as you should be able to get a "day rate" ie use of pool, change room, showers etc.Ive done this elsewhere around the world and its a refreshing way to spend 10 hours. | 4
jvinecombe 06:02 UTC 04 Dec 2008 | Thanks for the ideas. I think I'll scrap the crosswords. Mandja, I like the day rate idea and have enquired. I also like the Rotuma's idea about hiring the taxi all day. Whats in Lautoka and how far from the airport is it? | 5
oldpro 07:40 UTC 06 Dec 2008 | Lautoka is about 30 minutes north of airport (by bus), not very far. Lautoka is just a working town, not much in the way of sights for a tourist. In that respect, Nadi has more distractions to fill a few hours, mainly in the form of tourist shops. Lautoka has a good food market to wander around in. Oddly enough, Lautoka is actually better than Nadi for a 2-3 day stay (or longer). You need the time to get into the habits of daily life. If you did hire a taxi you could easily visit both Nadi and Lautoka, and might still have time for a session by the Raffles pool. | 6
lululemon 04:44 UTC 07 Dec 2008 | Good shopping in Nadi excellent service in most stores some decent restaurants too service was glacial though. | 7