10 Days in Fiji on a budget - what can we afford

Hi. We are travelling to Fiji in late April for 10 days as part of our RTW trip and only have a budget of around $1,500 for 2 people. We wanted to explore Yasawa islands. All the hotels I researched have a compulsory meal plan of around $50 per person which I dont think we can afford. Does anyone know a place we can stay and get our own food for cheaper? Also, what is the best way to get to Yasawa islands from Nadi airport. Thank you!

Hi and welcome to Thorn Tree @reina_nox.
I have moved your post over to our Fiji branch so that those in the know can help you out.

Cosima

Hey,

When you say your budget is 1,500 dollars, do you mean Fijian dollars or Australian/American/New Zealand dollars etc?

Is there a chance that you and your travel partner would be interested in staying in a hostel instead? I think Fiji is a really cheap country to stay in as long as you avoid the 'tourist' prices and maybe mix and match your backpacker accommodation with local food places and perhaps the odd touristy attraction/activity and book things yourself rather than looking for an all inclusive or a package deal for your stay :)

While in Fiji will you be staying in the same place (if so, where) or are you looking to travel between some of the islands?

I might have some recommendations/tips, from my previous stay if I know a bit more about your plans/expectations :)

Tina

Hey,

When you say your budget is 1,500 dollars, do you mean Fijian dollars or Australian/American/New Zealand dollars etc?

Is there a chance that you and your travel partner would be interested in staying in a hostel instead? I think Fiji is a really cheap country to stay in as long as you avoid the 'tourist' prices and maybe mix and match your backpacker accommodation with local food places and perhaps the odd touristy attraction/activity and book things yourself rather than looking for an all inclusive or a package deal for your stay :)

While in Fiji will you be staying in the same place (if so, where) or are you looking to travel between some of the islands?

I might have some recommendations/tips, from my previous stay if I know a bit more about your plans/expectations :)

Tina

Hey, sorry to jump in on the post but I'm heading to Fiji in a month and would like to have some recommendations if that's okay :)

Heading to Fiji with a friend and have 12 nights to island hop the mamanucas and yasawas but want to spend majority of our time in the yasawas. We're happy to stay in hostels and are on a budget but we don't mind paying for a couple of more expensive resorts if they're worth it and obviously don't break the bank! Budget is around £1000 per person but can spend less or more, we're not really sure on prices of things so we're just guessing with the budget! It will be my birthday whilst out there so it's more important we have a good experience.

Looking for a variety of different islands/activities and where there are other travellers.

Thank you.

Hi Tina!

I meant American dollars. I actually found an airbnb where we gonna stay at a native village at Waya sewa island. They include food as well. We would love to explore some other Yasawa islands though so if you have any tips for that - I would appreciate any feedback! Thanks!

Hello,

I'm sorry it's taken a while to reply, for some reason I don't seem to get a notification when someone messages to one of my earlier posts. I'm glad to hear you managed to find an airbnb! That sounds like a really good way to go as you can then choose what/when you eat rather than relying on a set menu :) I've looked at the tourist options for Fiji and they really seem to have gone towards the package deals route in most places which I think is a little bit of a shame but I guess there is a need for it.

If your budget is 1500 USD then alongside an airbnb you should hopefully manage to have an amazing time in Fiji as that obviously goes a little further there than the US.

I personally stayed in Suva for the majority of my stay so unfortunately island hopping isn't my area of expertise but I can whole heartedly recommend one island which is a little more off the beaten track than the majority (it was recommended by friends and both groups actually had an amazing time staying there on separate occasions back in 2012). It's a resort called Leleuvia Island resort. I think if you're on a bit of a budget for the island hopping then maybe try doing some less well known ones or ones which are renovating/not booking to full capacity at the time of your trip as we went to Leleuvia whilst they had some renovation work still going on and ended up being given a bure instead of a shared hostel room and were allowed to use the snorkel and water sport equipment for free during our visit. We barely even noticed the renovations and had a really relaxing time with the other guests :) sometimes enquiring about things like this pays off. There is also sometimes the possibility of asking the staff at less well known resort islands about arranging trips to others close by and this might be a nice way to mix in some resort/relaxing/party -island hopping with some history or more cultural activities. Maybe try to visit a local village/and or go hiking on the mainland too if you get the chance as this was one of the highlights for most of the people in my group during our stay. The Fijian museum in Suva is quite interesting and Colo-i-Suva is worth a visit too :)

Sorry I'm not much help with the island hopping side of things, I was hoping to impart some budgeting wisdom but seems like Fiji islands have become pretty expensive lately :)

Tina

Hi reina and Jess ( though you might already be in Fiji )

I went a few years ago as I had a cheap accommodation deal via holiday shares and had not booked anything as I had a few days to have a look at the scene.

Getting out to the islands is easy enough without pre booking for down in the Nadi main street you will find a few places with island trip details, I opting for a sailing boat trip around a few islands over a few days and whilst out there I saw a yellow catamaran cruiser which was possibly the one shown in pics at https://www.awesomefiji.com/ and you will see from that site that they have a Bula pass as well as trips to various islands.

Nadi itself has the main accommodation in a few separate areas, there being the expensive resort style places being developed on reclaimed land and that is near where all the boats leave from, there's at least one pub with Accommodation right in Nadi, motels and budget accommodation between the airport and the town and then off towards the coast between airport and town there are budget resorts and backpackers, a couple having restaurants where you could get a reasonable pizza as a budget meal and you can go to those places to eat without having to stay there.

There are also a few homestays about so getting cheap accommodation and meals is not so difficult but pricing is pretty much near NZ/Australian standards.

If you want to go to the Yasawa islands on a budget you can try www.islandtransfersfiji.com.au. That's the cheapest I found and you can find a transfer on demand.

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