3 days/2 nights in Nadi - suggestions for planing, car rental, scuba

Hi,

We will be arriving Nadi in mid February around 4pm, and staying at Hotel not far from the airport. We are staying for 2 nights , and departing Nadi on the 3rd day at 10pm.

We are very active and we like to explore, beach and water activities. I am certified Scuba Diver.

I have been offered by the travel agency:
Island Experience - take a boat to the beautiful Mamanuca islands and spend a day relaxing on the white sand beach of the famous Beachcomber Island - $95USD per person
Day Cruise - set sail for a full day of island adventure on a Captain Cook Cruise (Includes: Lunch, guided snorkeling tour, use of canoes, kava ceremony, entertainment) -http://www.captaincook.com.fj/fiji-day-cruises/default.htm

Does anybody have any experience with those tours? Any recommendations?

Day Cruise have an option of Diving, which is additional. I was thinking something different for our stay in Fiji:
Day 1: Arrive Nadi at 4pm, checkin, and than not sure.. bus/taxi to Nadi? Marina?
Day 2: Scuba Diving 2-tank in the morning, than possibly rent a car and drive around
Day 3: Drive either to Nadi or along South Coast, return car to Airport, fly out at 10pm.

Feel free to make suggestions on plan and car rental agencies.

I found 2 Scuba operators in Nadi: Scuba Bula and Adrenalin Fiji, any recommendations?

Thank you for your help in advance,

Stan

Bula Stan! Since you're really active and scuba dive, here's what I'd recommend. Take a look at
the vast menu of offshore island daytrips South Seas Cruises offers. (ssc.com.fj) They go
to a wide variety of the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands offshore from Nadi. One island that
has it all-- hiking, scuba, Fijian Village visits-- is Waya Island. You could go as a daytrip.
You could also take the early morning speedy Yasawa Flyer catamaran(awesomefiji.com)
and overnight at the Octopus Resort ( octopusresort.com) which has its own PADI dive
center. By staying overnight at one of the most highly-recommended Yasawa Island Resorts, you'd really get
to do a variety of things. The reef right off the Octopus Resort is excellent. The beach there-
Likuliku Beach-- was listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the 10 most beautiful beaches in
the world. ( Go to GoogleEarth to see what it looks like.)

As far as a car rental goes- the good news is you don't need one. Just take a taxi to Nadi
from the airport, or catch a bus or "carrier"- a shared van or truck- on the road in front of the
airport. Have a Great Holiday!

for such a short stay I'd recommend you stay in one place - I'd second Kenko's suggestion of Octopus resort. You would have to stay overnight in Nadi on arrival - Raffles Gateway (just opposite the airport) is good for that. It gets dark around 6pm so you can't get in much sightseeing that night. Then catch the Yasawa Flyer the next morning - their bus picks up from Raffles around 7.30am, boat leaves at 8.30am from Denarau Marina and gets to Octopus at 11am. Stay overnight, get the Flyer back to Denarau on your 3rd day. You would catch the boat around 3pm and get in to Denarau around 6pm, then their bus could take you straight to the airport.
If you are an active person don't go to Beachcomber, it's a tiny island you can walk round in 10 minutes, reasonable snorkelling and some other water sports, known as a party island more than anything. Octopus has a very good dive centre, great food and staff, depending on what days of the week you are there they have many other activities scheduled (mountain hikes, village visits etc), good snorkelling, kayaks.

I'd forget about trying to drive around on Viti Levu. You haven't got enough time to see much - and Octopus will give you a taste of the best of Fiji.

Actually, we are staying at Tanoa International near the airport - Agency gave it to tus as part of our tickets.. What should I do in this case?

You might want to see if your agent can switch the reservation. If not, use it for your first night
before going to the Octopus via Denarau Marina. Denarau is only 3.5 miles past Nadi Town.

Tanoa is fine for overnight, use it the first night, you can't get out to an island that night anyway. If its a freebie then I wouldn't worry about not staying there the 2 nights. I really think you would regret not getting out to Octopus for a night.

Stan, I'm a diver also and can tell you that any diving in Fiji needs to be done as far away from Nadi
as possible. Mainland-based Dive boats tend to not be willing to go the distance to get to the better reefs-
they certainly are not going to go out 2 hours that it takes to get to Waya Island. The Yasawas are among
the most beautiful islands in the Fijian archipelago. I know you don't know Marilyn or myself from Adam-
but trust the little voices in cyberspace this one time. You have just the time to get to Waya Island-- GO
FOR IT!!!

Hi Kenko

On day 1 we arrive at 4pm to Nadi, is there any way to get to Octopus on that day?
What can we do on Day 1? Visit Marina? Nadi?
Assume, we do go to Yasawa for 1 night, I won't be able to Scuba dive anyway, as I am assuming that they scuba dive only in the morning, which means I have to do it on the day I am flying, i.e. Day 3.

Apologies if i am missing something here..

anything similar on Mamanuca islands?

Hi Gambrinys- The Octopus' Dive Center has regularly scheduled morning boat dives, so I see
the situation with 24-hour rest before your flight. I've e-mailed them to see if they ever will go
out in the afternoon for boat dives but won't likely get a reply for a bit. Others may know of a way
to get there for your Day 1 without breaking the bank. The Mamanucas don't have much in the
way of reef to dive- they're beautiful but mostly sand surrounding the islands with miniscule reef.
Another possibility for nice diving is the VoliVoli Resort up at RakiRaki. It's about 2-3 hours drive
north from Lautoka and then just offshore. Good Diving. Ra Divers is a very reputable dive center.
Volivoli.com

South Seas Cruises (ssc.com.fj) has scuba diving based off South Seas Island as a day trip from Denarau.

Bula Stan! Just got word from the folks at the Octopus Dive Center that THEY DO AFTERNOON
BOAT DIVES! They also are aware of the Yasawa Flyer arriving at the Octopus Resort
at 11:00 a.m. and will hold up the second boat dive of the morning until 11:30. So, you
can do what Marilyn and I recommended and have a great visit in just your 3 days--
scuba diving and all. Just note that they don't dive at all on Sundays.
Have a great holiday!

Kenko!! Wow, just wow!! you are awesome!! Thank you, thank you!

I send request to Octopus resort. they have Magic Boat they they run from Vuda Marina. But it sounds as it won't run until the morning, unless I shell out cost of private transfer.. Will wait until they respond. If they can' transfer us from NAdi airport on arrival, I can pull 2 nights in paradise, and we are ok in staying in Dorm room, as other room require 5-night minimum(my understanding). Magic boat is much faster , but it is a bumpy ride per other travellers, if the weather/ocean is not cooperating. Otherwise, We will rely on Yasawa flyer. How mu ch is it for 2 adults roundtrip? I sent inquiries to both Octopus and Awesome Adventures(that run Yasawa Flyer), but I don't expect a reply until tomorrow.
For the diving, their 2nd morning dive(at 11am), is it 2 tank dives or 1 tank dive? How much are they? Are there afternoon dives too? Do they go out if the weather is not great?
Apologies for so many questions, I got carried away.:)I showed my wife pictures of the place, she was blown away.:)

Bula Stan! I'm glad you saw the info regarding afternoon diving. You might want to contact Jodie
at "diveoctopus@gmail.com" directly with any questions you have. The Octopus also
has a private bure (hut) for couples wanting more privacy than the dorms. It's probably
already booked but I thought you should look into it. As far as boat transfers, you should
only need a return ticket to/from the the Octopus which the Yasawa Flyer should be able
to reserve for you. Prices keep fluctuating with fuel prices, and I can't tell you what they
cost at the moment- probably about $100 give or take. I don't know if South Seas Cruises
provides return boat transport to the Octopus- they do day trips- so it's worth checking out.
(ssc.com.fj) Getting offshore to the islands is not inexpensive but considering how many
chances you have in this life to live your dream-- it's definitely worth every penny. The
beauty of the the Fijian islands is matched by the hearts of the Fijian people. Have a
great Trip!

Kenko, TaiMarilyn

Jodi confirmed that they will hold the boat, and they might even run 2 afternoon dives.. if weather cooperates. Got ourselves Private Double room for 1 night(hoped for 2 nights, but Magic boat runs only once fromthe mainland in the morning; I asked them how much would it be to bring us to Octopus a night before.. no response yet). Octopus Reservation are suggesting their Magic Boat - they pick up around 9 from Tanoa, bus us to Vuda Marina, and than transfer. in the way back they leave resort at 2pm, and arrive Vuda Marina at 3:30pm, and than drive us to airport. They claimed I can go on Yasawa Flyer, but they are slightly more expensive.

What I like about Yasawa Flyer, is that they pick up fairly early from Hotels(though Octopus Reservations said that Yasawa's hotel transfer is NOT complimentary, though their website and my email exchange said otherwise, i.e. they pick up for free), and they stop by bunch of islands on the way to Octopus, and they arrive about the same time as Magic boat from Mainland.

But on the way back - that's when it makes most sense: Magic Boat leaves Octopus at 2pm and gets to Vuda Marina around 3:30 and than they drive to airport, while Yasawa picks up at 3:15-3:30 and gets to Denarau around 5:45. I like that extra hour at thre resort, and I think getting to Denarau is better than getting to Vuda Marina. If I have a flight at 22:00, do I want to stick around Denarau and get dinner/explore/shop, or just go to airport on Yasawa transfer from Denarau to Airport? Obviously if i stick around, getting to Airport will be my expense. How much would it be? Is there anythign to do around Vuda Marina if we will arrive on Magic around 3:30pm?

Suggestions/advice please

Thank you for everything!!

Bula Stan! Great that you scored the private room for a night at the Octopus! As far as boats, I'd
go with your inclination to take the Flyer for the reasons you noted- also going to Vuda
Point is not convenient to the airport. It's way out there toward Lautoka. I'd make the most of
the time you have. At Denarau, you can walk from the Marina to the swanky hotels on the
beach there and have a nice farewell dinner, before catching a cab back to the airport.
It's 3.5 miles from Denarau to Nadi Town and another 5 miles to Nadi Int'l Airport--
figure on about 25 minutes and about $15. ( Good news is there's no tipping in Fiji. )
You are in for some of the most beautiful scenery with the most beautiful hosts in the South
Pacific!

I forgot to ask where you're from? I'd imagine this Fiji stopover is on the way to/from another
destination and you may have luggage. What you might want to do is just take daypacks with
toiletries, camera, electronics swimsuit and a change of clothes out to Waya Island so you're not lugging everything out and back. You could lock and leave you main luggage at your Nadi hotel in left luggage and
retreve it on the way back. The airport also has a luggage storage area. That way you can travel light--

We live in Boston, Mass. Traveling to NZ. Travel Agent I used had deal where you get LAX-NAN-AKL-NAN-LAx for good price with 2 nights stopover with free hotel(via PacificIslands website , though price was different). We were thinking to go directly to the airport from the boat, so leaving luggage in Tanoa might not be an option, not that my wife would agree to it. yeah, we probably would have lug the luggage with us. Any good restaurants in Denarau? Any recommendation on how much USD cash to change to FJD?

Stan, You'll only need cash for incidentals like taxis, maybe casual shopping. The Octopus takes credit
cards. For dinner before
hitting the airport a couple of suggestions-- You could go to the Westin or the Sheraton Fiji Resort in
Denarau. The Sheraton has several restaurants. Port O' Calls is the fine dining room. There's also
the Flying Fish Restaurant at the hotel. You could also hit a great little place conveniently located right
on the road between Denarau and Nadi. It's a great fusion-food place part of a lodging in a colonial
building called "The Blue Bure" within the "Fiji Blue Bure" hotel. (fijibluebure.com) BTW, your first night
at your Nadi hotel, you might enjoy "LC's Restaurant & Bar" convenient to the Tanoa.

Coming from Boston, this stopover is going to be very exotic for you. I've been all over Thailand and Indonesia, yet Waya Island still stands out as a Robinson Crusoe-type island. Be sure to take your camera.
Have a great time-- Au saa liu mada! -Ken

Transfers from hotel to marina are definitely complimentary, as is the transfer to the airport on arrival back at Denarau. Taxi cost Denarau to airport is now at least FJ$25.
When the Flyer arrives back you can expect it will be after 6pm before you get your bags - and it will be 20 - 30 minute drive to the airport. Check in for NZ flights always used to be 2 hours previous to flight time, last year we were told 90 minutes, although there are often big queues if you are not early. That doesn't leave you a lot of time to wander around Denarau and have dinner. An option could be to get the free bus to the airport, (not sure if you will be able to check in that early but you could try), then go over the road to Raffles Gateway Hotel for dinner, and even a swim. They do allow casual guests to use their pool and facilities and will also give you towels for the pool.

Yasawa Flyer picked us up from Tanoa, we took Yasawa Flyer - actually they gave us a smaller boat as the other one was privately chartered. Was cloudy. Made it to the Octopus around 10:50 or so. Spoke with Dive Shop - Jodywas not there but spoke with Cookie and he said that I can go with one of his guys anytime. I did 2 dives - just me and divemaster. Saw lots of fish, and were chasing after turtle.

We also had dinner and massage package - my wife was ecstatic:)
We loved Octopus - very nice people.

NExt day weather was not cooperating, but we went to visit a village - kids gave us performance.:) than we found that the boat is running late because of the waves. When Yasawa Flyer showed up, small boat that transfers us to the Flyer could not be started. It was pouring.:) We were soaking wet when we boarded Flyer. It was very stormy. We made it to the Denarau, took the bus to airport and off we went.

Thank you guys again for everything!!