Car + Driver

We are staying just east of Sigatoka in self-catering accommodation from late-March to mid-April, with three nights on Beqa Island.

Although we had planned to rent a car (having done so in other challenging locations such as Thailand, Sri Lanka, Goa Bali, etc.) it would be good to let someone else do the driving on this trip, especially as we are now both well over retirement age.

We really don't want to join organised tours but will want to visit, for example, Natadola and other beaches, Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Ecotrax, shopping trips, etc, etc. (preferably being dropped off and picked up later) as well as the journeys to and from Navua for our Beqa trip.

Can anyone suggest a reliable person/company who could provide a car & driver regularly during our three-week stay?

Many thanks.

you will find taxis are cheap, just make sure they turn on the meter, you can also travel safely on the express buses that run around the island, easy from Sigatoka to Pacific Harbour and then transfer to Beqa, There is a good trip up the river from Navua which I enjoyed. There is an interesting museum in Suva. By Natadola do you mean the intercontinental hotel or just for the beach

The busses are a great way to travel.
Alternatively, you can negotiate a price with a taxi driver of your choice for a particular trip including waiting time or for a whole day or half day.
We once had a Lautoka taxi driver pick us up from Suva at 8am and take us back to Lautoka the long way around (anticlockwise). That was 14 hours for him (with stops along the way) and the negotiated price was F$250 (in 2012) shared by 4 people.
Cheers,
Peter

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Thank you both for your responses. It's good that taxis are readily available and to have some guidance on prices.

As we are staying in a self-catering cottage and not close to taxi ranks, I was hoping to be able to have the phone number of a reliable driver who we could contact regularly from our accommodation.

To answer your question, jb, for Natadola we were thinking of just the beach, but I understand the area close to the Intercontinental is better for relaxing swimming and, for the main island, some reasonable snorkelling. Is that the case?

Thanks again. Looking forward to our first visit to Fiji.

When you find a cab driver you like, ask for his number. We found them to be quite reliable.
Cheers,
Peter

The advice of No 5 is a good idea, there will be plenty of Taxis even near where you are staying, The intercontinental at Natadola is really nice and the beach is one of the best in Fiji. Its a nice walk around the long beach to the next headland, and you can walk across the river at low tide and walk along the island. Its also good for snorkelling just near the hotel. I think you can get a day pass, they have a good golf course as well. If you dont get a pass and just want to swim at the beach which is a public area, you can get access a bit further down the beach, just dont try to enter the hotel after swimming with non hotel towels, they wont let you in. This is one of my favourite places in Fiji, Another favourite place is Leleuvia island, on the other side out from Suva.

Thank you again for all the helpful information. Just what we needed!

The Intercontinental sounds a good option. I have asked for up-to-date information on their day passes. Would be good to enjoy the facilities occasionally.

We will also probably go to the beach a couple of times just for a swim and snorkel. Is it easy to access the beach close to the hotel without going through the grounds?

Really appreciate your help.

some one plz tell me how I will pay the Local Bus (open window) fare in NADI, I heard that now tourists can use disposable card (e-ticket) on the local bus, but how do I get to point A to point B? I dont know the place, I will have to depend on google map, do I have to tap on and tap off while getting on and getting off the bus? how does it work actually?

I know the Intercontinental bought some property close to the hotel, but there is a road option to lead you down to the beach not through the hotel. the snorkelling is up near the river area, there are good waves at the beach itself and lots of locals go there. There are sea snakes around the island part, but also blue star fish and interesting little fish. When you are going to Beqa, people also swim on the beach near the Pearl Hotel, not as nice sand as at Natadola. You might find these sites helpful https://bit.ly/379EKOO

Many thanks for your further response, jb, and the helpful links.

Sorry for the delayed reply. We have been travelling from the Philippines to Bali!