Fiji in November? and has anyone done any homestays?

Greetings. I posted a month or two ago about going to Fiji and thank everyone who responded. We (three of us in our fifties, adventure travelers from USA) are heading to Fiji in early November for two weeks, apparently the hot and rainy season. Will the weather be particularly wetter on the islands of Vanua Levu and in the Lomaiviti group of islands?

Have any of you done a homestay in Fiji?

Our first week will be at a resort (hey, it's no cost) on Denaru. But the second week, we want to get away from the resort life. We are contemplating one of two things: spending one week in another area, (maybe one of the eco village resorts--if there's one that is low-cost--or at a homestay on one of the smaller islands perhaps), or spending a few days at one place and a few days at another.

Weather, time spent traveling, and cost all will impact where we decide to go. We would like to go where we have access to a nice beach, snorkeling and scuba diving, even kayaking and hiking at least one or two days, and enjoying the local culture and Fiji's people. Meeting people from around the world is also a plus.

From the posts on Thorn Tree, it seems that some people really like Calquai while one person said that one day there was enough. It does seem wonderful, but I wonder about the amount of rain we might encounter on those eastern islands. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, we want to avoid rain if at all possible (then why, you ask, are we going in November??) since where we live it rains a good amount of the year.

Looking forward to recommendations on nice places to go in November....
Thanks,
Judi

Check out Flying Fish resort in the Yasawas, it is about as far removed from Denarau as you are likely to get and seems like a good fit for you. I have a review up on Trip Advisor.

I have also heard nothing but good things about Calaqi, if you are concerned about travel though it will be a few hours on a bus and then an hour or so on a ferry to get there from Nadi.

The west coast definately recieves less rain all year round and as far as I know this includes the islands, so the Yasawas and Mamanucas should be drier, though you might still get unlucky.

A bit drier in the west, but still could get a bunch of rain for a few hrs on any day in November. But nothing to worry about.

Check inland trips up the Sigatoka Valley to get away from things a bit, But bring a lot of DEET, mosquito net for sleeping etc..