Fiji Itinerary

Hi Everyone,

I am heading to Fiji in the middle of May for 18 days, having never been, does anyone forsee a problem with this itinerary:

5 nights on mainland (rafting, waterfalls, hot pools, markets, village visits)

3 nights Robinson Crusoe Island

3 nights Octopus Resort

2 nights Manta Ray Island (hopefully to see some)

4 nights on Nanuya island

1 night back in Nadi for a flight the next day

It seems to me like I can catch the Yasawa Flyer between all these places.

The bioat from Nanuya to Denerau takes about 5 hours. As such Id be incline to do Nanuya after Octopus and Manta Ray last before heading back .
This would break up the ferry trips a bit.
Id be very surprised if you DONT get to see the Mantas, whiklst staying there. BTW Octopus organise half day trips specifically to swim with the Mantas

Yasawa Flyer timetable out from Denerau. Then turns abnd does the reverse

Denarau Marina 8.30am
South Sea Island 9.00am
Bounty Island 9.05am
Beachcomber Island 9.15am
Vomo Island Resort 9.45am
Kuata/ Waya Lailai 10.30am
Waya Island 10.45am
Octopus Resort 11.00am
Manta Ray 11.30am
Botaira Resort 11.45am
Naviti Island 11.55am
Matacawalevu/ Yaqeta 12.30pm
Nacula Island 1.00pm
Nanuya Lailai/ Tavewa 1.30pm

Thanks Mandja!

Oarsman is indeed very nice. Excellent beach, nice people, ok food (plentiful and homely though not great).
The rooms are plesant though not as nice as at , say ,Octopus.

Hi Stella,
Sounds like a great trip!! I have been to all of the resorts you have mentioned and you have some nice choices. If you would like to look at adding or changing one - I would highly recommend Oarsman's Bay as well as it has such an incredible beach! Beautiful, long, excellent snorkelling and also a huge space for great swimming too.

Although I loved Robinson Crusoe - I would take Oarman's over that. You can always do a day trip to Robinson Crusoe if you like as they do put on a great show there.

As for the order of the islands from both a personal preference and a professional perspective (I am a travel consultant specializing in the South Pacific), I would not worry about changing the order of your islands. Yes it is a long ferry ride, but if the sun is shining and the weather is nice, it is a great day to relax in the sun and read a book. You will be getting back into Nadi the day before your flight so you don't have to worry about any missed connections with the ferry getting in late.

I actually like your order as the resorts are getting better as you go along and I think it is always important to end on the best resort or hotel. Otherwise when you go from something really nice to something not quite as good - you can sometimes be disappointed.

As for Manta Rays....hopefully you get to see them. I was there for 3 nights/2 days and was fortunate enough to get to swim with them twice. An incredible experience. The one day the weather was not so good and the waves were quite large and current strong so make sure you have a good pair of fins and if you aren't a strong swimmer, just ask to wear a life jacket so you can really enjoy the experience without feeling uncomfortable in the water.

Sounds like a great trip! Sure you will love it!!

Cheers,
Carl

www.carlhenderson.ca

mandja - I totally agree - good points. Food is only average and rooms nice but basic. I love it for the beach!!

Yes. I agree, Oarsman's beats them all for that beach! who needs very comfortable accoms when you got that beach and endless kava under the stars, every night.
If you're into diving, take some dives with Coral View dive center, they're located just in front on Tavewa island, they'll pick you up : when I was there, two years ago the young owner (son of Tavewa's chief) was setting up some shark observation dives. Nice relaxed diving.

Edited by: Luko

I recommend staying at Blue Lagoon Resort, which is on the same exact beach as Oarsman's Resort, over Oarsmans resort. My wife and I stayed at Oarsman's for 1 night and moved to Blue Lagoon which is comparable in price but far nicer. We were not alone -- half of the people staying at Oarsman's moved next door after their first night there. There really is no comparison between the two resorts.

The bay itself is stunning -- aquamarine water with white sand and a great reef for snorkeling. Probably the best in the Yasawas. We did not want to leave. Also, check out the limestone caves while you are there. It's a must-do.

It's as if the management at Oarsmans have given up on the place. Our bure was dirty when we checked in, food not so great (they recycled the same items over and over again according to others who stayed another 3 nights after our move to Blue Lagoon Resort). It has a lot of potential given some investment and care, but as of 10 days ago it was a pass.

If you can't book in Blue Lagoon, I heard good things about Coral View but I did not stay there.

One more note: At least in Jan, it was not really necessary to book each night's stay in advance unless it was a very popular resort and you wanted a specific bure / room. I suggest keeping some flexibility in your schedule so you can extend in places you like and making 1 night reservations in places you don't know about well. Also, I'm not sure you will want 5 nights on the mainland. I would try to leave things flexible so you can stay on the islands longer if you like, or go back to the mainland early if you get bored (unlikely, IMO). Or, go out to one of the other island chains for those days. I wasn't able to make it to Vanua Levu, but it sounds great and has waterfalls, hiking, etc.

You will probably go visit villages on the islands, so you don't really need to assign extra days on the mainland for that. Think of the islands as being a little more traditional fijian, the mainland as a little more modern fijian, and perhaps consider a day in Suva to experience that contrast rather than seeing villages on the mainland.

I just returned from a couple of weeks in fiji -- feel free to direct message if you have specific questions.

The Blue Lagoon Resort is the place next door to Oarsmans , isnt it? When we were there a couple of years ago it was under different management - lovely peopel but they were struggling finiacially, with little or no promotion, it meant that they really only got the overflow from Oarsman's.

Hello

I spend alot of time in Fiji and if you need to know where to go to do the mainland activites you mention then I can pass on some numbers in order to save you money avoiding costly tours.

The commercial waterfall tour goes to Biausevu village on the coral coast. You can get to the waterfall easily via taxi or car hire and actually do a tour directly with the land owner who takes you there on horseback, much nicer way of getting there (the walk takes 40 mins and you have to get INTO the creek 9 times before the waterfall) and he lets you stay there as long as you like. Check out my recent post on how to get there. He also offers authentic fijian lovo's - (chicken, fish and root crops cooked in a earth oven) where he uses coconut palms and banana leaves instead of foil and the taste is out of this world.

His name is Boro and his number is (679) 8344164
He will also show you around the village and he can organise a kava ceremony should you choose to indulge (you cant come to fiji and not drink Kava atleast once :-) )

The hot springs on the coral coast is beautiful surrounded by green bamboo.... really something to enjoy in the late afternoon.
A local couple who own Eco Cafe on the coral coast will organise a personal tour for you. We go there every visit and then come back to their cafe and spend the night eating traditional fijian food and enjoying real italian coffee,,, you cant find traditional fijian food in fiji so make sure you go there and do their hot spring tour and eat their food,, worth it
Fabi is the italian owner, and her hubby is fijian. Their number is (679) 6530064

They can also organise someone to take you snorkeling on the MPA. The MPA is the marine protected area and a local village and American Marine Biologist have been rebuilding this area by planting coral for the past 7 years. Its out of this world stunning and the best snorkeling experience you can get.
No tours are allowed so you will have to organise this when you are there through Fabi and Dangs.

I also have a number of a local driver in Nadi that we use to transport to the coral coast. Let me know if you are using local transport and taxi's,,, if you are ,, then book this guy,, he will charge local prices and you wont get ripped off

Have fun :-)

3 nights Robinson Crusoe & then on to 3 nights Octopus - is Robinson Crusoe on the the Yasawa Flyer run? I don't recall stopping there, if not you would have to return to Nadi & catch the Flyer next morning.
I would also recommend Blue Lagoon over Oarsmans - yes, it is the one you recall Mandja, but has been completely rebuilt under the new management and is nothing like the old resort now. It's also worth noting that the Flyer does not return to Nacula after stopping at Nanuya Lailai, so in effect Nacula is the turnaround point for the return journey.