Fiji with Little Ones

Hello
We're travelling to Fiji in late July/August (with 2 smalls - 5 months and almost 3) for two and a half weeks and are looking for some good accomodation options on the outer islands (Yasawa, Taveuni, Vana Levu, possibly Mamanucas?). We've booked 7 nights at Octopus Resort already and that looks perfect - just haven't felt confident about other things that I've researched and how they meet our criteria. Trying to find something that is in between the resorts that travel agents offer and a backpacking experience. The criteria are:
- A more authentic Fiji experience
- Somewhere we can feel relaxed with a very busy 3 year old running around
- Scenic, good beaches and access to nature
- Good quality daily activities
- Mid range price, but good quality (or if somewhere was oustanding but a bit pricier, keen to know about that too)

We haven't travelled overseas with our little ones before, so any ideas or tips about that in Fiji would be greatly appreciated as well...

thanks!

I know Octopus well and am sure you will have a great time there. My daughter has come with us the past few years with her little ones, starting when they were 1 (this year 3 & 6 yrs). They have a great babysitting service (I think $4 hour last year). Children have dinner around 6/6.30pm, kids were then put to bed and babysitter came while parents were able to enjoy dinner & socialising, worked very well. Babysitters also available during te day if you want time to swim/ snorkle or even go on the village visit together.
If you have any specific questions about it - or would like to see my photos, post me a PM here with an email address.
As to where else - I'd stick to Yasawas or Mamanucas, getting to Taveuni or Vanua Levu with little ones would involve a lot of timeconsuming travel between resorts -possibly more than a day by the time you made connections.

Bula,

Octopus Resort is probably the only low to mid budget resort in the Yasawas that caters really well to children.

If you need to stay on the mainland at all, I highly recommend the Shangri-la Fijian Resort for their pro-active childcare and activities.

Out in the Yasawas, the more comfortable 3 star resort is Oarsmans Bay Lodge. You can stay in a beachfront bure with a dividing door to a second one (called family bure) to cater to the children. The food is basic but good. Breakfast is cereals, fruit, coffee/tea and juice. Lunch is burgers, pasta, rice dishes and dinner is usually cooked meat (whether it be lovo or the fish of the day with potatoes and veges).

The beach is second to none. I have stayed at many of the resorts in the Yasawas now and consider this to be the best. It is within a cove, is not tidal and doesn't get hit hard by the trade winds during change of seasons. Oni, the front office manager, can assist with catering needs for children, if necessary. When children are at the resort, they tend to arrange for local children to visit to play with the guest children.

Oarsmans is on Nacula Island which is a hilly island. You can hike to the peak to see the spectacular views across the yasawa islands or you can walk across the island to visit Safe Landing Resort. Note: Safe Landing faces straight into the trade winds and the ocean can be choppy at times - ie not suitable for little children to wade in.

Oarsmans beach is pure white sand - and about 5km long. The water is like a huge swimming pool with little to no waves. It is a gradual decline, so no sudden drops between the sand.

For the adults, it has two coral shelves on each side of the beach. The left side does have a coral shelf off the beach. The right side of the beach is low lying coral. After a week of staying here, I always feel like I have been away for a month - time just stops. You get a fantastic authentic fijian experience. You can do as little or as much as you like. The resort has half day trips every day.

You can also arrange for one of the local fijian women to babysit, if you want some R&R.

I highly recommend this place. I have stayed here 7 times now.

Nanuya Island Resort is more upmarket and the food is restaurant quality - but you pay for it. The resort does not cater to childrenl. The beach is very average out the front of the resort. It is tidal and for half the day is too shallow to swim in. I really disliked the fact that the owners encouraged the backpackers from the resorts on the otherside of the island to stay all day and drink and lounge in the bar area. I never felt like I "got away from it all".

The resorts on Tavewa Island are very rustic and directed towards backpackers. I would not recommend them for a couple with young children.

Botaira Island is very nice. The beachfront bures are big, clean and comfortable and the food is very good. Again, they do not cater well to children. Also, the beach is tidal and rocky. For half the day you have to wade out across rock to reach a good swimming depth and straight off the beach is coral, so it does make it hard for basic walking into water.

I didn't like Mantaray Island Resort. It is very focused on backpackers and making money from serving copious amounts of alcohol. The beachfront bures can only be described as very rustic.

In the Mamanuca grounp of islands, the two resorts that are family focused are Treasure Island and Castaway Island. Treasure Island is very nice, but expect to pay more for drinks etc. Castaway is fantastic for families, but you must note that you will be subjected to day trippers every day as it is a stop off for lunch, swimming and snorkelling for the day trippers.

Beachcomber Island is the party / backpacker island. I would not recommend this island for a young family.

I stayed on Tokoriki Island for my honeymoon. It really is a couples only island and more upmarket.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, let me know.

Schwabbie

Thanks so much for taking the time to give that information - its REALLY helpful! Oarsmans was the other place I have been thinking about after a lot of reading and looking on-line. Have you spent any time in Taveuni?
Thanks again :)

We were on Oarsman last year with teens and they (and we) loved the place. This year we are heading to Octopus.

"We haven't travelled overseas with our little ones before, so any ideas or tips about that in Fiji would be greatly appreciated as well" Fijians LOVE kids - you will be pleasantly surprised how well the kids get on there.

Finally , as Schwabbie suggests, the Shangri La Fijian is incredibly well sited to kids of all ages. It has excellent facilities, kids clubs, nannies, separate meal sessions (with activities) etc etc.In short , have your week at Octopus and a few days at the Fijian.

Hello fellow traveller

Some answers are as follows

-A more authentic Fiji experience

Depends on what you see as authentic. Hanging around Sigatoka on the Coral Coast on a Saturday morning, searching through the local food market is a pretty true reflection on how Fijians live and work in 2009 however if you are wanting historic traditional dress kind of thing you will need to seek it out at a tourist show etc as that sort of thing does happen in village life but you would need to be invited to the occasion and need to know when the locals are celebrating.

- Somewhere we can feel relaxed with a very busy 3 year old running around

Any of the resorts on the coral coast have baby sitting services and activities etc, so thats the really only opportunity to find true relaxation and not have to worry about the little ones while relaxing, but if you are wanting more of budget accommodation thats not backpackers then Tubakula Bungalows on the Coral Coast is pretty good. They have a pool but the beach is corally (typical of the Coral Coast) but not that bad,, quite good for kids as the break is further out and the coral provides great exploring opportunities at low tide, high tide is fine for swimming. They have a good cheap restaurant (we visit there for meals even when not staying as guests), nice swimming pool, is a short 10 min walk along the beach from the outrigger and as a tubakula guest you are entitled to use the outrigger facilities. The staff at Tubakula can pretty much organise anything so if you want a babysitter for a few hours, they would have someone reliable that you can hire. There is loads of grass for kids to run around but you will need to keep any eye on them as Tubakula is situated on a busy road as are most of the resorts. I have found this place is used by families on a budget so no one will care about a 3 year old running around :-)

- Scenic, good beaches and access to nature

Natadola Beach on the coral coast is the best beach on Viti (main island) its about a 15 - 20 min drive south of Sigatoka and is accessable by car. Has loads of shade so is a great spot for a picnic lunch. There are plenty of nice beach's on the coral coast but due to the coral you will need to stop and check it out. Just park the car by the road side and go for a walk when you find a nice spot.. really lovely

Sigatoka Valley holds endless nature and there is some good scenic drives to do around the place. You will need a car or hire a driver and car for the day and go exploring

A really nice place to visit is Biausevu Village Waterfall. You need to head to Korolevu, you will know where it is as there is a BP service station there and straight after (or before if you are coming from Suva) is a dirt road heading inland. Turn onto the road and drive for about 10 mins till you hit the village, park at the community hall (first building on your left as you enter the village) and advise the staff at the community hall that you wish to visit the waterfall. You pay $10 per person to visit and they provide a guide for $5 extra (not per person, per group etc). The walk is around 20 mins, its extremely beautiful as you are wandering through jungle/rainforests, the guide will be a local and they will give you a great run down on local plants and village life. The other options is to pay $99 per person and take a tour. www.adventuresinparadisefiji.com the only added extra is you get a bbq lunch??. Your choice

- Good quality daily activities

Any place along the coral coast will be able to organise book activities, there is lots to do and a quick google search will reveal all.

- Mid range price, but good quality (or if somewhere was oustanding but a bit pricier, keen to know about that too)

The resorts are really lovely and are worth the money but are pricey, any of the resorts cater for kids and are fantastic, my personal favourite to visit when I have kids with me is the outrigger. I found the pool area and the activities were good.. They are all good so it comes down to personal choice. Tubakula is a good cheaper option but doesnt have a kids club. Another place to consider is "the beachouse"
yes its a backpackers but you really couldnt class it as one as the standard of accommodation is excellent. The bungalows are nice but dont have ensuite, you will have to walk to showers and toilets but they are only a few steps away, they have a nice pool and have good activities but again, nothing to cater just for children even though families are welcome.
Not sure if you are interested but I rented a house on the coral coast that was super cheap but you have to make your own fun, there is a pool and restaurant you have access too (its at Maui Bay, expat area) but you will have to drive down the mountain to access the facilities. Actually thinking about it, the house grounds are not the safest for kids under 5 so forget that idea.

The islands are great but the only activities that will be available will be what they offer. If relaxation is what you want then perfect, if you want to explore alittle and search around you will have to do that on one of the bigger islands, keep that in mind when booking accommodation.

Enjoy :-)

Interesting read. We're in Fiji in about 5 weeks time - just the 2 of us and a 6 month boy. We would like somewhere 'nice' but not too upmarket. We've just been to a beautiful all-inclusive in Egypt and whilst it's nice to wallow in luxury you get to see nothing.

So somewhere that will offer a bit of 'local', nice beach/snorkelling/shore dives is what we are looking for that is not adverse to well-behaved infants!

Hoolio

We have just booked Mai Dive on Ono Island (45 mins by air from Nadi to Kadavu) and 45 mins boat to Ono. Danielle has been wonderful and although we don't have children, the comments on the site about their free babysitting and how much their 'girls' love children and care for them appealed to me...but then that is simply them being typically beautiful Fijians. Have a look at maidive.com if you haven't already booked. It's very good value, too.