MantaBay Pricy!!

What!

I just got a quote back from Manta Ray on Naviti. 1 Doormbed $93.60F per night 4% credit card fee $F40 compulsory meal per day.

That's $F136 per night for a dorm bed!

And not to mention the Fast Catamaran $F100 each way to get there.

Whoaa- what happened to the $20 a night deals!!!!!

I haven't been to Fiji in 8 years- boy that's inflation!

Actually I went in '99 and stayed in a tent for $25 a day including meals and thought that was cheap; dorms were more and it was a nice resort with decent food. I became their longest visitor and yes, I got discounted after staying a while. There are now and always will be cheap places to stay in Fiji, like your new friend's house! You get what you pay for though. If you stay at a locally owned resort, you can usually get a discount if staying at least a few days and/or if you book directly. If you stay at one of the many foreign-owned hotels it's less likely you will get any deals because they are basically there to make money and not to help you have a good time(like Manta Ray). Also travel agents and packaged travel products like Awesome Adventure passes take a big bite of your dollars, so really there's not much money left for resort owners to keep, nevermind discount. Fuel prices are up everywhere so you can't avoid high boat costs unless you go on a dodgy local boat with little or no safety equipment. Done it many times, but it's risky so wouldn't recommend it in bad or changing weather. If you are a bit adventurous, you'll probably have a better time as you get away from the tourist track and search out the rural places that are quiet and beautiful.