R & R needed.... suggestions?

howdy,

i have a stopover in fiji on the way back from australia to the US. i fly into nadi mid-february and leave 4 days later. would really love suggestions on where to go...

i'm a 36 year old married woman traveling solo (trip to australia is for work) hoping (and honestly needing) to find a nice slice of rest and relaxation, mixed in with activity (on travels i'm hiking, snorkeling, swimming, kayaking, etc). i'm not a backpacker traveler, at least not this trip, nor do i fancy the 5-star thing, at least not this trip.

example~ i went to costa rica for a week & headed to a rustic tent camp in the osa peninsula. it was incredible! remote, beautiful beaches, steamy jungle, wildlife. and fellow travelers were friendly and cool.

since i'm in fiji for so short a time, cost is not as critical as finding a beautiful, heavenly spot to re-engergize. i don't need to be isolated from fellow humankind but do hope to avoid loud music, etc.

with that in mind, what what you suggest?

thank you very much!
and happy travels...

Taveuni - of course only doable in 4 days if you fly there.

If you want relaxing, why not head to the Mananuca or Yasawa islands? They have plenty of choices and most are quite relaxed. There is easy access from Nadi.

considering your example, Ovalau is also an option for the jungles and interesting main village, with small offshore reef island 'resorts' for snorkelling and lazing around on a hammock. More compact overall than Taveuni (which has better jungle hikes and better snorkelling). But both would require some flying to get there, given the time you have. Might be direct flights from Nadi to Taveuni (Matei in the north), but for Ovalau you may have to fly to Suva first and then take another flight...now that I type all that, it does look like a convenient option.

With only 4 days, it's probably more convenient to pick one of the more mountainous (and scenic) Yasawa islands. Not all of them are busy. Waya island, for example, has about 4 smallish resorts scattered around it's perimeter, with Octopus the most upmarket...no steamy jungles or wildlife, though.

Only problem with the Yasawas is that you would probably have to spend a night either side in Nadi. The Yasawa Flyer which services those resorts leaves before 9am every day, returning around 6pm. Apart from that I'd also recommend the Yasawas.

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<hr>it does look like a convenient option.<hr></blockquote>

I meant, it does NOT look like a convenient option

I second Laszlo's suggestion of Taveuni, there are several direct flights a day there. There's great hiking, great diving , snorkeling, kayaking, there's horseriding too, its a great place to chill out and also far less touristy and commercialised

The Yasawa's in the brief I spent there seemed to be full of 18-25's partying...but maybe ended up on the wrong island.

I would suggest matamanoa island in the Mamanuca Islands.

Its easy to get to from Nadi - although does require changing boats. But the island itself if very beautiful. It is a smal island and only has one resort on the island. No children under 12 are allowed which means that most of the people staying on the island are honeymooners, couples or singles wanting a very relaxing casual time. The guests and staff are friendly enough if you want to make friends and happy to leave you alone if you don't.

Its a little on the more expensive side - its not a backpacker place. But all the activities except for diving and a village trip are included. You can go kyaking, snorkelling, climb the mountain etc. The snorkelling off the beach is amazing. The island is surrounded by a marine reserve so no motorised water sports are allowed.