Seeing Yasawa's and avoiding the resorts

Myself and a group of friends are travelling to Fiji over summer and have about a week together as a group. Taveuni is looking like a great option but the Yasawas have also been suggested a number of times. They look very beautiful but several of us don't like resorts and are fearful that resorts and party/backpacker scenes will be unavoidable in the Yasawas. Is this the right impression or are there good relaxed places that 'melt' into villages and local life a little more? Waya was looking like one of the better options having a number of villages and hills with walking tracks etc as well, but I am very open to suggestions.

If not - are there any suggested alternatives? Thanks in advance!

You might also consider Ovalau for the things you mentioned.

Agree with Raro but in combination with Caqalai Island (for the beach!)

To get well away from it all in the Yasawas - I've just spent a week at a small locally run place beside the village of Yasawa-i-rara (right at the northern tip of the Yasawas.) Definitely no party scene unless you count the staff strumming a guitar in the evenings. It's a bit of a mission to get there - on the Yasawa Flyer as far as it goes (Nacula Island) - leave Denarau at 8.30am, arrive there around 1.30pm, then picked up in an open aluminium boat for the rest of the way (1 & half to 2 hours depending on the sea conditions).
They have 5 small bures each sleeping 2 people, 2 with own bathroom & the others share shower & toilet. All food included, it is local style and I confess that even though I am well used to local Fijian food I did get a bit tired of boiled fish & cassava twice a day for 6 days. Our fellow guests were a Russian family who spoke no English so kept to themselves.
If this is the sort of thing you are interested in I'm happy to provide more detail.

Thanks for that stuff guys - yeah my interest in Ovalau has been rekindled - we have all been there a few years ago but I have realised there is a lot that we didn't get to see (we were studying at the time), including Caqalai, and I'm thinking we might go there as well as Taveuni and/or Yasawas.

TaiMarilyn I would be really keen to get those details from you - that place sounds great and very much the sort of thing that a number of the group were looking for.

Cheers!

Yasawa-i-rara very little info on line about the place-hmmm...

Cardamom - could you perhaps say straight out just what your comment means?
There is practically nothing on line about the place (I know because I looked for every mention I could before going ahead with my arrangements) - the most likely reason for that being that it is a very remote village that has previously had no tourist accommodation. The one thing you will find if you Google it is the odd report/photos from people who have visited there on a cruise ship - every so often one comes in for a day.
boksheila - will PM you with details soon.

"Cardamom - could you perhaps say straight out just what your comment means?"

Feeling somewhat hypersensitive these days?

I'm ruminating on somewhere in the Yasawas where the tourist hordes do not roam-is that OK?

Maybe you could post what you know instead of sneaky PMs.

My reason for offering a PM was to not take up space on the forum when only one person had asked for information. But since you are obviously so interested - here you are....
Tourist hordes do not roam there because it is so remote. The Yasawa Flyer goes only as far as Nacula Island, where there are a number of small resorts. (If you look on a map Nacula is only around 2 thirds of the way up the chain). You then have to be picked up in an open boat - check #3 above so I don't have to type that bit twice. I heard about it from an American friend who was attempting to help promote locally run businesses, as opposed to foreign owned resorts where a large proportion of the profits leave Fiji. It is run by a family who have leased a 5 acre lot from the village - and is at the southern end of a very long beach - the village is at the northern end. No electricity (small generator to power a fridge & a few lights in the dining area), cold water in the showers - but does have flush toilets. Very friendly staff who will do their best for you. Comfortable beds, very clean. Bures are small, made of ply walls with thatched roof. Food as above. They see themselves as catering for the backpacker market, my concern is that with the cost of getting there and the cost of accommodation (which does include 3 generous meals a day), then it is possibly more than the backpacker market want to pay. Our costs - we took the Yasawa Flyer Denarau to Nacula, on our return journey with them we stopped at Waya (Octopus) & then back to Denarau = FJ$530 for 2. The village boat cost another FJ$100 return Nacula - Yasawa-i-rara for 2. Bure rate - for the 2 bures with own bathroom (2 people) FJ$200 per day. Others which share shower & toilet $160/day/2 people. As a comparison for backpackers, when I got to Octopus I asked what their current rate for the dorm was - $FJ87 per day all inclusive. For that you get amazing food, hot water, electricity etc.
What did we do there - snorkelling, swimming (only found out on the last day that the swimming was way better 100 metres down the beach though), walked to other beaches, village visit.
If anyone has any specific queries that I haven't covered here please ask - plain language will do, not silly "hmmmmms". I will have to go back through old emails to find the phone number if anyone is interested in contacting them.

Here's the website - www.hideoutfiji.com<BR><BR>Gives a good view of the place. The food page I think is a little optimistic - or it was a month ago. Bar - was still under construc tion & all we could get was Fiji Gold beer - but we had taken our own not expecting to be able to get anything.

Thanks so much for all that information - I have checked out the place and the crew are excited. Should be fun!