Two week holiday on a budget

My girlfriend and I are looking to go to Fiji for 2 weeks in May this year and were wondering if anyone had any ideas on where we might go? Do you think we could get by on a budget of 600 pounds each or do we need a lot more than that? Are the Yasawas the best place to go for cheap places to stay and beautiful beaches or there some other good island chains? How much would things like snorkeling, diving and ferries cost? And how much do you think we would have to budget a day for food and drink? Thank you for you help!

With two weeks you have a lot of choices, and a lot of research ahead of you. As many visitors
to Fiji have limited time, the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands are beautiful and easy to get to by boat.
But boat transfers have seen prices rise over the years, and now many of the resorts on these islands
have raised their prices as well. Mandatory meal-package prices can come as a shock to many with
prices as high as US$50 per person per day at some of these resorts. For beautiful tropical beaches
on a budget, some go to the Coral Coast on the main island of Viti Levu. Near Korolevu is the "Beach-
house" (fijibeachouse.com) with dorms and light breakfast included for F$55 per person. The two-hour
bus ride from Nadi to Korolevu is just a few dollars. Just a couple miles off the northern coast of Viti Levu is the Volivoli Resort (volivoli.com) with dorms priced from F$40 per person. Ra Divers offers scuba
diving nearby. To get to Volivoli involves a bus ride of about 3 hours from Nadi for a few bucks and then a
boat transfer to Nananu I Ra Island for about $25 each. Another budget choice (there are many- I'm just
giving you an idea of some of the better ones located in beaches worth going to Fiji for) is the island of
Ovalau, where Fiji's old capital was located. Off the eastern coast, Levuka is the main sleepy town with
colonial architecture and bargain lodgings. The old Royal Hotel has double rooms from F$38. The New
Mavida Lodge has dorms from $30 each and Mary's Holiday Lodge double rooms from $40. The tiny island
of Caqalai has camping,dorms,and bures (thatched-roof huts) at bargain prices. Caqalai offers great snorkelling off its white-sand beaches. Finally, it's possible in your two weeks to take a cargo ferry to
an island such as Taveuni-- the "Garden Island"-- with its tropical rainforest and world-class diving in
the Somosomo Strait. Consort Shipping vessels depart Suva two or three times weekly arriving in Savusavu on Vanua Levu after about 12 hours, and continue onto Taveuni arriving after about 8 more
hours. The fares used to run around F$68each way for a seat, $120 per berth for a cabin. Once you
arrive on Taveuni, you can camp at the Beverly Beach Campground near Matei.
You have a lot of options- these are just a few. I'd suggest getting hold of an LP Guidebook and also
going to GoogleEarth to see what the places mentioned look like. They are stunning. Here are a couple
websites to get you started: MyFijiGuide.com OwlFiji.com

And ConsortShipping.com.fj Happy Travels!

One correction to the above - Voli Voli is not on Nananu-I-Ra island but on the tip of the north coast. However, there are also several budget places on the island as well. I second the idea of reading a guidebook - if you don't want to buy have a look in the library or browse one in the book store.

Vinaka Newfie-
Even better for Volivoli Resort as there are no boat transfer costs. Also, the prices listed for Consort Shipping to Taveuni are their current prices.

Current Yasawa Flyer costs for boat passes to the Mamanucas/Yasawas are: 5-day pass US$221
7-day pass US$287. Roundtrip fare to Octopus Resort on Waya Island, US$ 168.
(awesomefiji.com)