Where to go to chill

Hey,

I will be going to Fiji at the beginning of 2011 at the end of a couple of months travelling through Oz and NZ, and so was looking for a place to just chill on a beach with a beer. Ideally I want somewhere where the families and screaming kids are NOT, and wouldn't mind seeing a bit of the islands that I've seen in pictures (you know the one's, beautiful waterfalls and rock pools).

Also, is it worth staying on the main island, or should I just shoot off to the outlying islands as soon as I get there?

Don't have an exact budget but reckon it'll be kinda mid-range maybe a bit less. Not looking for the Hilton though...

Any help would be appreciated, especially by people who have actually done it.

Cheers!

I just posted the following in reply to the post about resorts without kids.

I spent a couple of months poking around Fiji. I wasn't explicitly wanting to avoid families and children as such, but I did stay away from the main holiday resorts (either midmarket family or low end backpacker 'party') on Viti Levu, the Mamanucas, and the Yasawas. These are the places easiest to get to with holiday flights from, eg Australia.

Staying away from those locations I rarely came across families/kids. If you went to Ovalau or Taveuni or Vanua Levu, or even picked the right resort in the Yasawas (I went to a budget place on Waya island), then you shouldn't have a problem.

I was traveling budget level which in itself seemed to select against the families on short holiday. If you wanted spend more, then you may have to follow suggestions above and start searching for no-families resorts. My guess is that these will be of the mid- to upper-budget end.

I am not certain about the weather situation in Fiji at the beginning of the year. Locations such as Taveuni and east Viti Levu get a lot of rain even in the dry season. Personally I wasn't bothered - when you're spending a good chunk of the day swinging in a hammock anyway, a tropical downpour can actually add to the relaxation.

Viti Levu is worth it if you're interested in some activities such as hiking, or visiting towns (Suva and Lautoka are interesting). But if you're mainly interested in the relaxation, the waterfalls etc, then it's probably best to head straight to the outer islands.

Cheers for that oldpro, the other thing I should have mentioned was whether its worth me getting a tour if I want to see Viti Levu, or whether its just as easy to catch a bus between the places on the main island??

Better, and less expensive, just to catch a bus between towns, no need for a tour of Viti Levu or Vanua Levu either.

#2 The simple answer is that you should be OK taking local transport to travel around the island.

I suppose I could go into a long story about details, depending on which places in "the places on the main island". I don't like taking multi-day tours under any circumstances. Sometimes a one-off to a particular spot might be convenient if you arrange something through a travel agent (eg to homestay in national park near Lautoka) .. they'll handle the transport logistics for you, which is just convenient.

avoid the tours - easy to get around yourself and very safe.