Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Where to stay?

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Fiji

Ok, I've got 5 nights in Fiji as a stopover, and I had booked South Sea Island but it's closed for renovations. What I'm looking for is somewhere a 25 year old single lady can chill out in the sun for a few days, and with a social vibe that's very low key but friendly, what I don't want is somewhere with binge-drinking 18 year olds, partying all night long, etc., nor do I want someplace that's so couply it feels like Bridget Jones dinner party comes to the tropics. Thanks in advance.

Sounds like everyone is recomending Octopus Resort. I will be there mid Nov.

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If you're by yourself I wouldn't recommend Octopus... it's very couply and when you're alone it loses a lot of the appeal. So you can get a grasp of who is giving these thoughts... I am a 24 year old single American female that was traveling alone. I was in Fiji in Jan/Feb for about 4 weeks.

I just posted pretty much this same response on another thread but here goes:

As far as budget places in the Yasawas (where Octopus is) I'd say the tops are Oarsmans Bay and Manta Ray Island Resort. Each for it's own reasons really. Oarsmans had the best beach I saw in all of Fiji, as well as nice dorms, and a quiet, relaxing atmosphere with very reasonably priced activities (including some free ones). Manta Ray had the best dorms, prettiest land, best food with buffets for every meal, and most "fun" social life without being a party island like Beachcomber. If you have any interest in Diving Manta Ray has awesome diving and a reputation of having the best Diving company in the Yasawas (at least at the backpacker places). As far as Octopus... it felt the most like a real "resort"-- the food was really good, the beach great, the dorms good... lots of people seem to think it's the best. I think I would have liked it a lot more if I wasn't by myself though. I kind of felt out of place among the couples and families who would talk to you at the group dinners if you were at their table (but almost all seemed completely disinterested in what a single person traveling alone had to say) and that was about it. Activities were crazy expensive compared to everywhere else (at least twice as much), which made me skip them all.

If you're open to go places outside of the Yasawas (which I'm guessing you are), I HIGHLY recommend Robinson Crusoe Island. It's not the prettiest beach or water or snorkeling I saw in Fiji... but it WAS the most "fun" I had-- not in a get drunk way, which I wasn't looking for-- they just have great entertainment, draw a really fun outgoing type of people, and have the best staff I encountered anywhere on the islands. The people that work there really made it amazing. They really want to make you feel a part of things there. And they include SO many activities free... things like sunset cruises, coconut jewlery making, and Fijian dancing lessons. And did I mention the people!? I could go on and on about the greatness there.

I also did a village homestay near Nadi which was a really good experience to do for a couple of days if you can and it interests you.

If you have any questions or want to see some pics email me: NDL51583@aol.com. I'd be glad to help.

~Nicole

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