Why You Should Skip The Yasawas

I just got back from Fiji and was amazed at how many people arrived there and got on a big bus straight for the Yasawa Flyer, dooming themselves to not experiencing Fiji at all.

There are a lot of reasons why you should not do this.

1) ALL of the Yasawa resorts pay a 30% commission to booking agents. That means you are paying 30% more than you should.
2) The Yasawas are not Fiji in any sense. They are a plastic world built for tourists and run by foreigners.
3) The really interesting parts of Fiji are everywhere but on these over-hyped, overpriced, prefabricated desert islands.

If you really want to INTERACT with the world, rather than simply SEEING it as a mindless tourist, you need to get off the cattle car and go out there and dig for an adventure. Look for the crowds and go in the opposite direction. Take local buses from town to town instead of pre-arranged shuttles. Talk to the locals. Stay in family-owned accommodations. Take some risks. Don't book yourself into a corner. Make up your plan as you go. Find those little sections of your fat book that reveal the really untrammeled places. Find Navala. Visit Bobo. Get outside of your comfort zone. Go find Fiji.

And at the very least, don't pretend that you traveled to Fiji if the only place you went was a pricey resort on the beach.

...and stop telling me how to take my damn vacation

522clint - keep in mind that if the people who enjoy that sort of thing, go to those sorts of places, then those of us who don't can enjoy the freedom of visiting paradise in peace, far from the bustling crowds ;-) I agree, though, it is wrong to suggest you have "experienced" Fiji, if all you have done is sit on a beach drinking cocktails, talking to other holiday-makers. Fiji has so, so much more...

But, each to their own, I guess.

And PS (to go with #2)..
So many questions posted about Fiji contain the word "party".. Sadly, these days, so often the image of a holiday in Fiji comes with drunken, loud, party-all-night connotations. It seems, sadly, that is the way the Yasawas are going. But let's face it, people who want to party their way around Fiji aren't interested in culture or "untrammeled places" usually anyway! I hate the thought that people who are looking for this sort of experience may be staying in the bure next to me on a quiet island somewhere, so maybe it's a good thing to keep them all herded together en mass :-)

I agree with Jeaniej - there are many people who go to Fiji wanting to experience the "white sand/blue water/ swaying palm trees" travel posters - they probably have only a week or 10 days & that is their choice. Actually your comments probably have more reference to the Mamanucas than the Yasawas & the more people that go there, the more space there will be for the rest of us in the places they don't know about!
You are wrong however about 1) - I know of several places that do not pay 30% commission to agents, in fact won't deal with agents. And 2) - if it's so plastic why do my adopted family live in thatched huts & corrugated iron sheds? And 3) - maybe that should say "the OTHER interesting places.."
I do have extensive experience of travelling in Fiji, having spent 2 - 4 weeks there every year since 1992. I have never stayed in big hotels (unless you count Raffles Gateway occasionally on the way in or out). I have used local buses, local ferries, cheap rental cars & planes occasionally when time or distance was a factor. I have covered Viti Levu thoroughly, including driving through the interior, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Ovalau, Caqelai, the northern coast of Kadavu, and Vanua Balavu in the Lau Group. I have eaten local food whenever possible.
It would be interesting to know of 522clint's experiences and the amount of time he spent.
In September I will happily get on the Yasawa Flyer and spend 3 weeks in the Yasawas. One of the places I will visit will be in the far north - a contact through my "family" - and I'll report on that when I get back.

I'm 62 (considered quite intelligent, not dumb), have backpacked in New Zealand on remote tracks, but not in Fiji, and have never been drunk in the Yasawas.
The problem I have with the OP and with #5 is the gross generalisation.

Recently I did get more and more bad reports about the Yasawas, guests are not happy about what the get for their $$$ spent. Most of them complain about the quality and or quantity of food. The only place in the Yasawas I always get an excellent feedback is Octopus - even Oarsman's seems to get down the drain. Please note that this is not my personal experience, but feedbacks from many travellers of all different budgets. And if I get one or two complains I won't take notice, but if there are many and all about same issue or same place, then I feel that something must be wrong.

Gross overgeneralizations work at both ends of the spectrum. Some people are just comfortable viewing the world that way.

we're all comfortable viewing the world the way we view it. That's why we view it that way

"There's this new resort on the Coral coast....."

To everyone that replied, I agree that my original post was a big overgeneralization. In some sense, it was written that way intentionally, in order to inspire people to respond. However, I do stand by my core message, which is basically that I think its unfortunate that so many people, especially young people, choose to come to Fiji (or Mexico or Thailand or wherever) with no intention of doing anything besides drinking, partying, and being catered to and pampered. It is my view that world is far more interesting, rich, and rewarding when one does not travel in this manner. I suppose it was naive of me to think that anything I wrote here would influence anyone to change, but who knows?

As far as the other criticisms go, most were correct. I am not a Fiji expert, have not lived there, and have not traveled for 300 days there. There is a lot more of Fiji (and the rest of the world) for me to explore. So, to those who attacked me on those grounds, you are correct. I am not an expert in anything. While I may not know all of Fiji, I do know this. When I made contact with the Fijian people, the experience was rich, enjoyable, and well worth the effort. Especially with the coup, the untrammeled places are very, very empty right now. Many Fijian people in lesser visited places are struggling due to a very sharp dropoff in adventurous travelers since the coup and its aftermath. Speaking with them about these and other issues was very enlightening. I was especially impressed with their resilience and bright spirits despite the difficulty they are experiencing at present. And I was happy I got to meet them.

So, although I may not have gotten a tan, I returned home with memories and insights that will not fade over time. So, do what you want, drink all you want, sit on a beach and roast yourself for a week straight, but at least understand what you are missing out on in the process. And finally, think about your impact, because you will have one whether you are aware of it or not.

Peace.

522clint: I can't agree more, mind you I was indeed thinking of posting similar thread manytimes on this forum after i came back from Fiji.
I think you are totally right. As a matter of course everybody preferes something else but not everybody can say they experienced something authentic.

I have always liked to say, resorts and hotels are all around around the world but people are what makes a country unique.
I just dont understand people who fly over to one of the pacific countries spending the whole time regardless of their budget hermetically sealed in a resort and/or with other tourists.

cheers

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<hr>but at least understand what you are missing out on in the process<hr></blockquote>
What you have to understand is that the people you are targeting DO NOT CARE. They do what they do because they want to. They probably believe they are not missing anything; they are getting exactly what they want.

And to illustrate how thinking in categories can work to your own disadvantage, go have a look at my BLOG (link below) under the Fiji, Waya entry...

I visited the Yasawas. Stayed in Family owned accomodation. Walked over the island, was invited to visit the local villages. It's there if you look for it. I can't wait to go back. If I ever get the money I'd love to explore farther afield. For now, I'll go with the big yellow boat, sift out the party islands and avoid them and continue to have a marvellous time in a marvellous country. I hope the party people have a great time too. Each to their own.

The vast majority of the people I know who travel (Kiwis/Aussies/South Africans/mid-late 20s) want a bit of both when they travel - be it in the Pacific, SE Asia, Europe, wherever - epic adventure along with some R & R. If you've been sitting at a desk for 60+ hours a week for 6 months, the last thing you want is for travel to be a chore, but nor do you want to sit at some tacky resort drinking overpriced drinks. 522clint you just come across as arrogant and opinionated, and I've been relatively lucky to avoid people like you in my travels. What if I were travelling with young children? Elderly parents? Does that make me a mindless tourist because I want to stay at a resort? 'don't pretend that you traveled to Fiji' is just patronising bullsh*t.

As above... you don't have to party hard just because you got the big yellow boat... we went to David's Place and it was really relaxed and chilled out... we had also spent time in Nadi and Suva, visited villages, hired car, spent days driving around exploring.... learnt most about fiji and it's cultures and it peoples while at David's Place... in the evening time after dinner sitting around with a fiji beer and chatting to the staff.... swapping stories... fantastic people.... does anybody know if Ben is still running the show there? he was talking about following many of his friends and going to Iraq to earn his fortune working security...

best 2 weeks of my life were in the Yasawas and no one can ever take that away from me

I've visited Fiji a few times now and I love it more and more everytime. I experience the culture and love to go off the beaten track, I also like to stay a night or two in a nice hotel and am fine with a village. I also like to spend time partying with friends because thats what we like to do...doesn't mean we are missing out on any culture or experiencing the real fiji. I've just got the best of both worlds.

I agree with Julian.

I'm 20 and I'm planning to travel to Fiji at the end of the year. There are many reasons for this, and not one of them is because I want to get drunk on a beach. I can do that where I am.

I am however, planning on spending a couple of my nights in the Yassawas, doing the touristy resort thing. This is because I have spent all of my working life so far not taking holidays, sometimes working 10 - 12 hour days and coming home to study for my university degree.

I also plan on hiking, snorkelling and seeing the local culture. Exploring my own heritage.

Generalisations can get you into trouble. This thread could have been writtenas "If you want to see the real Fiji....". You still would have got responses, it just wouldn't have been as harsh as you are. People travel for different reasons my friend, some people like resorts. They're not mindless if they got what they wanted out of a holiday.

Jeez i don't know what part of the Yasawas 522clint went to but having spent a couple of weeks at Octopus and attending the local village and a local rugby game this guy has no idea. The so called plastic resorts are everywhere in Fiji particularly the main land (and i have stayed at some of them = yuck!) but to single out the Yasawas is a bit short sighted.

And on the 30% commission thing - once again ill informed maybe Clint should just stay home!

Awesome Adventures is doing a great job increasing tourism to the Yasawas...and they are making lots of money doing it. They have made it easy and simple by offering a packaged product and many people buy it with varying satisfaction. The backpacker resorts miss out on a lot of the backpacker-tourist business now because they are a little harder to find and do not have a big marketing machine promoting them. They are there though and whether running for ten years or two, I guarantee you that none of them have made the millions AA has. How can they when they have running costs like shipping and wages, and the huge commission to pay AA or independent agents? They probably make $10 or $20 from a guest's stay, instead of twice that. There are backpacker places next to each other (literally), that have huge differences- mainly that one is fully booked to overflowing every day, while the other one is empty and can hardly keep open. Even the ones that do get the tourists make a lot of their real profit on extras like drinks. That's because AA uses one and doesn't use the other. Many of the resorts have had ongoing battles with AA like Kuata and Waya Lailai, but since they don't have overseas agents and a big marketing budget, they are pressured to give in.
If you want to enjoy getting off the beaten track as well as support the local businesses...just don't give your money to the Awesome A machine...get off the boat at a place that looks good to you and give your money directly to the person who deserves it when they try hard to take care of you and make your visit special. There are many of those secret places and special people in the Yasawas still. Yes, the rest of Fiji also, but don't paint the whole area finished. Blue Lagoon cruises have been showing travellers the islands for years without impacting the area in such a negative way.

The Octopus Resort is THE BEST place to get immediate snorkling done. The service crew are all locals of the native village nearby (yes, on the same island... and this island is not a pre-fab resort, but an actual place on a huugggee island)

Meet the manager, Chris, and his wife who run the resort and the bar, so English is not a problem.

Drop by the dive shop and chat with the lovely ladies who run the dive shop. Teens and young adults will find a host of activities, from sunset cruises, to kayaking, fishing, as well as dive trips for both beginners, as well as deeper dives to see lovely unadulterated corals.

The dive shop is professional, and won't allow you to go out kayaking on a day when the seas are too rough..

I managed to kayak severl kilometers out from the resort, until I figured it would be a bit too stupid to head out as the currents get stronger on the open deepblue sea.

Want a postcard holiday with palm and coconut trees by the beach, or amazing sunsets? Octopus Resort is the place to be!!!

My idea of a perfect beach and holiday will never be the same again after my visit to this lovely quiet resort.

Bure (pronounced as boo-rays) are all only ventilated by ceiling fans. Although, the cool island breeze at night wouldn't be a problem. I don't recall hearing any couples getting too "excited" in the middle of the night, so I guess the low plants and trees that seperate the bures provide ample sound muffling :P

The open roof showers are really amazing. Take a hot shower under the night sky and star gaze. (provided you can ignore the bugs flying around that are attracted to the toilet lamps..)

Overall, I'd say my best stay in any country or hotel, ever. The people are friendly, the guests are all level headed and fun loving, and the service staff are warm and remember your name just after you say it once :)

xoxo.. moomoocow

Let them go to the Yasawas (that are VERY nice)! Otherwise if every1 that goes to Fiji, dont go to the Yasawas, will be in the places where we want to be ;).

So dont tell them to dont go to the Yasawas plz.

I dont wanna see the crowd in my places!