Yasawa/ Mamanuca - Can't decide which + How to avoid the yasawa flyer?

Hello all,

Plea for help! Have spent a very long time trawling through many posts on here, and as many reviews again on trip advisor & individual resort websites & really struggling. I'm a 22 year old guy, just graduated and going around the world with my housemate (same age). Owing to flight times in and out, we have 5 nights, 5 full days once we land in Nadi. We both want to visit an/a few islands in the mamanuca/yasawa group in the time we have but the reviews are inevitably very mixed - are there any agreements?!

We are backpacking (still students at heart!), not fussed about luxury acc. but would like a clean bed, good company (not an island full of honeymooners and children-infested swimming pools), a white beach & good snorkling. Since we are there for such a short period, the yasawa flyer seems very pricey. Is it possible to just turn up and jump on a cheap local boat to a nice island and book our acc. separately? I'd like a bit of spontinaeity and adventure (as we will then be heading on the much more organised kiwi experience). Is it even possible to get to the yasawa islands if not booked on the flyer? Whilst I'm sure there are regular boats to and from the mainland - how are the links between islands? Could we spend half our time on a mamanuca island, half on yasawa (would love manta ray) and then get back to the mainland and not spend a fortune on the flyer?

Any tips or advice would be hugely appreciated,

Jonathan

Not a huge lot of choices in the Yasawas. You could fly...MUCH more expensive. Octopus resort have their own boat and might be a LITTLE bit cheaper (if you stay there.).

No way to avoid the Flyer - there is no alternative. Yes, Octopus does have its own boat which you can take if you stay there but although it's a little cheaper the difference is not much. And you won't have the choice of going to any other island.
The Mamanucas & Yasawas are on different boat routes, but the Flyer does drop off at Beachcomber & Bounty on its way back to Denarau, so you could go out to a Yasawa resort & then go to one of them on the way back in.
The Flyer leaves Denarau every morning at 8.30am, so unless you arrive at Nadi very early in the morning you will have to spend your first night in town - likewise it gets back in around 6pm, so you would need a later flight out to avoid another night in Nadi.

Thanks for the replies...I asked about alternatives because my sister went (many years ago now!) and when I told her about maybe booking the flyer she was really shocked at how much it was and said she got a plane to an island and a local boat to another, and then a local boat back to the mainland too. Is this possible if you dont go to the mamanucas & yasawas? That said, it certainly looks like the best beaches & most fun is to be had on these islands. I'm just frustrated at the thought of having to pay £260 for the pass for the 5 days that I'll be there.

Since we will not be there for that long, do people reccomend island hopping each day? Or might it be better to chill out on a couple of good islands? Any reccomendations on the best ones?! Anybody who has been really recently? I've read some posts that some resorts have gone down hill slightly...

Cheers again

Jonathan

I really think there must be local boats for Fijians, but these are just not advertized for tourists and may or may not take you. My guess is that asking around in Lautoka would be the best bet.
However, considering that you are thinking of doing a trip taking in several islands in very limited time (island-hopping each day!), I really think you should just pay up and hop on the Flyer.

Hi Jonathan,
I wouldn't dismiss using the flyer, if you have only 5days in the Yasawa/Mamanuca islands, you don't want to waste time and get some hassle trying to find a cheaper local boat to get to your resort. Even the locals use the flyer so it can not be much more expensive than the others.
Anyway if you are looking at some deals look at the Awesome Fiji site (same company at the Flyer), http://www.awesomefiji.com/island-stayput-mantaray.aspx, by taking this "package", you get the transfer to the resort cheaper.
Enjoy your travel

260 pounds? That cant be just for transport. Im sure that we paid much less than that.

I just checked - its FJD 240 for 7 days travel - this is about 81 pounds.

The flyer for 5 days INCLUDING accom is FJD 566 for 7 days in a twin share room - or about 195 pounds. I dont know where you thought it was 260 pounds for 5 days.

Hi Mandja, where are you getting those prices from please?!

Here - http://www.awesomefiji.com/passes-bula.aspx

As the Chinese say "If your shoe doesn't fit cut off your toes"

The Yasawas are something of a racket and if you want to follow the tourist track you must pay

Of course there are other cheaper places to go but you never asked about them.