Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Best island(s) to travel to for a month with young family?

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea

Thinking about taking a 1 month trip to the area, but I have no idea where to start. Fiji looks kind of neat, but I'm open to literally anything long as there's a nice beach and friendly people. Me my wife my 3 year old and 10 month old in Feb or March. Looking for something super relaxing, with somewhere where I can rent a relatively reasonable AirBNB and pretty cheap cost of living for food and such. Also safe. Not looking to move around too much with the baby, so maybe 2-3 areas max.

Fiji is a great place for families and you'll always find something that will suit you, it really just depends on your budget, requirements and whether or not you're open to island hopping. It is also the most relaxing and easy-to-get-around place I've been, compared to the likes of Vanuatu, Bali, etc.

Option 1: Resorts
There are so many resorts on the main island and you don't have to travel far from the airport (taxi). There are several really nice, big resorts in Denarau, which have beautiful beaches & are very serene. We stayed in the Hilton and really enjoyed it, I've heard the Sofitel is great too. Everything you need (pool/restaurants/bars/watersports/child sitting/activities), but is probably not really a budget exercise. There are resorts on most of the coasts (e.g Shangri La is south), so it really depends how far you want to travel. They are all more or less the same thing though and you WILL share the experience with a lot of other tourists, mostly Australians, which may or may not be the best thing. We prefer to steer clear of these (or just for one night in transit) as its not the most authentic experience, however is relaxing & easy.

Option 2: Island Hopping (my favourite)
There are SOOOO many islands to stay on. I've been to Fiji 4 times and each time have stayed on 3-4 new islands, I've written a rundown on each here .
My recommendation seeing as you have young children would be Paradise Cove or Nanuya Island Resort, as they have everything (I think including sitting services). Whereas some of the other islands can be a bit more remote/rustic. You can book everything though Awesome Adventures and they have choices of packages to suit your budget. Although sailing to islands might seem daunting with kids, its super easy, on a big high-speed catamaran and they have air-conditioned VIP quarters if you don't want to brave the heat. The islands are very small though, so unless you're happy to doing more or less the same thing every day, I'd recommend visiting more like 4 islands in a month.

Option 3: AirBnb
I've never used this option so I can't really recommend anything. But I do know that you'll probably be on the mainland, which is lovely, however you'll be missing out on all the that the outer islands like the Yasawas & Mamanucas have to offer. But at the end of the day, the Fijians are some of the most accommodating and friendly people you'll ever meet (albeit relaxed and working to their own time) so I'm sure you'll have a great time if you choose this option (I'm sure its the cheapest too).

Whatever you choose, you will have a great time. Make sure you eat seasonal & local foods and you won't pay much (coconut, fish, rice, cava!).

Have a great time!

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I agree, I think Fiji might be the best choice. But then the Cook Islands has beautiful beaches, the people are friendly, and I understand there are airbnb to be had. That's not something I've ever used, just do a search on Google.

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