| lisa1606:45 UTC05 Mar 2008 | My boyfriend and I travelled to Fiji last year and had an amazing time. We were there for two months so got to experience most of Fiji.
Here are places we stayed and what we thought about them.. hopefully it will help some of you out! ALL BUDGET
YASAWAS: Took the Yasawa Flyer up: Was really expensive, comfortable ride, kinda had no choice but to go on it. (Looking at $100 per bure – usually sleeps two people)
- if you have lots of time, try organizing a trip via cargo boats to the islands. It’s a lot easier to arrange boats on the way back when the people from the resorts have to go back to the main land for a food run. But try – it saves you A LOT of money.
-Nacula: Stayed at Nabua Lodge. It had a very friendly atmosphere, negociable prices, nice hammocks and bure's (clean). The beach was a little rocky, but mostly deserted, stunning sunsets! During low tide, we rented snorkels and walked around the island to Oarsman's Bay Resort and snorkelled there. Food wasn't the greatest, either than an amazing buffet we had one night (saturday i think). Transfer out to the main boat to load onto another boat is $10pp. This is how they make their money. It’s not necessary to make reservations we found. You can usually negotiate a good price on location.
-Nanuya Lailai (home of the famous Blue Lagoon): Stayed down the beach from the known (and seemingly crowded) Sunrise Lagoon Resort at an adorable and cozy Kim's Place. It's not very advertised.. i think just cause of the small size ( i believe they only have 4 bure's). There's a little girl who is very curious and makes sure to keep you company.. in your hut, on the beach and will snuggle up to you on the hammock and attempt to read cosmo with you. There are some great hiking trails to get you to the Blue Lagoon to hang out there for the day! Trail gets really muddy after it rains. Food was good, people amazingly friendly and helpful.
-Waya: Sunset Beach Resort - highly recommend it! Bure's were a little shady.. some creepy crawlers, but don't let that stop you from coming here! People were friendly, nightly Bula Dance or activities, daily volleyball games on the beach, great sun, great snorkelling, stunning views. Hiking trails were great, especially the brisk sunrise hike.. nothing beats watching the sun rise while sitting on a cliff on a Fijian island. Food was pretty good. And the Sand bar separating Waya and Waya Lailai is incredible! Take pictures from the hill up top.. its definitely a story to tell. Apparently the snorking is awesome.. get ready to see reef sharks (friendly).
From here we caught a ride back to main land with the local boat ($20each) when they were doing their food run. Ask when they’re going next!
- Octopus Resort: Didn't stay there but heard great things: they have warm water in the showers! Now that's uncommon!
VITI LEVU
- Lautoka: Stayed in a beyond tiny and hot room at this place upstairs next to a Chinese restaurant. Cheap if ur willing to put up with the heat or pick rooms with AC. Not much to do – watch a cheap movie ($4). Registered for a village stay at Lautoka Hotel (which is really shaddy.. don’t stay there).. They arranged a ride to:
- Abaca (pronounced Ambartha) village about an hours drive to the highlands – Koroyanitu National Heritage Park. About 35$ a night per person, stay in literally a one room ‘house’, really cold showers, no so great food (except the breakfasts!). Girls must wear sulus (wraps) around the village. There’s really nothing to do there either than venture out to the wilderness. We got the guy we stayed with to take us up to Mt Koroyanitu ($25 or so each). Its expensive... you could probably do the hike by yourself, but you might get lost. It’s definetly challenging: about 2 ½ hours each way. Gets pretty steep. But the views and sights along the way are great. Once you hit the cabin up top, take the short hike down to the cliff (path is to the right when looking a the cabin) – the view is incredible. Another good hike is up to the waterfall that can be done solo. Gets muddy and sometimes a little unsure about where to go.. but you’ll find your way! Fun fact – a helicopter with tourists crashed just above the waterfall.
We’d recommend the stay (its pricey) if you’re in for the hikes, either than that don’t bother.
SUVA – Catch the $12 bus from the station in Lautoka to Suva (4 hours). Not overly comfortable but they play decent movies to entertain you. Suva is back to the normal word – McDonald’s, real food, stores and civilization. Nice to get back to western life for a few days – but thats it – only a few days. Watch a movie at the theatre, walk the streets. We love the bakery (great coconut rolls/buns/pizza) on the main street called Hot Bread Kitchen. To stay: all the places to stay around the bus station are cheap but sketchy. Get someone to recommend a decent place to stay a little outside of the main strip (usually a 4$ taxi ride).
VANUA LEVU – Catch a ferry “Patterson Brothers” (about $55pp) (pretty sketchy with cockroaches, but you have no other choice) to Savusavu. Make sure to pack some extra food (bread and jam at least) to take with you... the food on the ferry is appalling. And bring warm clothes/a blanket – it’s bloody cold on board. There is another ferry but only runs twice a week in season. (0 times off season).
- Savusavu: Beautiful little city on the water.. Highly recommend it! Stay at Elenoa’s Place. She’a lovely lady with very clean rooms/warm showers. Breakfast included is simple. Dinners are decent priced with big portions. Behind the place is a soccer field then a nice neighbourhood to take an evening stroll through.
-Great idea is to rent kayaks (ask Elenoa where: $15/20each for the day) and paddle over to Jean Michael Cousteau Resort... it takes at least an hour and a half, so make sure the water is calm that day. Grab snorkels.. nice coral around the resort. Also there is a cute private island just off the resort.. .check it out.
- Recommended is the Waisali Rainforest Reserve ($5) and a waterfall. Its definitely a pain in the butt to get there (catch a bus from the main bus station in savusavu) – make sure you get off at the right stop or you’re stuck hitching like us. There is a nice little path through the forest, but not much of a hike. Also make sure the waterfall is actually open before you venture out... when we went in April ’07 it was “under construction” (??).
TAVEUNI – from Savusavu – Taking a bus from the station in savusavu to a drop of point (Buca Bay) then a boat to taveuni is definitely an adventure. Ask around, you can just buy a ticket on the bus. Ride is bumpy, so prepare yourself... mostly local. But it’s cheap.
-It’s a hard place for backpackers (not very many in general), but we stayed at Bibi’s Hideaway (close to Matei), and got a whole house, with kitchen, living room, bathroom all to ourselves for $50 a night. Food: supermarket in matei or Tahish (who lives just where Bibi’s meets the road) offers Indian meals for a good price. Let him know in advance. Travel on the island is incredibly difficult, so expect major delays in your plans. There are some great things to see in Taveuni though!:
- Waitavalu Waterslides – so fun! Either hitch a ride or grab a taxi (should be 4x4) to take you to the forest (locals should know where it is – kinda hard to find). During the day you should find local kids playing around. They’ll show you the ‘good spots’.
- Lavena Costal Walk – definitely recommended. There’s a bus that runs there a few times a day. Make sure you know if they’re coming back later so u can leave. The waterfall at the end of the walk is really cool. Nice views along the way too. IT's fairly expensive.
- Tavoro waterfalls – recommended. Climbed to the second waterfall which was cool – fun hike along the way (sometimes challenging). Didn’t bother with the 3rd one. Heard it’s very difficult to find, if you find it at all. Have to pay.
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