Which group of islands....

Hi there... I am from the UK, and am only available for work reasons etc to get 6 weeks off, and part of my trip is from Sydney flying to Fiji... Thing is I only have 11 days!

Since I have no idea about Fiji, The Cook Islands, or French Polynesia, could someone who does know about them, tell me, is Fiji the best group of islands to go to as a backpacker, or on a budget? Or are there options for budget travellers on the other islands? Has anyone been to them all? Would they rate one group over another, or are they pretty similar. Should I fly to the cooks or french polynesia instead?

Since I won't get this chance again probably to get to this neck of the woods so to speak, I'm looking for the best islands to go to and spend 11 days there, I'm looking for cleam calm water, gorgeous beaches etc..and pretty accomodation, which is cheap and clean,

I would love someone to help me with an itinerary for those 11 days! thats cheap, but good. PLEASE HELP!!!

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<hr>is Fiji the best group of islands to go to as a backpacker, or on a budget? <hr></blockquote>The general concensus seems to be that it is.
That's why it gets most backpackers.

The Cooks and French Polynesia also have backpackers' places, but are still more expensive than Fiji - especially if you want to get around and see different islands.

Cheap and clean accomodation is definitely easiest to find in Fiji (starting at 6-10 USD/night in the cities), though the Cooks get enthusiastic votes for their beaches (well, usually Aitutaki gets them) and French Polynesia has more dramatic scenery than Fiji.

Fiji is generally the cheapest, then the Cooks, the Fr. Polynesia.

As to beaches, if you go to Fiji you'll probably have to get off the main island and head to the smaller islands to find the beaches you are looking for.

Here is the Cooks RAR has a nice beach and lagoon for 2/3 of the island, Aitutaki has nice beaches, but snorkeling is best on the smaller islets in the lagoon, which require a boat trip.