Where did you hear about Fiji?
Maybe it was the World Rugby 7s? Or was it that expensive bottle of water? Fiji has a lot to offer but its a long wall to travel for most. Here’s all you need before embarking on your trip!
For those who are complete stranger to Fiji, this far away tropical paradise locates in the mid-west of the southern pacific ocean and consists by over 330 individual islands. Neighbouring Tonga to the east, Vanuatu to the west, New Zealand to the south, Fiji is 3 hours away by plane from the Gold Coast of Australia. Cross by International Day Line, it sets Fiji 12 hours ahead of Greenwich Time. This makes London half a globe away, and it’s roughly 24 hours from the British capital if travel entirely and continuously by air.
There are regular flights to Fiji from Hong Kong, Singapore, Icheon, Tokyo and LA. When traveling to Fiji, you first stop will be Nadi International Airport, which is in the western part of Fiji’s largest island Viti Levu. Nadi is roughly 3 hours drive from the rainy, hilly and much less visited capital Suva, and 40 minutes from the second deepsea port, the sugar city Lautoka.
Port Denarau is the gate way to most of Fiji’s exotic island resorts, a 20min taxi ride will take you from Nadi International Airport to the marina jetty for paradise. Depending on your budget, there are a selection of resorts which takes between one hour such as South Sea Island, to four hours reaching the furthest group of islands call the ‘Yasawa’ - in Fijian Language it means Heaven. While waiting for your ferry, there are quite a few restaurants in the marina area where local delicacies, alcohol and beverages are served. One of them is ‘Cardos’, a fusion joint highly recognized by its steak and cocktails. Besides regular meals, you can try Kokoda (a Fijian raw fish dish) if the waitress assures you their fish is freshly caught that day.
Denarau itself is an island centered by a golf course and packed with star-rated hotels such as Hilton, Westin, Sheraton, and the Radisson Blu. There are also apartments next to the marina can be rent for longer period also good for traveling families, and especially ideal for someone who wants to cook during their stay. In addition to that, there are never short of holiday Vila for pool side party or to host big group of visitors. Do your research, schedule a plan and advance reservation is always recommended.
Nadi is the ‘jetset’ town nicknamed by locals, but in fact a fairly small and somewhat ordinary town. There are a few streets, and a few touristy shops, there is a small handicraft market and a municipal market, the later is where ordinary Fijian comes by daily for their grocery. If you do happen to make your way down there, local fresh fruit such as breadfruit, pawpaw, guava, banana and watermelon are in abundance most time of the year, particularly good when in season.
Fijian custom and culture echos those of its Melanesia and Polynesian neighbours, and having a bowl of Kava is a must for establishing friendship as well as conducting business. Most nights around 9pm, boys from the backpacker bar ‘Bamboo’ in Wailoaloa Beach will bring out their guitar and tanoa for the mixing of yagona - the essential ingredient of a bowl of Kava. Don’t forget to say ‘Bula’ when the Kava bowl is handing over to you and clap your hands twice after you return it.
Another place worth mentioning here is Martintar, an area developed alongside the airport runway. It has the most concentrated number of restaurants, bars and hotels in Fiji. Here you have dinning choice range from Chinese, Fijian, Indian, Korean, to Thai and Western. A few spots to check out includes:
The back yard of - “Pan World Restaurant”
The curry of - “Sitar Bar”
The sizzling dish of - “Small Plates”
Roof Top bar of - “Nalagi Hotel”
The burger of - “Ed’s Bar”
There are also night clubs in Martintar, like the ‘Ice Bar’ and the ‘White House’, but they are fairly local style (big laughs, body twist dance, humid space etc.) and drinks can be a little expansive after happy hour. If you choose to stay in a hotel in Martintar, also be aware of the prostitutes wondering on streets, they can be very intimidating sometimes and victims are often pick pocked.
For the true adventurers, skydive and scuba-dive with sharks are available. Fiji also hosts one of the world’s most important annual surfing event, professional surfers from around the world flogs into the ‘Big Cloud’ waiting to ride the huge wave. For those die heart scuba divers, Taveuni is a must visit place, this third largest island of Fiji is about an hour by plane from Nadi. Like a tropical garden, Taveuni is home of the ‘Great White Wall’, a reef considered one of the world’s top dive site.
Fiji is a jewel of the pacific, even though it doesn’t have much to offer from a cultural and historical perspective, but it’s the pristine and relatively untouched environment as well as the friendly people that gives it the thumbs up. Travelling between November to April has to be cautious, make sure you check the weather forecast for cyclone and rainy weather. Since you have come this far, ‘island hopping’ from Fiji to Vanuatu, to Samoa and to Tahiti will surely bring more fun and wider experience of the South Pacific .
Guest article: published by Jonahber Colas, Asia Bureau Chief (team@travelhustle.co.uk)