Palm trees, reefs and the friendliest "Bula" in the world – Fiji is the South Pacific stop that rounds off a long journey.
Photo: Max (Unsplash)
Full disclosure: the South Pacific is something I only know as a longing. Friends flying back from New Zealand or Australia have built Fiji in as a stopover – four hours' flight from Auckland, on the way to Los Angeles – and say: it was the dessert of the trip.
The main island, Viti Levu, with Nadi airport is just the base. Catamarans leave Port Denarau for the Mamanuca Islands (close, resorts, day trips) and for the Yasawas (further out, more unspoilt, island hopping from resort to resort with the Bula Pass). White beaches, reefs for snorkelling right in front of your bure, manta rays in the channel between the islands.
Fiji isn't cheap, but it's flexible: simple beach huts on the Yasawas go for 100 francs, luxury resorts on private islands for 1,000 and up. Five to eight days is enough – two or three islands, the ferry in between, and a night in Nadi before the flight at the end.
Mamanucas (Malolo, Castaway) for comfort and proximity; Yasawas (Nacula, Naviti) for the unspoilt feel; Denarau for the night before the flight.
I almost always compare hotels, apartments and guesthouses on Booking.com – with genuine reviews and usually free cancellation.
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