Fiji

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Suzanne here...

Stepping off the plane in Nadi we were hit by a wave of heat. it was like being back in Asia again. We got even more hot and bothered when for no good reason the ATM refused to give us any money, and our hostel pick-up hadn't arrived. Luckily it all turned out ok. Our back-up credit card worked, and a nice lady phoned the hostel who told us to get a taxi and they would pay for it. Finally got the the hostel - Blue Water - basic but clean with a nice outside dining area and pool. We had dinner and a couple of drinks, then it was off to bed.

The next day we got picked up by coach and taken to Port Denarau where we caught the Yasawa Flyer to our first stop, Octopus Resort. We'd paid a little bit more than usual for the island resorts. When we were planning this trip we decided that this would be a mini holiday amid our budget travels. A small boat ferried us to the beach (well, nearly. Cue quickly whipping our shoes and socks off) where we were greeted by a singing welcoming committee and a welcome drink.

Octopus was pretty good. A mid-size resort, it had a pool and nice bar area and the beach was stunning. It was family friendly with lots of 'activities', but not too full-on. Our bure was very nice, and had an open-air bathroom which was fun. The cost included a meal plan of three meals a day. I couldn't say the food was amazing, but it was ok. Our four days there were spent reading, in the pool, or snorkelling which was amazing. Beautiful coral reefs and loads of amazing fish. We were stupid and got sunburnt backs one day though. The evenings started at 5.30pm for us as we took full advantage of happy hour until 7pm! The only thing we weren't too keen on was the big communal dining tables, but even that was ok in the end. Especially one night when we offered to move to allow a group to sit together, and the rather stressed-out manager bought us a nice bottle of wine to thank us!

The next stop was Nanuya Lailai, and the Nanuya Island resort. This resort was a bit smaller, more upmarket and geared more to couples than families. We really loved it here. The view across the ocean from our balcony (even from the bed) was breathtaking. No pool, but great snorkelling again. The food was really good too. We only had three nights here and could easily have stayed longer. I confess that we did see the biggest cockroach of our lives, the size of a mouse (well, nearly) in our bure, but this is the tropics after all. The resort did spray for mosquitoes and consequently there were very few which was a plus.

Back to the mainland on the Flyer. We were determined to see a bit more of Fiji than just the beach resorts so decided on a couple of days in Suva, the capital. However as the Flyer didn't get us in until the evening we had to have another night in Nadi. Blue Water was booked up so we chose another random place. So random that none of the bus drivers seemed to know where it is. Eventually we were shoved on an over-crowded bus with no real confidence that we were going the right way. After a while we were told to get off and pointed up a dark alleyway. Surprise, surprise, no sign of the hotel. We started to suspect we'd been off-loaded anywhere just to get rid off us. David asked in a bar an found it was along another equally dark road just over the other side. We eventually got there, dodging the hundreds of frogs. It was a bit shabby, but reasonably clean. Still, not somewhere you'd really want to relax in so we headed straight out to an Indian restaurant called Sitar. We'd really been looking forward to Indian food in Fiji as there is a large population of Fijians of Indian origin. We had a lovely evening there, really nice food and a couple of bottles of wine.

We intended to head straight off the next day, but a nice lady had set the table just for us and cooked some pancakes. Seemed rude to refuse. She called a taxi for us too. It was Easter Sunday so we were a bit worried that there would be no buses, although a couple of people we asked thought it would be ok. We need not have worried. The taxi pulled in right in front of the Suva bus and within minutes we were off. It was quite a long journey, about 4 hours, but at least it was air-conditioned. We arrived in Suva realising we had no map for the hostel. We wandered around a bit getting lost and in the end had to ask someone. The whole family got involved in discussing where our hostel was, phoning someone else to check. In the end they worked it out and a lovely man drove us there. So kind, and typical of the friendliness we encountered in Suva. In the resorts people are probably a bit sick of tourists, but generally Fiji spirit was very warm and hospitable. We'd read that there was a fair bit of crime in Suva, but we never felt at risk.

We checked into the South Seas Private Hostel. It was ok, basic with shared bathrooms but clean. However, it seemed rather like a Youth Hostel with it's rules and regulations. The most annoying thing being that they turn the room fans off between 8am and 4pm. The idea is that you should sit in the communal lounge not your room. Well, this is all very well but didn't help after we showered and went back to the room to get dressed and ready. We were hot and sticky again in no time. Most vexing. Plus - 8am? Most guest are on holiday, it doesn't seem unreasonable to want to lie in a bit later than that on holiday. Annoying. For that reason alone I wouldn't recommend it. It was cheap though, and walking distance into town.

Heading back into town, we met a very friendly elderly man who told us all about Suva. It ended with him trying to 'give' (read sell) us a crappy wooden sword, so we beat a hasty retreat. We'd timed things badly as, being Easter, most places were shut. We stopped for a coffee and cake then passed the cinema and spotted that Source Code was due to start in 20 minutes so we decided to give it a go. It was actually a pretty good film, made better by the fact that tickets cost all of £2. After the film we called into the Bad Dog Cafe for some drinks and dinner. We got chatting to one of the staff, nice lad. We also found out that Vonu, although more expensive, is the best Fiji beer. Much better than the Fiji Bitter or Fiji Gold.

The next day we headed straight back to the cinema to see Paul, which we loved. Very funny. We then did a bit of shopping at the few shops that were open, had a coffee.... and then went back to the cinema. Well, it was so cheap, and after all it's what the locals were doing. Saw Suckerpunch, ok if not brilliant. We stepped out of the cinema as the sun was setting. The light was really strange with a eerie yellowish glow and an eerie stillness. I can't explain how odd it was, like we'd slipped into a slightly parallel world, similar but not exactly the same as our own.

We stopped off for a few very cheap happy hour drinks in JJ's bar then caught a taxi out of town to a place called the Malt House which brewed it's own beer. Sadly, the place had been sold, and the previous owners had taken all of the brewing equipment with them. It was now called 02 and owned by an entrepreneur and publisher. He was really nice, and the staff couldn't do enough for us. We were the only ones there, and decided that even though it wasn't what we'd hoped for we'd stay for dinner. The food was ok, nothing special if I'm honest but the warmth and friendliness of the service made up for it. Although it couldn't make up for the grimness of the wine! After one glass we stuck to Vonu.

Rather than dash off on our last day we left our bags at the hostel and visited the nearby Fiji Museum. A bit dusty and haphazard but worth an hour. We then went into town to pop online and then had lunch at Ashiyana, which proved to be about the best Indian food we'd had on our trip, beaten only by Magic Curries in Hobart. We really liked Suva. Probably not worth a visit if you are just in Fiji for the beaches, but if you want to see a bit of normal Fiji life I'd recommend it.

We then collected our bags and got the bus to our final destination - The Pearl resort at Pacific Harbour. The Pearl was probably the swishiest of the resorts we stayed at. We had a hotel room rather than a bure, but we'd been and done that so didn't mind. It was very stylish, modern and comfortable. On the islands we'd made the mistake of not bringing provisions so we had to buy everything at resort prices. This time we'd stocked up with some beer and wine in Suva, so appreciated the fridge. The hotel and grounds were really lovely, with a good pool. The beach was ok - decent by British standards but not a patch on the island beaches. However, we'd done enough beaches by then anyway. We just wanted a couple of days to relax. The food was ok, not great and a bit over-priced. Had we been staying longer we'd have left the resort in search of something better. Still, it wasn't bad really. Breakfast was the best, lots of variety and included in the price.

On our final day we caught a bus back to Nadi where we went online for an hour to sort out a few onward travel arangements. We'd planned to find a bar, but there seemed to be no bars in central Nadi. In the end we just headed to the airport. Got there over three hours before our flight only to find a ridiculously long queue already. If we'd arrived any later I don't think we'd have got a seat together. Had a few last Vonu's at the airtport then borded the plane for L.A.

We really loved Fiji, a lot more than we thought we would. We're not really 'beach' type people, so we thought we might get bored however we actually had 2 lovely, relaxing weeks. Fiji really is a tropical paradise and if you're looking for sun, gorgeous palm tree fringed beaches and sparkling clear seas it is hard to go wrong.

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