We’re not really ‘a week away in the islands’ kinda people. We generally make the most of a long weekend, or escape for three months somewhere, so this trip to Fiji was a little different for us. A wedding on Tuesday gave us the perfect opportunity to escape the winter rains and head to sunny Fiji for a week. A family wedding might have been the reason we came to Fiji, but it was the sun, the setting and the beautiful people that mean we’ll probably be back.
Getting to Fiji
The flights were booked with Fijian Airways and we arrived at the airport at midnight Sunday morning, ready to depart on the 2am. A little devastating was the news of a cancelled flight, the plane was still on the tarmac in Nadi and so rebooking o the 9.45am Air NZ was our best option. Note to self, always travel on a Dreamliner – Turns out you can get wine delivered to your house from one of these planes.
Just a short 3 hour flight, and staying on the same time zone makes the trip to this tropical Pacific Island pretty cruisey, but we recommend taking some sort of happy juice for the journey through immigration. Leave yourself an hour or two. You’ll need it. This was our first introductory to ‘Fiji Time’ – ‘No worry, no hurry’.
Where we stayed in Denarau – The Hilton
We were met at the airport by Rosie Tours, with just a half hour trip to Denarau, the gated island where Kiwis and Aussies flock every year. We’d booked in at the Hilton and weren’t sorry ‘bout it. Neither would we complain about the upgrade, given our booked room wasn’t available. Just 10m from the pool, and this was our room for four nights. Tropical heaven.
Denarau is a resort island, with all the big names lining the shore – Wyndham, Radisson, Sheraton, Westin, Sofitel and Hilton within just a few hundred metres, meaning an abundance of restaurants, bars, shopping facilities and pools to choose from. It seems that even if you’re booked in at one, they’re happy to enjoy your company at another (despite the ‘Guests only’ signs lining the pools). Maybe it’s the choice that makes Fiji as popular as it is.
The Hilton caters for families and couples and provides an adult only pool and dining area for those wanting to escape the noise of over-excited kids on holiday. We don’t mind the chaos of the kids as it means that there’s fun happening, but if you want to shell out $26 Fijian dollars for a Strawberry Daiquiri, I’d probably prefer to relax and enjoy it with just the sound of the waves and palm trees in the background. Which is what we did.
We loved the staff at the Hilton. We loved our ‘farewell song’. We loved the pillows (they were really the best pillows in the world) and we loved the Hibiscus flowers that lined the paths around the resort.
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Getting around in Denarau
There’s a few options for the traveller here. One to suit every budget and timeframe. We paid the $26 Fijian each for the 4 day ‘Bula Bus’ pass and travelled in the open –bus travelling between the Port and our hotel. Tickets can be bought from hotels or the pharmacy at the Port.
The Westbus is a little cheaper and used mostly by the locals, but for the budget-conscious traveller I would recommend the $1 ride, particularly for after 11pm, when the Bula Bus stops. It’s got the bell of busses I remember from my childhood and bright yellow paint that somehow fits into the tropical landscape, despite not being as flashy as the rest of the surroundings.
Taxis are also pretty easy to use in Denarau. Most of the rides were between $5-7 that we took. You feel extremely safe and despite one of our mates getting ripped off on a taxi ride from Nadi, I would say that this was an exception.
Where to eat
I’m not going to lie. We didn’t have high hopes for the cuisine in Fiji, expecting average western food tailored for the masses…but, this isn’t actually what we found. Port Denarau offers lots of choice for food, you can find everything from Italian to Indian, Greek food or grilled. You won’t find the food particularly cheap anywhere, but with supermarkets round, you can self-cater if you prefer – some of the resort have bbqs and rooms with kitchens.
A quick run-down of where we ate.
Amalfi
The quality of pasta and pizza surprised me. By this point I shouldn’t have been so surprised, but it’s probably as good as anything we had in Italy. A fettuccine marinara filled me up nicely and a porcini and pecorino pizza satisfied Mike, with some slices left to share with the boys who had ordered the lasagne and were looking for a little something extra.
Cardos
Meditteranean/European cuisine. Fitted in a group of 10 of us and made us feel right at home on their deck. The fish of the day looked to be the stand out dish, a beautiful fresh fish fillet which Michael enjoyed thoroughly. I was seemingly as content with my small Hawaiian pizza, covered in fresh tropical pineapple and just big enough for me to handle.
Rhum Bar
Rhum Bar at the Yacht club is by far the best spot we found on the island. It’s modern, yet laid back interior and staff wearing ‘sailors uniforms’ made for the most chilled out, post-wedding lunch for the guests. The seafood is yum, the pizzas tasty and the Sparkling wine flows, not to mention their golden brown fries,which are perfect after a big night. Sitting there watching the boats come and go at the marina, with drink in hand was a nice way to spend a slightly over-cast afternoon.
Where we stayed –The Marriott Momi Bay
We only stayed here because I gave our travel agent a little too much freedom as it turns out. Don’t judge. A hectic life and work schedule meant we were as lazy as we had ever been and forewent any planning or research for this trip. We handed our dates and account details over to Vanessa at House of Travel and I must say, it was the best thing we ever did. Ending up at Momi Bay was out of this world – nothing we could have imagined, if we’d been left to our own devices. Even if only made possible by their opening specials.
Opened only in April this year, Momi is 45minutes around the coast from Denarau. Built by the Marriott, the breath-taking resort is sprawled around the shores of a man-made lagoon, offering water views from every. single. room. There’s over-water bures and ocean view bures, or for the more ‘budget-conscious Marriott traveller’, the duplex’s on the lagoon (where we stayed). With two pools, three restaurants, watersports, swim-up bars and organised fun like beach volleyball and crab racing, you’ll keep yourself as entertained as you like. Apparently the fitness centre is 24 hours, and I even thought about using it post the breakfast buffet, which is nothing like what we’ve seen previously. The Dim Sum was a perfect start to the day.
While this place is simply stunning, it’s the adult-only pool and nearby Fish Bar which I reckon set this place a part. The infinity pool is all types of gorgeous, the perfect place to stare out into the ocean from or step out of the water, as they’ve got beautiful furnishings to sit back and relax on. Drinks are pricey, but I guess there has to be some draw back to a place this good. Allow yourself one or two though, particularly at sunset when the torches are lit and the night comes alive.
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