Bula and Vinaka - 9 (instead of 14) days in Fiji

Admittedly, our Fiji adventure was not what we had hoped for. Fiji, the South Seas paradise with 333 islands of different sizes, with guaranteed sunshine, beautiful sandy beaches, and incredibly friendly people, should have offered everything we had hoped for in a little break from the 'stressful everyday travel life'.

However, we quickly realized during the preparation that everything is not as easy or as affordable as we had hoped. It turned out to be a true marathon to find an island/resort that offers an acceptable price-performance ratio. The beautiful islands and an island hopping tour are usually only available for a small fortune, or the affordable resorts make you sick when you read the comments on the internet. To give everyone an idea of the prices we are talking about, an island hopping tour with 7 days and 6 nights in 'cheap' resorts, including food and transportation, would already cost almost €1000 per person, with no upper limit!

We had done extensive research through travel agencies in Germany and New Zealand, as well as on the internet, and had already booked 5 nights on Robinson Crusoe Island in advance, as this was the most affordable option for us. At the beginning, we had also booked 2 nights at Smugglers Cove on the main island of Viti Levu near the airport. Hoping that we could book an island hopping tour for our second week more easily and at a lower cost, we set off from Christchurch towards the paradise island. On the way, we admired the Taranaki volcano on the North Island from the plane and many of the islands that we hoped to visit in the following days.

Arriving and being welcomed by a 3-person band with guitar and ukulele, unfortunately, this was the only friendly thing at Nadi Airport, the capital of Fiji. At the beginning, we had to deal with the most intense customs inspection of our trip so far. We had dutifully declared everything we needed to declare (shells, wooden souvenirs, food, hiking shoes), which led to our entire luggage being unpacked. Anyone who has packed a backpack for such a trip can imagine how fun it is to show everything and then squeeze it back into the backpack.

Upon arrival at Smugglers Cove with shuttle service, we had a really nice room for the first 1.5 days. This resort is recommended as a first stop because it is close to the airport, relatively affordable, and offers free airport shuttle service. The next day, we tried to fill our second week with activities through the travel agency at the hotel and in 'travel agencies' in Nadi. Unfortunately, we had to realize that this is even more difficult on-site than in advance...

We also quickly realized during the bus ride to Nadi and in the city itself that Fiji is definitely a third world country, which surprised us a bit, as we always had the images of paradise in mind.

After this experience, we decided to make the most of our time in Fiji, but still shorten our stay by 5 days and spend them in Australia instead :-D

For our last day in Fiji, we booked an island hopping day tour through the Mamanuca Islands, a small island paradise, on a sailboat via Bookme. It is worth taking a look on the internet, as we once again received a 50% discount and booked the tour for about €50 per person, including transportation to Mana Island, a 6-hour sailing tour including lunch, drinks, and alcohol, as well as transportation back to the main island. For the remaining nights, we booked Bamboo Beach right next to Smugglers Cove. So the battle plan for our 9 instead of 14 days in Fiji was ready :-D

Tip at this point: If you are looking for a hostel in Fiji with a communal kitchen, you will be disappointed. There is no chance to cook for yourself here, so you can save yourself the trouble of bring your own food. Instead, there is often a so-called meal package in resorts, which includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but it costs at least €40 per person per day.

On our second day, we were picked up early in the morning for our stay at Robinson Crusoe Island, and after a 3-hour journey by bus and boat, we arrived at the truly beautiful island. We treated ourselves to a bungalow lodge, which had its own small bathroom and offered much more space than the other bungalows and was not that much more expensive ;-)

As overnight guests, we were also able to take advantage of all the activities offered to day tourists, such as snorkeling, kayaking, island shows with traditional dancing, kava ceremony, crab racing, etc., as well as the big evening shows, which were also open to day tourists, with spectacular fire shows and traditional dancing. Soon, all the staff knew us personally by name, as we were usually no more than 4-10 overnight guests on the island when the day tourists had left, as this is supposed to be the off-season.

Of course, we gladly took advantage of the activities for day tourists, and on the days when no day tourists were there (every Friday), we still went snorkeling and could show off our luck and skills in handline fishing, i.e. fishing with a fishing hook, line, and bait from the hand. Lisa seemed to have a talent for it and quickly caught 2 fish from the sea, while Tobi tried in vain... :-P The fish were, of course, freshly prepared and tasted delicious in the evening :-)

All in all, our stay on Robinson Crusoe Island was very successful, with friendly staff, a wide range of activities and shows, and the beautiful island. We highly recommend every traveler to stay here for a few nights, as the day tours are relatively expensive. We also had a personal kava ceremony. Kava is the traditional beverage in Fiji and is used to welcome visitors to the island or village. It is made from powdered root in combination with water and kneading in a linen cloth. Interestingly, its effects are completely opposite to alcohol, i.e. it has a relaxing effect when consumed in large quantities :-D

So we made the most of our time in Fiji, enjoyed every moment, and didn't feel like we missed out on anything. Therefore, we were glad to have shortened our stay by 5 days, which, looking back and considering our experiences in Australia during that time, was absolutely the right decision :-D

More about that in the next report...