Please note that Tania is no longer with Reho Travel, for a more up to date report on Fiji please contact Tracy Campbell on tracy@reho.com or read her report at http://www.rehotravel.com/to-fiji-or-not-to-fiji-tracy-nov-2007
Bula!
The Fijian Visitors Bureau and Island Escapes invited me to attend their familiarisation tour to visit the new and up-coming resorts in Fiji and the outer Islands.
I managed to visit some of the resorts on Denarau, which is located 15 minutes from the Airport and The Coral Coast and also the magical Fijian Mamanuca Islands.
I flew Air Pacific, Fiji’s national airline. They were great, the aircraft (Boeing 747) was quite basic but the service on board was excellent. As soon as you stepped foot on the plane you already knew you were on holidays. Food and beverage was well presented and quite diverse. The staff, with their beaming smiles were second to none.
Fiji is situated only 4 hours and forty minutes flying time from Melbourne, which makes this destination perfect.
On my first night I stayed in Denarau, which is close to the airport. Here I stayed at The Sheraton Fiji Resort, which is also adjoining The Sheraton Denarau Villas and The Westin. If you stay at any one of these resorts you can utilise all the facilities of each resort and charge back the bill to your room from any of the restaurants in all three resorts.
The Sheraton Fiji Resort
The Sheraton has fantastic grounds however; this resort for the price is very run down and in need of some maintenance.
The Sheraton Denaru Villas
This is a contrast to the Sheraton Fiji resort. There is an absolutely beautiful pool for the adults and a separate pool for children. The Villas offer hotel rooms and 1,2 and 3 bedroom fully self-contained apartments. These Villas are very suitable for families because they are incredibly spacious. I like the fact that you can share the benefits of three resorts and charge back from their restaurants, bars and spas. I can thoroughly re-commend this property.
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The 
Westin Denarau Island Fiji Resort and Spa
The Westin is a beautiful resort. The rooms are of a decent size and offer a partition so that the kids sleep separate to the parents. They have bunk beds and their own TV with a play station. The Spa at this resort and the spa pool is an exquisite setup; I guess that is why they name it The Heavenly spa. The spa treatments are world class and you have the choice of having your treatments done outside overlooking the ocean or in private rooms. If you are a gym lover then I would suggest staying here, as the gymnasium is fantastic with the best equipment. This resort had a really beautiful feel to it and the grounds are so well manicured. I found this resort perfect for honeymooners who want to be secluded and be in peaceful serene surrounds. If you want a bit more action, then I would definitely not suggest staying here as it is completely laid back and there is no entertainment in the evening.
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here for more details.
Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa
This resort is fabulous for families. It has a lovely pool, which is their most prominent feature. Also, a fabulous bar and grill restaurant opposite the ocean which served the most amazing food. The rooms face the pool and the ocean. The rooms are very spacious; the only thing I did not like is they have carpet in the rooms.
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here for more details.
Now it was time to explore the Islands of Fiji and I departed from the Marina at Port Denarau to board South Sea Cruises to inspect a brand new island resort called Amunuca. The transfer was really smooth and took approximately 1 hour.
Amununca Island Resort
As soon as you walked off the sand and up the steps to the entrance of this resort, all I could say was Wow! This resort will be a hit - the views are absolutely precious. The beach is pristine aqua blue water and the sand lovely and white. I loved the facilities of this resort, as it caters for families and couples really well. They have the right side of the Island; accommodation only for couples and the other side of the island is for families. There is couples only restaurant and a kid’s restaurant. There is a cinema in case you strike rain and there is not much to do on a secluded island when it is raining so this is perfect for children. This resort opens early January and was certainly one I could easily sell and recommend.
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here for more details.
Exactly 3 minutes by speedboat on the other side of the Island is Tokoriki Island resort.
Tokoriki Island This is a couple’s only resort with 16 bures scattered along the beach. The island is quite small but boasts the most beautiful beach. The pool cascades into the beach and is absolutely stunning. My favourite part about this resort is the bures. They are simply gorgeous. Each bure has its own hammock and two of the honeymoon bures have their own private plunge pools. There is a four-poster bed with mosquito net and a couch/day bed and beautiful wooden features in the room. The bures are huge and the bathroom is really pretty as there is an inside shower and outside pebble stone shower. They have a gorgeous little chapel for weddings and the eating area is all outside open air. I love this resort and can thoroughly recommend this for anyone who wants a romantic getaway.
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here for more details.
Speedboat transfer from Tokoriki to Matamanoa Island took approximately 20 minutes.
Matamanoa Island
The entrance to Matamanoa is pretty, as you walk along this long pier; the local Fijians were greeting me with a beautiful Fijian welcome song. Matamanoa is a pretty Island, very boutique and small. White sand and beautiful aqua waters surround Matamanoa Island. The Beachfront bures have recently been refurbished and are very spacious and still manage to keep that Fijian feel. The hotel rooms are nice but they are set back from the beachfront and are located in the gardens. For an extra couple of hundred dollars, I would definitely recommend the beachfront bures. There are hammocks scattered all along the beach. Matamanoa is perfect for couples as it has a nice lively feel at night and the resort only allows children over 12 years.
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here for more details.
A further 20 minutes south I travelled via speedboat to the lovely Castaway Island.
Castaway Island Resort
Castaway has been a popular island for years and gets a lot of repeat clientele.
Castaway is on a beautiful beach and every bure on the island is being refurbished, as they were looking a little tired. The refurbished bures are lovely with quite modern décor however again, still have managed to be left with the lovely Fijian feel. I had one of my best meals at Castaway, which is great as they offer a meal plan and the food is fantastic. Castaway is fabulous for families and also for couples that want to get married as they cater well for packages that include choir, video, champagne, sunset dinner, flowers, chapel and beautiful beachfront honeymoon bures. Castaway had a really relaxed feel to it and you could tell that they get repeat clientele, as the guests were almost best friends with the staff.
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here for more details.
Another speedboat ride from Castaway Island to Plantation Island, which took approximately 35 minutes.
Plantation Island Resort
Plantation Island has a beautiful beach and lovely white sand. This is a large Island resort and although the rooms and bungalows are tired, this resort is gradually undergoing refurbishment. This resort however, is very good value for money and attracts the backpacker market or families that simply cannot afford the luxuries of many of the other resorts. Plantation has a kids pool and a waterslide and the bures can accommodate up to 2 adults and 3 children, which is perfect for families.
The only thing I really didn’t like about this resort was the restaurant area. It was very dark and the décor was really un-attractive. It would be a lot better if it was open air eating and light and bright because it sits opposite the beach so the setting is rather perfect.
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here for more details.
Twenty minutes north by speedboat was my next Visit, Malolo Island resort.
Malolo Island Resort Malolo is situated on a beautiful beach and the gardens are lovely. However, I left this resort feeling it was very tired and in need of some major refurbishment. Bures, which have had some refurbishment, look okay but I felt like this resort was over-rated. There was also a real sewerage problem at the back of this Island, which is where the restaurant is, and it was not at all pleasant.
I feel like this resort is over priced for what it offers however, in saying that, It does attract a lot of repeat clientele.
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here for more details.
Five minutes on the opposite side of The Island is Liku Liku resort, Fiji’s newest Island with over-water bungalows that is unique to The Fiji Islands.
Liku Liku Resort – Due to open mid 2007. This is simply an elegant upmarket resort situated on a beautiful beach. There will be 10 over-water bungalows and thirty-six bungalows that will line the pristine beachfront. The bures are large and offer the finest of décor with a beautiful large day bed outside of the bure and some have their own private plunge pools. This resort once completed will be a perfect haven for couples that are in search of a luxury escape. Sorry, no kids allowed. The rates at this island resort will cover all beverages and meals and the lead in cost will start around $1600.00 per room per night.
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here for more details.
Forty minutes via Speedboat I travelled to spend a glorious night at one of my favourite Island resorts, Vomo Island.
Vomo Island Resort I believe Vomo has the best beaches that I have seen from all of the Mamanuca group of Islands. The water is absolutely beautiful and the sand so white. This resort had such a fabulous feel to it. They have 29 luxurious beachfront villas and hillside ocean view villas. Each villa has their own private outdoor decks with beautiful frangipani trees and bougainvilleas surrounding each villa. Near the water nestled between the coconut palms is your own private hammock. This resort has a fabulous spa and offers golf and tennis. The bar is situated overlooking the ocean and the pool, it also has l a lot of outdoor seating and the scenery is everlasting. Vomo is renown for its world class dining including room service and candlelit dinners on the beach. The food I experienced was exquisite however, I felt that the restaurant was a little small and would feel nicer if it were more open air. Mind you, you can sit around the pool where it is really pretty.
I loved this resort and if you have a little money to splurge, I would definitely recommend this resort- I did not want to leave, It's an uncrowded place of rich simplicity and relaxation..
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here for more details.
It was time to leave the lovely Mamanuca Islands of Fiji and I felt sad because the Fijian people really know how to make you relax and to smile.
Forty-five minutes via speedboat I was back on the mainland leaving my fond memories of Vomo behind.
From Denarau Island I left via coach to the Coral coast where I was stay at The Outrigger resort. The transfer took approximately 1 hour so if you are organising transfers make sure you take the private car transfer otherwise you will stop at each resort along the way and you’re transfer will turn into 2 hours.
Outrigger on the Lagoon Resort
This resort is extremely large and if you like large resorts that’s great but I did not like it at all. The resort has 254 rooms, 4 restaurants and bars. It does operate a fantastic kids club so I think it is perfect for families. I do not know if I would send couples here because it is very busy. The pool is huge however, it felt like Coles cafeteria because it was so busy and all the deck chairs were situated so close together. I felt like I couldn’t sit anywhere and be on my own. The bures were really tastefully decorated but the rooms were average. Don’t get me wrong. The staff and the facilities are great if you are into big resorts.
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here for more details.
My last day / night in Fiji was spent at Fiji’s newest Denarau resort, The Fiji Beach Resort- Managed by Hilton.
Fiji Resort and Spa – Managed by the HiltonUltra chic and modern and probably not very Fijian, I loved this resort.
This resort has seven fantastic pools that are placed all in a row with deck chairs all along. It is fabulous because you feel like you have your own pool. The restaurant is situated in the middle of one of the pools and faces the ocean. I love this restaurant as it is open air and is surrounded by gorgeous day beds whereby you can sit and dine. The setting is picturesque. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served here, as it is the only restaurant on the island.
This resort offers studio rooms and one, two and three bedroom villas with fully self-contained facilities. Each room/villa is tastefully decorated with CD, DVD, Play stations and plasmas in every room. It has a fantastic fitness centre with the newest and best equipment. There is a fabulous kids-club on the resort, one of the best I saw throughout all of my inspections in Fiji.
I would thoroughly recommend this resort as the facilities, pools, restaurant and service was second to none.
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here for more details.
My whole Fiji experience was fantastic. It was fantastic to see the new resorts and also the island resorts that have been refurbished. Gone is the cane furniture and hibiscus curtains, bedspreads- Fiji has gone modern and everything has been revamped to good taste. The Fijian people are simply gorgeous and their smile lasts in your mind forever. Ok, they may be on FIJI time most of the time but they make up for it with their positive attitudes and pleasant nature. Also, they love and adore children and hence, I would definitely recommend this destination to families.
……………………………………Vinaka!
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