Fiji was a last minute idea, my flight was booked and 2 weeks later here I was in this pacific paradise. I always hoped my trip would bring me to Fiji but honestly didn’t really think it would happen. My flatmate Paul and I had talked about going and one day we looked at flight prices and a few hours later the flight was booked and the excitement had started.
The number one advice I have when visiting Fiji is to get out of the mainland as soon as possible, especially Nadi. It’s not at all the paradise you imagine when thinking of Fiji. The Islands are where your dreams will come true. Originally we had planned on staying for 6 days but realised that wasn’t long enough so we paid the extra fee and changed our flights, it was worth every penny. 10 days in Fiji is still not very long if you want to spend some downtime in one resort. It doesn’t get you the chance to see many Islands unless you are willing to move around every day, and we weren’t willing. This was our vacation out of our vacation so we wanted to relax and unpack our bags for a few days.
Walu Beach was the first stop and it really was paradise. It was an affordable resort for backpackers. Accommodation was in lodges with 3 rooms a common room and 2 bathrooms, no more dorms...that’s heaven alone! :) The staffs were very friendly, the food was good, a beautiful beach and pool and great snorkelling you can’t really ask for more. We spent 5 nights in Walu beach a few of them were spent being lazy and soaking up the sun which I was more than happy to do! We also did kayaking, snorkelling and an Island hoping tour.
For our last 3 nights we went to the Robinson Crusoe Island. This was more of the Backpacking we were use to. The accommodation was dorm rooms and the showers were cold bucket showers which oddly enough I actually miss lol. Lunch and dinner on the Island was amazing, most of the time they cook their traditional Fiji meal called Lovo. Lovo is an underground barbecue where they cook an entire feast over hot rocks while buried in the earth. They also have great day and night entertainment such as Polynesian / Melanesian dancing, fire dancing and knife dancing.
Every night they do a welcoming Kava ceremony for the new Islanders. Kava is a plant which the Fijians take the root, wash it throughout and let it dry then they pound it into a powder and mix it with water. It looks and taste like dirty water and has a numbing and relaxing effect. They staff went out of their way to make us feel at home and part of the gang. They even made some of us participate in the entertainment for the day and night cruises. We also learned how to do coconut jewellery which we spent an afternoon doing and only have a few pieces to show out of it! Fiji was by far one of the highlights of my trip and I hope I get the chance to see more of it someday!
