A Few Fiji Favorites

Fiji.

The land of lush rain forests, show-stopping sunsets, palm-tree lined beaches, world-class scuba diving, and the world’s friendliest people. Simply put, Fiji has it all. I’ve been daydreaming about exploring Fiji since I first caught the travel bug, and it’s been on my Bucket List since its creation.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our adventures as much as I’ve loved sharing, and today it’s time to say Vinaka (goodbye) to Fiji.

Whenever we plan trips back to destinations we’ve already visited, I refer to these “round-up” posts where I recap our favorite adventures, share location tips and recommendations, and make notes about what we would change on our next visit. And with over 300 islands, we still have a LOT more exploring to do.

Activities

Monuriki Island/Castaway Tour

When I found out Tokoriki was within a stone’s throw (slight exaggeration) of Monuriki Island I was beyond excited. I knew that I wanted to spend a day living like a Castaway and I’m so happy that we chose to explore this island on our anniversary. It was another great adventure to add to the books.

Scuba Diving

Adding Fiji to my dive log was thrilling, however, there is still so much to explore underwater. I’d love to head to Taveuni next time, home of the “Soft Coral Capital of the World.”

Blissful Relaxation

On this trip we really slowed down and spent a lot of time relaxing on the beach. Most days our hardest decision was deciding between relaxing at the beach or the pool, and it was exactly what we needed. Over the last few years I feel like we’ve created a perfect balance between adventure and relaxation on our getaways and the Mamanuca Islands were the ideal destination for our anniversary trip.

Favorites 

My favorite part of Fiji wasn’t the epic spectacle in the sky twice a day, or the fascinating world beneath the sea — although those were also amazing — my favorite part of Fiji was the warm and welcoming people. The Fijian people are known as some of the most friendly people in the world; and in my opinion, if you’re going to be known for something, how wonderful it is that you are known for your kindness. From the mainland of Fiji, to everyone we encountered on Tokoriki Island, our experiences were filled with sincerity, smiles, and pure happiness.

When I look back on our time in Fiji I can’t help but smile thinking about those big, welcoming smiles and how at home we felt.

“If you’re going to be known for something, how wonderful it is that you are known for your kindness.”

Transportation and Logistics

I’ve mentioned this in previous blog posts, but the last thing we want to do after a long flight is spend time finding a taxi or stress about negotiating cab fares, so I always reserve our transportation ahead of time. This time I turned to Viator to pre-arrange our transportation, and it worked perfectly. We’ve used Viator transportation twice in Paris and now Fiji and we’ve found them reliable and prompt both times.

We also pre-arranged our inter-island boat transfers through South Sea Cruises, in order to minimize the stress on travel day.

Next Time

The inevitable question all travelers eventually face is to travel somewhere new or go back to a favorite destination again and again; and while we really enjoyed our time in the Mamanuca Islands, there are two islands that I am looking forward to exploring on our next visit: Taveuni (in the north) and Beqa (off the southern coast of Nadi).

I guess we’ll have to add Fiji back to the never-ending travel list. It’s safe to say that our time in the South Pacific is far from over. 🙂

Have you been to Fiji? What other islands or activities should I add to our next visit?