Hi folks,
Having lived in Fiji and having travelled extensively to/from NAN I thought it would be appropriate for me to contribute here.
Accommodation: There are some good options for a layover and/or stopover in NAN. There are two decent hotels directly
opposite the airport called 'Tokatoka Resort' and 'Fiji Gateway.' Both provide shuttle services to/from the hotel and it takes about
30 seconds to reach after departing the arrivals hall. These are both located on Queens Road which is the main highway connecting the Western side of Fiji to the Capital (Suva) in the East, however, these two locations have no beach access. These are approximately 20 minutes to the Nadi Town Centre and Denarau Island.
A more premium and definitely more popular option is the various resorts on Denarau Island (The Westin, Hilton Resort & Spa and Sofitel, Radisson Blu.) All have beach access and have good restaurants within walking distance at The Port Denarau Shopping Centre, and a shuttle to get in between the various locations (though it is also a pleasant walk depending on the time of the day and weather). The restaurants
and shops are more expensive compared to those found in Nadi Township (since they are mainly targetted towards foreigners).
It is a short drive to Nadi town on a cab which may cost around FJD10/AUD6.50~. Note: The commercial taxis are not permitted to collect passengers in Denarau Island so it would be wise to ask your hotel concierge to summon an authorised one!
Transport: Speaking of taxis, this would be my most recommended method of travelling in and around Nadi. They are cheap and generally clean. FYI: Most of the cabs do not run air conditioning and be advised there are no rideshare options in Fiji (Uber/Lyft).
At the airport, taxis can easily be identified as they are all painted yellow (outside of the airport, they come in all shapes and sizes - the airport specifically has yellow painted vehicles).
Now: Seeing the arriving foreigners, these cabs generally try to offer "special rates" depending on where your destination is (including the hotels opposite the airport). I would strongly advise
against agreeing to these as: (1)- It is illegal for cabs to carry passengers without the meter running and (2) The prices will be far higher than what they'd get on the meter.
I have noted many times the sly tactics some of these chaps use to circumvent point (1) above: They may use a towel/tissue box/anything else in their disposal
to block the view of the meter - they'd already have it running from hours back when they first arrived at the airport to get a higher price on the meter.
Feel free to ask for help from the various Police Officers or Airport staff should the driver get argumentative or not comply with the law. Flagfall on commercial taxis is approxiamately
$1.50, there may be a small surcharge for the airport location; however if you hop in and see the meter is at $12.30, you'll know something is wrong.
The taxis out on the street rarely do this sort of behaviour. Almost all taxis I have been in have their identification number stickered on or
written on the dash/at the back of the seat. I'd recommend having these noted down just incase you lose your phone/wallet in the cab as it it will take the Police a few minutes to find
the registered driver(s).
Phone & Data: I would highly recommend NOT purchasing a SIM Card at the airport. These are very poor value for the prices they tout.
A better option is to advise your cab driver to stop at a Vodafone Fiji or Digicel Fiji outlet store in Nadi town or one of the suburbs (the drivers will know the closest one)
to purchase a SIM card. You'll need valid ID and about $FJD6 to purchase the SIM plus any data plans you wish to grab for your social media networks etc.
Tipping: This is entirely optional, though if you do leave a tip, I'd recommend letting your waiter know so that it does not get 'swiped' as I have seen done
Nadi town: Most stores are not air-conditioned so it may get rather warm while browsing. Usually the restaurants and department stores (Tappoos, Jacks of Fiji, Prouds Fiji) are.
Speaking of restaurants, my personal favorite in Nadi is "LCs [Chinese cuisine]" located in Namaka (located behind Westpac Namaka - your cab driver will know the location). This location is
about 5-7 minutes from the airport heading towards Denarau Island/Nadi town. Ofcourse, there are many options in Denarau (as previously mentioned) and also in Nadi Town.
Money Exchange: As is the case in most places, the airport generally offers poor value for local currency. I would change a small amount at the airport for use on taxis/miscalleneous costs
and exchange the rest in Nadi Town at a later stage where the rates are much more competitive. There are a few Bank ATMs around including Westpac/ANZ (the Fijian subsidiary so fees may apply for Australian Customers).
Use of cash is prevalent in Fiji with only the main department stores having widespread use of EFTPOS systems.
Fiji Airways Premier Lounge: I personally have not accessed this lounge (yet), however some friends of mine have and found it to be of a high standard. I'll attach an AUSBT review here for further details:
Fiji Airways Premier Lounge Review January 2018
That's all I can think of at the moment, please leave any queries below and I'll do my best to answer
