Things to do in Fiji

[hayden]

Hi All,

Just thought I would see if anyone has some suggestions for things to do in Fiji? I'll be there shortly and as yet havent planned a single thing (which perhaps isnt such a bad thing)

Will just be staying at the Radisson on denarau as we are only there for a few days. Didnt see much point in travelling out to stay on the "nicer" islands.

Can anyone recommend some good day tours etc? I'm sure the tour desk there will be full of plenty of options, but its always good to have some recommendations from personal experiences.

I had a look on tripadvisor however there really wasnt too much there.

thanks,

Hayden

 

[kpc]

When are you there? I'm there Sat week and was planning on doing a combo cruise on the Sunday:
South Sea Cruises - Outstanding Day Cruises and Island Resort Connections
Anyone done one of these before? Any other recommenadtions?

Hijacking your thread a bit:
As my 28 degree card is heavily in debt, I plan to exchange AUD cash for FJD at the airport...Is there a place / bank etc at the airport (opened at 7pm Sat:idea with reasonable Fx? How much should I expect to pay for a taxi to the Hilton?

 

[Fantic125]

My wife and I were there a few weeks ago and hadn't planned anything either.

We did an Island Day Cruise through Captain Cook Cruises, and enjoyed the day. They pick you up from the hotel, and the boat leaves the harbour around 10am and returns around 5pm. They take you out to Tivua Island where you can go snorkling, swimming, kyaking, glass bottom boat, etc. They provide lunch and free drinks on the island. Like a lot of things in Fiji it was reasonably basic but enjoyable.

kpc - There is a currency exchange and an ANZ ATM just near the baggage carousel. I would assume the exhange would be open, but I don't know what their rates are like. To get to the Hilton it cost us $30 FJD. Either agree the cost with the taxi driver first, or get them to use the meter.

 

[hayden]

My wife and I were there a few weeks ago and hadn't planned anything either.

We did an Island Day Cruise through Captain Cook Cruises, and enjoyed the day. They pick you up from the hotel, and the boat leaves the harbour around 10am and returns around 5pm. They take you out to Tivua Island where you can go snorkling, swimming, kyaking, glass bottom boat, etc. They provide lunch and free drinks on the island. Like a lot of things in Fiji it was reasonably basic but enjoyable.

What did you do for the rest of the time ? just hang around the place?

I could be misguided by what to do there, but I was hoping you could do like half day tours where they just take you out to go snorkeling etc.

If all else fails I guess there is always the bar!

 

[samh004]

What did you do for the rest of the time ? just hang around the place?

I could be misguided by what to do there, but I was hoping you could do like half day tours where they just take you out to go snorkeling etc.

If all else fails I guess there is always the bar!

You can, there are many different packages for the outlaying islands to look at.

Every afternoon there’s a small shower, so it’s always best to plan around that too

We ended up doing a snorkelling day trip on a sail boat called the Seaspray, which was quite a lot of fun, really nice

 

[Lan]

We've been to Fiji a couple of times in the last few years and staying on Denarau and used it as a launching point for tours etc.

Getting to Denarau:
You will need cash to pay the taxi driver. Exchanging cash at the airport (Sydney or Nadi) is generally more expensive than in Sydney. I would recommend doing this before you go. Either agree on the amount before you they start driving or ask them to use the metre - from memory it is about FJD$20-$30. Denarau is past Nadi and along a rural road, so don't panic when you leave the town and there's nothing in sight. You will eventually cross a bridge to Denarau and the security guard at the gate will shout a hearty BULLA to you. Smile and wave

Things to do:
- The Whale Tale Cruise was just amazing – it was one of the best day tours I’ve done in Fiji – you sail on a yacht for the day with a limited amount of people on the boat and the snorkeling was great! The yacht leaves from Port Denarau – so very close to where you are staying. Here the link: Fijian Islands and Snorkel Full-Day Whales Tale Cruise including Beach BBQ Lunch, Fiji Day Cruises | Viator.com

- If you are into gardens, botanica etc then book a tour that includes a visit to The Garden Of The Sleeping Giant – there are orchids etc by the thousands.

- The Westin has an amazing Day Spa – it’s really glorious and well worth the $$

- On Denarau, you can pretty much swim in any of the resort pools, providing you are staying on the island. No-one asks where you are staying etc. The more touristy you look, the less likely you will have any issues in using other hotels facilities.

- The Worldmark/Wyndham resort has torch light ceremonies every night and once a week they have a movie night in the pool which is free. Lot's of fun for the family.

Where to Eat:
- For authentic Fijian Indian: Tata’s in Nadi (Nadi Back Road) – a great authentic experience – we had a plate full of naan bread, curry, pappadums, rice and chutney for FJ$4 + drinks. Great authentic curry etc

- Cardo’s at the marina on Denarau – their large pizzas are enough to feed four.

However we found most places were pretty cough when it comes to great food - it's really guess work as a lot of the food we ordered came out pretty tasteless (so we just stuck to the delicious Indo-Fijian food)

Have a great time!

 

[Mal]

We ended up doing a snorkelling day trip on a sail boat called the Seaspray, which was quite a lot of fun, really nice

I did this a few years ago. Definitely think sea lice got me out there too! But good company and a good day out does make up for it!

 

[Mal]

- If you are into gardens, botanica etc then book a tour that includes a visit to The Garden Of The Sleeping Giant – there are orchids etc by the thousands.

I did a Rosie's 1/2 day tour which included this. Very nice place, and the tour wasn't too expensive (but did seem rushed a little!)

 

[samh004]

- If you are into gardens, botanica etc then book a tour that includes a visit to The Garden Of The Sleeping Giant – there are orchids etc by the thousands.

That sounds quite nice. I’m there for a day next weekend, so might have to do this, assuming it doesn’t take up my whole day, as I’d also like to go to the markets and buy some things.

- The Worldmark/Wyndham resort has torch light ceremonies every night and once a week they have a movie night in the pool which is free. Lot's of fun for the family.

The Hilton also does a torch-lighting ceremony every night, where a 'local' lights the torches from the far end of the beach before getting to the pool area and lighting a bigger one there. I didn’t actually see what happened when he got to the pool area… wasn’t that interested

Where to Eat:
However we found most places were pretty cough when it comes to great food - it's really guess work as a lot of the food we ordered came out pretty tasteless (so we just stuck to the delicious Indo-Fijian food)

We found the Fijian local cuisine to be really nice, though there wasn’t a whole lot of it available, more popular was the Fijian-Indian food, and even worse, American-style foods… why go on holiday if you’re just going to eat a burger/steak? In fact, there’s a maccas halfway between the airport and Denarau

Our picks were the traditional restaurant at the Deanrau Marina (can’t remember it’s name, but it’s located away from the main jetty’s). We ended up having a delicious lobster there. For dinner on another night we tried The Outer Reef restaurant, also serving traditional food and it too was very nice. From the street it looked average, but we walked through to the back and found a tropical garden. Again, we were the only ones there, but that’s what happens when you buck the trend.

 

[Timtammi]

Just got back from 8 days staying at the Westin in Denarau which is just down the beach from the Radisson. I would echo what most others have said here you can resort hop using the Bula Bus (FJD $6 for an all day ticket) or walk easily between the Radisson, Sheraton, Westin and Sofitel. While they don't seem to mind you using the other resorts facilities we did get queried at the Sofitel using the lounges around the pool with our Westin supplies towels (every resort has their own easily identifiable towel color). The lady was very nice about it and said it was fine to use the facilities but that the lounges needed to be reserved for inhouse guests. If we had BYO'd our own towels it would not have been an issue as noone would have been any the wiser. If you have kids the Sofitel has a great waterslide.

Actually I was surprised how good the food was at the Westin and Sheraton and the one meal we had at the Sofitel. I guess I expected it to be pretty coughpy and so was pleasantly surprised. We have a Sheraton Privilege card and that saved us megabucks over the week, probably somewhere between $500 and $1000 AUD in food and drinks. With the discounts that gives it was almost as cheap as eating at the marina but without it you may find the resort restauransts a little pricey, what you would pay at a resort here in Aus I guess.

If you are looking for an authentic fijian experience we loved the Sigatoka River Safari. They take you on a fast jetboat (awesome fun) up the river to an authentic fijian village in the middle of the main island and you spend half a day at the village, meeting the villagers, seeing how they live, eating lunch with them, drinking Kava etc. Very interesting!

Cheers and have fun, its HOT there right now and very humid. The mornings are the best as it rains pretty much every afternoon for an hour or so but it wasn't a big problem we generally just had a rest in our room around that time and by the time we were ready to head out for dinner and drinks it had fined up again.

 

[flyinghightoday]

I spent 7 days at the Sheraton Resort with a friend a week ago and had a great time there.

I love the fact you can walk into other resorts and use their pools, in the end I didn't bother with towels because you just dry off walking back to your own hotel.

The Bula Bus is a good idea to get into town, then again a one way cab fare on Denarau Island is $5FJD and can fit 4 people.
Try eating at the port a couple of times, some good places and much much cheaper than the hotels. Be wary of the time share people at the hut near the hard rock cafe! Trying to sell us a timeshare for the Wyndham!

Also make sure you check your email at the hotel because we realised we were getting offers emailed to us while we were staying. One was 50% off the dinner buffet or other offers.

Last year I went with my gf and we did some of the Islands and also Beachcomber. Great time too.

 

[jdlover23]

Just got back from 8 days staying at the Westin in Denarau which is just down the beach from the Radisson. I would echo what most others have said here you can resort hop using the Bula Bus (FJD $6 for an all day ticket) or walk easily between the Radisson, Sheraton, Westin and Sofitel. While they don't seem to mind you using the other resorts facilities we did get queried at the Sofitel using the lounges around the pool with our Westin supplies towels (every resort has their own easily identifiable towel color). The lady was very nice about it and said it was fine to use the facilities but that the lounges needed to be reserved for inhouse guests. If we had BYO'd our own towels it would not have been an issue as noone would have been any the wiser. If you have kids the Sofitel has a great waterslide.

Actually I was surprised how good the food was at the Westin and Sheraton and the one meal we had at the Sofitel. I guess I expected it to be pretty coughpy and so was pleasantly surprised. We have a Sheraton Privilege card and that saved us megabucks over the week, probably somewhere between $500 and $1000 AUD in food and drinks. With the discounts that gives it was almost as cheap as eating at the marina but without it you may find the resort restauransts a little pricey, what you would pay at a resort here in Aus I guess.

If you are looking for an authentic fijian experience we loved the Sigatoka River Safari. They take you on a fast jetboat (awesome fun) up the river to an authentic fijian village in the middle of the main island and you spend half a day at the village, meeting the villagers, seeing how they live, eating lunch with them, drinking Kava etc. Very interesting!

Cheers and have fun, its HOT there right now and very humid. The mornings are the best as it rains pretty much every afternoon for an hour or so but it wasn't a big problem we generally just had a rest in our room around that time and by the time we were ready to head out for dinner and drinks it had fined up again.

I was at the Westin 12/13th March - we could have had a AFF mini do haha I really liked the Westin - look forward to heading back with friends in the future - you might have spotted me i was the lone diner at Moo Moo on sunday night

 

[Timtammi]

I was at the Westin 12/13th March - we could have had a AFF mini do haha I really liked the Westin - look forward to heading back with friends in the future - you might have spotted me i was the lone diner at Moo Moo on sunday night

How funny! We arrived on the 12th and we did have dinner at MooMoo on the 13th! We were the couple with the 6 year old daughter with curly hair. Actually I think that was our best meal of the week. I don't remember seeing anyone eating alone but then again I wasn't taking much notice of anyone else and I wasn't wearing my glasses. Also could be you were there later than us.

Small world..

Cheers

 

[jdlover23]

How funny! We arrived on the 12th and we did have dinner at MooMoo on the 13th! We were the couple with the 6 year old daughter with curly hair. Actually I think that was our best meal of the week. I don't remember seeing anyone eating alone but then again I wasn't taking much notice of anyone else and I wasn't wearing my glasses. Also could be you were there later than us.

Small world..

Cheers

well if you were eating late - post 9pm then i think i may have seen you off to my right! i was sitting on the edge looking out to the ocean near the waiters station....very small world!

 

[straitman]

For anyone who wants a good, clean and reliable cab (current model Camry) to/from Nadi airport then I recommend you make a quick call to 'Epi' on 9965737. The fair from the island to the airport was $FJ30.
IMHO it is worth the couple of $$ for the International call.


Sent from my iPhone using AFF Mobile

 

[kpc]

I'm in Fji this w/e Bill....will your cab driver do pick ups from the airport?

 

[Fantic125]

For anyone who wants a good, clean and reliable cab (current model Camry) to/from Nadi airport then I recommend you make a quick call to 'Epi' on 9965737. The fair from the island to the airport was $FJ30.
IMHO it is worth the couple of $$ for the International call.


Sent from my iPhone using AFF Mobile

Most of the cabs there are pretty cough, so if you can get a particular driver/cab who is willing to drive for you when you want them (when available), then I would certainly recommend it.

 

[samh004]

I'm in Fji this w/e Bill....will your cab driver do pick ups from the airport?

You can drop me off on the way

By the way, are you going to get cash before you go, or just use an ATM there?

 

[Danger]

Is Fiji the kind of place a group of young guys would go for a good time, like for buck's weekend/week? Is it similar to coughet or Bali in terms of the cheap shopping and nightlife or am I off-base? I understand the Coral Coast can be nice.

 

[docjames]

Is Fiji the kind of place a group of young guys would go for a good time, like for buck's weekend/week? Is it similar to coughet or Bali in terms of the cheap shopping and nightlife or am I off-base? I understand the Coral Coast can be nice.

coughet or Bali would be better options for thatkind of week/weekend IMO.