Skeating

Hi,

We are a family of 4, our kids are 20 months and 1 month, looking to go to Fiji in Nov or early Dec this year. It's on the wish list for a number of reasons but I can't seem to locate any decent deals that cost less that 3700 Aud on the mainland, one week all meals, flights, transfers. Perhaps this is an ok rate but I was just surprised by it ?

The resorts I have looked at are at the higher end.

Any pointers/advise/previous experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

DadAgain

Fiji resorts fit into 3 main areas:

Denarau island - a bunch of high end international chain resorts. Very clean professional and pleasant, but utterly soulless. They are convenient for proximity to the airport, but you end up paying outrageously international pricing for everything and get a fully international experience. If this is yor thing then fine I guess, but I don't see why you don't just had the same identical experience in a Gold Coast resort and save the travel time.....

Coral Coast - further away from Nadi And can be a pain to get to, but resorts have a more chilled out feel and have a lot more of a local feel. Some resorts are a little older and slightly run down, but the are some great ones (we enjoyed the Warrick and have heard great things about Outrigger)

Islands - Mana, Castaway etc - Bugger to get to either via ferry or expensive helicopter transfer, but once you are there you have the genuine 'desert island' feel. Good reefs for snorkeling or diving and lovely coral sand beaches.... Downside is perhaps that being small island there is no escape. An if you get bored you can't 'go native' and roam around away from the resort like you can on the mainland....



We spent time in all three types and enjoyed Fiji a lot - but we did vow never to visit Denarau ever again.

bingobob777

I've been doing some research myself over the last few weeks. The flights alone usually come in at 2k, so expecting a week with all meals at a high end resort for 1700 is pushing it a bit. The quotes I got for 2 adults, 6 yr old and 3 yr old for a week from brisbane were

Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort - 9500 - all inclusive
Radisson Blu Resort Fiji - Denarau Island - 5189 - breakfast only
Malolo Island Resort - 7372 - all meals
Castaway Island Fiji - 6672 - breakfast only

I'm going to contact these guys to try and get a quote, not luxury and harder to get to, but probably more authentic

http://www.awesomefiji.com/?gclid=CJ...FVGZpAodJxqmgQ

SnowPetals

I have been to fiji a few times (from sydney though) and I found the best value for money deals would be on the hotel on Mana Island (lovely esp for kids) or at the 5star hotels on denerau (nice hotels but you dont get the real island feel there.

Skeating

Thank you all for your help.

Thus far the naviti, Warwick, the outrigger and mana island are all approx 4k ( from Sydney) all Inc. I guess mana resorts beach would be a big advantage, plus more bure type environment rather than the other hotels I listed.

The search continues...

DadAgain

We stayed in Naviti and the kids LOVED it. It's bigger than neighboring Warrick and some said had better food. That said the beach at Warrick is much better and the snorkeling off the beach is really good. Warrick looks in better condition but seems to be more coupley rather than family. We really enjoyed wandering 'off the reserve' up the beach into the neighboring village and my daughters loved getting their hair braided by the village women (the 'blue house' - about quater the
Rice of the in-resort hair people)

We only had a day on Mana and it was nice - but I think the isolation might get annoying after a couple of days - there really is nothing to do apart from laze around in the pool or on the beach. ( a trip in the glass bottom boat is good and the diving would be alright if you're into that). Food at the lunch buffet was perfectly acceptable if unremarkable.

Skeating

Dadagain,

Thank you.

Was the beach at the Warwick of good quality compared to a typical OZ beach ? I hate the idea of going all the way there and not having a decent beach to lounge on (ok with pools but would much prefer the beach)

bobbyftm

sorry to report but neither Naviti or Warwick beaches are anywhere near the standard of Aussie beaches in my opinion Best to use the pools To be honest although we stayed at Naviti it appeared that there was more going on at the Warwick but it was much more exy if memory serves me right.Don't be fooled by the all inclusive jargon as you can see some of the "entertainment" comes at a price (price list from Warwick a couple of years ago)

bobbyftm

Still worth a visit though

DadAgain

Wow that looks grim....

Naviti beach was rubbish when we were there but Warrick was beautiful.. I'll try and dig out photos later and post....

Skeating

That would be great, thank you. The naviti beach doesn't look appealing.

Been looking at mana resort, it seems nice, maybe not as luxurious as the Warwick but the beach looks nice and the price is about the same.