Fiji: Treat Yourself

The South Pacific has the aura of mystery that is so alluring. Thousands of islands area scattered around this vast region of the world, and Fiji holds its own as one of the largest and most famous. With incredible white sand beaches, crystal clear water with some of the best diving sites on earth, and beautiful natural scenery, Fiji is without a doubt one of the most enchanting places not only in the South Pacific, but in the world.

Arrival

We landed at six in the morning after a 10.5 hour flight from Los Angeles that was mostly empty (thank god). Fiji Airways did a fine job, with standard seats, an average entertainment system, average service and average food. It's economy class, so what is there to expect anyways. I got a soli amount of sleep, so what more could I have asked for? Anyways, the airport was pretty empty, as the sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon. We had arranged for a pick-up through our hotel, which was easy to find and professionally operated.

As we drove down from Nadi Airport to the Intercontinental, we were greeted by a beautiful rainbow, undoubtedly a sign that this was going to be a trip to remember.

Stay

I'll discuss more about the Intercontinental in the next couple of posts, as I will compare it with the Marriott Momi Bay, but all you need to know is that this hotel is absolutely stunning. For some odd reason, I have always been very attracted to this resort, having almost gone on several occasions until unforeseen circumstances prevented that. So it goes without saying that I had some high expectations and they were fully met.

Comfortable, spacious, and high tech, this room was everything I could have asked for and more.

We stayed in a Club Suite, and having the Club perks may have been the best part of the hotel. Breakfast was fantastic, the pool is incredible, and the service is on the level of Ritz and Four Seasons. And the room, let me tell you, the room was just something else. Given it was only a one-bedroom suite, it may have been the best one-bedroom suite I've ever seen let alone stayed in. A couch as long as a truck, huge bed, nice bathroom, dining room table meant for conference rooms-it had it all. No tub in the bathroom, but don't worry, they moved it outside on the balcony with views over the beautiful landscape and Pacific Ocean. It's a perfect room, and with all the perks of being in the club-free breakfast, free afternoon tea (which was big enough to be my lunch on one of the three days) and evening canapes (which were large enough to be our dinner on two of the nights)-it is very much worth the extra price.

The hotel is laid out very symmetrically (in the main parts) and makes getting around very simple. The adults-only pool, which had children hanging out in and around it, was beautiful, with an infinity edge view to die for. The pool water was very cold though, so I couldn't truly enjoy being in the water. But maybe that's because I was being a little baby. I don't know. I thought it was chilly, don’t' judge me. Kids have it great out here. The kid's pool is massive, and kids are literally everywhere. Next to the kids pool there is a putt-putt, beach volleyball, and grass soccer, so there is no shortage of entertainment.

The food at the club was really the only good food I had all trip and made the extra cost totally worth it!

Food wise, the Intercontinental was somewhat disappointing. Fiji in general did not have the best food in my opinion. The food in the Club was solid, but any time we ventured elsewhere in the resort, we found ourselves either disappointed or unimpressed. We never went to Navo, the fancy restaurant of the hotel, but heard it is the best of the restaurants at the hotel.

The other disappointment, specifically for the Club, was getting to and from it. It's a looong walk, and there were times where we would wait for over twenty minutes to get a golf cart to take us back up to the Club. Call us lazy, but it is definitely an issue that comes with staying in the Club, and the Intercontinental should figure out a better solution to it.

Do

Cloud 9

This view as we departed was something out of a dream.

Do NOT miss out on visiting this place. It's truly special, and there is nothing quite like it anywhere in the world. A floating bar in the middle of beautiful, crystal clear blue water with fantastic pizza and even better cocktails (I recommend a Bellini, Toblerone and some Fiji Gold). Nelson is an absolute gem of a human being, and he made the four hours in the middle of the ocean go by instantly (ask him to take some photos and you'll find yourself deep in a professional photoshoot). The music is your classic European continuous, edgy beat-something that my mom absolutely loved. We came for mother's day, and suffice to say my mom had one of the best days imaginable (she loves beer, pizza and good music). Go in the afternoon, as the morning is much busier and you don't get to watch the sun set over Cloud 9 as you boat away, back to the mainland.

River Tour

This is an absolute must while on Fiji. This tour guides you down the Navua River located at the center of the Coral Coast (Fiji's south side) on a narrow boat, where you glide past local villages, native wildlife and fantastic nature. I was lucky enough to sit in front, where the views of the lush mountains, cascading waterfalls and Fijian children were something that made it an experience I will not soon forget.

Not a bad spot for a 45 minute boat road-the views are straight out of postcards.

After about a 45 minute boat ride down the river, we arrived at a concrete dock that lead to a pathway down a small creek. Another 10 minutes through the jungle and we arrived at one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have seen. At over 50 feet tall, the sheer grandeur of this waterfall is breathtaking. I literally found myself short of breath, so the adjective of "breathtaking" is literally as accurate as it gets. The water was the perfect temperature (warmer than the pool at the Intercontinental), and there are areas around the sides of the pool where you can stand or hold on to when swimming gets too tiring. We spent about 30 minutes here, and it was truly magical.

No words can describe how beautiful this waterfall is

Once we left, we got back onto the narrow boat and went about halfway back down the river, through some fun rapids which we had to exit the boat for on the way up. We then stopped and switched to a rickety bamboo raft, giving insight to how generations past would navigate the rivers of the island. It was definitely interesting, but incredibly inefficient. We had a couple people from the tour jump into the water and push the raft from the back because there simply was not enough current pushing us down river.

We then switched back to the motor-powered boat and went another 15 minutes where we then arrived at a small Fijian village. I know what you're thinking-if you went on a tour with a bunch of other white people and visited a "local" village, you aren't getting a true Fijian experience. And yeah, you know what, you're not wrong. There is definitely a level of white-washing to this village, but that does not take away from the beauty of the Fijian culture which we were so thoroughly taught by our guides. We experienced a Kava ceremony, traditional dances, local food (which may have been the best on the trip in all honesty) and goods/trinkets. We were shown how the locals weave their baskets, how they make their bowls, and how they make a living. Our guides did a great job describing the Fijian culture to us. Most Fijian villages require women to wear a sarong to cover their legs, but this village did not seem to care that my mom and sister had forgotten theirs.

Once our time at the village had finished, we boarded our bus and made the 2 hour trek back across the island to the hotel. It was one of all of our favorite tours we have done anywhere in the world. Everything as professional, beautiful, and informative. Definitely something I highly recommend doing. The pricing is also very reasonable given everything that is provided (entrances, transportation, food, etc.).

Snorkel (Natadola Bay)

I love to snorkel. Snorkeling is my thing. Natadola Bay is one of the best off-beach snorkeling sites I have ever been to for one reason-the rock and coral formations. I had an absolute blast swimming through tunnels, into caves, under overhangs, and through crevices. To get to the best snorkeling, you have to time it right. During low tide, walk (with those waterproof shoes-I hate them but my mom needed them as she got cut up by the coral) all the way past the island just off the hotel's beach and keep on swimming along the reef. The snorkeling around this area is truly world-class, and that is coming from someone who has snorkeled around the world. The Maldives puts everywhere else to shame, but Fiji, with all the amazing formations, incredible schools of fish and solid visibility, made for a great snorkeling experience. I do wish I went on a diving trip, but hey, there's always next time.

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