I have a real love of the South Pacific, it’s so laid back, and the people are lovely… I needed to get into the laid back attitude pretty early on, after flying from Melbourne to Sydney I met my group of about 10 agents from all over Australia and the fabulous Alison from Island Escapes, our host for the week, in Sydney and straight away found out that Fiji Airways had had a technical issue with one of their planes so they’d cancelled a flight meaning our flight was now over booked. It was an interesting wait at the airport, there was nothing the staff could do, it all depended on who else checked in, and so we waited. Long story short all but one of our group could fly! Being the lovely, generous person I am I volunteered to spend the night in Sydney, catching up with Sally Ann from Island Escapes who I had travelled to Vanuatu with two years ago. And so the next morning I was at the airport at 4am – why they have such an early flight time I don’t know – to catch the flight I was now guaranteed on. The staff all remembered me and were lovely, and as I was boarding the manager took me aside pressed a few buttons and the next thing you know I’m sitting in 1K, business class, on the brand new plane that was only delivered to FJ 5 days earlier. It was pretty special. I’ll come back to the flight.

This was a true educational, 14 resorts in 5 days – 1 on the Coral Coast, 5 on Denarau (3 being part of the Sheraton complex) and the rest on the islands (Mamanuca’s). There’s so much I could tell you about it, but you can’t compare 14 different resorts as they have different markets and appeal for different people. So here’s a breakdown by my perceived category (couples can also mean singles without kids):

Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa – Families, conferences, couples – my first time on the coral coast and I was really impressed with what I saw. The beach is nicer than I expected, you do still need reef shoes to go in the ocean, but there’s a beautiful outlook from the main areas. This is a big resort and can feel a little daunting, but it is only a few years old, and has fantastic facilities for families and they do really cater for large conferences. The bit I liked for couples was their Executive suites, they are up on a hill and you can get a golf buggy to take you up there (you can walk to, but remember it’s hot and humid). Once there there’s a private restaurant and pool. A club area solely for the use of those staying up on the hill, were complimentary cocktails and canapés are served daily. You can still use all of the facilities of the main part of the resort, but you do feel separated also.

Westin, Sheraton Fiji Resort, Sheraton Villas – Families, conferences, couples - This one is a hard one to categorise as there are three properties in one. Personally as a couple I would only chose the Sheraton Villas, as you can still use the other properties facilities but the pool area which the villas surround is much quieter at the villas than the other properties. The complex is massive, there are so many rooms and restaurants and pools there’s almost too much choice! They are very proud of their Flying Fish restaurant created by the owners of Flying Fish in Sydney. You could easily spend a week at this resort and not have to actually leave the complex, there’s so much to do and so much space.

Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa – Families – I’m not sure land wise if the Sofitel is as big as the others, but it certainly felt much smaller. It is still spread along the beach with a large lagoon style pool. They have traditional style bure’s for the spa and restaurants, but they also have a very modern restaurant called V that the menu looked amazing at. As much as I haven’t said couples on this one I think a couple could stay for a few days and not feel overwhelmed by children or noise.

Fiji Beach Resort and Spa (managed by Hilton) – Families and Couples - Fantastic for multi-generational trips – This was my surprise property. I had it in my head that it would be similar to all of the others on the Denarau but for me it was the step up. The pool area isn’t massive compared to the others, but it’s big enough, and they do the separation between adults only and family pool really well. The rooms are spread out and not in one big connected building which I liked, although it can be a bit confusing. They had a spa area on the grass meters from the beach (and the pool, and my room) where you could walk up and enjoy a half hour massage, bliss! Their actual spa has received a number of awards, unfortunately they are still in the process of fixing the building that it is housed in so I’d assume in future it’d have a more Fijian feel to it. What I liked most about this property though were the large rooms, and their apartments. The 3 bedroom had two dining tables just because they had the space to fill! They have a number of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments and they either have a private or shared (between 4 apartments) plunge pool. This is why I think it’d be fantastic for multi-generational trips, you can be right next to each other in a room but not be on top of each other. The apartments also have kitchens and there’s a small store on site so you can cook for yourself and your family – and the apartments have washing machine and driers… perfect!

Plantation Island Resort – Families – This is a great island option for the budget conscious, because of this it can have a bit of a backpacker feel to it, especially at the bar at night. That being said the rooms are nice, clean and they are doing refurbishments as well as building some more villas.

Lomani Island Resort – Couples - An adults only resort right next to Plantation, the rooms are large with a great outview. The sunset is to die for, and the food is lovely. The rooms have special features such as outdoor showers and canopy beds, and the pool area is large given the number of rooms. People from Plantation are not allowed at Lomani but from Lomani you can use the facilities at Plantation so for an island adults only property you have more options than other places.

Musket Cove Resort – Couples - Another adults only resort, with a lovely set up. The garden view bures (villas) still give you a view over the water, and then there are the beachfront bures, which are meters from the beach. The lagoon beach bures are almost over the water, unfortunately you can’t swim in that water though. Then you move on to the resort villas which are two bedroom villas with a large living area and outdoor spa. Great for a group of friends wanting some time away. Then the next option for the same types of trips are the Armstrong Villas, a 5 minute walk from the centre of the resort these are on a separate island (joined by a bridge) and have their own pool area, they are again 2 bedroom bures with a small kitchen. If you were in these villas you would honestly believe that it was a private island… until you had to walk back to go to the restaurant, bar or spa.

Tokoriki Island Resort – Couples – I have to admit I’m a little in love with this property, the staff were lovely, the food AMAZING, if you go here you have to try the crunchy ice-cream! What I liked most was the greenery, it was so lush and you either have direct beach access (again only a couple of meters) or your own private plunge pool. The communal pool isn’t huge but with only 34 bures you don’t need it to be, and not to mention the beautiful ocean right there for you to lap up. The main reason I’m trying to organise my trip back – they have a special deal where for $330 FJD (approx $195) you can have 3 days of UNLIMITED spa treatments during your stay – click here to see the menu! http://www.tokoriki.com/special-offers.html

Matamanoa – Families and couples –The main part of this property would be great for families, what I liked though was their new sunset bures, separate from the rest of the property, accessible by a 10 or so minute walk or by golf buggy these 9 bures are up on a cliff with individual plunge pools and a staircase down to your private beach. The diggers were still out finalising everything when we were there, so give it til early 2014 and you should definitely consider this. Just remember, there are no facilities (other than the beach and your room) out this end, and the walk is hot, so you want to be ok being separate from it all.

Tropica Island Resort – Couples - a beautiful new property, give it a few more months, especially as we are coming into wet season, and the gardens will be in full bloom and this property will be magnificent. It is a small property with only 6 bures, but they have got hotel style rooms behind the main areas, so this’d be a great option if you want to have the feel of an island resort without the price tag. But personally I’d stay in the bure, meters from the most amazing beach, with outdoor shower, balcony with swing for you to watch the sunset and lots of space for you to spread out. It is a new resort so I think they are still getting into the groove a little.

Malolo Island Resort – Families and couples – this resort was hard hit by the cyclone last year, but they have done a fantastic job of rebuilding. The rooms are spread out along the beach, the rooms are modern style (as opposed to Fiji style) and they are set up in little groups. This could be difficult if you didn’t want to be sharing your ‘front yard’ with another family, but it could also be good if a couple of families were travelling together. There’s a relaxing bar/restaurant at the front of the property where you first get off the boat, and then there’s a two more restaurants, one adults only in the main building. They have an air-conditioned room for you to kick back and watch TV, and shaded day beds next to the adults only pool, and they are fantastic at keeping their adults only pool, adults only. The main dining area can be noisy around noon when the kids club come for their lunch, but this can easily be avoided. And I recommend the ice crush drinks at lunch, they are the closest thing you’ll get to a 7-11 slurpee in Fiji.

Likuliku Island Resort – Couples – An adults only resort and the only resort in Fiji with overwater bungalows. The perfect honeymoon and couples resort, lush garden, beautiful ocean and reef, and a gorgeous little island with small lounge/bar invites you onto the resort. In the overwater bungalows you can stand in you bathroom or sit on the couch in your lounge and watch the fish swim by. The rooms are beautiful with natural products throughout, even if you don’t stay in an overwater bungalow you will not be disappointed by your room!

Castaway Resort – Families - probably the resort I have sold the most in Fiji and it didn’t disappoint. Traditional Bures are situated along winding paths, the garden bures aren’t overly private, but the beach ones are fantastic. It really is a family resort and you can get great discounts on meal plans during shoulder season. A number of food options and a large kids club and pool area. The one discussion I did have with our Castaway host is that the adults only pool is not really adults only, they are really working hard to change people’s mind sets on this, only time will tell, and really it’s not the end of the world. The rooms are all set up with a bedroom area and then somewhat separated living area (or kids sleeping room), and there are a couple of rooms with two bedrooms, but they are hard to get. My highlight here, other than breaking the heat of the day in the beautiful water, was the dinner under the stars, a huge array of Asian cuisine using local produce. There’s an additional surcharge for this but I’d really recommend it for one dinner.

Finally Fiji Airways – their business class was fantastic, you would not think they had created that plane solely for the 4-hour flight across. Flat beds, large screens, several course breakfast and no one sitting next to me. Fantastic! The flight back, was good as well, it was in economy and I was in the middle of the middle so what can you say? Remembering when I went to Fiji a year ago the plane was old, there was no in-seat entertainment and the food left a lot to be desired. The plane is definitely nicer, the entertainment heaps better, you do need to pay for extra movies but it’s only a 4-hour flight, so I watched a few TV shows and then read, and dozed. So I’m really happy to recommend Fiji Airways, their only downfall is the food, especially on the way home, as the food at Nadi airport is lacking and then the on-board food still leaves a lot to be desired… So be prepared – however you can!

I want to finish by thanking Island Escapes, Fiji Airways and all of the resorts for the opportunity to visit all of these beautiful resorts I learnt so much and can’t wait to tell everyone about it! Vinaka vaka levu!!

Education in Fiji