Fiji

Why we went…

It was Spring Break 2022 and Fiji had just opened up after being closed to tourism because of Covid. My husband didn’t think he could travel with us, so we were looking for somewhere easy to get to and safe. He ended up coming with us. We visited again in 2023 and in 2025 because it is simply one of the best places on the planet, and the people are among the friendliest in the world. BULA!!

How we got there…

Fiji Airways direct from Los Angeles to Nadi. It’s an easy 11 hour overnight flight! We took a small 12 seat plane up to Taveuni. The views are gorgeous and distract you from the fact that you are in a very small plane.

Where we stayed…

Raiwasa – It’s hard to imagine a more perfect hotel. It is more of a private home that has access to the ocean, a small plunge pool, and a full service staff. It is beyond luxury and the staff was incredible. They were attentive but stayed out of sight to give us privacy. We enjoyed massages on the patio, a cooking demonstration, a kids garden scavenger hut, a basket weaving demonstration, and snorkeling and kayaking in front of the hotel. We arranged our excursions on the island through them as well. The half day island tour, Bauma waterfalls and Rainbow Reef snorkeling are our favorite. From the pickup at the airport to the airport drop off, everything was perfection. The meals were exquisite too. Spencer loved that he could order mango juice and passion fruit any time he wanted.

Six Senses – Another one of our favorite hotels in the world is also in Fiji. The Six Senses is magical. I love their brand. I love the sustainability. I also love their food. The hotel was picture perfect. The beach and main pool area was beautiful. We had our own bungalow with a private (and pretty large) plunge pool. We loved the different dining options. We had fine dining one night and pizza while watching a movie the next night. The kids favorite part of dining at any Six Senses is the free ice cream in the afternoon.

Nanuku Resort – We loved venturing over to the tropical side of the island. Nanuku Resort is situated on a stunning piece of ocean front property. The resort is rustic and luxurious and the rooms are modern and clean. We loved our little plunge pool to cool off and play marco polo. The resort provided us with bikes to easily get from our one bedroom villa to the main resort. We loved exploring the tidepools in front of the resort, taking advantage of the kids’ club activities with our buddy, Mele, soaking in the oceanfront hot tub and the crabbing excursion and cooking class. The food at Nanuku is also fantastic! Every meal was delicious and healthy.

Fiji Marriot Resort Momi Bay – A lower price point than the other two hotels, but still fantastic. We would absolutely stay here again. We had a child so we couldn’t stay in the over water bungalows, but we loved the beach front bungalows. I think I prefer being beach front to being over water. The staff is very friendly, and the onsite restaurants are great.

What we did…

Fiji Surf Company Day Trip – The best day on the water in Fiji! We have done this day trip twice, and it was fantastic both times. We visited a sandbar, snorkeled, tubed, and surfed. Our captain and surf instructor were very experienced and great with the kids. They found safe and uncrowded waves for our kids to surf and went out in the water with them. What an amazing experience! We watched our kids surf out on a reef in the middle of the ocean on some of the most famous waves in the world.

Surfing, Tubing and Fishing – The Six Senses offer some really fun experiences. The kids really loved the tubing. The water was 90 degrees, and the skies were spectacular for a dusk tube ride.

Sabeto Hotspring and Mudpool – This is a fun activity if you have time in Nadi before your flight home. Make sure you have cash for a massage! We did this on a half day tour with a local guide.

Upper Navua River Rafting – One of the most spectacular excursions that we have ever done. It is a long day, but worth it for the incredible scenery and exhilarating ride down the river. The gorges you raft through are steep and there are waterfalls around every corner. The lush jungle provides a gorgeous back drop. The rapids were class two and three and were fun, but not scary. We loved going under waterfalls and jumping off rocks into the river.

Taveuni Half Day Tour – Taveuni is one of the most beautiful and idyllic tropical islands I have been to. It is located 2 hours north of Nadi by small sea plane. It is the garden island of Fiji and more lush and verdant than the main island. The reefs around the island are even more beautiful than the land. The other notable thing about Taveuni is that it sits on the International Date Line. We got to visit it on the tour. It was also interesting to get a glimpse into village life on the island. Spencer also loved the natural water slide.

Tavoro Waterfalls in Bouma Heritage National Park – Gorgeous hike! We hiked through the jungle to three waterfalls. On the way down we swam in the cool fresh water. The views of the jungle and valleys are spectacular and reminiscent of Jurassic park. Well worth the hour long drive on the unpaved road to get to this spectacular spot.

Rainbow Reef – The name says it all! Out in the middle of ocean is one of the most spectacular reefs I have been to. The colors under water were spectacular.