The rope light illuminated the sticky concrete floors as we made our way to the faded red upholstered seats. Back row, left side. I had hung out with Jason and his boys a few times that summer, but after a rather fateful day on the lake we decided to take our friendship to the next level. The dollar theater was quite naturally the next step. The Truman Show was on the big screen and as Jim Carrey fantasized about Fiji I began to fantasize about it too. I had never even heard of it before and wondered if it was an imaginative place contrived for the movie. When I realized this place actually existed I knew right then and there that someday I wanted to see those white sandy beaches for myself. Sixteen years later, and the dream that hatched on our first date in that dimly lit theater has now become a reality as we celebrated our 15 year anniversary on those white sandy beaches in Fiji. I wanted this trip to be perfect and so I did my research and it ended up being everything I ever dreamed Fiji would be and more!

 

My #1 tip for visiting Fiji is to leave the main island and stay on one of the many outlying island resorts. Feel free to take a day or two to explore the main island, but your South Pacific tropical oasis awaits you on one of the many white sand beach islands. A few resorts to look at are:

 

For couples:

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Matamanoa Island

Likuliku Lagoon

Tokoriki Island Resort

Mana Island Resort

The Malolo Island Resort

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For Families

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Shangri La Resort and Spa

Plantation Island Resort  

Castaway Island

Treasure Island

Outrigger Resort

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After doing a lot of research we came across the perfect island resort that is sort of a hidden gem, I would HIGHLY recommend Navini Island Resort which is perfect for both couples and families. After staying there for our anniversary we took the kids back again the next year and it was by far our favorite family vacation of all time. What makes it so special is that this private island has only 10 bures (beach cottages) so the island is never crowded, and each cottage is beach front so you can roll out of your comfortable bed and walk a few feet for a morning dip in the ocean. It is all inclusive and the food is unbelievable! They serve the meals all together so you get a chance to meet your neighbors, we still keep in touch with some of the friends we met on the island! Each day there is a planned outing if you would like to participate, including things such as snorkeling at the sand cay, fishing, visiting another island or local village. They also have plenty of water sport activities available for your use like kayaks, paddle boards and seacycles. The evenings include a kava ceremony, games of vidi vidi, dancing and music, I loved getting a taste of their culture in a natural setting that didn't feel too "touristy". Each guest gets a traditional sulu to be worn on the night of the Fijian feast. My kids just loved wearing them all the time. The staff is exceptional, so friendly and attentive to your needs without smothering you. If you want a coconut, they'll shimmy up a tree and grab one for you then slice the top off for you to drink. One of them even took our restless boys crab hunting one evening so that we could enjoy a quiet dinner. The island is small enough that you can feel comfortable letting your kids run around exploring every square inch of the island catching lizards and crabs or kayaking their way around and imagining they've discovered a deserted island. It cost about $3000 for 5 nights and 6 days for our family of six, considering you have a beach front villa, 3 delicious meals a day, transfers from the airport and all the included water sports and daily outings, I would say it was a great deal! I would highly recommend this for a romantic getaway or the family vacation of a lifetime! 

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*This is not sponsored, we just really really loved our time there and wanted to share our experience!

 

 

 

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