Where do princesses on a budget stay in Fiji?

December 28, 2010 6:22 PM

We're going to Fiji! Where can we find beautiful white beaches near Nadi without paying a fortune? For bonus points, make those beautiful beaches gay friendly.

My girlfriend and I are spending 3 nights in Fiji in February. We arrive in Nadi at about 6pm on Day 1 and leave from same at about 4pm on Day 4, so our options for travel amongst the islands seem to be quite limited. (The main boats all leave early in the morning and don't arrive back to Nadi until 5 or later.)

But we'd really like to see the kind of clear blue water and white beaches that are found in the islands! Can we find the same kind of scenery somewhere around the main island? Or do you know a way to get to the islands within our timeframe?

I'm also a bit concerned about how being gay goes over in Fiji. We want to have a nice couple vacation, not a terrible closet vacation. So far we've come across one resort that is Methodist Church-run but doesn't mention it on their website. We don't have a problem with the church, but the church might have a problem with us! I'd appreciate either reassurance that we don't need to worry, or suggestion of gay-friendly places to stay.

And finally, we are hoping to find something that's nice. Privacy would be great, right on the beach would be better. "Luxury" isn't really important to us--basic accommodation in beautiful surroundings would be perfect. We don't want to spend more than about $300 Fijian per night (between the two of us)... that's the high end for us. We know we'll probably have to compromise somewhere in here.

Any suggestions of places you've actually stayed in would be extra-awesome.

posted by equivocator to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

My only experience in Fiji also happens to be cheap and either within or not too far over your budget, depending. Whether it meets enough of your other criteria, I don't know. Might be part of that compromise you mentioned.

I once did a layover in Fiji on the way back from Australia and stayed on Beachcomber Island, a tiny, 5-acre, white-sand-ringed island a 45-minute boat ride from Nadi. It was and is billed as a party island for young people, but I had a very relaxing time there, and this was back in college when I wanted to party hard. I picked it because it was so cheap and close-by and will never forget it.

While they have awesome beachfront private miniature thatch huts (rustic/cute outside, normal hotel-ish inside), those are out of your budget. In my day (90s) they had a dormitory that was literally just an open-sided thatch pavilion on a concrete slab filled with bunk beds and lockers. So we were sleeping outside but under cover. It looks from the website as though they have upgraded since then - maybe even with walls! That's $119 Fijian per person per night as of now. So if you've ever stayed in a dorm-style hostel, it's like that.

I don't remember this when I was there, but they have a lodge with private twin/double rooms for $365 per night as of now. That's a bit more than you want but gets you privacy.

This page (don't know why it's not the same site as the other) says that there is reliable motorboat service three times every day between Beachcomber and Denarau Marina, which is about 30 min from Nadi International Airport. You can see that there are morning and midday return options on the timetable in addition to the one that gets in at 6pm. I'd still contact the resort to confirm. And you'll want to find out how much those motorboat transfers cost per person each way anyway.

So when you land on day 1, you could grab a cheap hotel wherever between the hotel, city, and marina and have dinner and hit the sack. On day 2 morning you could be at the marina at 9 and on the island by 9:45 to check in. Days 2 and 3 you're relaxing on your personal white sand beach on a toy island in a clear blue sea. It's so cute. You walk around the island and get back to where you started 10 minutes later. Wherever you are on the island, you'll hear them beat drums when it's time to come eat at the buffet. You may pass a little family of ducks on your way like I did. What are they doing way out there?!

At night a band plays, the Fijians put on a fun traditional dance show, and there's dancing and drinks and torches at the outdoor, sand-floor bar. Or step away from that down the beach a ways and have a seat for a drink with each other or with new friends or a bowl of kava with the band or staff. It's kind of intimate in a way given that it's just you and a limited set of people out there by yourselves in the middle of the ocean. I'm reluctant to do it because I don't want to scare you off, but here's a little promo video about it. Try to ignore the shirtless high-fiving guy. This is a resort trying to market itself and look fun to a certain crowd, but you really can do your own thing away from any buzz. I was so comfortable there in such a casual atmosphere. Has it changed since I was there? Dunno.

Your day 4 depends on whether your flight actually leaves at 4pm or whether you just need to be at the airport by then to be early and check in and all. If your flight leaves at 4 or if you otherwise just don't want to cut it close, you'd take the boat that gets you back to Denarau by noon and then have some lunch and make your way back to Nadi International by whenever you need to be there.

If you just have to be at the airport by 4 but your flight leaves later, you could probably have a more relaxed morning. You could have some breakfast and a swim and a beach laze, pack up, grab some lunch, say your goodbyes, and be on the boat that gets you to Denarau at 3pm (that middle column for arrive/depart Beachcomber is a little confusing. It shouldn't take 2 hours to get back to Denarau so maybe it stops by other islands or leaves later or something. Call and find out).

So with some compromises, that's a doable option with a few cost and time variables.

As for the gay aspect, that wasn't something we were actively conscious of when I was there, so I don't have any personal observations for you, but this page and the links off of it say that homosexuality was effectively illegal at one point, though really focused on males, but that they've made a series of progressive/corrective moves in the other direction in the past 13 years or so - to the point that it doesn't seem like something they pay attention to anymore, officially at least. But in my opinion, this would be more of an issue for Fijians out and about in normal Fijian society to the degree it was going to be an issue. I think vacationing foreigners are likely a different story. If you go to Beachcomber, you'll be around people from all over the world, and just for a few days - Aussies, Kiwis, Americans, Canadians, English, Germans, etc. were there when I was there. The only Fijians there will be the staff, and as far as they're concerned, you're two friends and more importantly two walking dollar signs. I suspect their priority will be taking your money and spreading their reputation rather than giving you the cold shoulder or a hard time.

Good luck and have fun wherever you end up!
posted by kookoobirdz at 9:26 PM on December 28, 2010

When some friends and I went to Fiji a couple of years ago, we stayed at First Landing. It was about 15 min from the Nadi airport, and it's the only white sand beach in the area. We stayed in the garden bures, and they were comfortable and are definitely in your price range. We spent the time between checkout and flight in one of the villas, and that was gorgeous and much more private (outdoor showers!), but they're also pricier. We're in our 20s, and most of the guests seemed to be in their 40s and 50s, so if you're looking for a wilder crowd, this is not the place to find it.

The beach was nice enough, but the beaches I saw on the other islands were much whiter and bluer. On our first day, we took a small private boat for not too much money to another island. I snorkeled while my friends slept in hammocks on the beach.

If you just want to spend time relaxing on the beach, I'm not sure that First Landing is the right spot for you. We were looking for a bit more adventure, so it was perfect for us -- we spent a few days scuba diving, did an inland bus tour one day, and rented a car and drove around the island on another day. Staying on Viti Levu offered us more options than we would have had otherwise, and because the scuba shop's center of operations was on another island (in fact, I think it was Beachcomber), we still got some gorgeous beach time.

I can't really comment on the gay issue, but I think kookoobirdz has the right idea -- you're a tourist and you're bringing in money, so I don't think anyone will really care. From what I recall, that was also what our guidebook said.
posted by natabat at 9:32 AM on December 29, 2010

Thanks to both of you. I had considered First Landing, so good to know it isn't great beach-wise.

kookoobirdz, thanks for the long response. I think we are probably going to skip Beachcomber as we'd rather pay more for quiet than go to the party island! But it's helpful to know that the Mamunuca Islands area readily reachable and thanks for all the detail.
posted by equivocator at 6:02 PM on December 29, 2010