> > by Craig Tansley
If anyone tells you they’ve already ‘done’ Fiji, it’s worth telling them this: Fiji is hardly a single island destination, there are actually over 330 islands sitting in 150 000 square kilometres of Pacific Ocean. Should you wish to visit every island with some form of accommodation option on it, it would take a lifetime of romantic getaways. But what an undertaking that would be, for Fiji ranks as one of the world’s ultimate romantic destinations and what’s more, it’s just a four and a half hour flight from Australia’s east coast and is just two hours ahead – meaning you’ll suffer not a single night of jet lag.
The beauty of Fiji is the variety of romantic options it offers. Should you wish, Denarau Island on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu, offers you the choice of major hotel chains, with world-class 18 hole golf courses, boutique shopping and every land and water-based activity imaginable. But then there’s the other extreme – Fiji also offers you a taste of Pacific life virtually as it was centuries ago. On islands such as Kadavu, just 100 kilometres or so south of Denarau Island, there are still few paved roads and hardly a resort, just kilometres of pristine beaches and towering mountains in an interior that’s impossible to cross. Or there’s the island of Taveuni, with its handful of low-key, but high-class, romantic accommodation options, dubbed ‘The Garden Island’ because
one third of the island is World-Heritage-Listed National Park home to some of the world’s rarest species of animals and plants (like the exquisite Tagimaucia – ‘Crying Tears Of Despair’). Or the Yasawa Island group, which have only been open to land-based tourism since 1987 and are still under
the ownership of local chiefs who still live in traditional villages. Or you might choose a tiny island of your own far out in the sea miles from your nearest neighbour, Fiji offers so many, take a seaplane or fast boat there then never leave, there’s something quite cosy about choosing a home that can be circumnavigated before breakfast.
But it’s the people, as much as the perfect beaches and the impenetrable mountainous hinterlands, that make Fiji. An eclectic collection of Melanesians, Polynesians, Micronesians, Indians, Chinese and ex-pat Europeans, many still live a traditional lifestyle far away from modern intrusions. You can visit ancient fishing villages and agricultural settlements deep in the interior of Viti Levu. The International Dateline crosses through Fiji’s northern islands but it seems to make little difference in Fiji if it’s tomorrow, yesterday or today.
WHERE?
Fiji is located 2800 kilometres east of Australia between Tonga and Vanuatu and is a four and a half hour flight from Sydney.
TOP THREE THINGS TO DO:
Cruise the Yasawas by boat – traditionally the only way to see these pristine islands at all, it’s still the best way to see Fiji’s most charming island group.
Take a day trip to Viti Levu’s Nausori Highlands where villagers still live a traditional lifestyle - it makes for an interesting change from lazing on perfect beaches and swimming in warm lagoons!
Head to Fiji’s second largest island, Vanua Levu, and check out Fiji’s most interesting town, Suvasuva. It’s built on hot springs so steam rises from the ground (not that you need it more steamy), you can also check out one of the South Pacific’s most famous bars, The Planters Club, and ride the Hibiscus Highway to perfect, secret beaches.