> > by Craig Tansley
The first time I came to Fiji I came looking for negatives, I didn’t want to like the place; it was too close to Australia to be paradise. I figured somewhere my neighbours had been to, and their in-laws, couldn’t be romantic.
But as soon as I looked down and saw that all too familiar tropical set-up; the foreboding highlands of the interior, too mountainous for development, and best of all, perfect white beaches that had no beginning, nor end, and an inky-blue sea that stopped abruptly on coral reefs that only let gentle pale blue water enter fat, empty lagoons, well, I was sold. In a decade of trips since then I’ve discovered Fiji has as many secret corners for couples as any island destination on Earth. Fiji is, after all, made up of over 330 islands inhabited by a population of the friendliest souls in the Pacific. Therefore, a romantic trip to Fiji should involve much more than a journey to Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. Although there’s a hundred options here for couples, from the surf reefs and endless beaches of Viti Levu’s southern Coral Coast to the range of accommodation and amenities at Denarau Island, I’ve had my most special moments far away, in one of Fiji’s many tiny, perfect islands. My favourite place to head for are the Yasawa Islands. Only a short boat ride north-west from Denarau, until just 22 years ago the Yasawas were closed to all land-based tourism. The Fijian Government wanted to keep
the people of the Yasawas safe from the possible effects of tourism. When it changed its ethos, it made sure mass tourism wouldn’t come here, that it would be free forever from McDonald’s and huge hotel chains. Today ownership is still in the hands of local chiefs and apart from the TV satellite dishes that are an all-too-common sight across the Pacific, the locals still live as they always did, fishing from pristine seas, goats and pigs wander through villages, fattening themselves up for the cooking pot, while children run and play on perfect beaches. A chief of the islands, Etuate Roko, tells me: “We don’t need anything, we don’t need money, we have food, we have goats, we have football, we have fish.” Loneliness may bug you here more than any crowds.
There’s so many options available throughout Fiji. I take a plane ride north to Taveuni, Fiji’s so-called Garden Island and spend four tranquil days in a community lost somewhere in time. The International Dateline crosses through here, but it doesn’t matter around here if it’s today or tomorrow. On the Lavena Coastal walk we walk past traditional villages and a rugged, empty coastline till we find an isolated waterfall to cool down in. Just across the sea at Suvasuva on Vanua Levu the island bubbles and boils away on top of a hot spring. We take a drink at the world-famous Planters Club with its uninterrupted sunsets and snorkel at nearby Natewa Bay.
The options for couples in Fiji are endless, your imagination could be the only thing that restricts the perfect romantic retreat.
NEED TO KNOW
DO consider going beyond the main island, perhaps spend a few days there then take a plane or a boat to other islands where you won’t notice another tourist at all.
DON’T forget that kava packs quite a punch, it’s a necessary part of any Fijian holiday but drinking 10 cups to impress your partner might leave you feeling more than a little light-headed!
COUPLES WILL LOVE the private beaches of the Yasawa Island Group, beaches like Eight Month Beach – so named because it takes that long to get the fine silica sand out of your hair – there’s not a single grain of sand out of place around here.