Fiji🇫🇯🥥👙☀️🌴

Fiji has always been high on my list of countries to visit and recently our time in Australia came to an end. This landed us with the unique opportunity of being a stones throw away from the beautiful islands, whilst also being funemployed! So I did the only logical thing and convinced Ned to add two weeks onto our trip, by stopping in Fiji first. 

Ahead of booking, we heard different things about how to plan getting around, travel packages, food and their respective costs. This blog will be 100% transparent on how much we spent here, which sadly was over what we budgeted but also completely worth it, so no regrets! We‘ll only be in Fiji once, and we deserved a holiday before the proper backpacking starts again!

Flights✈️

We booked our flights first. We flew from Melbourne, which cost $226.30 each, and were $500 cheaper than flying from Perth. It was a 4 hour direct flight with Jetstar, 20kg checked luggage and a meal included. This is SUCH a good price, so check the flights and get booking! The best time to go to Fiji is between May - October. We went in October, which is towards the end of the season, but we had no issues with the weather.

How to plan & what to book📚

A majority of people we know, who went to Fiji before us, all booked packages with a travel agent, apart from one person. There are pros and cons to both; with a package the biggest pro is everything is booked and organised for you, you have nothing to stress about. The con is that you are paying extra for somebody else to do all the planning instead of you and you might not get the flexibility that you want. If you want to do it yourself, you will need to book all ferry transfers, accommodation and activities, which is very similar to the Philippines. This means if you want to see a few different islands, in a short window, it will require quite precise planning. The travel agents also listened to our Fiji travel desires and booked us onto things accordingly, so for us it just seemed ideal to book a package. Whilst we were on the trip, we found it a lot easier to just follow the itinerary without having to worry about anything.

We ended up booking the Awesome Pass with Travel Playground, which was a Standard Dorm, 10 days, 9 nights, with three extra days on three islands totalling 13 days in Fiji. All we did was email them saying which islands we wanted to visit and the activities we wanted to do and they did all the work! For our package it was $1044 each, which included all accommodation and transport/transfers. Check out the travel playground packages here: Travel Playground Packages.

However, everyone we met booked their package with Awesome Adventures, which we also looked at as well. The packages on their website overall are a lot more expensive, but I think with certain packages some activities are included in the price you pay. Only downside to that is, the activity you want to do might not be included, so you are paying money for activities you do not want to do or it is only one activity included in the price. So if there is more than one activity you want to do, you will still be paying for it. Since finishing our trip, we calculated that we saved roughly $900 booking with Travel Playground. Either way check them out, as they might work better for you. Check their Packages here: Awesome Adventures Fiji.

Ferry Transfers⛴️

Our ferry transfers were all with South Sea Cruises and were included in our package. However, if you decide to book everything yourself, you can buy ferry passes with Awesome Adventures. The ferry system was pretty well organised, in our opinion. From Nadi, when you check in, they attach island name tags to your bags and load them onto the boat in the right order to the island stops. When you get to your island they load the bags onto smaller boats and they are delivered and carried to your accommodation. From then on, each island resort gives you your next island name tags when you check out and so on. We didn’t have any issues with our bags; we heard a couple people who did but they got them back the next day. If you miss your island stop, depending on the route you are going, you might not be able to go back so make sure to listen out for the ferry announcements.

Food Packages🍽️

For each resort, starting from this year, you have to pay for the food packages directly with the resort. These packages include three meals every day and you will get three meals for every accommodation. For example, we got to Blue Lagoon Resort for lunch time, so we only had lunch and dinner that day. However, it then works out on the day we left, we were given breakfast. So no matter what time you get to your accommodation, the amount of days you stay, you will have to pay the same amount of food packages. These food packages are compulsory and were the most expensive part of our trip; something we didn’t realise until we got to our first resort. The prices do vary depending on the type of accommodation you book. We had two fancy resorts and two more backpacker vibe resorts so the prices were different and if you were to stay in a Fijian home stay it would be even cheaper. So definitely take this into account when organising your trip. A complete breakdown of what we paid will be at the bottom of this blog.

Accommodation🏨

When choosing what islands to visit we were highly recommended both Blue Lagoon and Octopus Resort, so of course we had to ask for these. We also stayed at both Barefoot Manta and Kuata solely for the activities that they provide. When going through Travel Playground, make sure to request a month or so ahead of time as availability for these resorts are limited, especially during peak season. We also selected the dorms, as the private rooms were quite a bit more expensive, almost double the price as the dorms! Every resort we stayed at the staff were so happy and welcoming to us, they would sing as we arrived and sing a leaving song when we left.

Our Itinerary🗺️

We had no problems at all with our package and we thought the price we paid was incredibly cheap for 12 nights! Our itinerary is below and I’ll go through each resort with my honest opinion:

1 night in Smugglers Cove Resort (mainland, Nadi)🐚
2 nights in Blue Lagoon Resort🦋
2 nights in Barefoot Manta
3 nights in Octopus Resort🐙
2 nights in Barefoot Kuata👣
2 nights in Club Fiji Resort (mainland, Nadi)☀️

Smugglers Cove Resort (mainland, Nadi)

We had one night in Nadi before our island hopping began. We stayed at Smugglers Cove, which was alright, but nothing to rave about. It is the accommodation that all travellers stay at, at the beginning or end of their trip. They must partner with travel agents, as the collection and drop off point to and from the ferry is right next door.

Blue Lagoon Resort

Our ferry was in the morning and it took around six hours to get to Blue Lagoon resort. We did not mind this because Blue Lagoon is the furthest island away meaning we were working our way backwards from South to North Island throughout our trip. This meant on our last day of the island hopping it was only one hour back to Nadi instead of having to do the six hour journey at the end. During the ferry, we stopped for a view at all the other islands and home stays, which were all gorgeous and made the journey a lot better. Make sure to remember your suncream if you are on the top deck of the ferry, the wind is deceiving and you will definitely get burnt, I learnt that the hard way!

First things first, the resort is just wow! We were not expecting it to be as amazing as it was, Ned was in awe. It has two pools, one is by the main restaurant, the other is hidden away with huge beds that you can chill in all day. There are also sun lounges along the beach that you can use, as well as an inflatable slide and trampoline in the sea. All round good vibes at this resort. The dorm we were in was a fifteen man dorm, so it was a bit hectic, but not the worst we have ever been in.

The food here was incredible, they had two restaurants, the main restaurant and a Japanese restaurant. The main restaurant is where you would have breakfast, which started with a buffet style continental breakfast. After you could also order from a range of cooked breakfasts and coffees (all included in the meal package). We always got two different dishes and then shared them. For lunch, you can go to the main restaurant where you get to choose one large meal, or the Japanese restaurant, where you get to order two tapas plates per person. We got four different ones and shared them between us, this could be sushi, chicken sliders, skewers etc. For dinner it is a ten course set meal. We sadly did not go here for dinner and we 100% regret it, so make sure you do! For dinners you will need to pre-book a time between 6-7:30pm during lunch service.

Each resort also provides free and paid activities every day, which they give you details about when you arrive. If you choose any paid activities, like the Caves trip, they will be added to your bill, which you pay when you check out. Free activities we did included, snorkelling around the Reef, Movie Night, Dances, and the sunset Summit Hike. All activities that we did in this trip will be included in my other blog, Fiji Activities.

Barefoot Manta

Next island stop was Barefoot Manta and we were here for two nights. We arrived at the resort at 3pm, which only took an hour and forty five minutes from Blue Lagoon. The resort here is a lot smaller than Blue Lagoon and more backpacker vibes. There were people around our age and it was a lot more sociable. Our dorms were a six man tent right by Manta Ray Beach, which we loved. It was less crowded giving us a more rustic camping vibe.

The food varied day to day between a buffet style to ordering lunch and dinner meals. Compared to the four course meals we had at Blue Lagoon, the food here wasn’t as good, but still pretty decent. We preferred the buffet style as there were a lot more dishes we could choose from and it was a lot quicker. Their service when ordering set meals was slower, but I think that might have been due to them having to cater for a school trip of twenty people when we stayed. I did also note that the meals at Manta are probably not the best for vegetarians/ dietary requirements. They do provide meals but not a lot of variety and for the price you are paying for the food package, it might not seem as good compared to Blue Lagoon. However, the breakfast buffet does make up for it as they offer different continental, hot food, pastries, fruit etc so there is a lot to choose from.

Activities wise, the main thing to do on this island is snorkelling with Manta Rays, which we had to do! We also ended up doing a Marine Biology tour, where we learnt about the reef and how to save the coral surrounding the island. Other free activities we did included snorkelling around the Reef, coconut bowling, crab races, and marine biology talks.

Octopus Resort

Third stop was Octopus Resort and we were here for three nights. We got to the resort at 3.45pm, only fifty minutes away from Barefoot Manta. This resort was very similar to Blue Lagoon, both of which are owned by the same people, so the service and food packages are practically the same.

The food was just as amazing as Blue Lagoon, but we did prefer Blue Lagoon overall as there is only one restaurant on the island. Breakfast was the same starting with a buffet style continental breakfast, followed by ordering a cooked meal and hot drinks from the menu. Lunch was the same with ordering a big meal from the lunch menu. We then had two different four course meals for dinner as well as a 9 course meal, which they do every Friday full of Fijian dishes. For dinners, you will need to pre-book a time between 6-7:30pm during lunch service.

For the activities, we did the three hour morning hike and hand line fishing. Both activities we had to pay for at the dive shop and something we both recommend on doing! Free activities included the Village and Church visits, snorkelling around the Reef, quiz nights and bingo (on certain days).

Barefoot Kuata

Fourth and final island stay was at Barefoot Kuata and we were here for two nights. It only took twenty minutes from Octopus Resort and we got here early evening. As soon as we got to this island we loved it here, everyone was so friendly, sociable and the resort was pretty big, with three different sized pools and different lounging areas. Same to Barefoot Manta, we were in a six man dorm tent.

Food here was delicious, a lot better than at Barefoot Manta. The majority of the meals were buffet style, with a lot of different dishes to choose from! We definitely made the most of the buffet style and went up for thirds.

Barefoot Kuata is solely known for diving with Bull Sharks, which we both knew we wanted to do! You can also do snorkelling with Reef Sharks, which is a lot less nerve wracking. We also did a 45 minute hike to the top of the summit. All of which are explained in my other blog.

Club Fiji, Nadi

The dorms were separated into five, two bunk bed rooms so it was nice for us to not be directly sharing with strangers for a change. We didn’t really explore the resort as we were at Cloud9 for the day, but it had swimming pools, a bar, and was right by the beach. Not the worst place to end the trip.

Ratings of the resorts:

Smugglers Cove - Could have been worse but also could have been better; has nothing compared to the island resorts. Food was decent and not too expensive, dorms were a bit rogue but did the job. 6/10.

Blue Lagoon - Mine and Ned’s favourite island because it was gorgeous and the perfect way to start our holiday. Ned enjoyed the snorkelling a lot more than the other islands and we also really enjoyed the Caves activity and the free hike at sunset. Would have stayed here an extra night if we could! 10/10.

Barefoot Manta - Really enjoyed the more chilled, social vibe. Met some really nice people and were lucky enough to see Manta Rays. However, the dinner service was a bit ropey. 8/10.

Octopus Resort - Ned preferred Blue Lagoon over here, especially with the snorkelling. However, we really enjoyed the morning hike where we could see all the surrounding islands from the viewpoint. We also went fishing which we found really fun. 9/10.

Barefoot Kuata - Loved it here and wished we had three nights instead of two. The bull shark diving made it such an incredible experience! Food was really good as well. 10/10.

Club Fiji - Our own room within the dorms made the resort better. The food was average and very expensive for what you got (double the normal price). They also messed up our paid airport transfer on check out day, and had no urgency in fixing it. Instead we were forced to pay the hotel for a taxi service otherwise we would have missed our flight. 4/10.

Total cost combined for TWO people:

I use the app TravelSpend to keep up with our budgeting. It might seem a bit annoying to log every single transaction, but I wanted to know exactly how much we spent and will spend throughout our travels. Below is a screenshot of everything we spent money on so you can see. The below price seems A LOT, but this is the price for two people. I had budgeted $1,500 AUD each for spending money, which didn’t include the flights or our travel playground package, which we had booked a couple months in advance. We ended up going around $700 AUD over our budget, but considering we were eating like kings everyday, which we didn’t expect, we are happy with the final cost. The app is logged in AUD, as all our savings are in that currency, but when inputting the transactions I did it in FJD, which automatically converts it to the current exchange rate. All in all, we spent around $3,225 AUD each (around £1,600) on the whole trip. That price doesn’t seem so bad now!!

Flights

$502.60 AUD

Travel Playground Package

$2088 AUD

Food Packages

The food packages were the most expensive part of the trip. They are compulsory with the resort so you have to pay for it. Blue Lagoon and Octopus food packages were the same price at $189 FJD each a night, per person. We had two nights in Blue Lagoon and three nights in Octopus, so that was around $1890 FJD for five days for the both of us at the nicer resorts. Barefoot Manta and Kuata were the same in price as well at $144 FJD each per person, per night. We had two nights at each resort, which was around $1152 FJD for four days for the both of us.

All in all we spent around $3105 FJD for food. This also included our meals in Nadi, airport food, snacks and drinks.

Activities

Activities wise, we spent around $2115 FJD all together with the Bull Shark diving being the most expensive. If you don’t do any of the paid activities, you would be saving this whole cost, as nearly $800 FJD went towards the diving. Details and costs on all the activities will be in my other blog here.

Extras

Extra costs such as alcoholic and soft drinks, that are not included in your food packages, ice creams and then miscellaneous costs like suncream and laundry were things we also paid for. I didn’t drink, so this is probably where I personally saved a bit of money and because we ate so well, we hardly bought any snacks.

We also got card surcharges when we paid for our accommodation and activities. We didn’t have time to get any cash out in Nadi, so we used my Monzo for the whole trip. This was 100% a mistake by us, so get as much cash out as you can before you island hop! All in all additional costs are rounded up to around $400 FJD.

Conclusion

Overall, our Fiji trip was definitely worth it and we would recommend it to anyone. The islands are absolutely beautiful and the perfect holiday destination for going on your own or with a partner or friends. You can definitely do less than two weeks if you are tight on time, or budget. We found ourselves looking for activities to do on a couple of days as we were feeling restless. If you are on this side of the world, you have to make the most of the cheap flights and the opportunity. Get yourself booking! Hope this blog helps and if there are any other questions just let me know!🤍