Fiji can be an expensive country to travel on a backpackers budget (even though it seems nowadays most backpackers have a far thicker shoestring than we have ever had!) but there are still some ways to enjoy a Fijian tropical paradise holiday without breaking the bank, and also stepping off the beaten track at the same time. Heres what we did:
Getting from the airport terminal to the main road is just 5 minutes walk, and if it's not raining it will seem like much less! From here you can flag down a Lautoka bound minibus for just F$2 for the 30 min journey. From Lautoka you can take a Suva bound bus via either the Kings Highway (north and east coasts) or the Queens (West and South) and therefore get to anywhere you want on Viti Levu. Whilst waiting for the bus you can pick up some cheap Indian snacks from the stalls scattered around the station and market area - 4 pieces of chili pakora for F$0.50c for instance.
The Sunbeam bus going via the Kings highway cost us F$8.40 each to get as far as Vaileka (approx 2-3 hours) from where we took a taxi to Ellington Wharf for a further $15. Ellington Wharf is the jumping off point for the small, quiet island of Nananu-I-Ra and most accommodations will add a boat transfer on for a small fee. It is a good idea to take some basic supplies with you as meals are a bit more expensive on the island. We took some instant noodles and pasta meals that we had brought over from the UK but you can pick these up in Vaileka (or even better choice in Lautoka) for around F$1-3 per pack, F$2.50 for a premium Shin Cup though! Mineral water costs around F$2 for a 1.5l bottle although the tap water is generally drinkable all over. Fresh fruits are sold in 'piles' based on availability, seasonality etc with piles costing from F$2-5, e.g. F$3 for 5 mangoes, F$5 for 3 pineapples, F$2 for bunch of bananas.
We stayed at McDonalds cottages (http://www.macsnananu.com/) on Nananu-I-Ra and we can highly recommend it. Run by the very friendly and helpful Maxine we received a free room upgrade from a Twin room (F$90 per night) to a Standard Cottage Bure (F$135 per night) which are ocean-facing and fully self-contained with kitchenette. They also offer dorm beds at F$26 per night or a "Romantic Superior Cottage Bure" at F$145 per night. The boat transfer was an extra F$80 p.p. A bottle of Fiji Bitter (or the watery Fiji Gold) at McDonalds is just F$3.50 and their famous pizzas cost around F$19-30 each. On our last night we took the fish special, a traditional Fijian dish of fish in coconut sauce with sweet potato and some sort of spinach on the side. A bit pricey at F$29 but well worth it.
Leaving Nananu-I-Ra a taxi from the Wharf back to the main road costs F$3 from where a Suva-bound bus can be flagged down. Continuing along the Kings highway cost another F$12.50 to get to Suva, roughly 3 or 4 hours away. Suva is the biggest city and worth a brief wander around. There are some good, cheap cafe restaurants near the bus station, the best of which Bombay Dhaba, serves a great Fish curry with rice, chapati, papadum and veggies for F$7. We filled up our bags with more piles of fresh fruit here and also took away some some tuna curry roti's that are sold by a row of stalls at F$1 each.
From Suva travelling along the Queens Highway to the Coral Coast the road is a bit quicker and easier than the northern route. An air-con Sunbeam coach cost us about F$10 and dropped us off right outside the Beachouse (http://www.fijibeachouse.com/) a backpackers resort on the Coral coast. This stretch of Fiji is regarded as being past it's best and there is certainly not much coral around anymore but the resort is very well run and if all you are looking for is rest and relaxation on a sandy beach, gazing at turquise sea then this will suffice. There are some great deals offered for longer stays, we took advantage of the Bula special which was F$280 for 5 nights in a Garden Bure with a beautiful ensuite and included free wifi, breakfast and afternoon tea. The dorm special for 6 nights was offered at F$90, however I see that they have recently increased their prices. A mug of beer in Happy Hour (5-7pm) costs F$3.30 and their dinners cost around F$15 although there is more an emphasis on quality and presentation rather than quantity, if you catch my drift. Outside of happy hour the best offer was a jug of beer (serves 4) for F$15. It is an easy place to spend a few days with a lot of free activities on offer.
Heading back to Nadi we took a minibus from Beachouse direct to Bluewater Lodge backpackers for F$20. A Sunbeam bus would cost around F$12 but would take you only as far as the Nadi bus station. A dorm bed at Bluewater Lodge cost just F$20. There are a bunch of hostels in this little suburb between the town and the airport, all cost around the same, we just had Bluewater recommended to us and it was a nice, quiet place to stay, even if it did get close to flooded by the torrential afternoon downpour! A taxi downtown is F$8 and entry to the beautiful Hindu temple in Nadi is just F$3.50. Our tip for a meal in Nadi would be at The Curry House, a great little Indian restaurant. It is slightly more expensive but the portion is so huge it should count as two meals! Fish/prawn curries cost around F$25-30 with a whole platter of trimmings.
Finally a taxi from Bluewater to the airport cost us F$12, good value if you can find a couple of extra people to share the cost.
Of course we stuck to Viti Levu so missed the major tourist drawcard of the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands. If we had an extra week and a pot more cash we would probably have taken a ride up and down the island chain on that big yellow "Flyer" boat, the photos of the islands look great although we did hear that the resorts can get a bit claustrophobic, especially if you don't feel like joining in the water polo and beach volleyball. As it is we were very happy to have experienced Fiji in the manner which we did.
Exchange rate - F$1 = GBP£0.35, CZK10.
Getting from the airport terminal to the main road is just 5 minutes walk, and if it's not raining it will seem like much less! From here you can flag down a Lautoka bound minibus for just F$2 for the 30 min journey. From Lautoka you can take a Suva bound bus via either the Kings Highway (north and east coasts) or the Queens (West and South) and therefore get to anywhere you want on Viti Levu. Whilst waiting for the bus you can pick up some cheap Indian snacks from the stalls scattered around the station and market area - 4 pieces of chili pakora for F$0.50c for instance.
The Sunbeam bus going via the Kings highway cost us F$8.40 each to get as far as Vaileka (approx 2-3 hours) from where we took a taxi to Ellington Wharf for a further $15. Ellington Wharf is the jumping off point for the small, quiet island of Nananu-I-Ra and most accommodations will add a boat transfer on for a small fee. It is a good idea to take some basic supplies with you as meals are a bit more expensive on the island. We took some instant noodles and pasta meals that we had brought over from the UK but you can pick these up in Vaileka (or even better choice in Lautoka) for around F$1-3 per pack, F$2.50 for a premium Shin Cup though! Mineral water costs around F$2 for a 1.5l bottle although the tap water is generally drinkable all over. Fresh fruits are sold in 'piles' based on availability, seasonality etc with piles costing from F$2-5, e.g. F$3 for 5 mangoes, F$5 for 3 pineapples, F$2 for bunch of bananas.
We stayed at McDonalds cottages (http://www.macsnananu.com/) on Nananu-I-Ra and we can highly recommend it. Run by the very friendly and helpful Maxine we received a free room upgrade from a Twin room (F$90 per night) to a Standard Cottage Bure (F$135 per night) which are ocean-facing and fully self-contained with kitchenette. They also offer dorm beds at F$26 per night or a "Romantic Superior Cottage Bure" at F$145 per night. The boat transfer was an extra F$80 p.p. A bottle of Fiji Bitter (or the watery Fiji Gold) at McDonalds is just F$3.50 and their famous pizzas cost around F$19-30 each. On our last night we took the fish special, a traditional Fijian dish of fish in coconut sauce with sweet potato and some sort of spinach on the side. A bit pricey at F$29 but well worth it.
Leaving Nananu-I-Ra a taxi from the Wharf back to the main road costs F$3 from where a Suva-bound bus can be flagged down. Continuing along the Kings highway cost another F$12.50 to get to Suva, roughly 3 or 4 hours away. Suva is the biggest city and worth a brief wander around. There are some good, cheap cafe restaurants near the bus station, the best of which Bombay Dhaba, serves a great Fish curry with rice, chapati, papadum and veggies for F$7. We filled up our bags with more piles of fresh fruit here and also took away some some tuna curry roti's that are sold by a row of stalls at F$1 each.
From Suva travelling along the Queens Highway to the Coral Coast the road is a bit quicker and easier than the northern route. An air-con Sunbeam coach cost us about F$10 and dropped us off right outside the Beachouse (http://www.fijibeachouse.com/) a backpackers resort on the Coral coast. This stretch of Fiji is regarded as being past it's best and there is certainly not much coral around anymore but the resort is very well run and if all you are looking for is rest and relaxation on a sandy beach, gazing at turquise sea then this will suffice. There are some great deals offered for longer stays, we took advantage of the Bula special which was F$280 for 5 nights in a Garden Bure with a beautiful ensuite and included free wifi, breakfast and afternoon tea. The dorm special for 6 nights was offered at F$90, however I see that they have recently increased their prices. A mug of beer in Happy Hour (5-7pm) costs F$3.30 and their dinners cost around F$15 although there is more an emphasis on quality and presentation rather than quantity, if you catch my drift. Outside of happy hour the best offer was a jug of beer (serves 4) for F$15. It is an easy place to spend a few days with a lot of free activities on offer.
Heading back to Nadi we took a minibus from Beachouse direct to Bluewater Lodge backpackers for F$20. A Sunbeam bus would cost around F$12 but would take you only as far as the Nadi bus station. A dorm bed at Bluewater Lodge cost just F$20. There are a bunch of hostels in this little suburb between the town and the airport, all cost around the same, we just had Bluewater recommended to us and it was a nice, quiet place to stay, even if it did get close to flooded by the torrential afternoon downpour! A taxi downtown is F$8 and entry to the beautiful Hindu temple in Nadi is just F$3.50. Our tip for a meal in Nadi would be at The Curry House, a great little Indian restaurant. It is slightly more expensive but the portion is so huge it should count as two meals! Fish/prawn curries cost around F$25-30 with a whole platter of trimmings.
Finally a taxi from Bluewater to the airport cost us F$12, good value if you can find a couple of extra people to share the cost.
Of course we stuck to Viti Levu so missed the major tourist drawcard of the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands. If we had an extra week and a pot more cash we would probably have taken a ride up and down the island chain on that big yellow "Flyer" boat, the photos of the islands look great although we did hear that the resorts can get a bit claustrophobic, especially if you don't feel like joining in the water polo and beach volleyball. As it is we were very happy to have experienced Fiji in the manner which we did.
Exchange rate - F$1 = GBP£0.35, CZK10.
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