Fiji Recommendation Redux

[rhyme]

A long time ago, I posted this thread http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=114839

asking for fiji recommendations.

For a whole long list of reasons no one cares to hear, I never got to plan the trip. This time, I'm setting the dates and the damn airfare in stone and come hell or bligh water (haha, get it?) I'm going.

About us: About 100 dives experience each, maybe 150 by now, I've lost track. Mostly carribean, some current experience, but not tons. First time to fiji. Going in late july.

What my ideal vacation includes: Diving but some non-diving activities. That means that generally speaking, secluded single resort islands are a poor fit unless there happens to be a rainforest nearby or something else to go check out. I'd say 80% diving focused, 20% non-diving focused. That is, the focus is diving, but we like to sometimes take a day off and drive down some roads and just go see whats around. From the photos I've seen, it looks like some areas of Fiji are just as amazing topside, and I'd like to see some of that as well. Flipside? There's a balance. 150 person buffet style resorts = way too commercial for my tastes. No cancunified resorts. I'm not looking for a resort where I can go to McDonalds (or whatever) across the street.

Duration of my trip: Likely about 13 usable days on the islands, + or - a day. Given that, I'm thinking it makes sense to split the vacation between two resorts and check out more than one place.

So far, from what I've read, it sounds like the places to consider are:

Garden Island Resort - budget beats, from what I hear, its a good jump spot for some of the good diving around Fiji and very near Rainbow Reef. Dives the somosomo straight. Big plus is that it seems to have some non-diving things nearby (Bouma Falls). Heard it has no beach? Lack of photos of a beach on the site seem to support this.

Wananavu and Kai Viti Divers - access to bligh waters? But its on viti levu, which I've heard is not the best diving? But I've heard that bligh waters area supposedly is? My confusion expands...

Beqa lagoon Resort - Somewhat mixed reviews, but overall people say it was good though I've heard the facilities are worn. Also heard it can have as much as 150 people there at a time. (!?). Rumours of long boat rides and frequent rain.

Kulu Bay - http://www.kulubay.com/ - from what I hear, much smaller and intimate than lagoon resort, and also newer facilities. Frequent rain rumours of beqa area would apply. A little concerned their "special" has been running since I last started researching this seven months ago.

Matangi Island Resort - http://www.matangiisland.com/ - just looked pretty, but $$, and probably a bit too secluded.

Part of my difficulty in picking is that I cant really figure out where these places are relative to each other, even in a general sense. That is, I dont want to book at one location and have my next location be a mile down the road or just end up diving the same general area I dove three days ago. For that reason, I'm thinking I need to pick two locations of reasonable distance.

I found this: http://static.flickr.com/43/122231072_032b26eac1_o.jpg

Which helps a bit. If I understand things correctly, the somosomo straight which is big on soft corals is somewhere around Taveuni. Bligh water is north of viti levu in the water between viti and vanua? (so then where is the somosomo straight exactly, on the east or west side of Taveuni? I assume the west side of the island...)

At the moment, it seems like splitting my time between Taveuni and Beqa would give me a pretty good range of areas to check out (barring the so-so things I've heard about beqa), or Taveuni and the main island diving bligh water.

So, for the moment, I'm leaning towards:

7 days Taveuni, Garden Island Resort (or similar, if I can find something else thats a bit nicer with a beach that has good diving access like GIR) - alternate recommendations welcomed.

And the difficult part:

5 days Wananavu with Kai Viti - hows the topside beauty here? (I.e. is it a developed area or still lush and tropical?) Bligh water supposed to be great diving, but wonder about long boat rides?

OR

5 days Beqa Lagoon - seems like Beqa might be the more "tropical" choice in terms of topside beauty but rumour of long boat rides + frequent rain + so-so diving = a few concerns. And from what I've seen Taveuni should provide plenty of topside beauty.

Also, logistically what makes sense? Taveuni first or last?

I know I rambled. Help.

 

[skynscuba]

You may also want to try a 5-day trip on the Tui Tai (tuitai.com), for a change of pace. Not an intensive dive live-aboard, only 11 dives maximum. There are other things to do like kayaking, hiking to waterfalls, village visits. See Uncle Pug's Fiji trip report.

I liked Beqa Lagoon resort. When I was there 3.5 years ago, nothing seemed run down. I don't think the resort would accomodate 150. Maybe 1/4 of that, maybe less, unless they've added more bure's since I was there. Kulu bay seems a bit too quiet for me. Most of the dive sites are pretty far, maybe 40 minutes or so each way. It didn't rain at all when I was there one September.

I'm considering Kadavu for my second Fiji trip, probably Papageno resort.

When looking for airfare, also check through Orbitz.com. I found their fare, LAX-NADI-LAX, to be $1004 today, which is $55 less than elsewhere (September date for me).

 

[rhyme]

That is a good fare. The lowest I found thus far is $1300 from Chicago on my dates, but I may be able to find cheaper if I look around more.

I'm also stuck with two round trip non-refundable business class tickets to Italy which I can move to another destination - its with Lufthansa - and when I asked them about a flight to NZ, they said sure.

Then they said the route was: Chicago to Frankfurt to Singapore to New Zealand.

A little roundabout way of getting there.... I figure its about 25 hours from Frankfurt to NZ, and roughly 9 from Chicago to Frankfurt, so they were proposing about 34 to 36 hours... hah!

On an aside, thats the last time I book anything with Lufthansa - they've been so damn difficult to deal with, I don't know what to do with my !@(#*! tickets.

 

[divebuddy68]

I just bought my tickets to Fiji from Orbitz and the prices you see are not the prices you get. The reason their prices are lower is that the taxes/fees portion of the ticket is inaccurate. Once you click "purchase" it will display the higher price. I told them about this problem months ago but they don't seem to care.

 

[rhyme]

So, no recommendations on anything I've listed?

 

[skynscuba]

I just bought my tickets to Fiji from Orbitz and the prices you see are not the prices you get. The reason their prices are lower is that the taxes/fees portion of the ticket is inaccurate. Once you click "purchase" it will display the higher price. I told them about this problem months ago but they don't seem to care.

Thanks for pointing that out. Yes, they add a paper ticket processing fee, which brings the total to $1027. Still seems to be slightly cheaper than otherwise (~$1059).

 

[Shasta_man]

Rhyme,

Yes, Somosomo Strait is to the West of Taveuni itself, in between Taveuni and Vanua Levu.

My experience is that anywhere around Taveuni itself, you will be diving that same general area. Matangi is to the east of Taveuni and you would encounter some of their own areas with a few areas shared with Taveuni. Somosomo strait would be a long ride.

We dove with Swiss Fiji Divers(SFD) on Taveuni in 04. The weather really sucked while we were there with serious torrential rain the majority of 9 days. They are just south of the airport on Taveuni. It took us about 30 minutes or so to get to dive sites in the Strait. It would seem better to go to a more southern dive op on Taveuni to reduce that commute but I think the offerings dwindle. SFD was OK, with any Fijian guys great, of course, but it was geared towards European divers so it depended on how worldly people are as to the conversation on that ride out. It's nice to have a decent connection with those that could save your life.

I think I might pick Bligh water if I was you as I've heard it has some great stuff while I'd heard that vis was pretty low in Beqa. YOu get to see some big stuff in Beqa and the shark dives of course, but I'm looking for great viz.

That Taveuni weather is a double edged sword. You want to spend little time there if the weather sucks, but enough time to get to dive when it clears up.

 

[chicoval]

The Bligh Water diving can be wonderful, but the best sites are long (45 min. to 1 1/2 hours) boat trips away in often rough seas. Strong current diving skills are helpful. Wananavu Resort is small and nicely maintained, has about the only restaurant around for miles, but no beach and no nightlife. No rain forests, either, as this is a sugar cane cultivation area.
I thought the diving around Qamea/Matagi Islands adjacent to Taveuni was very good, though not as good as the best of Bligh, and the area very tropical and pretty. But, no nightlife.
In fact, I think it is safe to say that anywhere the diving is really good in the Fiji Islands is going to be in relatively remote, small-scale development areas, with little else to do but dive, eat , sleep and watch the geckos catch bugs at night until the generators are turned off. I find that lifestyle very relaxing and enjoyable, but others may not.

 

[rickydazla]

About us: About 100 dives experience each, maybe 150 by now, I've lost track. Mostly carribean, some current experience, but not tons. First time to fiji. Going in late july.

Weather will be windy everywhere this time of year. Not rainy though. Rough seas but good vis.

Wananavu and Kai Viti Divers - access to bligh waters? But its on viti levu, which I've heard is not the best diving? But I've heard that bligh waters area supposedly is? My confusion expands...

There is great diving all over Fiji. Bligh Waters diving rocks. Will be rough though this time of year and in my experience Kai Viti divers will use any excuse to stay closer to land.

Which helps a bit. If I understand things correctly, the somosomo straight which is big on soft corals is somewhere around Taveuni. Bligh water is north of viti levu in the water between viti and vanua? (so then where is the somosomo straight exactly, on the east or west side of Taveuni? I assume the west side of the island...)

Bligh Water runs between Viti Levu and Vanua Levu/Taveuni in the North. Somosomo separates Vanua Levu (West) and Taveuni (East). Diving in both is very similar.

At the moment, it seems like splitting my time between Taveuni and Beqa would give me a pretty good range of areas to check out (barring the so-so things I've heard about beqa), or Taveuni and the main island diving bligh water.

Taveuni/Beqa qould be my advice

So, for the moment, I'm leaning towards:

7 days Taveuni, Garden Island Resort (or similar, if I can find something else thats a bit nicer with a beach that has good diving access like GIR) - alternate recommendations welcomed.

I'd go with that. You might like to consider Suzie's Plantation - Pro Dive have a base there and I have heard good things.

And the difficult part:

5 days Wananavu with Kai Viti - hows the topside beauty here? (I.e. is it a developed area or still lush and tropical?) Bligh water supposed to be great diving, but wonder about long boat rides?

No. Similar diving, wouldn't recommend Kai Viti and although this area is lovely, so is all of Fiji!

OR

5 days Beqa Lagoon - seems like Beqa might be the more "tropical" choice in terms of topside beauty but rumour of long boat rides + frequent rain + so-so diving = a few concerns. And from what I've seen Taveuni should provide plenty of topside beauty.

Not the rainy season so you should be ok. I would stay mainland though and would dive with Beqa Adventure Divers - http://www.fijisharks.com/. They run an amazing shark dive four times weekly, dive the rest of the lagoon on other days and can organise accomodation to suit a range of budgets. There is also a fair bit to do in Pacific Harbour where they are based - white water rafting the Upper navua River being my personal favourite.

Also, logistically what makes sense? Taveuni first or last?

I know I rambled. Help.

Makes little difference if you are flying to both Taveuni and Beqa but if you take my option and stay mainland for Beqa then you should do Taveuni first, fly back and catch a taxi down to Pac Harbour and then go white water rafting in the day you are off-gassing before flying home.


Rick

 

[rickydazla]

You may also want to try a 5-day trip on the Tui Tai (tuitai.com), for a change of pace. Not an intensive dive live-aboard, only 11 dives maximum. There are other things to do like kayaking, hiking to waterfalls, village visits. See Uncle Pug's Fiji trip report.

Tui Tai do a good trip but the area they go this time of year will be rough as guts!