Fiji had never really been on my list of places I wanted to visit. The sheer number of islands and places to stay looked intimidating, and if we had the amount of time I assume we’d need to do it properly there were a lot of other places I’d rather see. But after the Milford Track we figured we’d need a place to relax, and Fiji was basically on the way home.
Well, Fiji won me over. I loved the island we chose and would go back in a minute. It was beautiful, relaxing, fun, and while not cheap it was a very good value.
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Flights
The flight to Nadi was easy enough. It’s a pretty quick jaunt from Auckland. Our Air New Zealand plane didn’t even have two classes, but we did have personal screens.
For the flight back to the U.S. we were on the Air Pacific flight to L.A. There was also one to Honolulu if you don’t want to give up paradise quite so soon. We couldn’t use our United miles to book these tickets, but first class wasn’t outrageously expensive since we were only paying one way, so we opted for that since it’s a 10 hour flight. The airline is going to be rebranding itself as Fiji Airways, complete with some brand new planes. This is good, because my husband and I joked that the 747 we took is the oldest one flying people. Then I got a bit freaked out because we were on Air Pacific flight 810, which sounded a little too close to Oceanic flight 815 for my tastes. Then we hit all kinds of turbulence. That’s not out of the ordinary over the Pacific, but I gauge how bad it is by whether the flight attendants have to sit, and they had to several times during our flight. Obviously we made it home safe but if you’re a nervous flyer you may want to prepare yourself. Also, the boarding area was quite chaotic, so get ready for that, too.
Ferry
Unless you’re staying on Viti Levu or one of the larger islands with regular commercial flights, you’re going to have to figure out how to get to your hotel. The fastest and most expensive option is helicopter, then there are seaplanes, then private boats, then ferries. Our flight arrived early (although just a bit too late for the morning ferry) and our one home left late, so we weren’t in any hurry. For that reason I booked with South Seas Cruises rather than one of the more expensive modes of transport. We did book the Captain’s Lounge, which is a little more but you’re in an air conditioned cabin with drinks and snacks. On our way back we sat outside to talk to people we met at our resort and the staff even offered them beers, too.
Apparently if timing is a concern, well, you’re probably in the wrong country. Our ferry to the resort left late, and it was almost an hour late picking us up to return back to Viti Levu. However, another couple staying at our hotel had booked a helicopter transfer for their departure because their flight home wasn’t super convenient to either of the daily ferries and they didn’t want to spend hours at the airport. Then the helicopter company moved their pick-up time up because they were the only booking of the day, so they actually wound up spending more time at the airport than if they had taken the ferry.
We had a lot of time to kill between our flight and the ferry. We spent some of it at the Raffles hotel across from the airport waiting for the South Seas bus to Port Denarau. Then we had a good chunk of time at the port, so we had lunch and wandered around the shops a bit. The ride out was rough, which they told us is unusual. The ride back was much calmer. We also had a free bus transfer from the port to the airport. Thanks to these free transfers, we never had to use cash in Fiji.
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Matamanoa Island Resort
Sigh. Otherwise known as heaven. I was worried I’d be bored, or that the resort would be run down, or the food would be bad, but none of those things happened. The island is beautiful, our bure was lovely and huge, the food was excellent, the staff was super nice, and the snorkeling right off the beach was fantastic.
Matamanoa has 33 rooms — 20 bures and 13 resort rooms. This means there can only be a maximum of 66 guests on the island, and while we were there I don’t think it was full. The bures are then split between sunrise and sunset. We opted for the sunrise side. Our bure was right next to the pool. I don’t think this affected our privacy, and it made it convenient to get to and from the pool and restaurant. Inside was spacious, with a sitting area with a daybed and a small bar. We had a little patio out the back door with chairs and a hammock. The bathroom wasn’t super fancy, but still nice enough with two sinks and a big shower.
Breakfast was included, and had hot cooked-to-order items as well as a buffet with fruit, pastries, cereal, and pancakes, and they’d bring you a pot of coffee for your table. We’d typically sleep in a bit and order a big breakfast, then we wouldn’t need lunch. They served tea at 4 p.m., which meant coffee, tea, and cake. That usually held us over until dinner. To help avoid spending a fortune on drinks, we bought rum and juice at the grocery store at the marina before we got on the ferry. It always sounded odd to me that people BYOB to save a few bucks at a super expensive hotel, but it was nice to just be able to make ourselves a drink whenever we wanted one without thinking about how much it was going to cost. The bar even provided us with ice at our request.
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Dinner was usually very good. There were a few different choices for each course, with some fancier options like a Caesar salad or crepe suzette prepared at your table. We’d maybe split an appetizer if something sounded good, and we almost always opted for some sort of fish entree. Everything was tasty and nicely prepared. The last night I got a steak and that wasn’t a good choice, but I should have known better. At some point during dinner every night the staff gets up to welcome all the new guests with a song, and then they sing for all the guests leaving the next day, which was always nice. Musicians also go around to the tables with people leaving the next day and serenade them with a song of their choice (or as close as they can get).
While you could just sit around and do nothing all day on the island, they also had a lot of activities available. They’d write them on a blackboard next to the pool every morning. Some of the activities were goofy little things that let you meet the other guests like bocce ball or diving for spoons in the pool to see who could get the most. Others were available for a small fee, like snorkeling off island, which cost a whopping $11 per person. They went to a different snorkeling spot every day, so you could go snorkeling daily and never see the same spot. There were also more involved activities like trips to other islands or deep sea fishing, and those were much pricier. They also had kayaks and small catamarans you could sign out. We took one of the double kayaks out to paddle around the island one day, and it only took us about a half hour, even though it was choppy. We also hiked the small hill to get to the top of the island. I wouldn’t do it in flip flops like we did, but it wasn’t difficult. Every night after dinner there would be one last activity, like crab racing or an elaborate kava ceremony. I was a bit confused the first couple of days because it seemed like some of the activities never happened, but then I realized that the resort is so small they wouldn’t bother having them unless someone expressed an interest in doing them.
There’s a small gift shop in the office with some essentials and more fun things like ice cream bars. Prices are what you’d expect for a tiny island that only gets deliveries by boat. They have a computer with dial-up internet access that you can use for a fee, and you can get wifi access for $35 a day (but who needs internet access on a beautiful island)? There’s also a library with a good amount of books (mostly in English) to borrow.
It’s pretty obvious I really enjoyed my time on Matamanoa. I felt like it really allowed me to totally remove myself from everything even remotely resembling stress or obligations and just relax and enjoy my time with my husband.
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