Fiji

THINGS TO DO IN FIJI, DENARAU: 

The Radisson Blu Resort
The Radisson was tucked away into the main ‘Tourist cul de sac’ of Denarau – a perfect destination for families and honeymooners but not so much for the adventurers looking to immerse in local culture. But if you’re simply looking to escape the daily grind, what better way to do it than with some beachside cocktails and an awkward hammock tan?

• Book Resort: Radisson Blu Resort 
• Tripadvisor Reviews: Radisson Blu Denarau Reviews

Sunset Dinner Cruise with Captain Cook Cruises
For the next 2 days we booked ourselves into activities with Captain Cook Cruises from our resort’s front desk. In hindsight, it’s best to book your activities ahead of your trip to save time and avoid disappointment as places fill up fast.

Also, don’t bother with comparing booking prices. We received the same price quotes from each resort and the ‘too good to be true’ price quotes from the booking booth at Port Denarau were often linked with ‘must attend’ time-share presentations at the Wydnham Resort which you should avoid. 

 

A shuttle came to pick us up in the warm afternoon from our resort and we hopped aboard a quaint Catamaran. We sailed into the sunset with a drink in hand to the soothing voice of the crew and the strums of a uke and watched sun set behind the ocean before enjoying dinner at the bottom deck.

As our cruise came to an end, the crew members gathered around to perform a local Haka and a farewell song and everybody left the ship as happy guests full of food. The food wasn’t fantastic but the romantic nuances throughout the night really made up for it.

• Book Cruise: Sunset Dinner Cruise

Day Cruise to Tivua Island
Tivua Island, otherwise known as ‘Mystery Island’ is a beautiful, pristine, private island which is a nice contrast from the popular islands in Fiji filled with backpackers and large families.

Captain Cook cruises picked us up at 10am from Port Denarau Marina, we were then dropped off at Tivua Island and were free to roam around until 5pm. Our initial plan was to laze about and enjoy some light snorkelling…before I knew it, we spontaneously threw ourselves into our first PADI Scuba Dive. We started from shallow waters and slowly waded ourselves into the deeper clear waters of Tivua.

• Book Cruise: Day Cruise Tivua Island

Unfortunately due to the recent cyclones, there wasn’t much to sea (managed to squeeze in a pun there, ha!) but it was still an enjoyable first scuba dive and a great way to introduce ourselves to open water.

My only real gripe was the sea lice, nobody warned us of the sea lice! Every now and then we felt something I could only describe as tiny little jellyfish stings to which Joe tepidly referred to as “just sea lice”, yikes!

• Book Diving Package: Captain Cook Cruises Diving Package

Couples Massage at The Westin
We finished our trip with a tres romantic couples massage. We opted for the Orange Blossom Couples Massage Package at The Heavenly Spa at The Westin upon recommendations from a colleague. Needless to say, it was just what we needed. (Here’s the Spa Menu if you’re interested).

We were taken away to a private change area where we hopped into comfy robes and rested on a lounge chair until we were whisked away into our own private hut. There was a warm coconut milk bath and outdoor shower waiting for us in a beautiful private cobble stone setting.

When we finished with our milk bath and freshened up with the outdoor shower, our masseuses took us to our massage area for a sugar cane scrub followed by a deep relaxing massage. It was so perfect, I think I even drooled a little.

• Book Spa: The Westin Spa  

Overall, Fiji was a nice quick getaway from Sydney. If we had more time in Fiji I would of loved to explore the culture a little more and visit the Sawa I Lau caves in Yasawa Island but unfortunately the daily grind was calling.