Dear SBJim, Achilles Tang2002, and Financial Path,
Thanks for the comments. This is a long response, but I'll start with a new movie I made of the flight from the main airport out to an island in the northeast, called Taveuni.
http://www.fijiguide.com/video/taveuni-dreaming
Now for the recommendations. I think you should view all your choices first, and then I can help you decide. I'm turning into a travel agent here.
Let's talk expenses and logistics before resorts. To get to Fiji from the US, there are two airlines:
(1)
http://www.airpacific.com/
Air Pacific is currently running an airfare of $1200 (w/ tax) from LAX to NAN, and
(2)
http://www.continental.com
Continental's website won't provide a link for Fiji, but rest assured, they now fly there (well, at least they will start flying there beginning Friday, December 18, 2009). The flight leaves from Honolulu and/or Guam. Continental tends to be pricey and the lay-over in Honolulu will drag out your travel day considerably. However, if you have Continental miles "“ redeem them and get a free trip.
(3)
http://www.airnewzealand.com
I didn't mention Air New Zealand as part of my "œ2" because it'd be crazy to fly to Auckland (overflying Fiji) and then turn around and fly back to Fiji.
(4)
http://www.koreanair.com
This is another crazy itinerary choice "“ unless you're living in Korea "“ but who knows "“ especially when redeeming miles what crazy itinerary an airline will give you to try and make you pay money rather than miles.
(4) If you live in Australia "“ you have a great choice of cheap no-frills airlines (Virgin and a Qantas subsidiary) that fly to Fiji as well as Air Pacific.
OK, you've landed in Fiji. Now what? Well, for one, you don't want to stay/dive/snorkel any place close to the airport. The airport is on Nadi Bay and it used to be a mangrove paradise. Translation: mud. The mangroves extend south to where the Radisson, Westin, and Sheraton are located (on Denarau Island). If you like to lay on mud for a beach, you're welcome to stay here. Or if you want a place to sleep, before venturing on, and you want some luxury, this is not a bad option.
The main island of Viti Levu should probably be avoided as the island is surrounded by fringing reef that's exposed at low tide. However, Wananavu Beach Resort, up in the north, visits Bligh Waters "“ the most famous place for diving in Fiji (Mt. Mutiny, E6) along the Vanua Levu Barrier Reef. Wananavu's rates in Fijian dollars are:
http://www.wananavu.com/activities_n.html
Another place to consider is Beqa Island, just off the southern shore of Viti Levu.
http://www.beqalagoonresort.com/?rubrique=prepare&sous_rubrique=3
As you can see, this is a good deal. For $2,599 you get roundtrip airfare from LAX, transportation to the island, food (you pay extra for drinks besides water) and 10 boat dives (unlimited shore diving). Considering your airfare is a minimum of $1,200, $1,300 is for diving, food and accommodation.
I went to Beqa Lagoon Resort 3 years ago and it was a great week. There were 2 dives (out of the 10) that were just beyond belief: "œFantasea" and "œMy Favorite Dive". Fantasea is a bommie covered in deep purple soft corals and plastered with anthias. It is so beautiful, so surreal, that I took mental photographs. "œMy Favorite Dive" is a hard coral dive on the outer edge of the Lagoon's reef. It's another stupendous experience with crystal clear water (unlike Beqa Lagoon which is a bit murky). The other dives at Beqa are just O.K. and there are two ship wrecks they visit that are truly not worth the hours. HOWEVER, if you're into shark dives, Beqa also offers the shark dive experience (which costs extra) where you are guaranteed to see nurse, white tip reef, gray, and bulls. Yes, bulls. About once a month, a tiger also shows up. It's a deep dive and you just sit on the reef and watch the sharks come in for their food between the thousands of jacks and remora. Beqa Lagoon Resort caters to dive clubs (mostly from the US), but there are times when you and your family are the only ones there. Ask the booking agent for a date without other people if you want an intimate experience.
OK, that's it for the main island. I don't want to be too judgmental about the diving opportunities from the main island, but if you're flying all the way to Fiji, you should expect a quality experience. With a fringing, exposed-at-low-tide reef, surrounding the main island, your chances of seeing what I've shown in my posts is remote.
So, let's look elsewhere. Prices are going to go up because (1) you either need to take a boat or (2) an airplane, to get to another of the 333 Fijian islands. The resorts also tend to cater to honeymooners who are, for a split second in their lives, flush with cash/or irrational enough to go on credit. There are distinct regions:
(1) The Mamanucas Islands. The film "œCastaway" was filmed on an uninhabited Mamanucas island. The Mamanucas are okay for hard coral diving/snorkeling. These islands are relatively close to the main island and are marketed for either party/budget travelers from Australia, families from Australia, or honeymooners from Asia (Matamonoa Island). If you want to party and are rather blasé about the diving, go here. The Australians know how to party and you'll have a good time.
(2) The Yasawa Islands. The original Blue Lagoon movie with Brooke Shields was filmed out here. These islands are dry, volcanic edifices with golden, perfect sand beaches. I've been told the diving here is good, not great, and it tends to be hard coral. The resorts come in 2 types: VERY EXPENSIVE or budget/backpacker. Octopus Resort has been rated (
http://www.octopusresort.com) well amongst the budget travelers who aren't keen on backpacker resorts. Someday I hope to get out here and check this place out for myself.
(3) Kadavu Island. This island is far off the beaten track. Do not consider Dive Kadavu (Matana Beach Resort) "“ horrible chef-boyardee food and the Australian owners, when drunk, make unwarranted jabs at Americans. Matava Resort and Tiliva Resort are, from what I hear, nice and their prices are reasonable. Kadavu Island offers the great Astrolabe Reef, which from experience, is super. At the southwestern end of the Astrolabe huge 15' manta rays cruise the relatively shallow, beautiful, hard coral reef. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
(4) The Lau Islands. Never been here and there are no resorts "“ just villages offering accommodation. The islands are uplifted coral ridges "“ the perfect atoll experience. Diving iffy as there is no infrastructure. Snorkeling I'm sure is great. These islands will give you the Robinson Crusoe experience you've always pined for"¦
(5) Vanua Levu. Diving here can be great to moderate. The best diving in the area is actually at Namenalala, an hour's boat ride south of this island. You can stay on this island, but it's pricey.
http://www.moodysnamenafiji.com/
a. Otherwise, there are various resorts/hotels here. If you're interested in this area, let me know and I can steer you towards resorts/hotels that meet your budget and you can still dive Namena. Here's a sampling:
b.
http://www.korosunresort.com/
c.
http://www.fijiresort.com/
d.
http://www.lomalagi.com/
i. You can swim with a pod of wild dolphins in the bay that fronts this property.
e.
http://www.namalefiji.com/
f.
http://www.dakuresort.com/
i. This one's relatively cheap and you can dive with the Cousteau Resort just down the road.
g.
http://www.savusavufiji.com/
i. This one's really cheap, but it's the equivalent of a Motel 6. You can dive with Cousteau also from this hotel.
(6) Taveuni. This is the garden island of Fiji "“ wet rainforests, waterfalls, etc. Most of my pictures are taken from this area. There are various resorts to consider and most are, unfortunately pricey. The area is focusing entirely upon the honeymoon market.
a.
http://www.taveuniislandresort.com/
b.
http://www.gardenislandresort.com/
c.
http://www.maravu.net/
d.
http://www.paradiseinfiji.com/
e.
http://www.qamea.com/
f.
http://www.matangiisland.com/
There are also other options, such as renting a home, and then diving with an independent dive operator. You could also consider the following:
http://www.dolphinbaydivers.com/about.html
http://www.coconutgrovefiji.com/index.php
http://www.nakiafiji.com/
That's it for now!
Scott