We flew into Nadi on Viti Levu, the biggest island out of the hundreds that collectively make up Fiji. Unfortunately, we had to stay in Nadi for the night due to our flight landing at such a time that we missed our boat out to our island resort – the Octopus Resort on Waya Island, in the Yasawa Group. Nadi is, unfortunatley, a bit of a dump, and threw us off a bit at first. The ‘public transport’ was a bit confusing (rattling old buses that always seemed to be going in the wrong direction, and would stop anywhere, supposedly) and the town itself seemed to be full of people trying to rip you off (most tourists will have to travel through Nadi at some point). Other than the people trying to rip you off, though, the Fijians are really friendly people and will stop and talk to you in the street. We stayed at Dee’s Homestay (literally a house belonging to a Fijian lady and her sons), and they were lovely and welcoming.
Octopus resort from the boat
After Nadi we finally went to the Octopus resort, via a choppy ride on the Octopus fishing boat. The Octopus Restort is simply ideallic, and you soon find yourself sinking into ‘Fiji-time’. The beach is stunning and the coral reefs lie just on the beach; the coral is almost TOO close to the beach at low tide – you need to be careful not to hit it with your feet! The snorkelling was magnificent – we saw numerous different types of fish, a squid and a sea snake, and a reef shark. (My personal favourite, however, was the trumpetfish). It certainly made us want to learn to dive at some point. The weather was wonderful most of the time that we were there (though so hot you just HAD to stay out of the sun during the middle of the day), and the food was amazing too (best fish and chips EVER). And when we told them that it was Tom’s birthday and that we were celebrating having been together for three years, they set up a table for us outside our bungalow and brought our dinner to us.
Our bungalow at Octopus
The Octopus restaurant
The beach, and the coral reef
Our dinner… mmm curry
Coral
Fish!
More fish
Bright blue fish
After five nights at Octopus it was time to head back to Nadi. It was a bit sad leaving knowing that we were going to have to spend another night in Nadi and that we were going to miss the ‘International Crab Racing Night’ at Octopus. We opted to stay at Dee’s homestay again and didn’t bother wandering into Nadi town. Instead we had a home cooked dinner at Dee’s. I’d recommend Octopus resort to anyone, without a doubt. The place seems to be perfect for families, for couples, for individuals… but it never seemed overly busy or crowded, and all the staff were always friendly and welcoming. And if you REALLY have to stay in Nadi, Dee’s homestay is a great, chilled out place to stay.
A member of the gecko family that lived by our bungalow