Adjusting to Island Time- Fall Break in Fiji

The view from our balcony right before sunset

For fall break, we somewhat hastily planned a trip to Fiji. I have to admit this is not a place I ever really even dreamed of visiting because it always felt SO FAR AWAY.  But the reality is that Fiji is not far from Australia. It was about 4 hours to Fiji from Sydney (and slightly longer back thanks to flying against the jet stream). 

Most of our vacations in the past few years have involved lots of driving and lots of moving from place to place (there is just so much to see).  So much so, Lauren can barely remember a time when we stayed in a hotel for more than three days.  For this vacation, we decided to just go to a resort and stay there.  

There are SO many choices in Fiji, it was hard to choose. Do you stay on the main island? Do you stay close to the airport, so you get right to the hotel right away, but maybe don't have as nice of a beach/water?  Or do you go further on the main island to nicer beaches but have a longer drive? Or do you take a boat or another plane to a different island. 

With so many choices, I went with one of the resorts that is on all the family blogs as being a great choice for families, the Outrigger Fiji. We lucked out and got a decent deal on the rooms and as a bonus kids under 12 ate for free at the resort.  Had to get this trip in before C turned 13! The Outrigger is located on the Coral Coast of Fiji's main island, and about 1.5 hours from the airport. One of the reasons I picked it was because it was supposed to have a nice pool and decent beach, with an opportunity to snorkel from the beach (not having to take a boat out).

Our trip to Fiji got off to a bit of rocky start.  We had bought plane tickets from Sydney to Fiji because it was cheaper and there are so many ways to get to Sydney. This time we decided to make a trip of it and take the train up to Sydney.  Mike and I love train travel, and it is honestly easier with the kids because you aren't trapped in your seat, there is a meal car (or you can bring on food), not long security lines, etc. We spent time getting the girls excited about the train too.

When we arrived at the train station in Canberra, we found out that the replacement coach listed on our tickets was NOT actually a different class of train (as Mike and I had assumed it was), but rather a bus. They put our whole train on two busses due to track work. Lauren panicked, because it was unclear if the bus would even have a bathroom (it did). It was a bit of bummer. We definitely would have picked a different transportation method to Sydney had we realized that coach in this sense mean bus. But at this point it was too late. The girls rolled with the change (we are so lucky they are good travelers). 

It was not the world's most comfortable bus

With about a half an hour or so before we got to Sydney (and around 4ish pm on Saturday afternoon), Caitlyn tells me her ear hurts.  Not now. Not right before a plane flight and a vacation packed with swimming. I desperately started searching for a way to get her seen by a doctor. Thank goodness for the Hotdoc app. I was able to find what must have been THE last open doctor appointment in Sydney on a Saturday night.  We arrived at the train station, took an Uber to the hotel, dropped our stuff, and then Cailtyn and I Ubered to the doctor. It was an ear infection, but lucky for us an external one that only necessitated ear drops. AND, we were lucky a chemist (pharmacy) was still open.  However, unluckily, the ear drops had to be refrigerated.  So we had to run to a grocery store and buy a lunch box and ziploc baggies so we could fill them with ice for the airport and airplane.  We were also able to pick up waterproof (water blocking?) ear plugs so she could swim, and a pair of earplugs designed to help kids on airplanes. My mistake was not buying two pairs, because of course Lauren wanted one too.

Our flight to Fiji the next day was as smooth as a flight could be. The airplane had cameras at the top and the bottom of the plane that you could watch on your seat back, which both thought was awesome and scary:

 

We arrived in Fiji around 7 pm local time. It was definitely warmer in Fiji than in Canberra. When you get off the plane, you walk directly outside before you get in the terminal (like in Hawaii).  

It took a while for us to clear customs, get our luggage, grab some Fiji Dollars, and grab a bite to eat (their food options at the airport were lacking) for Caitlyn. At the hotel's suggestion we had arranged private transfer (like a scheduled Uber) to the hotel. They greeted us with cool towels, water, and shell necklace for Lauren (for some reason Caitlyn was treated as an adult by this company, so no shell necklace for her). By the time we had arrived it was already dark, so we didn't see much on the way from the airport to the hotel. One thing we did notice was a lot of people by the side of the road hitch hiking. More on that later. 

By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was already 9 at night Fiji time (only 7pm in Canberra). The hotel was lovely, and they greeted us with some lemony drink (more refreshing than lemonade, but I still have no idea what it was).  Check in took forever. I had read that this was not exactly a smooth process for a lot of travelers, and people who did not make sure that all the things they were promised when they booked were accounted for at check in, would have trouble getting them or find more charges later that they didn't expect. They don't seem to have a great computer system at this hotel. Thankfully I had print outs of everything, and I asked a million questions (Mike and the girls did so great while this was going on because we were all tired and ready to reach the room).  We lucked out and were upgraded in our room and instead of being at the back of the property, we were placed closer to the beach, pool, and restaurants.  The hotel was undergoing a lot of construction. Mike learned later from one of the employees that the hotel had closed for TWO YEARS during COVID.  Two years.  There were parts of the hotel that were definitely showing their age, but honestly for what we paid, it was quite a good deal.  The room was nice enough, the pool was great, and the food was good.

The people in Fiji are very kind and welcoming.  They put us in a golf cart and wheeled us down to our room.  Everyone we passed yelled a hearty "BULA!" to us as we went by.  Bula is used to greet people or say hello. When you say bula to someone, you are actually wishing them life. We got to the room and got settled for the night and went to bed.  What followed was a week of relaxation.  We basically went to the pool and beach every day. It was really nice to just take a beat and rest.  

crystal clear, warm waters

This pool was really fun. Lots of different depths and just fun to tool around.

View from our balcony

                                                                                                                                                                        I do regret a bit that we didn't get out to see much (any?) of the real Fiji.  Maybe that means we have to go back. Mike and the girls did do a shopping trip into the town closest to the resort. I missed it as I had one day with a traveler's tummy and was not up for an excursion.

Lauren struggled a bit with the concept of "island time" and waiting for meals was a little bit of a struggle, but all in all she did great!

We definitely made amazing memories in Fiji and the girls are already asking to go back. What I will remember most is the BEAUTIFUL sunsets and the night sky. We could see the milky way! We did some snorkeling from the beach. The water was crystal clear and warm. While not the best snorkeling ever, it was better than I have seen in a long, long time. We saw electric blue starfish and little fish, and weird sea cucumber snake things (that for me are the stuff of nightmares). Lauren told me it was the "coolest thing she had EVER done in her LIFE."  So that made me feel pretty good.  Granted she often likes the last thing she did better than other things, but I'll take it.

Mike and Lauren snorkeling

hard to tell here, but one of the blue star fish

We lucked out and only had rain one afternoon

I did my job and annoyed my 12 year old often

Sweet Lauren fully embraced island living and made sure she had both a flower in her hair and a shell necklace on any time we were not in the water. <3

Absolutely GORGEOUS sunsets

This picture does NOT do the night sky justice

We checked a lot of boxes for an island vacation-- Mike got a drink inside a coconut

The girls got their hair braided.

We did a cultural experience.  Mike and Lauren learned to husk a coconut and then Mike learned how to break it open.  I was shocked to learn/see how small coconuts are actually after you husk them.  Silly me, I thought the unhusked coconuts and the husked ones were two different varieties. 

They also learned to scrape the coconuts.

While Mike and Lauren worked with Coconuts, Caitlyn was learning how to weave:

 

We also went to a "traditional" Fijian feast that had a singing and dancing troupe come in. It was interesting but felt like borderline exploitation. I am not posting pictures because we didn't take any. I'm torn on how I feel about it because you can call it appreciation and education of a different culture, but you could also say maybe it was a little too Disney-fied.  I am glad we did it. And Lauren was very much enjoying the music.  She tapped her hands to the beat the whole time.  

We also went to a frog race one night.  It was interesting, but probably not PETA approved. This is Lauren, it took so long, like what should have taken 8 minutes took 35.  

Mike and I were also able to check out the hotel's spa (thanks to a deal when we reserved the room). It was on the top of a hill behind the hotel property. The views from this place were insane.  The only photo I have from there doesn't do it justice.  This was from the bar they have at the spa.

The most interesting part of this experience was that we were the only people in the bar, and the bar tender was chatty.  She explained to us that she lived far away from the resort and did not have transportation (aka a car).  So she said she hitchhikes to and from work every single day.  It took her hours each direction.

Anyhow, I have a new favorite photo of Mike:

The time to leave Fiji came pretty quickly. We did learn that for us, a week of just pool and beach was bordering on too much.  By the last day, everyone was tired of the sun and having to douse ourselves in sunscreen. 

On the way out of Fiji, we saw this sign that reminds you that you cannot take war clubs on the plane:

Goodbye Fiji! Until next time:

Also, Mom fail here. I didn't do proper research on the plane and picked the ONE seat on the plane without a window. It ruined the flight for Lauren. Just look at that face!

When we landed it turned out they had replaced our train back with yet another coach (bus) back to Canberra.  Since we were going to have to take an Uber to the train station and wait like 4 or 5 hours, I booked a different bus (that leave on-the-hour) from the airport.  This bus was MUCH nicer than the one provided by the train as a replacement. And it got us home at dinner time instead of past bedtime.