#carmenxfiji Part 2 - Fiji Paradise
Moving on to the vacation part of the trip which I was most excited about. Like just type Fiji in search bar and all the post-card like images will show up. We only had 2 full days to enjoy the sun and sea but it's still a pretty awesome experience.
Friday - Coral Coast
From Suva, we took a bus to Sigatouka which takes about 3 hours to arrive. From Sigatouka, we got a cab to our resort located at Coral Coast.
We stayed in Bedarra Beach Inn, I guess it's one of the most affordable options along Coral Coast which is also known as Korotogo. Coral Coast is basically a stretch of beachside resorts that is situated midway between Suva and Nadi. We did consider staying at Nadi, there are cheaper options and even backpackers but Nadi's beach doesn't look as nice. Then we considered staying at the Mamanuca Islands with the most beautiful white sandy beaches (go Google, it looks heavenly) as well but oh boyyyy, the resorts are really expensive and we had to figure out how to get there from Suva. There's limited transfers from mainland to the islands and they are expensive too. Hence we decided to stay at Coral Coast which has an amazing stretch of beach with clear waters.
If I havent repeat enough, let me repeat again, Fijians love their music and would use the beautiful melody to welcome you. It's like a warm hug if you ask me.
By the time we check in and settle down, dusk is awaiting us. Clouds are fluffy, waters are flowing slowly, the sky has the beautiful blend of blue gold and pink. What a serene view and I finally get to soak in the fact that the weekend is going to be great.
And it gets better, look at the pink cotton candy swirls. So magical I'm dead.
Walked along the coast to find dinner. Ended up at Flying Fin, a restaurant housed in this wooden cabin which serves western and local dishes. We are in the Pacific, make sense to eat seafood right!
Yassssss, another way to create memories, taste the country's beer!
Mine (the middle) was Mahi Mahi in lemon cream sauce and fusili that costs FJD 24 (approx 15). I remember the taste was pretty good but a bit surprised by the portion. That's so little T.T But anyways, all these food was another good start for the weekend trip.
I remember walking back to the resort along the poorly lit road was both scary and enjoyable as the sky was full of stars and moon was shining bright. It does get pretty chilly at night so it's good to have a jacket.
Saturday AM - Whale's Tale Cruise (Exploring Mamanuca Islands)
Woke up real early the next day to join a cruise which we signed up the day before. The resort provided several suggestions for our day trip: cultural tours to local villages, nature trails and island hops. We've decided to go for the Whale's Tale Cruise Trip which is a day trip to a private island within the Mamanuca Islands on a cruise ship. A van picked up guests from several resorts and drop us off at Port Denarau in Nadi. It took about 2 hours to reach from our resort, we just slept through the journey. From Port Denarau, we boarded the cruise ship and set sail to our destination. There's breakfast and free flow drinks on board including beer! You know how I'm not a fan of beer so I decided to stick to coffee and spam on the expensive Fiji water haha.
This is a real cruise ship, with like huge sails. Almost felt like a cheery spin-off for Pirates of the Carribean haha. Just super chill, taking in the surrounding mountain and seas and feeling the gentle ups and downs of the ship cruising along the waves. Once again, Fijians and their music are there to add the soundtrack to your journey. It's enjoyment for all senses.
Think we reach the island after around 2 hours. It was kind of surreal, a small island, no house or anything, just a couple of cabanas, a volleyball court, sandy beaches with crystal clear water. On the island, you can do snorkeling, kayaking, volleyball, massage (extra charge) or just picnic by the beach. I have to say the weather wasn't the best, it's sort of cloudy but at least it's not raining.
Then there's buffet lunch with all sorts of meat! All the seafood, beef, mutton, chicken, everythinggggg. Side dish was the beautiful ocean view and the sound of waves.
Went for snorkeling and kayaking after lunch (hence not many photos). It's my first time snorkeling at shallow waters, so fascinating to see the corals and fishes up close and yes I totally regretted not renting a go-pro because I was under the impression that we wouldn't be able to see things up close. As usual, I struggled initially but always a good feeling when I overcome my fear of drowning and start swimming around and exploring my own. Watch my trip video to see some underwater footage!
Think we start sailing back around 4 and the afternoon sun was glorious. We just continued to chill, eat some cakes, drink more coffee and take more photos.
Back on land and took the same van back to the resort. Tired af, just slept through the whole journey but woke up during the sunset hours to admire the idyllic Fijian village against the orangey sun.
Saturday PM - Beach Bar and Grill
Super tired but super hungry too. Dragged ourselves to dinner which we've been super excited about since the day before. We found this restaurant on our first day but the place was fully booked! We decided to make a reservation for Day 2 instead and booked a crab for our meal (crabs have to be booked in advance). Best decision ever, such an awesome meal.
Butter Chicken with roti and rice. See how the gravy is filled to the brim. Such a rice thief. Oh and I really like the wholemeal roti here
Scallops on mash potatoes. Homg this was amazing too. The scallops are soft but still has a crunch. The mash was amazing, with the fragrant butter and crunchy scallion strips. Definitely something I want to recreate.
And the special guest of the night, freaking huge and delicious Chili Crab. Ok this photo doesn't do justice. If you want to have a comparison, see the next photo. The rest of the dishes look small LOL. Honestly I thought I have seen huge crabs but wow this is really huge and the amount of meat, can compare with chicken eh no joke. It's delicious anyway, super fresh. Not the SG chili crab but the simple buttery chili gravy was a good seasoning to the fresh and sweet crabmeat. The crab came with fries. So yup look at the amount of carbs, definitely stuffed.
Enjoyed our food to the sound of live music. Couldn't ask for a better meal to end the day.
Exhausted, but I'm sure I went to bed with a smile and probably had a good dream.
Sunday AM - Korotogo Beach
It's Day 3. Didn't get to really enjoy the coral coast much so I woke up early just to chill by the beach and enjoy the peaceful sound of wave pulses and birds flapping their wings.
The beach at coral coast is not the cleanest but the waters are pretty clear. When the tide is high enough, guests can borrow the equipment to do snorkeling and kayaking for free.
Definitely one of my favorite discoveries in Fiji, the blue starfish! I havent seen a wild starfish let alone a blue one. Felt a little bit like Moana when I held it in my hands haha.
Random hammocks along the beach to chillax
Head back to the inn and guess what we have free massage session at the inn's beauty parlour. Honestly I wasn't expecting much from a 30 minutes session but woah it's pretty nice, there's a foot bath, leg scrub and the chairs are massage chairs LOL. But the only sad thing is there's only one masseuse so you will need to take turns.
View from the parlour
After the refreshing massage/foot spa, time to pack our bags and move on. We went back to Korotogo for lunch. Btw Sunday is huge in Fiji, most shops are closed, even retailers. We settled with this simple shop at the corner. Kind of like old school kopitiam haha.
One thing I learned is, fish and chips are like the staples of Fijian snack shops and food stalls. Pretty affordable. Not super crunchy but it's still fish.
I've never been to Cuba but I don't know why my head just plays Havana when I'm here lol. Everything is just pretty retro.
Sunday PM - Wailoloa Beach
After another 1.5 hours bus ride I suppose, took a cab to our accoms at Wailoloa, a dark-sand beach with a stretch of resorts, hotels, backpackers inn and private lodges. This place looks like a place where people would come here to spend their summer just to soak in constant sunshine.
Our hotel for the night: Aquarius by the Beach which has a mini pool and some Mediterranean vibes.
Purposely chose a room with a large balcony so that we can chill and enjoy the beach
Gosh I miss the patterns of the clouds, the coconut trees and the golden rays. I think I can just stay at the balcony everyday.
Sadly it's our last day in Fiji, as much as I want to just laze in our room, I dragged myself out to check out the area to make sure Im not missing anything out. Found this hammock that I feel I can waste the rest of my life on. So senang lengang.
Sun was blazing hot till the sea was all sparkling like diamonds
This part of the beach gives off a desert beach kind of vibes. LA? lol
Jumpshots are mandatory
Then the golden moment starts. See how the clouds are now tinted with this bright and beautiful shade of gold.
As the sun continued to approach the horizons, the sky turns into this magical blend of yellow orange and pink.
It's amazing how you can perfectly see the sun in such bright yellow shade. As if I can tell those are nuclear fissions haha.
My goshhh, sorry I'm just super impressed. Sorry Tanjung Aru, you lose.
So surreal to be part of this picture really.
This was one of my favorites, it's that last few minutes before the sun dips into the waters so the sky was a mix of orangey-pink while the ocean was gloomy grey with dashes of the pink. Don't think I ever had a photo with these colours. Honestly I didn't do much research about Wailoloa and totally wasn't expecting such a magnificent sunset. Really recommend to stay here or at least spend a day at this beach. There's like beach volleyball, kayaks, hammocks, pretty cafes and restaurants. I'm sure you will love the vibrant atmosphere here.
Time for dinner. Like I mentioned there's many restaurants to choose from, most are attached to hotels. Honestly, the restaurant at our hotel looks legit pretty at night and it's almost too romantic haha. We decided to go for a more mainstream, noisy and somewhat more vibrant one at Smugglers Cove Resort.
Last dinner meal in Fiji, splurged for pizza and wine, and a nice chopsuey with rice to fill our bellies.
So I said this place is more noisy coz there's cultural performances to keep you entertained while you enjoy your meal.
Good food good wine, that's enough to end the night.
Monday - Bye Bye
Last day to enjoy the warm Fijian sun. That's the balcony that I so loved.
Got a cup of coffee to kickstart the day
Had our breakfast at Traveller's Cafe and Bar just nearby our hotel. Thought the food here might be cheaper since it's in a backpackers' inn. Love the place anyway, it has this sea side shack kind of vibes.
Enjoying the last bits of the beach and breeze. Face was all bloated from the wine yesterday omg.
And there, we packed our stuff after breakfast and took a cab to the airport. So damn reluctant to leave T.T Fiji is such a gem really. People are super kind, breathtaking sceneries and super laid-back vibes. There's still so many islands and beaches to explore. Would have been awesome to have more days to just live the beach life of Eat Snorkeling Hammock and repeat.
Once again, so grateful for the company of these two ladies. Always nice to have people sharing a hammock and all the beautiful moments that you witness. Glad that we had this opportunity to take a break from work and just enjoy life, even if it's just for days. Hope we get to have more adventures soon!
Souvenirs:
Honestly wasn't sure what to get but seems like Fijians have a thing for coconut products so I bought some local produced beauty products. The soaps smell insanely good.
Some cookies with kind of tropical flavors and crystalised ginger for snacks
Made a video to sum up the fun times, hope this convince you to put Fiji as your next destination.