Magical, Musical Fiji

I’m so very delighted to be back in Fiji. This is my second visit here, and based on how much I absolutely adored it the last time I visited, I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to return.

The flight was uneventful (no turbulence) but for me 11 hours is still a painful process, no matter how gentle the ride. Customs and immigrations were fairly speedy and soon enough we were headed for Port Denarau, the trendy resort area of Nadi (pronounced Nandi). We enjoyed a quick breakfast at Cardo's, a popular location with early-morning visitors waiting to catch their ferries.

South Sea Cruises

After breakfast we boarded the lovely Tiger IV, a catamaran service around the Mamanuca Islands. This lovely ferry service is operated by South Sea Cruises and is a great option for visitors who only have one day in Nadi. They can head to South Seas Island, popular with the backpackers set, and enjoy swimming and snorkeling. There’s even a massage station on the island.

Our entire ride took two hours, including stops at several resort islands in the group, and we eve passed the island where Tom Hank's Castaway was filmed. Eventually, we arrived at the fabulous Likuliku Lagoon Resort.

Likuliku Lagoon Resort

The Likuliku Lagoon Resort is a magical place, a newly opened resort that was just celebrating its one-month anniversary as we arrived. I’d been looking forward to seeing this property for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that it is Fiji's first over water bungalows.

In person, the resort was eve better than expected, and we pretty much fell in love with the place during our tour. The romance was solidified during our fabulous first lunch, where I dined on cod tempura. Oh yum.

I could gush for days about the place, and have to my friends and family. It is a small resort (just 46 bures), beautiful, private, romantic with the friendly staff that Fiji is so famous for.

Private Plunge Pool

After lunch my traveling companion Barbara (another freelance journalist) and I checked into our rooms. She had one of the ultra deluxe over water bures while I was assigned one of the lovely beach front bures featuring their own private plunge pools. Not too shabby.

The afternoon was a tough one, as I had to try to decide which activities I wanted to participate in. Eventually I took a leisurely swim in the ocean, then cooled off with a dip in my private pool. Soon thereafter my jet lag got the better of me, so I was forced to nap on my private day bed overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

I woke just in time to catch the gorgeous sunset, before heading over to island’s waterfront bar for a before-dinner tropical drink. Here I met Janna, the PR representative for the property (lucky duck) wh9 is based in Huntington Beach of all places.

Together, she, Barbara and I enjoyed a marvelous dinner. Potato soup with oyster beignets (a genius--the person who came up with the idea of mixing oysters and tempura batter) followed by a Yagata beef on miso butter and mushrooms. I can’t stress enough how fantastic the food is here (and it’s included in the price of accommodations.)