Shine On Las Vegas

I’m dragging a bit today, but clearly not enough to pass up the Belgium Waffles at Payard, a Patisserie and Bistro at Caesar's Palace. Um yeah, and the chocolate truffles afterwards. Hopped up on caffeine and sugar, we started our tour of the Flamingo Hotel.



Flamingo Hotel

Now if you haven’t been to this property lately, as they say, you haven’t been here at all. The designers have taken a few pages of what looks like a Barbie design book to design the new Flamingo Go Room. These rooms are designed in an electronic pink, mixed with some old-school browns and whites. The rooms are peppered with photos of the original Flamingo and the overall effect is sort of a fun, quirky “what’s old is new again” feel.

If your Las Vegas budget doesn't allow for some of the higher-end properties on the strip, this is absolutely the place you should check out. If you want more bang for your buck, you might consider the GO Metropolitan Suite, which has an amazing view of Las Vegas.

After our tour, we were served a light (thank god) luncheon, in one of the pool-side cabanas. I pretty much sprawled out on a lounger and watched the world go by, but did manage to interact some with the Sopranos look alikes from the the Soprano's Last Supper show that came to pay us a visit.

The Wynn Hotel

In the evening we had the opportunity to tour the delightful Wynn Hotel. For some reason, this property really captured my attention. From the whimsical parasols marking the lobby bar to the fine service to the Lake of Dreams show, I really enjoyed our visit here.

We were slated for another dine around tonight, but fortunately we only had two restaurants on tap. We over consumed a giant platterful of appetizers at the Wing Lei, the only Chinese restaurant in North America to be awarded a Michelin star. Next, we were served an unlimited arrray of meat and side dishes at SW Steakhouse. Here in the photo you see Carole, one of our group, making friends with Travis, the restaurant manager. (I did mention how hospitable the staff is here, right?)

High-Flying Las Vegas

Tonight’s evening festivities, once again took top billing, as we were treated to an amazing helicopter ride over the Las Vegas strip by Maverick Helicopters. My camera was not up to the challenge of taking any shots worthy of looking at, but this one will give you at least a general idea of what we saw.

We had a few helicopter virgins on our ride, but despite a few lingering fears, once we were airborne, they were totally into the ride. It wasn't as scary they thought it would be. If you've ever considered taking this trip, you absolutely must do it.

After all that flying, what else could we do but enjoy a few late-night drinks? We made our way to The Luxor.

We started our imbibing with a few beverages with such names as "Liquid Lust," "The Vixen," and "Love Potion" in Liquidity, a bar located in the center of the Luxor casino. Next we moved on to LAX, a two-story hangout for the young and beautiful. We enjoyed SKYY Vodka drinks in our private, ultra-VIP loft, while overlooking the activity.

Finally, we made our way to Noir Bar, entering through their private entrance. Reservations are required at this bar, and there's a rumor that you can't get in unless you (or your concierge) know the right people to call. Lucky for us, we were hanging out with the right crowd.

Our late-night schedule got us back to the hotel by around 1 a.m., pretty late, but still enough time to take a quick soak in the Jacuzzi.

Oh What a Night

Town Square Las Vegas

This morning we enjoyed a shopping tour of Las Vegas’ newest mall, Town Square Las Vegas. This outdoor plaza is located near (across the strip) from McCarran Airport. Fortunately for us it was a cool, breezy day, perfect for outdoor shopping. The center is anchored by Borders (yay) and Fry’s is at the far end (another yay), which should give you your bearings if you’re at all familiar with the Las Vegas landscape.

The place has really been designed to be a relaxing experience (such a novelty in high-octane Las Vegas) and is well suited for families. Even Fido is totally welcome, and the center has doggy bars set up throughout. After an hour of shopping it was time to eat. Today we would participate in what is known as a dine-around, where we would sample food from several different restaurants to get an overall feel of the center.

Oh lordy, did I say sample?

I can honestly say that I’ve NEVER eaten as much food as I did today in my whole life. We started out with a snack platter at Tommy Bahama’s (coconut shrimp, goat cheese, tuna poke, key lime pie), and then made our way to the Yard House. I’ve eaten at the Yard House in Long Beach and Pasadena so I’m already a fan of their cuisine. However Yard House went ALL out and served seven sampler dishes to each person. We had Chinese chicken salad, pasta with garlic lobster sauce, a half hamburger, orange chicken, and so on. Urp.

Next we made a brief stop at Louis’, a fine seafood restaurant only open for dinner. A couple of appetizers later, we were escorted to Louis' Fish Camp, a casual seafood facility across the way. I promised myself that no matter what, I wasn’t going to eat what they served here. Sadly deep-fried, softshell crab is one of my favorite favorites and so I was forced (forced I tell you) to eat half of it. Finally we ended up at Brio, a Tuscan style restaurant where we enjoyed desserts and coffee around an open fire pit.

The good news is that visitors to Town Square won't ever feel like there aren't enough food options to make them happy!

City Center

After our extended lunch, we waddled our way back to our bus, and were then brought on to tour the pre-opening offices of the new City Center project.

This project will, in essence, change the entire landscape of Las Vegas. It is so overwhelming, I'm not sure I can find the words to do it justice, so I'm stealing verbiage from their press release.

A joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Dubai World, CityCenter is a (more than) $8 billion mixed-use development, built on 76 acres along the Las Vegas Strip between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. The groundbreaking design introduces a dazzling vertical city in the heart of Las Vegas’ sprawling horizontal grid, and will include a 57-story condo-hotel called Vdara, two residential high-rises known as Veer Towers, the city's first Mandarin Oriental, The Harmon Hotel and a 4,000-room resort casino. CityCenter represents the most significant privately financed project in the United States.

Phew, even the sales center was overwhelming. We got to wander through life-size model rooms of every part of the project and watch a multimedia display of the ongoing progress of this community.

We were given a three-hour break this afternoon, which some people spent using their free Las Vegas Monorail passes to tour other parts of the city. I’m embarrassed to admit that I wasn’t nearly that ambitious and I spent most of my free time napping and working in my room.

The Palazzo Hotel

In the late afternoon, we were given a tour of the posh new Palazzo Hotel. Inside we toured Jay-Z's sports bar 40/40, which should have felt very "boys only" but was quite accessible and comfortable inside. If I could do my 40th birthday all over again, I'd probably have it here.

We also toured the Palazzo Pool Deck, which had amazing views overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, and was particularly brilliant at sunset.

All too soon it was time to eat, again. Hard to believe but there I was munching my way through Tortilla chips at Dos Caminos, an upscale Mexican restaurant located in the Palazzo. I’m embarrassed to admit that I did end up eating most of my grilled steak. Someone, please, help me find my stop button.

The Jersey Boys

The great thing about Las Vegas is that no matter how much fun you’re having, things can always get better. After dinner this was certainly true, as we were hosted to a preview performance of The Jersey Boys, the musical based upon the life story of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. A warning to the big girl, the seats in the theatre are tiny, so try to get yourself a place on the aisle, but other than that, this is a definitely must-see show. The singers were so incredibly talented and by the time the performers transitioned into the Act 1 Finale of “Oh What a Night,” even the Korean grandma and grandpa sitting next to me were up and rocking out.



The late show got us back to our hotel about 1 am, and I was so tired that I barely had the strength to take a dip in my Jacuzzi tub. I didn’t even notice the hotel had given us a bottle of red wine until the next morning.

60,000 Pounds of Shrimp

I'm off to Las Vegas today, and facing the age-old question, do I drive or fly? It usually takes me about four hours to drive (lead foot, I know) but on the other hand by the time I drive to the airport, park, take the shuttle, check in, etc., it seems like the whole process takes me just as long. So even with gas prices being what they are, it’s the open road for me.

The Signature Tower

I’m staying at the Signature at MGM Grand, a series of high-rise condominiums behind the MGM Grand Hotel. Once I got over the weirdness of staying at a property that doesn’t have a casino, I really got into the Signature, especially with its no-smoking policy. It was really unique being not hearing the ching ching of slot payouts as I made my way to my room. Also, my 17th floor room, complete with mini-kitchen and living area, had an excellent view of the strip.

Mandalay Bay

Our welcome function was hosted at a conference room at the Shark Reef attraction at Mandalay Bay, where we served yummy seafood snacks (oysters, sushi) while watching Shark Reef visitors looking in at us from the other side of the wall-size aquarium.

The cuisine was hosted by Chef Rick Moonen, a fabulous chef who runs Rick Moonen's RM Seafood here in Las Vegas, and before ran a few Michelin-rated restaurants in New York City. Among Chef Rick’s many claims to fame, he is well known is Las Vegas for his commitment to sustainable seafood. He gave us an energetic talk about the importance of not overharvesting (and overeating) endangered seafood. In Las Vegas alone, for example, more than 60,000 pounds of shrimp are eaten every day, which is more than the rest of the country put together.

Now Chef Rick is working with up-and-coming chefs in Las Vegas to create citywide programs that prevent stressing out our endangered delicacies. What was really great about his talk is that Chef Rick does say we have to give up on certain fish forever, just that we should give the endangered species a break in order to let them rejuvenate themselves. If you are interested in the this topic, Chef Rick just released a book called Fish Without a Doubt: The Cook's Essential Companion.

After the reception we were hosted to a tour of the fabulous Shark Reef. I can’t recommend this attraction highly enough. If you find yourself in Las Vegas, it is well worth taking a break from your other pursuits to get over here and see the fish collections, which include sharks, moray eels, and jelly fish, among others.

Koi at Planet Hollywood

In keeping with our seafood theme, we were then escorted over to Planet Hollywood, where we enjoyed a deluxe dinner at Koi. Although I’ve been to the sister restaurant in LA, which I love, nothing can beat the Las Vegas view from the restaurant. We had a zillion food courses (spicy tuna on crispy sushi rice, Kobe beef carpaccio, miso baked cod) followed by an obscenely huge dessert platter.

We capped off our lovely evening with a stop at Prive, Planet Hollywood's newest night club. Although the club just opened a few months ago, there are already waiting-room only lines, winding their way through the Planet Hollywood casino, to get in. What I especially liked about the club was the open feel to it. There were no roped off areas, and none of that "even though you made it through the doors, you better watch your step inside" feel that plague a lot of the clubs here in Hollywood.

I guess I’m not as hip as I once was (geez, I really am getting old) but I was totally thrilled by the young woman who brought us our champagne bottle, complete with a sparkler attached. I’ve admitted before that I truly am a gay man trapped in a woman’s body because I love all things sparkly, so the sparkler champagne bottle seemed like the coolest thing EVER to me.

Most of my fellow travelers and Las Vegas hosts were like “um, sparkler, alcohol, been there done that” but I’ll never forget my first time. I’m thinking about instituting that at a future dinner party at my house.

Finally, we staggered back to our hotel at about 11 pm. I'm not sure if I was happier jumping into my Jacuzzi-brand bath tub, or the bottle of champagne waiting for me. (no sparkler though). Actually the hotel had laid out a huge snack spread in all of our rooms, including a giant tray of nuts (like 18 inches by 9 inches, people, this thing was enormous) as well as a tray of dried fruits, cookies, and other goodies. If that wasn’t enough we were also served a huge platter of chocolate covered strawberries.

Heading Back Home

The weather this morning was slightly less foggy than yesterday, which is why this is the first that Naoko and I noticed that our hotel actually had a distant view of the Golden Gate bridge. (It was still a bit overcast so not many of our photos translate well, but at least we can point and say, that’s where it is.)

The plan for today was to enjoy an early breakfast in China town (Naoko’s craving for rice porridge ended up as rice porridge with a few dim sum sides), followed by a morning of shopping in Union Square.

Before we arrived Jemma had purchased a Coach purse at Macy’s and she didn’t know that Macy’s always offers out of town shoppers and 11% discount. (If you travel more than 200 miles to anywhere and shop at Macy’s be sure to pick up a visitor coupon card.) Macy’s even retroactively honored the coupon, resulting in a hefty return for Jemma.

Although I’d set a semi-strict departure schedule for the day (I didn’t want Naoko and I to get home too late), we spent a bit too much time and money in Union Square with Virgin Records taking the bulk of both.

Eventually we headed out, with Jemma hitching a ride as far as Palo Alto, where she’d be interviewing people at Stanford the following day. As we passed through Daly City (at just around 2 pm) we started to consider the idea of lunch. Learning that neither my Japanese nor my semi-Japanese friend had ever eaten at Todai, the agenda was set.

The challenge was that Todai was closing in 30 minutes, and they are very strict about their closing rule. The will let you in, will let you take as much as you want in advance, but once 2:30 rolls around, you better not need anything else. We, however, were up for the challenge. Covering two full tables with our culinary delights, we worked our way through the delicacies of several cultures, with a huge focus on Todai’s sushi.

Eventually we got Jemma to Palo Alto at around 4 pm, and after a quick peek at the Stanford campus, got her checked into her hotel. We’d had so much fun enjoying each other’s company that we were having a hard time saying goodbye. So we decided to enjoy a final Starbucks for the road, before Naoko and I headed home.

Naoko was a great traveling companion. She didn’t even complain when I started playing the CDs I’d purchased earlier at the Virgin Megastore. Unfortunately she wasn’t familiar with most of the music, but we did find one CD where she recognized five whole songs.

Eventually, I got Naoko back to her home at just past 11pm. Not that bad in the scheme of things, and I think we were both pretty sad to end our lovely adventure together.

Working the Wine Country

After a quick breakfast we were heading across the Golden Gate bridge in the convertible, with the top down, of course. Poor Jemma in the back was shivering under her six layers of clothing, but Naoko and I pumped up the heat in the front and were feeling just fine.

By the time we arrived at Muir Woods, the place was PACKED. There was no parking within a mile of the park entrance, and since we still had wine country to conquer, we decided to tour Muir Woods another time. A word to the wise, if your travels bring you here, come early or come prepared to hike a bit to the entrance.

We did make a quick stop at Muir Beach, which is an off-the-leash dog beach, so we had great fun watching people play with their dogs, and occasionally tossing a ball ourselves. It was too breezy to do any swimming, but the weather was clear and fabulous, and we lamented not having a picnic with us to enjoy on the beach.

Wine Country

Our next stop was to be Sonoma. There are many wine choices in Northern California, and while Napa is the most famous, it doesn’t have the Sonoma Jack cheese factory. Luckily the giris humored my need for cheese, and soon enough we were enjoying a picnic in the plaza outside the cheese shop.

On this beautiful President’s Day Sunday afternoon, people were out in full force. Kids were playing, adults were sipping wine and there was a general "gee, it’s good to be alive" feeling in the air.

My two traveling companions had never been on an American picnic before, so they were enjoying soaking up the local culture as much as I was. After lunch we did get to stop at two wineries to do a little tasting, but time was once again getting away from us.

Sausalito


With no real plans for the evening, we made a stop in Sausalito and wandered along the waterfront, overlooking the sparkly view of San Francisco in the distance. We weren’t actually hungry enough to eat yet, although Naoko was hoping to be able to enjoy some native Clam Chowder soup somewhere.

Back in the city we were feeling strangely mellow and couldn’t quite decide what it was we wanted to do (and/or eat.) We wandered from Union Square to Chinatown and back (a fairly adventurous walk) and maybe it was because it was late, or maybe because it was Sunday night, there were surprisingly few restaurants open at that time.

We finally settled on Lefty O’Douls (a little bit by default, because there weren’t a lot of options open to us) and were totally thrilled by the VERY affordable prices here, as well as the live music. We spent some time listening to the singer and just enjoying the cameraderie before returning to Hilton.

Open Your Golden Gate

I know that every time I travel I say “This is my favorite place to visit in the world.” In fact, I think I might have just said that in my previous blog post. (Because Fiji really is one of my favorite places on earth.)

Truth be told, though, San Francisco has always held a very special place in my heart. Ever since I was 12-years old and learned that San Francisco would replace chilly Ontario, Canada as our primary place of residence. Now that I live in LA, I can’t really imagine living anywhere else, but whenever I plan a trip to San Francisco, I still get the same joyful feeling I did when I was 12.

Road Trip!

This time was no different. I would be traveling up the 5 freeway with my friend Naoko (from the Japan National Tourist Organization). The drive took longer than it normally does (I think because I had company in the car, I was less prone to pushing my car to obscene over-the-limit speeds.) Rather than take the “northerly” route (as I call it) across the 580, I’d planned a trip up through Gilroy, where the drive requires more attention but the local flavor and scenery is far more interesting than the quick drive through Pleasanton could ever be. Besides, what’s a trip to San Francisco without a stop at Casa de Fruta?

Naoko was most amazed by the full wall of garlic products, and I made sure to stock up on my favorite treat, garlic-stuffed olives. After stocking up on candies, nuts and other supplies for the remaining hour or so, we were back on the road.

Hilton San Francisco

In San Francisco, we had reservations at the Hilton San Francisco in Union Square.

I’m a big Hilton loyalist (I love their double dip HHonors Points program that doesn’t make me split my loyalties between United Airlines and Hilton Hotels.) I can’t rave enough about how wonderful this property was, as well as how awesome the view was from our 20th story bedroom.

At the Hilton we met up with the third member of our party, Jemma, who is a Korean girl, living in Japan and visiting the U.S. Being an international crowd, we quickly decided on dim sum as our first meal, and were soon head to Yank Sing, one of the city’s finest places for dim sum.

After our LATE lunch, we enjoyed a leisurely, but long (this is a walking city) stroll along the waterfront, enjoying the new developments along the way.

Sunset Ferry Ride

In fact, our walk was so leisurely, we barely made it in time to catch a sunset ferry ride to Tiburon, Sausalito and back.

Those of you not familiar with San Francisco, there is a famous saying along the lines of “I never spent a winter so cold as a summer in San Francisco.”

It can get mighty bitter in the fog, and on the water, after dark, in February is certainly no exception. Although we were shivering our tails off, we just couldn’t resist staying on deck to watch the Technicolor sunset behind the Golden Gate bridge.

Upon our return we wandered through the stalls at Fisherman’s wharf tempted by the crab offerings along the way. Craving the city’s speciality, we ended up at Joe’s Crab Shack for dinner. None of us were starving, having only finished lunch a few hours earlier, but we enjoyed the specialty drinks and a host of crab-themed appetizers and entrees.

Upon returning to the Hilton, we caught our first look at the AMAZING view of the city from our 20th story hotel room, and fell in love. My camera doesn't do great night shots, but here we are overlooking the civic center, opera house area and the twinkling lights dotting the hills in the distance.

Spa Day in Fiji

Although we started the day today with a fabulously sunny morning, by mid-morning we’d devolved into more rain. At this point I received an email from Air Pacific confirming my flight back home later that night. Bummer. We kept hoping those rumors were just that.

I did manage to ease some of my sadness with a fabulous one-hour massage at the Mandara Spa at the Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa. This spa is one of my favorites in Denarau (admittedly, the only one I’ve really experienced here, but I just love the atmosphere.)

Set up in a landscaped, protected courtyard, the spa sits in the middle of the resort overlooking the ocean, and yet is totally cut off from the property. The spa probably has some of the most beautiful sunset views in Denarau. I've posted a photo, and am cheating a bit, because this is a press photo from the hotel, and not one I actually took on this trip.

As Janie and I arrived for our treatments, a massage therapist remembered me from my last trip to the Sofitel. According to Ili, studies have been done on the remarkable abilities the Fijians have for remembering names and faces. This ability to remember guests as valued friends is such a large part of what makes the country so welcoming.

At Mandara, I enjoyed a blissfully traditional massage. Okay, I think I enjoyed it, but I sort of fell asleep somewhere in the middle.

After the massage we managed to gather enough energy to find our way to the Westin Denarau where we enjoyed lunch on the patio and another fabulous wood-fired pizza. At lunch Ili confirmed we were indeed being sent home that evening. Did I mention, bummer?

After lunch, Ili, Janie and I went back to the Radisson where I enjoyed one last ice coffee before returning to my room to pack.

Because the Sofitel was holding a “Fijian Night” performance that night, we decided to partake in that event before Ili drove us back to the airport. First we enjoyed a traditional Kava Ceremony, which is a welcome ceremony used throughout Fiji. Next, we enjoyed more traditional music, performed by a local group. (In the picture you see visiting children and local cannibals enjoying the performance.)

After the performance, we went into the buffet to enjoy a lovo (traditional feast.) Oh dear, I seriously overindulged here, and ate far too much of everything on the buffet. Kokoda, of course, but also fresh water muscles, grilled-to-order meats, and what was seriously my favorite thing in the word, a made-to-order Caesar Salad with enough garlic to make me cry.

All too soon, Ili was driving us to the airport, and it hardly seemed possible that our trip had already come to an end. We did enjoy a very lovely upgrade to Air Pacific’s Tabua (business) class which was a fabulous way to end the trip. If you’re an amenity collector to me, Air Pacific has a wonderful in-flight bag for its Business class users, including several Pure Fiji lotion products.

I more or less slept the entire 8 hour flight home, and landed in Los Angeles with no problems. Already, though, I’m checking my calendar to see when I can go back.

Visiting Nadi

Although we were scheduled to head up to the Pacific Harbor region of Viti Levu today, the inclement weather prohibited us from getting much further than downtown Nadi (and even that turned out to be a bit of an adventure drive.)

The ongoing weather situation has caused many hotel properties throughout the islands to be on limited or reduced resources. With more rain in the forecast, it is unclear what our schedule would be. At one point during the day we even heard rumors of us being sent home early, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we can salvage parts of our trip.

In the morning, Janie and I enjoyed another leisurely breakfast watching the rain and gale-force winds go toe to toe with Pacific Ocean. After breakfast, I took up temporary residence in the bar to utilize their free WiFi. God Bless the Radisson. Cyclones, power outages, but not one single wireless interruption.

Although I was supposed to be working, I kind of ended up just hanging out. My computer became the business center annex, as many people in our group used it to check in with loved ones back home. Meanwhile I spent my time getting to know the bartenders (Jutta, Kevin, and a number of others) and sucking down more ice coffees with vanilla ice cream. I can think of a lot worse ways to spend the day.

In the afternoon, Ili needed to drive to her office to pick up some materials, so Janie and I, and Georgette, another journalist in our group decided to join her on the drive to town.

After stopping at the office, we stopped at one of the local produce markets. Despite the weather, locals were busy catching up on commerce and gossip.

The Fijian people seemed to take the inclement weather in stride, and even as we watched the local populace wade their way through the streets, we only saw smiles and laughter all around.

Later, I re-opened the temporary business center and as the rains calmed down some I continued to hold out hope that by tomorrow we would be able to rejoin our regularly scheduled itinerary already in progress.

In the evening Janie and I headed over to the Fiji Beach Resort & Spa Managed (AKA the Hilton) to enjoy dinner there. This shot of the Hilton pool showed just how gorgeous the island looked, even in the bad weather. In the distance, though, notice the speck of a man in a blowing rain coat, which will give you an idea of just how windy it was.

Although we’d already enjoyed two fabulous dinners in Denarau, this one was probably the best one yet. I had fish steamed with coconut milk (so, so good). What made dinner especially fun is that the bartender, Seta, was the bar manager at the LikuLiku when I stayed there last year. As is the Fijian way, he remembered me from my last visit, once again demonstrating why visitors always feel so at home here.
After dinner, Janie and I decided to take our chances and walk back to the hotel because to quote Janie, “it isn’t that far away.” Three seconds after we started walking, we were soaked through, so we spent most of the “walk” running along the beach squealing like little kids as we tried to find palm leaves to protect us from the downpour.

Water, Water Everywhere

The rain we never saw last night during dinner, found us sometime during the night. This morning we woke up to find ourselves smack in the middle of Tropical Cyclone Gene. Now I’ve seen Mother Nature wrathful before, but nothing like this. And the Radisson with its open lobby and restaurant areas gave us a front-row view of the effects 140 km/hour winds can have.

Janie and I enjoyed a lengthy breakfast, meditatively contemplating the wind and rain as it pounded the surf. (We watched through a screen that kept most of the wet away from our breakfast.) We were so impressed with the water’s fury, we were moved to order a second ham, cheese and tomato sandwich on croissant.

Our morning meetings were all put on hold, as most of the transportation on Denarau Island had been cancelled, making it difficult to transport our group (which was scattered throughout different hotels on the island) to the meeting venue.

So instead we spent a quiet morning at the hotel. Of course, I found the bar, where I indulged in my ice coffee addiction, complete with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (bad Weight Watcher) and took advantage of the hotel’s free wireless service.

Lunch consisted of wood-fire pizza (I know, pizza in Fiji? What can I say, it sure tasted yummy), after which our group organizers decided to forge ahead with the meetings. At this point we spent hours meeting a large number of hoteliers and suppliers from around Fiji. Overwhelming how many wonderful properties there are yet for me to explore.

Outside, it was still raining, so Janie and I joined our wonderful host Ili Matatolou, the Regional Director of the Los Angeles office of the Fiji Visitors Bureau, who invited us for a most delicious dinner, the popular seafood buffet at the Sheraton Fiji Resort. I enjoyed second helpings of Kokoda, which is a Fijian specialty (one of my favorites), and is basically ceviche prepared with coconut milk. Yum!

The Fiji Bitter beer, the wine with dinner and the general overloading on excellent seafood caused me to enter a coma pretty much the second I got back to my room, and if the winds continued to blow outside my room, there is no way I could tell for sure.

Back to Fiji

A week after my birthday, and I’m heading back to one of my most favorite destinations in the world, the Fijian Islands. This trip was supposed to happen in December, but due to some scheduling issues, it got moved to January, and I feel like I’ve been waiting FOREVER to leave.
The flight (fortunately for Air Pacific) was quite full. As a member of the travel industry I always meet this news with mixed feelings. I’m delighted of course, for the airline, but selfishly hate not having an empty seat next to me.

Nadi

After our night-time departure, we arrive early in the morning at Nadi (pronounced “Nandi”) International Airport. At the airport I’m fortunate enough to meet a fellow journalist, Janie, and it pretty soon becomes obvious that Janie and I are friends who were just waiting to meet.

On my last trip, I’d toured the Radisson Resort Fiji Denarau before it had opened, so I was looking forward to staying there. After check in, we had several hours to fill before our first meeting, and so many options of things to do. Tour the hotel, get a spa treatment, go swimming in what is being promoted as the largest pool in Fiji. Unfortunately I was sidelined by option D, taking a nap. I sat on the bed for a few minutes and the next thing I knew, I was out…

Conveniently, I did make it on time to lunch, a yummy buffet at the Radisson. I tried to remember that I’m being a good “Weight Watcher,” and so chose to forgo the yummy-looking chocolate covered banana bread at lunch figuring I would see it again later in the week. (You know what they say about resisting temptation, it may never come around again. Sadly, that was the last we ever saw of those cakes.)

After an afternoon of business meetings, I did have enough free time to snap a few photos of the Radisson Hotel at dusk.

Our evening program, which was originally scheduled to be held at an outdoor venue at the Westin, was moved at the last minute to an indoor location at the Sheraton due to the threat of rain. At the Sheraton, we enjoyed a lovely buffet dinner capped off by a native Fijian performance.



The music in Fiji, is one of the reasons why I’m so in love with this country. No matter where you go, you will always find Fijians singing. If you are in a hotel or resort, and the workers are on a break, they will almost always migrate over to a common area and start singing. Visitors are always welcomed with song, and as I’ve mentioned in past posts, “Isa Lei,” is the official farewell song, which most people will hear on their final night or upon departing.

Our Final Day

Oh my gosh, it is our last day in Fiji and here are the things I still haven’t done:

Fishing
Snorkeling
A relaxing meal poolside
River Rafting on the Navua River
Tour the new spa at the Shangri La

So today was all about packing in as much activity as I could in the few short hours we had left.

First, in Fijian tradition, I had to enjoy the hotel’s lovely breakfast buffet. Lata had told me the ocean-side seats fill up quickly, so I made it a point to get there early. I left my room, just after pausing to catch this gorgeous shot of the sunrise from my balcony.



Call Me Ishmael

Then, I signed myself up for an early morning fishing trip. I got to the activities center a little early, so even managed to squeeze in 30 minutes of “relaxing” time, lying on a deck chair by the lagoon.

The fishing trip was about as wonderful as I hoped it would be.

Other than the captain, I was the first to pull in a fish.

When I asked Captain Nate what kind of fish I caught, he told me “it is a goldfish that escaped from his bowl.” What was sad was little Nemo Junior died before we could throw him back in the ocean, so we had to cut him up for bait.

That was also the last fish I caught that day. (Pretty much as expected.)

One gentleman on the boat did okay, pulling in about four fish, although he wouldn’t be winning any prizes for size. His friend (who asked to be left nameless due to the shame) didn’t manage to catch anything.

Romantic Wedding Chapel

Later Barbara and I caught up with Lata for an insider tour of the new “Chi” spa that is scheduled to be opened in July. These are deluxe little mini-villas that will serve as both massage bungalows and private accommodations. They are still in the early building stages, but the place is already looking pretty impressive.

We also stopped at the Shangri-La’s oceanfront Chapel, and if I ever accidentally get married, this would be the place I want to do it. A small patio out back

At Last, Snorkeling

I enjoyed a lovely lunch with Lata before I finally went off to engage in some snorkeling. The activities directors recommended I stay inside the roped off swim area. At first I was disappointed because the coral was beyond the rope. Not having much time, and not knowing exactly how much time I would need, I elected not to swim to the coral, which I kind of wish I would have. However, once I started paying attention, and stopped my self pity party I was amazed by the volume of sea life hanging out in the busy swim area.

I can feel my sister the marine biologist shaking her head at me as she reads this, because of course I have no idea what the names of most of the fish were, but I do know that I was being chased by some tuna (small by tuna standards, but still about two feet long, which is big enough for me.)

I also did see a sea snake, which I thought might be something else, but later ran into Captain Nate who confirmed the black and white and yellow thing that looked like a snack was indeed . . . a snake. I saw a rock fish, countless Sweet Lips, and numerous other fish that I have NO idea what the heck they were but made up my own cute little names for. Here’s the part where my sister wonders how such a hopeless science retard made it into her family.

The End

Time was pulling to a close, and since I stayed in the water thirty minutes longer than what I'd intended, I was rushing a bit to get my act together before leaving.

After check out, Barbara, Lata and I enjoyed a final farewell drink at the beachside Bilo Bar. You can see my nose is a bit rosy from this morning’s fishing excursion. Behind is you can just barely make out the very end of a most fabulous sunset.

During happy hour, the resort hosts a nightly singing contest among the staff members. This is hugely popular with resort guests who all come down to root for their favorites.

As we were leaving the resort, Lata gave us a bag of press kit information and inside we found our very own collection of fabulous Pure Fiji products. How lovely of her to help me with my substance collection problem. The bag will sit somewhere at home in a place of honor. Until I decide to actually have my mini spa day.

What a perfect way to close out our magical Fiji adventure.

The Shangri-La Fijian Resort

This morning we enjoyed a second “go” at the fabulous breakfast buffet (custom made beignets, and I’m not even that embarrassed to say I ate three of them).

In the lobby of the Outrigger we were serenaded with the traditional farewell song "Isa Lei" (again this is an abbreviated clip, but I promise next time I’m bringing a bigger memory stick.) As always, I got teary eyed listening to people that I really started to think of as friends wishing me well.



Here, Barbara and I are wearing our fancy new tye dye shirts, as we made our farewells to the staff. By the way, if you want to know which of the handsome men in the picture are available, Fijian custom states that single people wear the flower in their left ear and married people wear it in their right. Good information to know.

The Shangri-La Fijian Resort

Our final property was the Shangri-La Fijian Resort. To be totally honest, and I know I shouldn’t admit this, I was not looking forward to this property as much as the others.

It is Fiji’s largest resort, and even in Fiji people kept saying to me “The Fijian? They have a lot of kids there.” I’m not so much a fan of kids (or even adults) in large groups, so I was totally worried this would be what I call “meet market tourism” at its worst.

Of course a bad day in Fiji is still a pretty good day. But I needn’t have worried, because I just loved the place.

Options on Two Sides

See if you can picture this. The resort lies on the tip of a small peninsula and so has an ocean side and a lagoon side. The ocean side (which tends to cater more to adults only) has the fabulous views we’d come to expect of Fiji. Because there were less formalized activities on this side, it had a more remote, romantic feeling to it.

This the section is where the hotel placed its private gazebo, where couples can book a romantic dinner for two overlooking the ocean.

The lagoon side, which is more protected from tidal influences, is set up for families, with a dedicated swimming area, activities center, hair braiding, beach cafes and a host of other things to add to the to do list.

We ended up in rooms overlooking the adults-only pool, and naturally my first thought was “thank goodness.” But I’m so contrary, I ended up spending most of my time in the more crowded section of the resort.

On the "family" side is where we ultimately decided to have lunch. Really, there were too many dining choices for us to experience them all, but we liked the informal feel of this restaurant. As had become our tradition, we enjoyed tropical drinks for two, with a fabulous lagoon view in the background.

A Relaxing Afternoon by the Adults-Only Pool

In the afternoon Barbara visited more jewelry ladies but I’d already blown my shopping budget and decided to have a nice massage in one of the pool-side bures. At first I was a bit stressed about having to disrobe in what was very much an open environment, but the massage therapist was very professional and it wasn’t a problem. When I first lay down I worried about who might be looking in at me in my semi-nude position, but soon after she started, I stopped caring.

After the massage we had enough time for tropical drinks. Can you call a blended ice mocha tropical? With the cute little umbrella in it, how could it be anything but? We drank them poolside as we watched the sun start set.

Eventually we meandered along the tide pools to commune with the sea life. I even saw something that looked suspiciously like a sea snake, but later I learned they were sea cucumbers. With my love of snakes and all, I just wasn't thrilled to see any three-foot-long, tube-y thing, and there were plenty of them.

It’s the Fijian People

It is quite easy to become fast friends with most of the people you meet in Fiji. I truly believe the people are what set the country apart. You feel like you’re visiting family when you come here. You’ve heard me mention numerous people by name in this blog, and I left the country feeling like they were all my new best friends.

At the Shangri-La, the sales & marketing director, Lata was no different. By the time we had dinner, at Kalevu, the resort’s fine dining establishment, we were laughing like old friends. In a country where two-hour meals are common, we found ourselves dining well into the third hour.

I even felt comfortable enough to admit my substance abuse problem to Lata. You see, I can't stop collecting the fabulous shampoos and soaps they have here. Every resort has given us high-end products like "Pure Fiji," "L'Occitane," and other deluxe and designer names. Rather than using the product I'm collecting them all to use them at home when I need a little mini Fiji vacation. By now, I need a small bag to contain my whole collection.

After dinner, Barbara and I checked out the 80s night disco, but as always found ourselves nearly comatose from all the food we consumed, so soon headed back to our rooms to catch some well-needed rest.

Outrigger on the Lagoon

So finally, finally this morning I’m going snorkeling.

I've already been in Fiji for five days and haven’t yet seen any reef fish. I had it all worked out, a resort-sponsored kayak snorkel trip at 8:30 am, (preceded by another fabulous buffet and I wasn’t even too embarrassed to be all American and enjoy the custom-made waffles.)

So while Barbara went off to luxuriate with a facial, I packed gear, swimsuit and went off for my marine adventure. Too bad the weather was a tad too rainy and windy to comply with my needs, and the trip didn’t happen.

It was all right though, I hadn’t even checked emails in four days, so I spent the morning in my room, gazing at the ocean and getting caught up on work. Had a nice ice mocha (because it was just a little too early to enjoy the lovely bottle of Shiraz the hotel left for me.)

Kula Eco Park

Barbara and I met up around 11 am and after enjoying a few minutes (or so) of more jewelry shopping, we headed across the road to the Kula Eco Park. Fijians, apparently aren’t so big yet on animal preservation habitats, so this is kind of a one-of-a-kind attraction in Fiji.

With an unofficial partnership with the San Diego Zoo, this place was pretty impressive. Everyone told us we'd need about 45 minutes, but we stayed there nearly three hours.

After we fed the sea turtles (so adorable, and they made me think of Raoul and El Mariachi, my red eared sliders back at home), we wandered around chatting with the birds and playing with the lizards.

Here you see me playing with my new friends. Later I even served as a snake charmer with a baby boa constrictor, but since snakes basically freak me out AND since I could feel that sucker squeezing my fingers, I didn’t hold onto him that long.

Back at the hotel, and by the way, since the eco park is a good 30 minute walk across the road, the resort will drive you over there with their golf cart service, we felt the need to nourish ourselves. It wasn’t really hunger so much, since we’ve been eating a ton of food since we arrived, but we’d been hearing RAVE reviews about the pizza, so we had to sample it.

I’m not sure I can actually think of anything better than actual wood fired pizza in a little restaurant overlooking the sea. I mean really, the pizza was so heavenly (mine was Ribeye with Asparagus Spears and Barb’s was Smoked Salmon with pickles and crème fraiche). I'm running out of superlatives to mention just how great the food was. Every meal we think we've had the best, and it just keeps getting better.

Fiji Time

Wed been planning to take the hotel’s tye dye course at 2:30, but since we were still eating at 3:15, we pretty much had given up that idea by the end of lunch.

However God bless Fiji time, as they call it. I found this island mindset totally endearing once I got over my anal everything must be as it was planned feeling.

At any rate the activities staff had known we were planning to do the tye dye, so they actually waited for us to show up. Nearly an hour late and they still had all the paints out on the grass waiting for us.

Here you see a photo of William (the son of two of the hotel's sales, marketing and management staff) who was enjoying a leisurely Sunday off from school and generally helping make our stay so fabulous all day long. He's got a big smile because earlier that day he won the chocolate ice cream eating contest.

After tye dye, I just had barely enough time to get up to the spa to enjoy my own massage, which was probably perfect. I zenned out (even snored) for most of it, just enjoying the lovely, relaxing long strokes. And since we were so high above it all, this was probably a smidge closer to heaven than anything else I could have been doing.

Valet Service Followed By Dinner

Now I had to race back to the hotel, so I didn't miss today's butler service and again Barb and I enjoyed sipping champagne while overlooking the ocean and watching the sunset. By the way, all that racing to the hotel was just me being anal. If guests missed the Talei service, in true Fiji fashion, you could later and say I missed my service can you bring me my champagne now?

Dinner tonight was at the hotels IVI Restaurant, their fine dining establishment. In a place with food that is already a cut above, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. And may I add, if the alarming quantities of food we'd already been consuming were making your eyebrows raise, tonight we outdid ourselves.

For starters I had the traditional Fijian dish Kokoda (the coconut milk ceviche which has quickly become one of my favorite dishes here) and Barb enjoyed a potato leek soup. We shared the seafood lovers dish (for two) in our near-romantic little night. Lobster fried rice, tempura oysters and course sizzling prawns in black bean sauce. For dessert we enjoyed a chocolate fondue (also for two) and may be the only people on the planet who didn’t finish the fabulous banana bread dipper. The fresh cut fruit was too good, so we focused on that.

Flaming coffee drinks capped the evening, and we were barely able to stagger back to bed before passing out in a food coma. Here, the handsome and single (check the flower in the left ear) Apisai blazes up some fabulous post dinner coffee.

Post Conference Site Inspections

I know that yesterday I mentioned, in passing, how great the breakfast buffet is here at the Sofitel Denarau, but I just wanted to make sure that I emphasize it again.

This morning I was definitely NOT of sound mind or body (not so much from too much alcohol last night, but more from too little sleep), and the lavish buffet was incredibly rejuvenating. Deciding between the made-to-order breakfast steaks (yep, on the buffet) and all the many, many other delicacies was a tough decision. Fresh fruit of course, pancakes and bacon. And oh, what the heck, hand me one of those steaks while you're at it.

And you know how they say that after a night of carousing, grease is the best thing to get you back on your feet. So it really was in my best interest to try everything there. Barbara was quite pleased with her vegemite sandwich (not the only thing on her plate either), but thanks to her, I had Men at Work lyrics running through my head all day.

Outrigger on the Lagoon

With the closing of the BFTE conference, we headed out early this morning to enjoy the rest of the “site inspection” part of the trip. Today we were transferring to the Outrigger on the Lagoon Resort on Fiji's Coral Coast. Truth be told, this was the property I was most excited to see before my trip.

Not to belabor the power of the internet, but of all the properties we stayed at, the Outrigger had the website that offered the best information on their activities, so I already showed up with a laundry list of things I wanted to do. Deep sea fishing, how cool. With my love of all things nautical, fishing is an incredibly fun way for me to spend the day. And with my terrible track record in actually catching fish, I don’t even have to worry about being a fish murderer.

The resort totally lived up to my expectations, but I didn’t nearly get to spend enough time doing everything I wanted. Spa, fishing, or eco park. Decisions, decisions.

Award-Winning Cuisine

The staff at the Outrigger is quite pleased to tell everyone that they were Fiji's first five-star resort. The next thing you'll learn quite quickly is that their Executive Sous Chef, Shailesh Naidu has won numerous awards, including the global "One World Culinary Competition." And oh yum the food here sure reflects that. Now we haven’t been eating slop this week, so for the food here to stand out really says something.

For lunch I had Mongolian Barbecue (old school, actually cooked up on a large, round griddle) and Barbara was delighted by the lamb curry. Unlike her Vegemite breakfast, I did sneak a taste of her lunch. Heaven.

After lunch we supported the local ladies with the purchase of numerous pieces of jewelry. Navy blue pearls, need I say more? A quick stop at the hotel’s “Art Cart” also cost me a few hard-earned dollars. okay more than a few, but how could I resist the local art?

Bebe Spa

In the afternoon, we enjoyed a pre-opening tour of the brand new Bebe (pronounced Benbe) spa, which will be opening in two days.

Perched high a top a hill overlooking the resort, the views were out of this world. I think this is always how I thought Valhalla would like. The spa has its own glass-enclosed meeting room, which will surely become a favorite wedding site in Fiji, and the views from the treatment rooms are so beautiful its almost a shame to spend the time lying down looking at the floor. Almost.

Talei Service

After our hotel tour, Barbara and I had to rush back to our rooms by 5:00 pm, to make sure that we didn't miss the Talei butler service. Think champagne and snacks delivered to your room by the hotel's most handsome valet staff. Seriously, champagne and an ocean view, what’s not to love?

We enjoyed the hotel's torch lighting ceremony from our balcony and just took in the Fiji vibe, with the sound of the ocean waves in the background.

Now with a glass of champagne to warm me up, you’d think I didn’t have enough room left for dinner, but oh yes I did.

The hotel offered a fancy little performing group at the bar adjacent to the restaurant, but with our day of excess, we were once again too tired to enjoy much nightlife.

Fiji’s Coral Coast & Pacific Harbor

Today Barbara and I along with Sarah, a journalist from New Zealand were taken on a tour along Fiji’s lovely Coral Coast up to the Pacific Harbor area. This was a new adventure for me, so I was thrilled with the chance to see new attractions

Fiji Arts Village

Our first stop was at the Fiji Arts Village, which is approximately a two-hour drive outside of Nadi.

Hard to describe accurately, this is kind of an all-in-one attraction. To be sure it had lots of little shops and restaurants (curry peanuts and ice mocha, oh my) but it went well beyond that. The coolest event was a fire walking ceremony and traditional performance which was fun and educational. The firewalkers actually strolled across hot stones that had been heated for four hours and did it without a whimper. Better them than me.

Afterwards we had lunch in a cute little poolside beach area inside the village. Day visitors to the village can pay a nominal fee to use the beach and pool, and guests at the adjacent Tsulu Beach Bunkhouse and Apartments had free access to the Beach. Shown here is a picture from Tsulu’s “Ocean” apartment, with its funky sea life wall paintings.

Tsulu is basically a dormitory/back packer property but each room is individually decorated and each one has a unique, funky, themed décor. Travelers on a budget should definitely check out this property.

After lunch and the hotel tour, we enjoyed a boat ride on the river running through the arts village. Our boat made numerous stops at bures and our guide walked us through the many aspects of traditional Fijian life, from boat making to mat weaving. We didn’t have nearly enough time to enjoy the village, and visitors should plan to spend at least four hours here.

Hotel Site Inspections

Back to serious work, we then toured several properties in the Pacific Harbor area, including the Hot Stones Villas. These two river-front villas were so totally adorable, I wanted to move in. One was a three bedroom property (up to six people) and the smaller villa next door housed up to four people. Both villas come with a private chef, housekeeper and nanny service if required. They both over look the river and the golf course beyond, and are both walking distance from the beach. Visitors seeking a private, intimate experience in Fiji, should take a second look at these properties.

Next we toured The Pearl South Pacific Fiji Islands.

First let me just admit that my affections can totally be bought, and that any hotel that welcomes me with an Ice Mocha is only going to get rave reviews from me. Having said that, I was pretty much won over by the lobby with its dramatic, eye-catching glass wall water fountain (a backdrop to the lobby bar), so it was pretty obvious this place was going to be special.

It is a snazzy, ultra-modern, totally cool property. It seems a bit of a Standard-esque, but feels more cozy and more welcoming than some of the similarly glitzy American properties. There’s a championship 18-hole golf course out back, and shark diving adventures just outside its doors.

Back at the Sofitel, Barbara and I enjoyed a lovely foot massage in the Mandara Day Spa, and it’s a toss up to me whether the hotel’s abundant breakfast buffet or the view from the spa is their best feature. Having a foot massage while watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean was a pretty good way to cap off the afternoon though.

BFTE Carnival

The trade show came to a close with a huge carnival set up on the Denarau Golf Course. Alcohol was flowing freely with the Fiji Malt House Brewery playing a starring role in my evening. The amount of food on the buffets was staggering, but the lighting was odd, so it was a little hard to tell exactly what I was eating.

Pretty much all the delegates asked the same question of the carnival rides. “Do you think the safety certificates are up to date?” We didn’t care though and even though my foot broke a hole through the bottom of the “spinny” ride upon boarding, I still wasn't to be deterred. Maybe I was feeling extra daring, or maybe the Fiji beer gave me an extra shot of courage, but I was totally up for “spew fest” as my new pals called it.

Speaking of new pals, here’s a photo of Allan and Terri of the Paradise Taveuni. Allan got his hands on a blinky ice cube and had great fun smiling a neon grin at unsuspecting passers by.

By the way, If you get a chance, check out the Paradise Taveuni website, which was a runner up in the Air Pacific Tourism Awards program.

Blatant Plug

Okay, I know this is supposed to be a blog of MY travels, but I just was over at the Paradise in Fiji blog and saw this fabulous photo of the whales near the Paradise resort. I know I'm blatantly ripping this image off, but how cool is it. Wish I could have been there....