In May 2017 I went to New Zealand and took the opportunity to visit the beautiful islands of Fiji in the south Pacific. I flew from Auckland to Nadi by Air New Zealand, my first time flying with this great airline. The trip is short, around a 3h flight. Fiji is an archipelago with more than 300 islands, and the airport is located in Nadi, in the island of Viti Levu. The view as we were arriving in the island is just breathtaking, with the different shades of turquoise becoming more intense, as we see the reef barrier that surrounds the island from above.
As soon as I arrived in Nadi’s airport the tropical heat made its presence known. There was live music in the arrival hall, but the line to go through immigration was a long one. I stayed over 1h waiting until I could go and get my bags. After getting my luggage I went to the local seaplane & helicopter airport lounge, to get my seaplane shuttle to Tokoriki Island Resort. I chose Tokoriki because of the reviews of the resort and because it was not that far from Nadi, but still had a great house reef to do some snorkeling. Because of the tide, which was low by the time my plane arrived, the seaplane was not the best option and the transport agency offered to change it to a helicopter trip instead. I freaked out because I’m very scared of flying small aircrafts, but after being convinced that the other option was a 10h boat ride, I decided to bite the bullet.
There was a couple in the heli with me, and our ride until their hotel was around 20 min from Nadi’s airport. Then, we followed to Tokoriki. The helipad is on a pier by the sea, so we arrived coming from the ocean and landing straight on the pier facing the hotel. The view was just unforgetable.
As soon as I stepped out, the reception was super friendly, I got a coconut necklace with the symbol of the hotel and live welcome music, all by the sunset, so the colors of the sea & the sky were amazing. One the managers, Niumaia, came and welcomed me to explain how the resort worked. I chose the meal plan system, with all meals included, which was expensive, but worth it, since there are no other dining options in the island.
The garden was well manicured with lots of tropical plants and birds (for my Fiji bird watching species check my post “Bird watching in a Fijian Resort” and at eBird), including lots of young palm trees. Later I discovered that due to the frequent typhoons that occur in the Pacific, the palm trees are frequently uprooted by the strong wind, which is a pity, because many islanders depend on the extraction of coconuts to live. There were lots of small fountains, where the birds bathed. In the afternoon it was common to watch the flying foxes feeding on the fruit trees and flying around the garden.
My room was right at the beach, no private pool, but it was really charming, with French doors opening to the garden. The room had a canopy bed, a small living room, air conditioning, ceiling fan, indoor bathroom & shower, and the best thing: an outdoor shower with coconut amenities. There was nothing better than taking a shower looking at the palm trees, and sleep hearing the sound of the waves. The sheets and the towels were top notch, everything was extremely clean and smelled delicious. Water was complimentary, and very fresh. Fiji has a volcanic soil, so the water is very famous for its properties.
The food of the main restaurant was very good, with options for all tastes, there was always a vegetarian option, a meat, a fish, and a dish with a more Asian motif. The best desert was the coconut ice cream, made there, which had a crunchy topping, also known as sandy, which was delicious. The staff was always very nice, all smiles, and very pleasant to talk to. I had the chance to eat two local specialties, the fern salad, very soft greens, and also the kokoda, which is Fiji’s national dish, and is similar to a Peruvian ceviche, but it uses coconut milk with the raw fish to balance the acid flavor. Very unique and takes me back to Fiji just to think about all these things.
The hotel had two swimming pools, one with salt water and the other with fresh water. They were right in front of the sea, great places to get some sun or read a book.
The tours offered by the hotel included Monuriki Island, where the movie Castaway was shot with Tom Hanks, and also the Cloud 9 Pier, a floating pizzeria in the middle of the sea, with great pizzas and snorkeling, what can be a better combination? The hotel offered daily snorkeling tours in the house reef, and they had equipment to borrow. I took my own kit, including my fins. The color of the fish and the coral was just the most beautiful I’ve ever seen in my life, although I have snorkeled before in Mauritius, and in the Caribbean. The water is extremely clear and warm. It was the first time I’ve seen clown fish in nature in my life.
The sea in front of the hotel was lukewarm, with very little algae, and the sand is very fluffy, not like Mauritius, where I had to wear the reef shoes because of the broken coral. The hotel also had a SPA, a TV room, a small library and wifi in the lounge area.
On the day I left the hotel the staff sang their farewell song (check it out in my YouTube channel here) and took me back to the helipad to go back to Nadi. A lifetime experience!
Vinaka vakalevu Tokoriki!
If you’re interested in planning your Fiji vacations here are some options at Booking.com