November 24, 2017

Mantaray Island Resort, Fiji

BULA!

Fiji is is an archipelago of more than 300 islands. It’s famed for rugged landscapes, palm-lined beaches and coral reefs with crystal clear lagoons. As we had just a short time here we decided to stay on just one island and chill out after all of our moving around in Australia.

Getting there

There are two ways you can get to the various islands around Fiji – the first is by boat which can take up to five hours, and the other is by sea plane. While the sea plane does cost that little bit more, we decided the time we would save was totally worth it. Not to mention the absolutely stunning views on route! Definitely a must do in my opinion!

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Staying there

We chose to spend our four nights at Manta Ray Island Resort on Nanuya Balavu Island, which is part of the Yasawa Islands. Here, guests stay in little huts right on the beach. While there are shared showers and toilet facilities (a bit of a pain!) they are kept very well and you kind of just adapt to it after the first day.

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The staff at Mantaray Island Resort are amazing. I have never met so many friendly people in one place. Everyone was so happy and bubbly, singing and dancing throughout the day.

Eating there

Like most places in Fiji, you are required to opt in to the resort meal plan. This meant an additional FJ$95 each, per day for our meals, which did not include any drinks (with the exception of tap water). To be honest the meals were pretty nice, however there was not much choice (especially for vegetarians). Also, the added cost of drinks in the evening did add on quite a lot to our budget that we weren’t really anticipating.

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Things to do

Each day, there is a board filled with activities – some free and some that you must pay for. These included swimming with manta rays, kayaking, cooking demos, basket weaving, and bracelet making to name a few. It was great to have so many things lined up for us to do throughout the day!

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Fiji is without a doubt home to the most amazing underwater life I have ever seen. I had so much fun exploring these underwater cities. There are so many amazing fish, we didn’t even need to go diving, the snorkelling itself was just incredible!

One morning we took kayaks and snorkel gear to a nearby beach across from the resort. Here we spent a few hours swimming around and checking out the coral and fish before heading back to the resort.

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One of the mornings, the guys from the activities hut started banging a drum getting our attention that Manta Rays were spotted in the channel by the resort and that we could participate in a Manta Ray swim. We jumped at the opportunity! It cost FJ$42 each, but it was absolutely worth it!

On Fridays, it is Fiji Day in Mantaray Island Resort and the staff put a massive effort into showcasing the traditional Fiji way – from Kava tasting to Lovo demonstrations to Meke (traditional Fijian dancing) they really know how to go above and beyond for the guests. It was amazing to be here to experience the Fiji culture, even their love of Kava (although I don’t think I have the stomach for it!)

If Fiji is not on your list of places to visit, I would highly recommend you get it on quickly. The people, the scenery, the water… just everything is out of this world! I will definitely be back.