Fiji Travel Guide
Tags: Fiji Resorts / Sheraton Hotels / Hotel Renovations / Hotel Pools / Hotel Hammocks / → All Tags
Sheraton Fiji Has Cool Pool But Half-Finished Rooms
The Sheraton Fiji Resort re-opened this month after a $22 million renovation, and the concept pics gave us high hopes about the results, especially when it came to the swimming pool.
The pool is now a 13,000 square-foot lagoon and it has three sections, meaning that noisy, splashing kids get banished to one part of it (we hope), and we can do the relaxed, sunbathing thing somewhere far away. Apparently they also have underwater day seats and overwater hammocks, two features that get us a bit giddy because, well, in case you haven’t guessed, we love good hotel pools.
But there are a few post-renovation (or perhaps, still mid-renovation) blues going down at the Sheraton Fiji.
Tags: Hotel Videos / Fiji Resorts / Outrigger Hotels / → All Tags
Outrigger Fiji Has Hotel Promo Videos That Are Nearly Worth Watching
While we might have been complaining recently about a few dull hotel videos, we found a slightly-above-average example today. The Outrigger on the Lagoon has just released what it's calling online DVDs which are, simply put, hotel promotion videos, but they're much more interesting to watch than the other stuff we've seen lately.
Yes, there's exotic music and promotional voiceovers, but the filming is pretty high quality and it all comes out looking very professional. Plus, there are lots of action shots of people doing what they should be doing on holidays--relaxing in a hammock with a drink, staring out at the view from their balcony, even sitting in bed (in their custom-made resort dressing gowns, of course).
Tags: Cubicle Dreamin' / Fiji Resort Reviews / Island Resorts / → All Tags
Cubicle Dreamin': Happy Birthday Yasawa Island
Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.
In this episode, Hotel Maven Amanda K celebrates a milestone, not hers, in Fiji. Enjoy.
I love celebrating birthdays, and I don't really care whose birthday it is. That's the reason my current pick for a dream vacation is a stay at the Yasawa Island Resort, which is celebrating its first birthday. I'm hoping they'll save a nice piece of cake for me.
Cake aside, Yasawa is described as one of the most isolated luxury resorts in Fiji, with its 18 bungalows tucked away under palm trees on a tiny island a half hour flight from Nadi. It also has the Baravi Spa with all kinds of great massage and spa therapies.
If I was in any doubt that Yasawa would be a great place for a holiday, their website got me with the slogan: "Fijians have fifteen words for heaven. The first one is Yasawa". On top of that they have a birthday special going where you can book for seven nights but only pay for five, valid until the end of March 2008. Yasawa, here I come.
[Photo: Jame]
Related Stories:
· Yasawa Island Resort: Ask An Aussie [HotelChatter]
· Hotels in Fiji [HotelChatter]
Tags: Fiji Hotel Reviews / Westin Hotels / Hotel Infinity Pools / → All Tags
Westin Fiji: Go For The Ocean, Stay For The Pool
The best part about Fiji's Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa is its infinity pool. It helps you pretend you're in the ocean without having to peel off layers of seaweed. Though the nearby beach is muddy and the water sludgy, the hotel coordinates plenty of excursion opportunities to other parts of Denarau Island where the quality of snorkeling rivals the Great Barrier to the west.
Since the $15 million renovation in 2005, visitors now say the hotel's amenities are closer to what they expect from a five-star Westin. The resort is spread over 30 acres. Guests have access to all the facilities at the adjacent Sheraton resorts including five restaurants, three bars and lounges and three swimming pools.
Guestrooms and suites, constructed using timber from native Fijian trees, has Westin's Heavenly Bed and Heavenly Bath, a 32-inch flat screen LCD TV, high-speed, Bose DVD player, and surround-sound home theatre sound systems. The Heavenly Spa by Westin features eight Fijian-style treatment "bures" (Fijian thatched roof huts) and two suites, a Vichy shower treatment room, a hydrotherapy room, a wet-edge lap pool, Jacuzzi, and a fitness center with state of the art fitness equipment.
Sure, you can't really go in the ocean, but who would want to leave the hotel grounds?
Related Stories:
· Fiji Hotel Reviews [HotelChatter]
Tags: Overwater Bungalows / Luxury Resorts / Fiji Resorts / → All Tags
Likuliku Lagoon is Ultimate Fiji Luxury
The luxury Likuliku Lagoon Resort in Fiji didn't quite make its planned opening in February, but finally on April 15 just gone its doors opened to guests. These guests, it should be mentioned, should be couples only. That's the stated target audience, so don't forget your partner.
Reviews from some of the first guests are overwhelmingly positive. From a simple "we can't wait to return" right through to a "we wept when we left", there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with Likuliku. The staff are extremely helpful and friendly, the food is fantastic, and the location is heavenly. And one couple mentioned how pleased they were to have warm chocolate cookies delivered to their room every day.
Likuliku has some opening specials, like 6 nights for the price of 4, or a special package for renewing your wedding vows, if you want to get all romantic; honeymooners always get a free "private location" lunch or dinner and a bottle of French champagne.
[Photo: Murrayswest]
Related Stories:
· Likuliku Lagoon reviews [TripAdvisor]
· Searching For The Perfect Overwater Bungalow: Fiji's First Overwater Option [HotelChatter]
Tags: Fiji Resorts / Nature Retreats / → All Tags
Go On Holiday, Save the Turtles
Eco-tourism is a nice way of making us feel a bit less guilty for taking time off work and going somewhere far away to do nothing, right? In that case, might as well make it cute eco-tourism. At the Treasure Island Resort in Fiji, you can combine an island resort getaway with giving some endangered turtles a helping hand.
Treasure Island is very proud (and probably rightly so) of its Hawksbill Turtle breeding program, and they're happy to let guests get involved. Especially if it means some more money will change hands: at the moment you can "sponsor" a soon-to-be-released (into the wild, not the cinema screens) turtle by making a donation. Of course, the lil' turtle doesn't get the cash in his pocket, but money goes to help the breeding program by building a new enclosure, and you get your name on a special tag. Since the turtles only lay eggs every three years, and there are boundless natural predators around ready to snap up the little ones, this program keeps them in captivity until they're a year old and strong enough to survive in the wild, clearly improving the chances of the species staying around for a bit longer.
Apart from the turtles, Treasure Island is a full-island resort (the island takes about 10 minutes to walk around), small enough to be friendly and not overcrowded even when full. It offers a lot of package deals to Australian families, so might not be the most romantic destination, but the reviews are solid. And of course you can help the turtles.
[Photo: Stormcab]
Related Stories:
· Treasure Island Resort Fiji reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Overwater Bungalows / Honeymoon Resorts / Fiji Resorts / Luxury / → All Tags
Searching For The Perfect Overwater Bungalow: Fiji's First Overwater Option
As winter storms brew here in the Northeast, our search for the perfect overwater bungalow is intensifying. Know an overwater bungalow resort hotel we need to check out? Hit us on the tip line.
Ah, don't you love that new overwater bungalow smell?
Likuliku Lagoon Resort is not only the brandest, spankinest, newest resort in Fiji (opens this month), but it is also the first and only Fijian resort with overwater bungalows.
Fijian hospitality, Melanesian architecture, and an overwater bure over Likuliku Lagoon, what more do you want?
All bures feature air-conditioning, music systems, phones, internet access, a DVD player, and incredible views of the lagoon.
The best part? This place is brand spanking new. No conflicting web hotel reviews to confuse you, yet, no glowing reviews from the travel glossy mags, yet, just you, and whoever you choose to bring with you to enjoy a virgin experience at Likuliku without a cluttered predisposition--that is rare these days. The only thing better would be if this place was named Likulikme--just couldn't help it, sorry.
Click here for another photo of Likuliku Bay.
Related Stories:
· Overwater Bungalows [HotelChatter]
Tags: Fiji Resort Reviews / Timeshare Hotels / → All Tags
Blenders and Luxury on Denarau Island, Fiji
Bloggers Lucy and Andy were proud of themselves recently: having a family member in the know, they managed to score a week at the Worldmark Denarau Island Resort in Fiji for only a few hundred dollars. This resort is part of the Worldmark "holiday share" program, where members can choose from a number of resorts to spend their "holiday credits" each year. Lucy and Andy would probably say that if you had to go back to the same resort each year, this one wouldn't be a bad one:
We stayed in a beautiful fully self contained villa overlooking the ocean. And when I say fully self contained...it had everything! A blender and all! ... Beautiful rooms, relatively tastefully decorated ("beachy" with the baskets of shells and wicker chairs, you know the style). Comfy beds, lovely staff, free bicycles/board games/bus/entertainment. The largest pool in the southern hemisphere (apparently) was conveniently located and had a swim up bar.
That's the nice thing at Denarau Island, you can splurge at their fancy restaurants or you can stay in and use the blender (and other kitchen equipment) to whip up your own meal--they'll go to the supermarket for you, just fill out the form!
Related Stories:
·Yasaw Island Resort, Fiji [HotelChatter]
·Worldmark Denarau Island reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Fiji Hotel Reviews / Hotel Activities / → All Tags
Jetskiing By the Dawn's Early Light in Fiji
If lazing around by the pool or doing some casually calm snorkelling outside your water bungalow is not enough for you on a holiday in Fiji, the Sonaisali Island Resort reckon they have what it takes to keep you amused. With paintball, jetskiing and sports fishing already entrenched on their Adventure Sports activity list, they're now promoting their new dawn jetski "safari adventure".
Along with your Sonaisali Jet Ski Guide, you'll start of by motoring along to some of the best snorkelling places in Fiji; when you've been down below long enough, the guide will take you mountain climbing to get a view over all the islands. Or you can spend a half day surfing on some of the great waves of Fiji.
At the end of these kind of action-packed days then you definitely need a good bed to lay your head in. Air-con and ceiling fans turn up everywhere (definitely necessary), and the best relaxation comes in the beachfront spa bures, where you'll find a private spa on your balcony.
Related Stories:
· Sonaisali Island Resort reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Fiji Resort Reviews / Honeymoon Resorts / Island Resorts / → All Tags
Yasawa Island Resort: Ask An Aussie
Every once in a while, Fiji seems to have a political coup. These coups take place about as often as the Olympics, and when they occur tourists tend to get squeamish about traveling to Fiji. When the islands are coup-less, tourists flock there. It is, after all, an island paradise.
We aren't going to pretend to understand the Fijian political climate, but we can tell you that since late last fall there appears to be a bit of unrest going on in the country. Furthermore, we can tell you a decent way to know whether or not now is a decent time to go to Fiji--ask an Australian. Fiji is to Australia what Hawaii is to the US, as far as vacation spots go. The Aussies always have their finger on the pulse of Fiji internal strife, when they aren't gripping a pint that is, but we digress.
Anyway, if your Aussie friends give you clearance, check out Yasawa Island Resort, a secluded 18 bure beach resort 25 minutes from Nadi--by island hopper.
Each bure has a big private deck, a hammock, outdoor showers, oh and, of course, they are beach front.
We couldn't find the exact location of Yasawa on Google Earth (stupid cloudy skies), but we attached the general vicinity map link below.
Bonus: You get a welcome "Bula" from a bunch of folks in neon green shirts. How late eighties.
[Photo: rich.byard]
Related Stories:
· Yasawa Island Resort Map [Google Maps]
· Yasawa Island Resort Reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Warm Weather Hotels / Luxury Hotels / Celebrity Scoop / Fiji Hotel Reviews / → All Tags
All We Want for Christmas is US $1,900...
....to cover the cost of our overnight extravaganza at The Wakaya Club, an exclusive island resort in the Fiji archipelago, a mere 3 ½ hour flight from New Zealand.
A night at this resort is the best gift you could ever give us for the holidays. The nine bures or Fijian cottages have soaking tubs and open-air lava rock shower stalls. Some of the rooms have personal plunge pools. The staff can deliver guests to a private beach, with a ready-made champagne picnic and a two-way radio in case someone forgot the sunblock. Play croquet on the David Niven Championship Court. Chow down on "Whole crispy pakapaka Sichuan style with stir fry vegetables and fragrant rice," with key lime pie for dessert. The website brags that the island has "a heady scent of frangipani and ginger mingled with ocean air."
Look, if it's good enough for Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban (it was reported they booked the entire island for a week), then it's good enough for us. We also think this is the same place where Keith Richards fell out of a coconut tree, so just go easy on those mai tais.
In the spirit of the season, maybe you'll opt for the $7,600 for one night at the resort's "Vale-O."It's a mere 12,000 square feet hugging the cliffside, with its own private chef, staff of six, and chauffeur.
Remember, it's the thought that counts.
[Photo: MarcMarc]
Related Stories:
· Wakaya Club reviews [TripAdvisor]
Tags: Underwater Hotels / Hotel Hype / → All Tags
A Virtual YouTube Tour of Poseidon Undersea Resort
The Poseidon Undersea Resort is not slated to open for another couple of years, but this week a virtual tour of the resort surfaced on YouTube. Furthermore, the resort website is claiming that starting January 15 2007 you can start making reservations at $30,000 per couple per week.
This all sounds suspect, since as far as we know this place isn't even built yet. Maybe they are opening a Second Life version next year--only half kidding.
Here is what we said a couple years back about this place:
In our fantasy reality program Poseidon Real World 30 is a mix of Survivor, Real World, and American Idol. Every couple of weeks the audience gets to vote one annoying cast member out of the pod and into the ocean. Then, we get to watch, on live television, as the annoying cast member is tossed through the transparent acrylic walls into the ocean and told to fend for themselves.
And here is what a YouTube commenter said about his vision for the resort:
All the bellhops should be like fish people. And when they talk, they just have bubbles come out of their mouth. And you would just tip them with coral or some fish food, and they're all happy to get it because they're fish.
Related Stories:
· Underwater Hotels [HotelChatter]
· 1,200 Square Feet Under the Sea [Popsci]
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