Travel with Kids: Fiji

Sep 9, 2014


Travel is an important part of my life and something that we prioritise as a family. It is my aim for us to travel as a family to a different overseas destination each year. Making memories, sharing experiences, learning about new cultures, languages, foods etc. is something that I value very highly, so we save our pennies each year and I do a lot of research to get us to the places I want at the prices we can afford. I want my children to be empathetic, kind, contributing members of society and I think that giving them a broader view of the world and people as a whole will help them develop this and help cement them as caring citizens of the world.

For this year's international holiday with kids, we decided that Fiji would be a fabulous destination. Ever since holidaying together in Fiji many years before having kids, my husband and I always wanted to come back and do Fiji with kids.

The locals are generally very friendly, laid back and great with kids! Fiji is also only a 5 hour flight from Melbourne, Australia and you can fly direct as well (a mega bonus when travelling with kids).

We had previously stayed down on the Coral Coast of Fiji which is a lovely destination with nicer beaches than closer to the airport. It is quite a journey still once you're off the plane though, so this time we decided to stay in closer and explore a different part of Fiji.

Here are some of the pics from our week long adventure. See the bottom for related links and more info on the specifics of where we stayed, etc.

































Handy Links and info


Accommodation:

We stayed at Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau Island. It was a fabulous resort to stay at with kids. It's major features for us were:
  • Huge pool. This is where we spend most of our time so the pool is important to us. 
  • Waterslide. The kids (ok, and the adults too) loved this! What fun to have your own water slide to burn some energy running up to and sliding down over and over and over...
  • Easy walking distance to shops and restaurants (although, similar shops are already at the Sofitel and we discovered that the prices were the same as down at the Port)
  • Large grounds right on the beach with water sports available
  • Great breakfast buffet (breakfast buffet is my favourite part of a holiday, haha, this one had champers!) 
  • Kids Club. We only used this once as we were enjoying time together too much to need to use it but the kids insisted on going at least once. They had a great time.
  • The location. Denarau island is a great base to stay for getting around Fiji and for day trips out to the islands.

Location:

Denarau Island is attached to the mainland and is about a 15-20 minute drive to the airport. It houses Port Denarau which is a shopping precinct and includes Denarau Marina which is where you would need to go to for travel out to the other surrounding islands. There are lots of restaurants and shops at Port Denarau and it is very easy getting around either by foot (it was about a 10 min walk to the port from the Sofitel.. with kids walking) or by island bus (about $2 to ride and they run constantly).

Day Trip:

We only did one day trip out to an Island but it was a major highlight. The further out you go, the better the beaches and snorkelling get. If you're after the white sands and clear water, heading out to an island is a good start.

We did the Oolala Day Trip out to Savala Island. It was one of the few cruises that we didn't have to pay for the kids! (Kids under 6 were free!). It involved about a 45 min cruise out with the fantastic crew entertaining us (Did you check out the video?) and about a 1.5 hour trip back. The rest of the time was spent on the small island of Savala and there is more than enough things to entertain you while there. In fact, the only bad bit was not having enough time to do everything we wanted to. I could have stayed on that little island over night! Food (not hugely fancy but delicious) and drinks (beer, wine and soft drink) were all included throughout the whole trip. The snorkelling and all the water sports (kayaking, paddle boarding etc.) were included. It was a really fabulous day that was a highlight for the whole family. Highly recommended.

Other tips:

  • The Coral Coast of Fiji has lots of great resorts for staying with kids as well. Better beaches but more remote so a much further journey from the airport. (Which can sometimes be a bit frustrating with small children). The resorts down there will probably have slightly cheaper options than on Denarau Island (where all the resorts are 5 star) or on the individual island.
  • To stay out on the Island groups, usually means booking a long time in advance as they are very popular spots. For a first time to Fiji, I'd really recommend staying on Denarau Island if you can as it is a great base where you can get to everywhere and check out all the islands and other resorts for future stays.
  • There isn't any need to book in day trips before you go. Your hotel information will be able to easily help you with all the requirements you need.
  • Did you notice the kids cool SwimFins? We were sent these to try out and can safely say, we LOVE them. The kids confidence in the water improved dramatically, as did their swimming. We'd definitely recommend them. (We weren't paid or obliged to share this info, we received the swimming aids for free and genuinely loved them!)



Have you been to Fiji with kids? 


Happy travelling,
Debs :)


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