Travel to Viti Levu Island in Fiji

Introduction

In Fiji, there are hundreds of islands scattered over a large area, but most of the population (which counts about 800,000 people) is concentrated on the four largest islands, which are located near each other within a distance of several dozen kilometers. Of these four islands, the two largest and most important are Viti Levu, where the capital city of Suva is located, the city of Nadi where the international airport is located (as well as an impressive and colorful Indian temple), and the city of Lautoka; the second island is Vanua Levu.

♦ Recommended Accommodation on Viti Levu Island

Denarau Island

I recommend staying on this island at a charming and pampering resort in a place called Denarau Island, near Nadi. During part of your stay there, it is recommended to go on daily boat trips to the Mamanuca and Yasawa island chains, and of course, to tour the large island of Viti Levu on a guided tour or by private taxi.

The resort in Denarau is a kind of reserve of several high-quality 5-star hotels with well-equipped rooms, dreamlike and pampering beds and bathrooms, large and special pools, lush and well-kept vegetation, beaches, water sports, high-quality restaurants, a large and special lobby, and more. There is a frequent free shuttle service 24 hours a day between the hotels and the nearby port, which serves as an entertainment center at night and during the day as a departure point for cruises to the neighboring islands.

Among the pampering hotels in Denarau Island you can find: ♦ The Westin Resort The Westin Resort & Spa ♦ Sheraton Fiji Resort Sheraton Fiji Resort ♦ Sheraton Villas Sheraton Villas ♦ Sofitel Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa ♦ Radisson Radisson Blu Resort. ♦ Hilton Resort Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa

All the hotels in Denarau are located on the beach and are adjacent to each other. You can stroll along the beach during the day or in the evening (by romantic torchlight and typical Polynesian music) and visit all these hotels, each of which has a unique and luxurious design, blending with nature and the characteristic Fijian building style, and wonderful pools. Next to the hotels there is also a large and well-kept golf course.

In the hotel lobby, you can book trips to one of the islands in the Mamanuca island chain near Nadi, or to one of the more distant islands in the Yasawa chain which are more attractive, or go on a guided tour in Viti Levu island.

Recommended hotels in the capital city of Suva:

Grand Pacific Hotel- A historic 5-star hotel located in the city center, on the seafront. Built in 1914, it has since hosted many heads of state and celebrities, including the Queen of England. The hotel, surrounded by gardens, has a gym, pool, spa, five restaurants, and three bars. Each room has a balcony or patio. All rooms are air-conditioned. Free internet and parking. Holiday Inn Suva- A 4-star hotel in a central location with a pool, tropical gardens, and ocean views. The hotel has a gym and laundry service for guests. The hotel has a cafe, restaurant, and bar. Free internet and parking. Quest Suva- A 4-star apartment hotel in the center of Suva. 5 minutes walk from the port. The hotel has 54 studio apartments for couples and one-bedroom apartments with a living room suitable for three. All apartments are air-conditioned, with a kitchen/kitchenette. The hotel has a gym, washing and drying machines for guests, free internet and parking.

Booking attractions in Fiji from GetYourGuide.com:

Trips in Viti Levu Island

To travel around Viti Levu island, we went with a taxi driver who drove us for several hours around the island between different destinations we decided to visit. During the trip, we talked a lot with the driver and with various local residents and learned from them about their lifestyle, standard of living, livelihood difficulties, and the relations between the inhabitants, half of whom are original Fijians and half of whom are originally Indians brought to the islands by the British during the time of their empire. The Indians claim they are discriminated against in education (scholarships, etc.) and in the ability to purchase land. It seems that the original Fijians fear that the Indians will multiply and take over their country. The Indians are more industrious and actually this is the reason why the English brought them to Fiji because they are the ones who did the hard work of growing sugar cane in the fields, which is the island's main agricultural product. The Fijians claim that they maintain higher moral standards, do not drink or smoke, and have separate churches from the Indians. Despite this, everyone claims that they live in peace with one another. It is important for the Fijians to present a pastoral image of peace and brotherhood to tourists.

We started the trip around the island with a tour of villages in a somewhat mountainous area. The roads are really bad, full of potholes, and half of them are unpaved. The old taxi sputtered along with effort on the broken roads. The villages are quite poor, usually without paved roads, the houses are simple and basic. From there we continued through a dirt path to orchid gardens located in the forest on a mountainside. Inside a thick forest, they established orchid nurseries from which they transfer the orchids to the gardens.

In the gardens, there are wooden-paved paths with seating areas among the high trees, and orchids are scattered along the paths—it's nice.

The next stop on our tour was a traditional Fijian village where their president once lived. The name of the village: Viseisei. At the entrance to the village, you pass along souvenir stalls,

One of the local women accompanies the touring group for a guided tour. The payment to the guide is not defined; whatever you decide will be welcomed. The guide explains about the buildings, churches, and customs of the locals. Near a beautiful church, we heard the sound of a choir practicing.

When we were about to part from the guide, she asked where we were from and was very excited to hear that we were from Israel. She joyfully called her nephew and told him we were from Israel, and he also got excited and said they collected donations to help Jews from Russia immigrate to Israel and they think that the Jews are the chosen people. They even sang "Hava Nagila" in Hebrew in our honor. Heartwarming and moving!

From there we continued towards the sea to a hotel called "Mediterranean Villas" to a beautiful viewpoint called "Vuda Point".

Later we went down to a private yacht marina named: "Vuda Marina" which is located adjacent to a fuel tank farm.

The last stop on this trip was at a hotel named The First Landing, which was established at the place where the first Fijians arrived in the year 1500 BC. It is a pleasant hotel spread over a large area near the sea. When there is high tide, the place is a proper bathing beach, but at low tide, it is impossible to enter the water because it recedes very far away and one can only walk on the sandy ground full of crabs.

By the way, the beaches on the main island are less exciting than the beaches on the remote islands; the sand on the beach is dark and sometimes contains stones compared to pleasant white sand with very clear and clean water on the remote islands.

From the restaurant balcony there, we looked out at the beautiful view that included many islands from the Mamanuca Islands and we also saw Denarau island where we lived.

Trip to the city of Lautoka

A taxi ride to Lautoka, a commercial and non-touristy city that makes its living mainly from the sugar factory located there. Here you can see what life is like in a large and authentic city. The city streets are bustling with people. Stroll through the market, where there were rather strange and not very exciting vegetables and fruits, but the sellers are kind and welcoming,

Visit a local supermarket where you will see that the prices are expensive compared to the "neighboring" Australia or New Zealand and the selection is much more limited.