It is late and I am tucked up in bed. No jet lag, because Fiji is on exactly the same time zone as New Zealand.
We flew into Wellington a couple of hours ago, and were driven rapidly home by a manic Uber driver who spoke no English. I’ve unpacked and done a wash (uncharacteristically organized), finished my french homework, had a quick shower, performed my day zero RAT test (negative), the All Blacks have convincingly beaten Ireland in the first test, and now I’m ready for sleep.
Last night we stayed in the most luxurious accommodation of our trip, a beachfront unit at the Sheraton in Denerau. It was five times the price of our bure in Mango Bay. For that we got a TV we never watched; an indoor shower; air conditioning that was counteracted by a giant fluffy warm duvet; and tea and coffee making facilities that were so discrete we didn’t find them until five minutes before we checked out (which did then explain the mysterious carton of milk in the fridge).
The Denerau “Island” complex is like a cross between a Hawaiian resort and Disneyland. And a gated community. (Can you be a cross between three things? I can’t see why not. It’s not actually any sort of physical coupling that goes on in these imaginary crossings, is there?) There are a bunch of high end hotel/resort chains that are on a promontory which is beautifully landscaped with extensive golf courses, that is separated from the hoi polloi by a bridge over a river where access is strictly controlled. It’s only a 15 minute drive from the international airport at Nadi, so visitors can be kept protected from the unpleasant realities of life for the majority of Fiji’s population.
I hadn’t realized, but the climate seems different this much further north – hotter and dryer than where we’d been for the rest of the week, down towards Suva. Less damp and less mosquitoes was good, but the heat was pretty intense.
The resorts were all incredibly busy – we were lucky to find a room at short notice. Most people seemed to spend their time at the pool or eating. The sea was OK but very murky which was off putting, and there was no snorkeling possible, unless you wanted to sign up for a day trip elsewhere.
We had hoped to enjoy some fabulous food, so our lunch yesterday was a great disappointment. I was served the worst vege burger of my entire career – luckily Simon had over ordered so I ate his leftovers instead. Dinner was lovely, I must admit – a little waterfront bistro, a new moon, waves splashing, friendly staff, a man singing and playing the guitar not too loudly, and very nice food and cocktails. Magical.
Unfortunately, we were faced with more disappointment this morning. We’d paid extra for the included buffet breakfast, but when we arrived at the restaurant, the queue for breakfast went right out the door and across the hotel lobby. That was a big nope from us, so I just ordered a latte from the coffee shop, we checked out and then headed for the airport.
Well, I’ve written a lot more than is probably warranted by the events of our last 24 hours in Fiji. Did I even mention we finally found the giant sand dunes we’d been looking for at the start of our holiday? A big fail for Google maps on that one – in fact Google struggled our entire trip, not sure why?
A quick wrap up then – a lovely holiday, I would highly recommend Fiji, it will give you the holiday you’re looking for if you choose carefully.