Tag: South Pacific

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Fiji – Savusavu

December 2023

Fiji’s North is the lesser known corner of Fiji, and those who come are richly rewarded with a real Fiji adventure: a different experience that makes for a really memorable trip. Savusavu town is on the south coast of Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second largest island and home to some world-famous diving.

Excited to go to Savusavu, it’s on Viti Levu, one of the other 333 Fijiian islands that I haven’t been to yet!

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort is located in one of the most beautiful places on the planet, Fiji. Overlooking the beautiful Savusavu Bay, it is barefoot family luxury and quintessential Fiji island serenity. The focus is on rest and relaxation, authentic cuisine and culture, and opportunities to explore the incredible secrets of nature and the local environment, especially the marine world!
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Found my spot in this pristine setting! I am surrounded by a marine sanctuary on this secluded coastline with coral reefs and exotic marine life, it is also an environmentally responsible resort while still luxury. Snorkeling and diving is a highlight here so that’s next!
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What a beautiful last day at Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji, sad to leave this paradise 💙

Savusavu is a lovely town strung along a waterfront street, backed by mountains and lush vegetation. Their Saturday Farmers Market is a large tented area full of tables laden with produce of all kinds where locals and tourists come to buy the usual tomatoes, lettuces, and green beans. Also tropical fruit, taro or kava root, peppers, cilantro, parsley, eggplant, cucumbers, bananas, chilies, and other interesting fruits and vegetables. The seafood market was even more fun seeing all the underwater delicacies and beautiful colored fish and crustaceans. Attached is a small handicraft market with beautiful locally made items that are perfect to bring home as gifts. Don’t miss a visit to the beautiful town, there are also so many interesting restaurants!
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Namale is an intimate tropical sanctuary on Fiji’s northern island of Vanua Levu, sprawled across a gorgeous cliff overlooking the Koro Sea. My villa is one of four private villas.

Bula House is the original Namale Villa perched at the edge of Namale’s lava cliffs. This villa is luxuriously furnished with a lounging area, billiard table, and dining table. The bedroom area offers a large 4-poster king bed, a sunken sitting room for two, a walk-in closet with changing area, a two-person shower, a jacuzzi spa tub, and a private outdoor shower. Two unique features of this Villa are the large deck with a plunge pool and lounge furniture, as well as private stairs leading down through the volcanic rock to the shoreline. I really don’t want to leave this sanctuary!
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I absolutely love my deck and pool overlooking the Koro Sea. Between the villa and this area, there is no reason to leave! I see why it is a favorite destination for jetsetters and celebrities because of its exclusivity and luxury.

I love the sound of the lali drum, a traditional style drum signaling significant and community events in Fijian culture, which lets you know the start of dinner. The Indo-Fijian cuisine is inspired by the rich flavors and traditions of the islands and is made with fresh produce, herbs, and vegetables from their own organic farm and local seafood markets, sooo delicious!

Flying Fiji’s Airways business class is like a bed and breakfast experience – a comfy place to get a full night’s sleep with a pair of good meals on either side. The comfortable seats are topped with black & white pillows decked in a traditional Fijian pattern. After dinner, wine and a movie, I went to the bathroom and asked a flight attendant to make up my seat for the night. When I returned, it was done, set cozily with a nice mattress pad and a plush duvet in the same Fijian pattern as the pillow. Just as I’d hoped, I slept comfortably for nearly seven hours before waking up to breakfast, a mimosa and coffee a few hours before landing. For an 11 hour flight to/from LAX, there really is no better way than Fiji business class. Thank you Fiji Airways!!
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Castaway Island Fiji

February 13, 2020

We left the Shangri-La Fijian this morning and headed towards the Mamanuca island chain.

Not my photos but too good not to show you how beautiful it is! But before all this we drove one hour to the port of Denarau.

It was a little rainy when we left the Shangri-La Fijian, first rain we’ve seen since getting to Fiji. The South Seas ferry to Castaway was a little over an hour.

Just a reminder of where Fiji is in the world.

Now zoom in on Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu to the right in the pic. The Mamanuca Islands are off the west coast and this is where Castaway Island is.

The ferry ride was beautiful, we saw a bunch of other island resorts that were just beautiful.

Here we are approaching Castaway on the small boat that they picked us up in. They come out with two boats to meet the larger ferry, one for the luggage and one for the guests.

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You have to see the water to realize it is even more beautiful than the pictures!

We were brought to our home on Castaway, a beachfront bure. These stand alone units, or “bures”, are nestled in the among the trees with beautiful views of the water. They give you plenty of privacy, are spacious and have a great front porch to enjoy the surroundings.

Let’s take a look inside the bure

These front two lounge couches can be beds for two kids or a great place to sit and relax in the bure.

The king sized bed has a separate room with sliding doors to close off the front area.

Rowan chose his bed. Look at the beautiful gifts and welcome from Castaway Island Resort!

The bathroom is a good size and has a separate shower to the left and toilet to the right, both in a separate room.

My favorite part of the bure is the handmade panels on the walls and ceiling! These are hand painted on bark by Fijian women. Each bure had some different patterns and designs but all equally beautiful.

I’m in love with our bure!! It’s perfect and has such amazing touches, I love the coconut body lotion they provide, the panels on the walls, the porch out front, the water bath for sandy feet!

Just a walk around the grounds…

We might get some more rain today, the sky looks so pretty.

The beach on the other side of Castaway from our bure. Inside the bar there is the paddle from the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks.

We spent the day settling in and exploring the island. The resort is small so it is very easy to get anywhere. Our bure is the farthest back and to get to the restaurant, reception, shop, water sports is about a 3-4 minute walk.

We found the family pool and took a swim. They also have a counter here with food, drinks and ice cream. You can have a late breakfast and lunch here.

This area of the pool is very shallow, it’s is about 2 feet and perfect for little kids.

The waterfall is a favorite no matter how old the kids are!

Water toys for pool fun 🏐

Walking back to our bure in the late afternoon.

This is what I love about the porch, watching the sunset and the kids in the water.

Just love the panels! The view out to the ocean isn’t so bad either!

What a welcoming sunset tonight! It was really hot and humid, just sitting was uncomfortable with the still air. I was trying to enjoy dinner but wishing for a cooler place! Dinner was amazing and I forgot all about the weather. This pork belly was amazing as were the other courses but my pictures didn’t look as good.

February 14, 2020

We slept great here, it was quiet and peaceful. We were so excited for our first full day here at Castaway. Rowan wanted to sail so after breakfast that was our first thing to do.

Breakfast, so happy they had congee, Rowan and I ate it every day. Plus the fresh fruits were so tasty. I don’t eat papayas at home, they never taste the same way they do in the tropics!

Excited for the day!

I managed to relax in the hammock for a little while after breakfast.

Rowan making friends already. Mary is awesome and helped us at the water sports hut.

We took out a catamaran and just zipped around. We’d stop and jump in the water to look at the coral and cool off with a swim.

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Castaway Island is so beautiful!

Every day there was a list of things you could do if you wanted. Today is Valentines Day so there was a nice dinner planned.

The food here is delicious, for todays lunch I had the grilled fresh caught fish and a fresh green salad.

Rowan was enjoying the sea life, especially this big curry fish!

Grant strolling along the beach with a coconut 🥥

Setting up for the Valentine’s dinner.

It was a beautiful evening!

Deconstructed Prawn Kokodo Salad, then Beef Tenderloin, it was an amazing dinner.

This area is where the buffet is served, breakfast every morning and dinner sometimes. High season it’s available every night as a dinner option, low season it’s every few nights.

The adult pool looks pretty lit up in the evening.

February 15, 2020

Another gorgeous morning in Fiji. This has been my favorite part of the day, having coffee out on the porch listening to the birds and the waves, it’s so peaceful.

Rowan and I walk along the beach to breakfast.

Beautiful view from the restaurant. Today’s activities are on the board. We decided to go to Cloud 9 today, a floating restaurant/bar in the middle of the ocean.

Castaway has a speed boat that takes us there, it’s about a 15 minute ride and we were able to see other islands and resorts along the way.

There it is, all alone out there!

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This was the favorite thing to do, jump off the second floor to do flips into the stunning water.

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I preferred to relax and enjoy a drink in the sun.

This is the second floor, lots of places to lounge. Those steps are what you use to jump off.

Rowan making friends with everyone. Especially the pizza guys, I’m sure it had something to do with him wanting to try all the different toppings!

I enjoyed some snorkeling too, there’s a reef right off Cloud 9. There was a pretty strong current so I didn’t go too far.

Representing Dream Vacations!

Family photo 2020!

We spent about 3 hours at Cloud 9 before we called to be picked up, it was a lot of fun, glad we went.

A walk along the paths of the resort, they are so pretty and lush!

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This is a great spot, above the water sports hut is the pizza place. They make individual pizzas that are really good! I was surprised to find good pizza in Fiji! Anytime I couldn’t find the boys they were usually up here, not sure how many pies a day they ate but I’m sure it was a few.

I always ordered the make your own, creamy white sauce, cheese, and vegetables.

That’s a Captain Cook Cruise ship, they make 3, 4 & 7 day cruises to the islands from the mainland.

The Castaway staff welcomes everyone who comes to the island, they sing, it’s really nice.

Rowan tossing a rugby ball with a friend.

The quiet pool is really pretty, there’s even a massage cabana right there for impromptu massages!

Grant and I took a walk along the beach looking at shells, sea life and talking.

Time for another beautiful sunset.

February 16, 2020

This morning a took a walk and saw many of the areas I haven’t yet. The island isn’t that big but still fun to explore.

Today’s activities on the daily board. Look how pretty their money is, Fijian Dollars.

The spa at Castaway Island is all open air and tucked away in the jungle. You wouldn’t even know it was there as you walk past it.

More of the grounds.

I found Rowan on the beach!

Tranquility

The front desk/reception area

The dive center

Restaurant

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Time for lunch!

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Rowan gave me a flower just like my fake one!

Time for a swim in the family pool

Fun with my boys

Our last sunset!! 🙁

Enjoying the sunset with the family

Lingo became a good friend, we enjoyed talking to him everyday.

Yummy lunch!

Steven, the General Manager of Castaway Island

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Nooooooo, I don’t want to leave! Such a beautiful song, made me teary

Slight flight delay at Nadi Airport, everyone is waiting to board.

There’s our plane

Goodbye Fiji and wake up in the USA

Home Sweet Home 🇺🇸

Before Castaway we stayed at the Shangri-La Fijian. Follow our journey by clicking here:

http://travelwithlorifoster.com/2020/02/07/shangri-la-test-2/

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Shangri-La Fijian

February 8, 2020

We are very excited for our first trip to Fiji! Have the whole family with me this time and what a perfect place for a family trip…the happiest place in the world!

Here is where Fiji is on the map

Not a good idea to sleep on the way to an 11 hour redeye!

Ready to brave a few hours at LAX

Ready to board Fiji Airways LAX to NAN

No business class this time 😞

Good old economy class…..

Always fun to fly on a new plane, they acquired these about a month ago.

Fun to watch takeoff on the screen

Love finding 3 free seats, looks like I will sleep well tonight! Our flight left LAX at 10:30pm Saturday night February 8th and lands in Fiji at 5:15am on Monday February 10th.

Dinner wasn’t all that bad, coconut curry chicken and rice. Then off to sleep 😴

February 10, 2020

We lost a day flying over the International Date Line, we left on Feb 8th and arrived on Feb 10th. So we will have never lived through Feb 9th 2020!

I slept about 6 hours and didn’t want to get up but I also didn’t want to miss breakfast and coffee, my stomach was starting to growl.

Breakfast wasn’t that good but enough to keep me from starving. Not sure why they serve it so early, we were done and still had two more hours to go so I went back to sleep.

We started our descent into Nadi International Airport.

This shows how close Fiji is to Australia and New Zealand.

Landed safely

Beautiful new Airbus A350-900

Welcome committee in the airport, Fijians are famously friendly and always have huge smiles and heartfelt bulas (hello)!

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Traditional Fijian songs welcomed us to their country.

It’s a beautiful morning in Fiji

Grant loves finding strange flavored chips in different countries, this one is chicken flavor potato chips.

The ride to our resort is about an hour along the south coast of Viti Levu, also known as the Coral Coast.

Driving is on the left side from their British colonial past.

Rowan is enjoying watching the chickens and petting the feral cats.

Our first glimpse of the resort as we drive into the entrance.

I love the welcome! Bula is their greeting.

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The lobby was very serene

We have adjoining rooms and they are comfortable.

But it’s the view that is spectacular, located right on the water.

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We were here so early we went to breakfast! The restaurant is right on the water and they had live local music that made it so special.

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We got settled in the room after breakfast then went straight to the beach.

The water trampolines look like fun

Jeff and Rowan ready to jump. Then Rowan in mid flip.

Lazy day on the beach

Happy boy getting back to nature

Afternoon relaxing on our balcony

We took naps even though we probably shouldn’t have but I was sooooo tired I didn’t think I could make it to dinner! A half hour really helped.

Swordfish carpaccio was amazing!

Dinner was delicious out on the water with a beautiful breeze.

After dinner we went right to bed, we’ll explore the evening entertainment tomorrow.

February 11, 2020

After falling asleep at 8:22pm, I slept solid until 3:37am, over 7 hours but not enough! I wanted to watch sunrise but realized it was still night so I went back to bed and woke up at 4:53am, checked the time and finally at 5:45am I got up. Grabbed a coffee and went outside on the balcony. It was warm and humid, I miss that smell since we don’t have humidity in SoCal.

Sitting with my coffee enjoying the serene view.

The same picture but about 15-20 minutes in between each one.

I took a long walk along the beach from our room. It was so quiet and I felt like I was the only person there. This led to the adult only area of the resort that was quiet and beautiful.

The quiet infinity pool could be my place!


We love the Beach Bar & Grill, fresh seafood right on the beach and near the pool. So we had lunch here each day.

Kokoda is their version of ceviche, fresh fish, chiles, and coconut milk right out of the shell – makes such a difference in the taste!

Lobster in the garlic butter sauce was equally as good!
They got a kick out of Jeff’s card tricks after dinner. It was like going into a friends house, one of the employees came and sat at our table and we talked for about 15 minutes, getting to know each other.
Tomlu’s Restaurant and another beautiful sunset.

February 12, 2020

Another day in paradise…I love the colors in the morning. I took a morning swim and enjoyed the peacefulness.

Now this was not available last night but it was tonight, mid crab. It is a local specialty and delicious, the meat is very sweet and delicate, not like any crab I have had before.

Feb 13, 2020

We were sad to leave the Shangri-La Fijian this morning but excited to see a different part of Fiji.

We woke up to our first rain while in Fiji. Guess it was a good send off!

The ride along the coast back to the port in Denarau takes about an hour.

Oh yum!!! Meat pies! Guess they have them due to the large amount of Aussie tourists? I was starving and sooo happy to grab a few before we got on the ferry to the Mamanuca Islands.

Continue to follow our journey in the Mamanuca’s at Castaway by clicking here:

http://travelwithlorifoster.com/2020/03/01/castaway-island-fiji/