Travel Exchange: Island Family Escape to Fiji

I’m so happy to have on the blog today Kyndall, an Australian mom who shares with us her island family escape to Fiji. The South Pacific is a part of the world I haven’t been to, but just saying South Pacific out loud always sounds so exotic! Which is why I just had to ask Kyndall all about her trip to the popular island of Fiji.

Kyndall is currently studying accounting and is trapped behind a desk much of the time, but she lives for weekend travel, and trips with her family when she can. She is the woman behind @theweekendwanderesses, documenting her travels with her little girl. They might be the cutest mother-daughter duo out there exploring the world. Below is my interview on Fiji:

How did you decide on Fiji as a destination to take a family vacation?

Other than the enticing photographs of crystal clear waters lined with white sand, palm trees and coconuts plastered all over the internet of this beautiful exotic island, it was the personal reviews from family and friends that had a big impact on our decision to travel to Fiji. Plus it’s only a 3 hour flight away for us, which is a major bonus.

Who went?

Myself, my daughter Isabella who was almost 2 at the time, and her father.

What time of year did you go and how was the weather?

The Fijian climate is generally quite humid and can be very wet if you go at the wrong time of the year. So we decided to travel over in May, at the end of Autumn and the weather was perfection. Of course the air was still warm but the days were stunning. That was until our fly out day when it absolutely poured down with rain. In general, the best months to travel to Fiji are April/May and October/November.

Where did you stay and how did you discover it? What were the accommodations and amenities like?

I discovered all of our accommodations on travelonline.com. We spent our first three nights at the Hilton Fiji Resort and Spa on Denarau Island in a one bedroom suite. The resort and our room were absolutely immaculate and extremely sophisticated. The amenities were of an extremely high standard. The pool was very impressive however there was not much on for kids.

Next we stayed at The Warwick up on the Coral Coast. Extremely family friendly with daily activities scheduled all day long for both children and adults. The natural surroundings were out of this world and the rooms were small but comfortable.

And last but not least, we spent our final night at Raffles, directly across from the airport. It is more of a motel style hotel but it is convenient, cheap and they have an awesome slide for all the family to enjoy. They also serve the best satay chicken skewers I have ever had to date.

What kind of activities did you do on the trip?

We ventured out to the mud baths, hot springs, a local village, did a hike up to a waterfall. Enjoyed a cultural night of traditional food, dancing and fire walking. Would have loved to do the white water rafting but unfortunately that activity was not toddler friendly at all. We also did a lot of snorkeling, relaxing on the beach and by the pool, and eating endlessly.

What were the highlights for you? And your daughter?

Usually the biggest highlight for us is a natural or historical site/attraction but for this particular holiday our most memorable highlight was definitely the spectacular dinner on the beach at the Hilton followed by the beautiful sunsets every evening, the mud pool and hot spring adventure and the crystal clear waters on the Coral Coast. Oh and I cannot go any further without mentioning the warmth and friendliness of the Fijian people, such beautiful people and culture. It made such a difference to our holiday.

Dinner festival on island family escape to Fiji

How was the food? Did you discover some favorite restaurants?

The food was delicious with many options. We mainly ate at the resort restaurants as most of them have very well priced all-inclusive deals for food and alcohol. With kids eating free at most of the resorts.

What are your top tips for taking this kind of vacation?

Be sure to carry money on you, particularly if you decide to go on any tours. Unfortunately we did not carry money on us and were unable to use a debit card at the places we went to and therefore were unable to get money out of an ATM to tip our wonderful local tour guide Josh.
If you can, grab a slab or two of water from the airport before you leave because bottles of water can be quite expensive and it is highly recommended you don’t drink their tap water.
There are a lot of wooden souvenirs at very good prices, just be aware that customs may not allow you to bring these items into a lot of countries. So be sure to buy heavier woods that are sealed and have no holes.
My final top tip is to try avoid buying items from the resort, as it is quite expensive. Get down to the local stores if you can, it is much cheaper.

Were there any challenges?

Our biggest challenge was the hike. We carried Isabella the whole way and there were points where it was dirt steps with railings made out of sticks. It was a very challenging hike for families who are not very athletic.

Another challenge was trying to stop Isabella from joining in the cultural dances at the resorts every night haha. The local performers didn’t mind though, they absolutely love kids.