THE GUIDE - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 142

ACCOMMODATION: NAVITI
Barefoot Lodge Drawaqa 670 3040, barefootislandfiji.com . Set on a stunning point
with beaches on both sides, lined with thatch bures. Amongst the usual activities - lovo din-
ners, volleyball, night fishing - you can swim with manta rays on safaris held b etwee n May
and O ct. Good food and a non-party atmosphere. Rates include meals. Dorms F$115 ; bures
F$310
Botaira Beach Resort Soso 603 0200, botaira.com . Welcoming Botaira couldn't
have a nicer beach, with hammocks strung between palm trees, deep white sand and good
snorkelling. The fou rteen thatch bures feature thatched roofs and varnished timber floors.
Rates include meals. F$498
Korovou Eco Resort Natuvalu Bay 665 1001, korovouecotourresort.com . A tad too
many cement pathways and an ugly seawall spoil the appearance of this place, but a swim-
ming pool and affordable lodge rooms and bures with private bathrooms (albeit with co ld wa-
ter) m ake it popular with both backpackers and families. Rates include meals. Dorms F$120 ;
bures F$290
Mantaray Island Resort Nanuya Balavu 664 0520, mantarayisland.com . Lively
backpacker resort with lots of activities including game fishing, scuba diving and waterski-
ing. The restaurant and bar is perched on a hill overlooking Drawaqa Lagoon and has satellite
TV and themed party nights. The quaint jungle bures are raised on wooden stilts and hidden
amongst light scrub beside the beach; dorms are a bit bo x-like and a couple of minutes' walk
downhill from the shared bathrooms. Dorms F$41 ; bures F$275
White Sandy Beach Resort Natuvalu Bay 666 4066, whites-
[e-mail] . Just three self-contained cottages - one sleeping up to five
people - and a pretty thatch dorm lodge sleeping twelve. Meals are well presented and served
on a wooden veranda overlooking the beach and sunset. Scuba diving is the speciality here
with the o wner's son op erating the P ADI dive shop. Rates include meals. Camping (with own
tent) F$70 ; dorms F$240 ; bures F$480
The northern Yasawas
The 5km choppy Naivalavala Passage separates Naviti from Yaqeta, the most southerly of a
cluster of a dozen islands that make up the NORTHERN YASAWAS . The islands' remote
position gives them an exotic, exclusive atmosphere, although they cater to all budgets from
backpackers to business class. Typically low-lying in nature - the highest point is just under
300m - the main attractions are the beaches and bays, with colourful snorkelling and scuba
diving along an intricate network of coral reefs never far away. Between May and October,
yachts congregate around the sheltered Blue Lagoon Bay between Tavewa and Nanuya. The
northernmost island of the group, the long thin Yasawa Island , has undulating hills and cliffs,
with sweeping fine white sandy beaches used as picnic stopovers by luxury overnight cruises.