Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
guesthouses are often used by government contract workers in the outer islands or remote
settlements.
More appealing to tourists are the handful of
bed and breakfasts
around the country. Those
in Nadi and Suva on the main island attract business travellers, whilst several charming
homestays and self-contained cottages in the small towns on Vanua Levu, Ovalau and
Taveuni are mostly operated by expatriates and charge from F$100 per night and up.
Homestays
are operated by local families who either open up their homes to travellers (of-
fering absolute immersion into Fijian culture), or build tourist bures just outside the village,
which gives both parties a little privacy. Homestays commonly cost F$60 per person per night
including meals, sometimes served with the family and laid out on the floor,
Fijian style
.
for
more about village stays.
Hostels and backpacker resorts
There's a huge amount of
budget accommodation
in Fiji, although those expecting South-
east Asian prices are likely to be disappointed. Although the more shambolic operations don't
last for long, standards are variable. Members of the Fiji Backpacker Association (
fiji-
backpacking.com
)
are usually reliable, as are those promoted by Awesome Adventures (
awesomefiji.com
)
, although by staying at these established places you'll be missing out on
the quirky places which offer a real insight into Fiji. Spending a few days in Nadi and meet-
ing other travellers is a sure way to get on the grapevine and suss out where's new and hap-
pening.
The term “hostel” usually refers to a town boarding house aimed specifically at locals. A
more common name is “
backpacker resort
”, and these can be found throughout the islands
and even in Nadi. Most have rooms or lodges crammed with dorm beds, but often the price
of a simple double room or bure is the same as two dorm beds.
Student discount cards
are not widely accepted - if you've travelled around Australia or
New Zealand and already have one you may be able to save yourself around ten percent at
certain places. The Australian-operated Nomads (
nomadsworld.com
) and VIP Backpack-
ers (
vipbackpackers.com
) both have affiliates in Nadi but there's no YHA.
Camping
Wild camping
is not encouraged in Fiji - it's perceived by Fijians as an insult, as if you're
saying the local village is not good enough to sleep in. However, several backpacker resorts
permit pitching of tents within their resort grounds and several organized tours, with the con-
sent of village landowners, make temporary camp on secluded beaches.
