Basics - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 63

Minor health issues are the greatest concern for parents travelling with young children, es-
pecially from the adverse effects of high humidity, intense sun and mosquito bites. Medicated
baby powder for the prevention of rashes and sores is an essential item to carry. In the main
towns, high-quality baby formula, nappies and children's medications imported from Aus-
tralia are readily available. Breast feeding in public is fairly commonplace, especially so in
rural environments, although baby-changing facilities are rarely offered.
If travelling by car or taxi, seat belts, let alone dedicated infant car seats , are difficult to
find, although the major car rental companies do provide them. Prams in general are not that
practical to travel with: pathways are sandy at many of the resorts, and even around towns
pavements are not pram friendly.
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TRAVEL ESSENTIALS
Costs
For travellers most items will appear very affordable, especially public transport, dining out
and buying local food. If frugal, you can survive on F$70 (£22/€27/US$37) per day, staying
in dorms, preparing your own meals and travelling on public transport. Stay in private rooms
and eat out regularly and you'll need around F$180 (£60/€70/US$96), although extras such
as alcohol, car rental, scuba diving and sightseeing tours will all add to your costs. Travelling
around the two largest islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu offers the best value, with prices
on the outer islands usually inflated by at least 20 percent. Note that tipping is not expected
and in traditional Fijian society causes embarrassment.
Hostel accommodation will set you back around F$40 a person for a dorm bed, or F$85
per person including meals at the popular Yasawa backpacker resorts. Town hotel rooms start
from around F$70, with double or twin rooms often the same price as a single. A moderate
beach resort starts from F$200 for a room, the more popular holiday resorts cost from F$350
and a luxury boutique resort will set you back anything from F$500 to over F$2000 per night.
Food on the whole is reasonably cheap, with local produce offering by far the best value,
especially when purchased from the roadside or at municipal markets. Supermarket shelves
tend to be dominated by more expensive imported food items, mostly canned and restricted
in variety. Dining out is affordable, with cheap restaurant counter food costing from F$5 a
serving, and main dishes ordered from a menu from F$9 to F$25; resort restaurants are in-
variably more expensive.
Travelling around Viti Levu by public transport is especially cheap, with the five-hour jour-
ney from Nadi to Suva costing just F$22, and local journeys starting from 80 cents. Visiting
the offshore or outer islands is going to eat up a larger chunk of your budget. For example,