paradise on Denarau Island, Fiji

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about Denarau Island                    ideal for family holidays                  perfect for couples                                                                 

It may be an island, but Denarau is joined to Fiji's mainland by just a small causeway. It has the first advantage of staying on Denarau rather than travelling to any other island - no connecting flights or boats to delay you to your final destination. And it's only 20 minutes from Nadi Airport by car and 10 minutes from Nadi town! Denarau Island is home to premier resorts, a world-class golf course, tennis complex and Port Denarau. The island is reclaimed mangrove which has yielded dark grey sand, but the resort pools are sublime. Everything on the 2.55 square kilometre island is manicured to perfection. If you are after a stress-free holiday (with or without kids), then Denarau should be at the top of your list. It may be home to Fiji's premier resorts, but that doesn't have to cost you you bomb. As we found out back in June 2009...

Although only a few km in circumference, the Stunning Southern Pacific holiday hotspot of Denarau Island, Fiji, is a resort island which is packed with all things sporty and many attractions for the whole family.

Transportation to Denarau Island Fiji is easy and uncomplicated. Direct flights are available from Asia, Europe and Australia to Denarau Island via Nadi. There are many accommodation choices ranging from varying sized apartments, villas, and hotel rentals.

Thrifty, Avis, and Budget Fiji are reputable car rental agencies on the island. They offer easy and personal transportation to fit your budget. Car rentals include compact economy, mid-size, and luxury models for making your trips around the mainland comfortable and conveniant.

You will also be spoilt for choice when looking at places to stay in Denarau Island Resort, from high quality luxury hotels such as the Westin Spa and Hotel and the Sheraton Royal Denarau Resort, to fine apartments such as the Denarau Apartments and holiday homes such as the Denarau Villas that have all living amenities including laundry, multiple bedrooms, kitchens and dining areas. Guests can roam easily between hotels to enjoy the many facilities and actitivities each of them boast, by either meandering along the beach or catching the open-aired “Bula Bus”.

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where to stay

Well, as mentioned above, there are a number of world class hotels on the island. We stayed at the Hilton (official name :"Fiji Beach Resort & Spa, managed by Hilton") which is probably one the finest establishments on the island having peeked around most of the other! Everything about the Hilton, oozes effortless luxury. It's the newest and most luxurious Fijian Resort which is set on 1.5 kilometres of private beachfront. It's the most spacious of the resorts there and walking around the other resorts just makes you cringe at the audacity of paying thousands of dollars more at these other resorts simply for the priveledge of sitting on top of your sardined neighbour (check out the photos below of the other resorts and you will see my point). But back to the Hilton - this is what's on offer:

Alongside the enormous amount of beautifully presented facilities are the modern and well maintained Villas – each self contained (you can cook on the provided bbqs) and made to feel refreshingly luxurious. The choice is wide – from studios to five bedroom villas, ensuring there are options for every budget and every type of family unit. The terrace affords uninterrupted views and privacy to enjoy the sunset and balmy evenings.

Hilton Resort Denarau Island

Accommodation - The Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa is one of those special places to stayvillas. Its accommodation ranges from three bedroom villas to studio beachfront Three-bedroom villas have spacious living and dining areas, with an added 60 square metres of pool and terrace. A poolside barbecue means you can prepare your own specialty or have one of the hotel chefs step in. Ensuite bathrooms offer indoor/outdoor bathing, and a golf cart is provided for easy access to resort facilities (as some may find themsleves 600m from the reception). Twenty one square metres of private decks give two bedroom villas plenty of private space. Right on the beachfront with uninterrupted views, they have two living areas, large bathrooms and are perfect for two couples or a family. One-bedroom villas sit on absolute beachfront and have 10 square metres of outdoor decks with daybeds, blending indoor and outdoor living. Studios are just a few metres from the beach. They are elegantly furnished and have wonderful views.

Other Hilton Info

Although still in development, but far from disruptive, the hotel spreads across 1.5km of private beach and currently includes five swimming pools, two restaurants, a deli, a spa and a water sports and extra curricular actitivity centre (like Sky Diving – right onto the hotel's beach!). The spa has six treatment rooms with various types of massage — Thai, Swedish, remedial and hot stone.

There's also the complimentatry kids club for children aged three and over. If you child is under 3, then that's not an issue - all you need is a babysitter (cost is approx $6/hr) who will look after your child as though they are theirs. Our 2 year old was a somewhat reluctant visitor to the Kids Club, even with his big sister to look after him. By the end of our stay on Denarau, he'd adopted Lalai as his new mum! Whilst some places ‘accommodate’ (or tolerate!) children, the Hilton is truly child-friendly, providing high chairs, porta-cots,pool toys and of course the Kids Club!

Further afield, there's the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club is just five minutes away by complimentary shuttle. Its jewel is the 18 hole, 6538 metre, par 72 championship course. It meanders through wonderful landscape with water hazards on 15 holes. It is regarded as the finest and most challenging course in the South Pacific.

Six grass and four floodlit synthetic tennis courts nearbye have professional staff and a shop with everything you may need. Adult and junior clinics and private tuition are available.

Local waters are used to the full with boating, scuba diving, parasailing, jet skiing, wakeboarding, waterskiing, sailing and windsurfing. Oh, and don't forget the complimentary Kids' Club.

Location
Off Viti Levu in the Fiji Islands.

Cost
The Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa rooms start at around $360 a double a night including return flights from Sydney! Breakfast is include depending on who you book through.

Pacific Blue has flights to Nadi with tyrpical fares from Brisbane ($259) Sydney ($279) Melbourne ( $339) and Perth ($369).

We booked a 2 bedroom self catering beachfront villa with expedia.com.au for an incredible $4200 for 10nights which included return flights from Sydney! This was the best deal we found on the internet having trawled a multitude of sites. And comparing what the other resorts had to offer this was the best hotel on Denarau especially a family of 4.

We have actually booked another break at the Hilton again for September 2009 with Expedia - a bit indulgent, but in the face of redundancy, why not go on the dole with a bang!! In any case, we search high and low on the net and phoned the likes of Harvey Travel, Flight Centre etc who all came back with quotes many 1000s of $ over the Expedia price. I don't know how Expedia get these low rates (which include retrun flights) but I guess that's why they guarantee you the lowest rates around!

You can check Expedia's latest offers here for the Hilton here.

Which apartments to book?

We found that the apartment blocks facing the pool weren't the best to stay in. During the day you would have the noise from the pool areaand by night if there were bands playing in the Nuku restaurant, that could be irritating if you want a quiet night. Though the music seemed to stop at 10PM on most nights.

If you've got kids I would reccomend a ground floor apartment simply for the safety aspect (they could easily clamner onto a chair and peer over the balcony...). The ground floor apartments also appear to have a larger patio area simply as there are no barriers. Kids can also play in the garden area immedietely outside the apartment. The sea is far enough to tempt them from a quick splash!

We stayed in apartment 501, which was a ground floor (2 bedroomed) apartment. No obtrusive views from either restaurants and far enough from noise. In between the kids club and the reception area made it an ideal location. The 2 bedrooms meant there was ample space for the 4 of us. The 2 kids stayed in their own twin bedded room with the 2 year old sleeping the complimentary cot (There was enough room in the ensuite shower for the cot - see photos below).

Any apartment block west of block five would be fine (5, 6, 7, 8...) and any block east from the swimming pool onwards would we good (32 upwards). You have the option of adding any requests when booking with Expedia, though you may not necessarily get them.

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Denarau Image Gallery

	Fiji Hilton Hotel Overview		Denerau Island
	Some of the other resorts		Various

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where to eat, drink and play

Remember 'Fiji time'. Be prepared for the slower Pacific style service you may receive here. Usually the service you receive in cafes and restaurants isn't bad service - it's just the way things are done here. Your order has been taken and your drinks will come - eventually. If you plan to stay at the Hilton, here's a few to try, but don't forget there's 5 or so other hotels who have restaurants to tempt your palate (and credit card!):

Nuku Restaurant (Hilton) - Since opening, Nuku has become the signature restaurant of Denarau, with its beautiful setting and unparalleled cuisine. Enjoy breakfast with the morning sun, sip early evening cocktails and fine dine in style at night.

Maravu (Hilton) - Denarau’s first Noodle/ Asian restaurant, Maravu. Perhaps it was a case of the chef having a bad night, but this was the worst meal we had. But still, you may wish to try it out simply for it's setting - and who knows - the chef may please your palate.

The Delicatessen - L’Epicier (Hilton) - An alternative choice for morning/afternoon tea or lunch. L’Epicier is stocked with a delicious selection of daily baked breads and pastries, and freshly prepared filled rolls and sandwiches.

Denarau Marina - A 15-20 minute stroll from the Hilton has a multitude of eateries on offer, ranging from the Hard Rock Cafe, to 'Mamma's Pizza' Pizzeri, Cardo's Grill & other special cuisine restaurants. There's also a bakery that sells everything from loaves to cup cakes. And the 'Coffee Place' isn't the Coffee Place - it's coffee is pretty damn awful!

 

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getting around

Travelling around the Island is both easy and safe. Whether you wish to cycle (bikes for hire at most hotels), drive (car hire), or get the island's 'Bula Bus' (thatched-roof shuttle) buses, it won't take long to travel between places. For example, walking from the Hilton to the Marina will only take you 10-15mins.

A local bus runs every hour from the corner of the westin Resort driveway to Nadi centre, and costs FJD0.70 (AUD0.55). . The blue bus (free) also goes to Denarau Port and other resorts on the island, and departs every half hour. It doesn't stop at the Hilton as that only wants you to pay of the Bula Bus - which used to be a complimentary bus on Denarau Island, but now costs F$5 for an all day ticket - the bus runs between all of the hotels, departing every 10-20 minutes from 7 AM to 11 PM. Kids will love it.

Further afield, you can travel to Nadi by taxi (F$7-12), local bus (F$2) or hire a car for the day with the likes of Budget Fiji, Avis and Thifty. Booking prior to arrival may also be cheaper and more efficeint with less form filling and waiting for 'Fiji time' to pass!

Book your car rental here!

Taxis - There are plenty of taxis around the island although it's always more expensive to get one from any of the hotels into nadi than coming back. The taxi to/from the Airport will cost you about F$30. Few taxis have meters, so the fare must be settled at the start of the journey.

 

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reading list

To get you in the mood of the Pacific lifestyle here are a few of our recommend books:

	Lonely Planet - simply the best, indispensable guide to the islands. For the ultimate in lazy-day getaways, head to the islands of Fiji, where your most strenuous decision is which palm tree to sleep under. You can amp it up with a dive through the incredible reefs or a nature walk - but really, who are we kidding? That palm tree is calling.
	While most Fiji locals can speak English, it's not their mother tongue. Learning the Fijian language means you can get away from the tourist areas and out into the real Fiji - where a little bit of local talk goes a long way. * 2000-word dictionary * Guide to grammar and phrase-building * Fail-safe small talk * Practicalities - how to book a room or a plane ticket
	This guide covers: Easter Island, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Pitcairn Island, Rarotonga & the Cook Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti & French Polynesia, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Wallis & Futuna.

any questions / comments?

If you're thinking about going to Denarau or specifically the Hilton and have any questions for us, please feel free to contact us!

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