Help me plan out my remaining 3 weeks in Fiji

have you considered Beqa Island to see the sharks (swim with the sharks) and the fire walkers. You can stay in your own cottage. WAIRUA HOMESTAY BEQA ISLAND

hope this helps.

As usual, not easy to advise on how a person ought to spend their time. You never know how you'll react to a place until you're there. I avoided the Yasawas on principle, but towards the end of my time in Fiji I decided to pick an island and see for myself what it's all about. I went to a travel agent in Lautoka, asked about places where tourists DID NOT go, and went there. I picked a resort on Waya island (not Octopus at the north end, but one of the cheaper 'backpacker' places near Yalobi settlement). I picked Waya mainly for the chance for some hiking. Snorkeling at south end of island wasn't all that great.

If you have to get back to Nadi anyway then, one way or another, you still have to leave Caqalai and spend a day traveling - the money and time to Nadi has to be spent anyway, so it isn't time and money lost. Just something you have to do one way or the other.

But to continue on to the Yasawas you will also have to overnight in Nadi, and take the Yasawa Flyer the next morning to whichever island you pick. So, you're looking at closer to 1 and a half days travel, and the extra cost is for the Flyer. Looking at it that way, you don't have a lot of time for a look. Is it a decision you can postpone? I can appreciate the lure of curiosity, but in terms of things to do, etc., you could just as easily spend the 3 or so days at one of your other destinations.

Also all comments about the accommodation places we have chosen are VERY welcome!

6 days in Lavena Lodge ? Do you know what to expect? Unless there has been some massive renovation, then you're going to find a basic room, a kitchen you can use but next to no food to buy. I spent 4 days there myself, but I also enjoy the relative absence of mass-tourist infrastructure, and the chance for some jungle and coast walking, just being out in nature. There appear to be other places on your list which will give you just as much chance to sit around doing nothing. Perhaps .. be open to a move on in less than 6 days?

It depends on how you want to distribute your activities: Lavena is for the hiking. Dolphin Bay is for the sea, snorkeling, diving. If you want to distribute your time 6 days to 2 over these activities, OK.

Mary's Holiday Lodge in Levuka is a very basic place in terms of rooms/facilities. Be prepared. The plus side for me was the family home environment. It depends on what you want to do, as usual. If you could manage so much time in Savusavu, I'd have thought Levuka should deserve more than 2 days (more interesting, IMO, for local life). Anyway, if you considered staying longer in Levuka, consider the Royal Hotel as an alternative - just for the old colonial atmosphere of the place - or split your time between Mary's and the Royal, which is what I did.

I really think Suva would deserve a few days (making excursions to nearby places like the Colo-i-Suva reserve) and it would be cheap.

Agree that one could spend longer than 2 nights on Ovalau (at the expense of time at Lavena, maybe) and I actually found accommodation at Mary's perfectly fine, if predictably simple.

I would not worry too much about adding more beach spots as your next stop will be the Cook Islands where beaches are the main attraction anyway.

A few days in Suva is a good idea.

The South Seas Private Hotel is worth considering.

I met a couple of gov't employees staying at Mary's (if that's another recommendation). After some talking about their project I was even offered a job. Too bad I was just starting a year's RTW trip.

Thanks for your effort, guys! Appreciated!

The main reason why we're staying in Lavena Lodge is to cover all the "necessary" activities the place has to offer: Bouma Waterfalls, Vidawa Rainforest Hike, Waitabu Marine Park, Lavena Coastal Walk, Wainibau Falls - and for all we have reserved a whole day, which might be too much, I don't know, because one cannot know how long it takes to do these. Plus, now there is a big big low pressure center here so it's raining all the time - and I've heard Taveuni gets even more rain, so I figure it's better to have some extra days just in case.

Still, we are the kind of people that do not wanna rush thru places.

We are not interested in Suva at all because it sounds like a big city and we prefer smaller places and nature.

I guess we end up spending a few nights extra in DBDivers and a few extra in Levuka, one night in Suva - transfer from Caqalai to there and then next day back to Nadi, where we will fly away from on the 28th.

-J

If hiking is a priority, allowing extra time in the rainy season was a good idea indeed.

I agree about staying at the Royal over Mary's, it's not that pricey and you can pretend you're on the set of some 1920's movie. Also, check you can get to Calaqi first, I wanted to go (this was in August this year), and was told there were no boats running anymore, although maybe you can hire a private water taxi over?

Got to Caqalai (boats run everyday as long as there is even 1 person going - so maybe you just asked the wrong person, from the wrong place or in a wrong way?) and did some of the original plan.

I'll post a thread here when I have the time - probably in a month or so.

Only a few days left now here in Fiji, then to Cook Islands and Aitutaki for 3 weeks!

-J