Hi everyone,
Just doing some preliminary research.. I'd like to take our family of 5 for our first ever overseas holiday, thinking of Fiji, just relaxing around the resort/utalise kids club or babysitting services. What is a realistic budget for 5 nights for 2 adults and 3 kids aged 6,4, and 2? Flying from Sydney. Dates flexible. Happy with somewhere moderately priced.
Any tips/advise more than welcome :)
Heaps of packages out there so many choices, I haven't looked at flights yet
I would start with flights, then hotels. There is no silver bullet. All depend on the days you pick (now, during the school holidays, xmas or next year), flexibility, location, amount of days, and the number of travelers and their needs.
You should consider going on a cruise to Fiji instead …… and take your parents/in-laws.
Heck, take all of the family tree up to the second cousins but only if you like them ;)
Lol, that is actually on the cards.. not taking the cousins though :P
Why Fiji?
Pretty depressing place outside of the resort's..
I liked it outside the resorts. Apart the cities, which were no good.
Villages, beaches and country side are nice..but it's hard to shake the city and surrounds once you've seen it.
It's a third world country but travelling there is fine.
The resorts are the most depressing places imo.
@eXo: No, I love Fiji. I've spent ages there and most of my family live there.
I was just pointing out that the cities and villages are poor, that's a fact of life.
It probably came across the wrong way but my point was get out of the resorts and take it for what it is, a really beautiful and complex place.
So you went from:
Pretty depressing place outside of the resort's..
to:
Villages, beaches and country side are nice.
@randomusername2017: It would probably have been more accurate to just be critical of "…the city…" which you visited, rather than the remainder of the country.
We don't even know which island you went to, or which city on that island. But, hey:
Pretty depressing place outside of the resort's
I don't know, seems like a popular place?
unfortunately this is true, i most likely won't ever go back.
i actually prefer the 3rd world asian countries, you feel like a millionaire there because your money goes so far. ball'in on a budget. also great service and hospitality that is cheap as chips.
Haven't been there yet but I find hotel/resort are $$ compare to other Asian countries?
3 kids aged 6,4, and 2
That's not a holiday for you. For them, sure, not for you
Most resorts in Fiji have good child care / kids clubs.
That's why this is the first time we're even thinking about it for 6 years >_<
Maybe give it another 6? :P
Then you may have 3 more…
TBH, kids aged 12, 10 and 8 would be harder to keep happy
Personally I'd give it a little more time, till at least they're all potty trained.. :)
At least $1k in passports (if I'm not mistaken)
Wow ok cool thanks for that. Didn't account for that!
Not required with Aussie passport I believe
Didn't read fully -re OP & family on their first overseas trip, hence the AU passport cost.
parents don't go on holidays
they just parent in another city/location
Thats why this is our first attempt at even thinking about one in 6 years >_<
nothing to worry about..kids will love the change in environment
Having just done 4 weeks with a 1.5 year old and almost 4 year old, I agree.
The kids did have a lot of fun though.
I am going to say you aren't getting change from $10k, based on a quick look here. And that would assume you can go not in school holidays, otherwise add on another couple of grand.
I'd agree. It will end up somewhere close to $10k once the whole show is allowed for … passports, flights, transfers to/from airports, accommodation, meals, drinks, activities, kids' club/babysitters. You can no doubt shave some costs depending on how much you want to cut from the experience/quality, but this will be somewhere around the mark.
just stay on the main island - lots of resorts to choose from. Throw your kids to a nanny (they are cheap but good) and give you and the wife a break for a few days.
I reckon 8-10K for 5 nights accommo and flights.
Dont forget you can claim GST back if you take it with you…..and dont bring it back…..
Dont forget you can claim GST back if you take it with you…..and dont bring it back…..
the kids or the wife?
both….thats a huge saving.
Fiji is so boring. The water front scenery is so so, the jungle hikes are average (worse than most trails in NSW), town centre is like a downgrade version of Bali (which is already considered bad). Moreover, flights and hotels were cheap but everything else was a rip off. I remember I just wanted to GTFO out Fiji on my 3rd day. The only thing that kinda kept me sane in Fiji was some good strong Kava.
Boom, Bali bias. clearly you got the sucker package to have such a bad taste in your mouth.
perhaps a aussie drinking hole is more your style?
Lots of weird comments here, as if traveling with kids is some strange burden. You have had your kids for years, you know what is involved, and it isn't much different to being at home in terms of parenting.
We made it a priority to travel abroad, even when our kids were very young, and we visited Thailand, Fiji, New Zealand and Malaysia/Singapore with at least one kid under 3, and add Japan, Vietnam and Bali while we still had kids under 8.
We had a great time in all those locations, but you do have to manage your trip to balance people's interests and needs, but that is the same holidaying in Australia.
You wouldn't spend a week in Adelaide exclusively dragging kids to museums, wineries and churches, so you should expect similar on a family holiday - do things that everyone can enjoy.
For what its worth, we stayed in a resort with family in Fiji and had a good time having a resort holiday, splashing in the pool, eating/drinking, enjoying the after dinner shows, snorkeling, horse riding etc. We got a local guide to take us to a couple of villages with the usual tourist trap stuff, handicrafts, Kava etc. and enjoyed that too.
When we stayed there, the cheaper family resorts were on the south side of Viti Levu, called the "Coral Coast" because the beaches aren't as pretty as some of the islands. This worked well for cousins on their first holiday abroad with kids, as they could do as much or as little as they liked, and if it was hard, they could eat at the dining room, splash in the pool then take a nap in their villa.
You'll notice the destinations we went with kids were all cheap and cheerful destinations where flight specials frequently turn up on OzBargain. Apart from the Fiji resort, and one in Thailand, we stayed in AirBNB, independent hotels or guesthouses, holiday lets, basically anywhere we could get cheap, and we ate where locals ate, traveled on public transport and generally chose cheaper options when available. This made those holidays much more affordable than some "Family Luxury Package", but it took more work to setup and manage.
In January we came back from our latest holiday, with a couple of kids and two who are adults now. All of my kids can turn up in a country where they don't speak the language and get by, and enjoy themselves. I reckon it is good training for life and wouldn't swap those holidays.
FWIW my 1-week solo trip to Fiji cost around $2,700 to $2,800. It's broken down into flight ($500), 3 nights hotel in Port Denarau ($550), 4 nights stay in the Yasawas ($1,150), transport including boat transfer to the islands ($400). Food was included in hotel fees so cash spending was minimal.
The islands were expensive but definitely beautiful (far more so than Port Denarau & Nadi).
$10k minimum for basic.
with kids that age it's perfect, just do it.
Moderately priced with little kids: I would say the Radisson Blu on Denarau is a good option because they have a one bedroom suite which is essentially an apartment. The bathroom and balcony are accessible from both bedroom and lounge, so you can house the kids sleeping in the lounge while the adults hang out in the bedroom. The food is average though but the setting is nice (NOT luxury but still acceptable), the kids club is ok, the price is reasonable.
The other resort I was considering was Naviti. Bit further away from the airport but they have a family room which is a second room off the lounge to have the kids sleeping in, again at reasonable prices. Can't comment on food etc but pricing is not bad compared to the bigger brands.
I spent about $6k last year, for two adults and a 16 month old. 11 nights, full board at the Radisson, flights with Fiji Airways. Two drinks included with lunch and dinner. AMAZING deal. I can't price this again, I can only get maybe 5/6 nights for that price. Also you have 3 kids.. that third kid will probably cost extra since meals and stays are usually one adult, one kid stays and eats free.
I would say for the money you'd have to fork out, you're better off going to Asia. The only pro that Fiji has would be the shorter flight time. It is NOT a cheap place to go. If you stay at a resort, the food and drink prices will knock you out. If you're just dropping and flopping in a tropical island setting and can handle a 7-9hr flight (… it's hard but doable) then it'll be cheaper to go Bali/Malaysia/Thailand/Vietnam.
As others have mentioned budget $10-20K: passports, vaccinations, travel insurance, flights, accommodation, transportation (to / from airports), food, beverage, activities, and pocket money. Also, factor in baby food/formula/medicines as it's likely you won't be able to buy specific items when you are there. So be prepared to carry it all in. Buy as much duty-free in Nadi on arrival as possible. Food and beverage pricing at resorts is the same as Sydney - so see if you can get vouchers. Plantation is a good location for a family plus you are away from the mainland. They have deals. See https://www.plantationisland.com/. I would avoid Denarau at all costs. It's just underwhelming. But if you have to be on the mainland … you have to be on the mainland. Also, talk to Brian at Exclusively Fiji as he can usually get you packages / deals based on budget and location. [email protected].
It was about 15 years ago, but we took 3 kids ages 2, 4 and 6 to Naviti Resort, all inclusive. It was fine. Did it again a couple of years later. Lovely people, resort was fine and it was good value.
I've just booked a holiday for 2 adults plus 2 children (1.5 + 4yrs) for 29 Aug - 04 Sept.
We found the resorts to be quite expensive. However we wanted something more relaxing and didn't want to do long flights or multiple airport transfers (it takes 15-20 hrs to get to SEA from here)
Flights, wellington to Fiji direct with Fiji airways $1750 AUD
Intercontinental resort. Single beach side bungalow with two double bed including breakfast $2760 AUD for 6 nights.
Now researching getting a travel credit card vs paying resort fee with cash. They charge a 3.5% service fee to pay with ccard then you get charged your own international fees on top of that.
We went just as COVID was starting in March 2020.
With kids and only 5 days I'd suggest stay at a resort on Denarau island which is only 20min cab ride from Nadi airport
Will be a good getaway and the kids will love The buffet breakfasts and the swimming pools etc
We stayed at the Hilton there but most resorts are quite similar. Walked over to the Sofitel for their expansive buffet dinners on a couple of nights.
Potentially consider expanding your search to other countries potentially SE Asia, most have beach resorts. They may be better value and give you options to do more outside the resort. Perhaps Malaysia? Travelling with kids is great, however ensure you have plane entertainment well sorted.
what your findings so far? any flights deals or hotel deals?