Fiji - Family Holiday Package

s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 20:56
Last edited 22/04/2024 - 06:27 by 1 other user

Hi all,

Trying to find better value holiday package (flights + accommodation) to Fiji from MEL for family of four (2 adults, 6yr old & 3yr old). Looking around school holidays time in Victoria so at this stage most appropriate seem between 20th Dec - 26th Jan 2025.

  • Never been to Fiji before.
  • 7 days minimum we are planning
  • Airport pickup/drop off preferred
  • With kids we are expecting not much travel but relaxing in resort. At the max we may consider 1 day cruise or something
  • expecting resort to have some kids activities to keep them occupied.
  • All food inclusive package preferred OR Breakfast should be in package at the least
  • Don't mind 1 room, as long as appropriate bedding is provided
  • For budget at the max we are looking around 5k. Open to suggestion for 1-2k extra.
  • Wi-fi at resort

Prefer the package deal, just to take the hassle out of arranging all things with kids.

thanks

Travel Fiji Oceania

Comments

  • MS Paint on 21/04/2024 - 20:58

    Fiji in Dec/Jan - I hope you're not going expecting beautiful blue skies and 28°.

    • s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 21:10

      thanks. we r open to couple of weeks of early July or last 2 weeks of Sep. Planning around school holidays seems difficult.

      • Hansi on 21/04/2024 - 21:15
        +1

        Those months may be better choices

        • s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 21:16

          any recommendation on packages?

          • Hybroid on 21/04/2024 - 21:21
            +1

            @s0805: Look at luxuryescapes.com for an idea of packages that suit your needs and preferences.

            Cross-check with travel comparison sites and booking direct as they are not always cheapest.

            • s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 21:29

              @Hybroid: thanks. I will check that out.

          • djkelly69 on 21/04/2024 - 22:52

            @s0805: Try MyFiji.com as well, they have a lot of packages on there as well.

          • HeWhoKnows on 22/04/2024 - 07:50

            @s0805: Sign up to Jetstar mail

            They run great package deal specials to many holiday destinations all the time:

            Fiji, Phuket, Bali etc

  • JimmyF on 21/04/2024 - 21:09
    +4

    For budget at the max we are looking around 5k. Open to suggestion for 1-2k extra.

    Not going to happen…. $5k for flights for 4 in peak season, and then wanting a resort with all inclusive LOL

    • s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 21:11

      Ok. what we can expect then. any suggestions?

      • JimmyF on 21/04/2024 - 21:17

        It's a tight budget of $1250 each. Flights anywhere that is intl will eat up most of this budget as you are travelling in 'peak/xmas' season.

      • boomramada on 21/04/2024 - 21:17

        Start with flights, have you found any good deals on flights first ?
        Then regards resorts, what you found so far ?

        • s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 21:23

          we were looking at holiday packages on Jetstar. I will find the link but basically in Mid Jan we found the stay + flights at "Shangri-La Yanuca Island, Fiji" for about 7-8k. Not sure if its good value though.

          Edit: Here's the link https://www.jetstar.com/au/en/holidays/destinations/fiji/pro…

          • MS Paint on 21/04/2024 - 21:44
            +4

            @s0805: Unless you or Mrs s0805 are teachers why are you hellbent on school holidays? The 6 year old will be fine missing a week of school.

            • s0805 on 21/04/2024 - 21:51
              +2

              @MS Paint: get your point mate but lost that battle long time back with Mrs…

          • boomramada on 22/04/2024 - 10:09
            +2

            @s0805: You should do a bit more research into it or perhaps go visit a travel agent, so you get a better understanding of availability and pricing. You know we are not a travel agent, we just give tips or only give advice on car insurence :)

      • seanfoite on 22/04/2024 - 09:01
        +2

        We went around the September school holidays for 7 nights. Kids similar age and it cost us about $12k for flights and accom (1 bed suite with beds for the kids in the lounge).

    • HeWhoKnows on 22/04/2024 - 07:52

      Correct

      Lucky to get a $5,000 deal for a couple outside school holidays, let alone an entire family

      Fiji is not cheap any more.
      Prices have doubled over the last 5-6 years
      And exchange rate has dropped from 1.65 to 1.45

      I guess that ends this discussion

  • jv on 21/04/2024 - 22:13

    For budget at the max we are looking around 5k.

    Maybe try Phillip Island instead…

    • HeWhoKnows on 22/04/2024 - 08:01
      +1

      Nice bit of research.

      Outrigger is 5 star so one of the most expensive options.
      These packages dont include meals which can add significant cost
      Lucky to get breakfast included in any package these days.

      All inclusive Fiji deal is typically the domain of the Naviti Family Resort on the Coral Coast

      See here:
      https://www.hootholidays.com.au/packages/the-naviti-resort/

      That should do Op nicely if they can afford the price.(From $1990pp ex Melbourne)
      No other such options in Fiji unfortunately

      • tonester on 22/04/2024 - 09:22

        Outrigger is 5 star so one of the most expensive options.

        yes, considered to be (one of) the best Fiji resorts (especially for families) :)

        These packages dont include meals which can add significant cost

        -1

        Luxury Escapes includes breakfast, and possibly kids meals as well like MyFiji, which also includes Kids Club

        in any case, meal plans are always available at check-in if not purchased prior

        July 2023 review:
        https://fatmumslim.com.au/outrigger-fiji-beach-resort/

        • HeWhoKnows on 23/04/2024 - 17:54

          So you obviously agree with me…

          "These packages dont include meals which can add significant cost"

          • tonester on 24/04/2024 - 09:27

            @HeWhoKnows:

            Luxury Escapes includes breakfast, and possibly kids meals as well like MyFiji, which also includes Kids Club

      • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 10:14

        @HeWhoKnowsm thanks for that. I will check that link out for Naviti Family Resort.

    • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 10:14

      @tonester, thanks for these. We will check these out.

      • tonester on 22/04/2024 - 15:03

        https://luxuryescapes.com/au/offer/outrigger-fiji-beach-reso…
        20-27th December (7 nights) including flights, breakfast and kids meals, before discounts/cashback:

        • Resort View - One King Bed (+ double sofa bed) $6330
        • Resort View - Two Double Beds $6529

        lunch/dinner meal plans available - plus there are/were a few good places to eat on a small road at the back of the resort within a few minutes walk

        also Outrigger have a 10% price beat Best Rate Guarantee - i always try to make use of such policies (and did so for Fiji) :)
        https://www.outrigger.com/landing-pages/brg/best-rate-guaran…

        • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 16:59

          Are those all in a single room or do they have a separate bedroom in case one of the young ones needs to sleep early?

        • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 22:16

          @tonester, to confirm he 10% price beat policy, let say you book cheaper package with Expedia and then reach out to Outreach to beat that by 10%. Is that correct? I assume that would be only for stay though.

          • tonester on 24/04/2024 - 09:27

            @s0805: correct - luxury escape deals are available without flights

        • HeWhoKnows on 23/04/2024 - 17:59

          You keep saying what i have said..

          "lunch/dinner meal plans available"

          These meal plans add significant cost per person and the cost is rarely advertised so you dont go running.

          Thats why OP would like all inclusive.

          Furthermore Resorts on the Coral coast are usually not near anything.
          Its not like you can jump in your car and take a drive down the road.
          So you dont have much option but to accept thier meal plans

          Naviti family Resort all inclusive deal via Hoot Holidays is probably OPs only viable option

          • tonester on 24/04/2024 - 09:30

            @HeWhoKnows:

            20-27th December (7 nights) including flights, breakfast and kids meals, before discounts/cashback

            lunch/dinner meal plans available - plus there are/were a few good places to eat on a small road at the back of the resort within a few minutes walk

  • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 01:24
    +3

    Good luck

    We did Fiji in early January this year and it was a great holiday, but you won't be getting it for the budget you've set. Assuming you'll be at Denaurau Island, it's basically set up so you stay in the resort most of the time (or at most walk between the other resorts) which means you'll be eating there/doing the activities there/etc. There's a few excursions you can do but in our case it didn't seem worthwhile given we had our 18 month old with us, but thankfully the kids club/nanny services were great (and given the ages of your kids, they might both end up in kdis club).

    Can I suggest researching the various hotels/resorts and seeing what appeals to your family? Is it the choice of restaurants? Pools? Kids club? Any groceries/items you'll need (since even basics like yoghurt aren't that readily available/not cheap, and sunscreen is expensive too), etc..

    Some of the resorts had a focus on slightly older families with nice bars/fancier restaurants, but Radisson Blu was aimed at the younger crowd which worked well for us and had 4 different restaurants in the resort. We also appreciated kids eat free where each of the restaurants had a special kids menu that was free (typically included main + drink) with each paying adult.

    FWIW: We booked thorugh Expedia (and Shopback of course) to get flights, hotel (did not pay for breakfast), airport transfer all in one deal at a reasonable price. We booked it like a year in advance though, and got the 1 bedroom suite (separate bedroom, living room had a sofa bed with linen). Looking at my reconciliation (yes I did a spreadsheet), we paid $6400 to Expedia (before cashback), $170 on valet parking at Sydney airport, and spent about $1000 AUD over the week on food and random items (eg a floating cow for the kids to sit in the pool, sunscreen and souvenirs).

    • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 10:28

      @jace88, thanks for the detailed response. I think, you hit the nail on head on deciding resort first and work other things around it. Questions I have for you

      • you went in Jan, others mentioned may not be good weather. We don't expect to go much out of resort in general. How did u go?
      • for groceries, for little one we will need some baby stuff. what other things we could get from here to avoid the hassle you reckon?
      • how you managed the food, just eat at resort or you could eat at other nearby resort restaurants even if you not staying there?

      Funny, I am spreadsheet person too but the just getting very tight to plan and manage all things with kids growing. Hence first like looking at package deal to avoid some hassle.

      thanks

      I

      • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 12:34

        1)
        Weather was fine for the most part. It rained every afternoon from about 3:30-4:30 but then it settled quickly after. On one of the afternoons it was a thunderstorm though so they got everyone out of the pool. Btw if you have a young one, make sure you BYO floaties (eg the Zoggs ones from Target/Kmart) if you need them, and any other toys/etc you might want since nothing is provided.

        The extent of us leaving resort was to pay for the Bula Bus to visit the port. It's only worth doing once just to visit the "mall" but there's literally only about 15 shops in total which won't last you very long. We had lunch and it was so-so, but much cheaper than the resort. Coffee was crap (it's a red flag when you order an almond cap, and they ask if you want the almond milk in a separate cup). There's also a bigger version of the minimart (Yee's).

        2)
        In each of the resorts there's a mini mart selling really basic essentials (soft drink, ice cream, chips, cup noodles, panadol, sunscreen) at significantly inflated prices (and the Bula bus tickets). Just outside the resorts (all walkable) there's a small Yee's minimart which is similar to a 7-11 and carries a larger number of imported items (similar to the inside minimart but with more brands/flavours) but it's also quite pricey and limited in range. Useful for buying soft drink/water though. I wouldn't rely on it too much as deliveries were sporadic, and yoghurt was here today, gone tomorrow, and with very short remaining life on the expiry dates. The same minimart chain has a much bigger outlet in the Port with much more range. It's similar in size to an IGA Express - larger than most convenience stores/service stations, but maybe 30% of the size of a Woolworths Metro.

        Given we didn't know any of the above before travelling, we brought cereal sachets and boxed milk from home in a box, as well as some cup noodles. This worked well. For our 18 month old, we brought bottles, steriliser, etc too so the box was helpful. I wish we had brought more sunscreen though because you'll definitely need a lot there.

        3)
        You can eat at the resort without having to go outside but you'll need to make reservations (and don't forget to include a spot for your nanny if you're getting one to help feed). Radisson Blu was surprisingly "reasonable" in pricing given it's got a captive audience, with further discounts if you sign up to be a 'member' at check in (or if you're already a Radisson Blu member beforehand). The restaurants were Thai, Italian, Lebanese and general/BBQ/buffet (which is also where breakfast is). Out of these, we rated the Italian and Lebanese. They all have the Kids Eat Free menus as well. I didn't rate the breakfast so we only did it once. I think if you're planning to go longer than a week though, you probably will need to figure something else out as I think we'd be bored of it by then (maybe try the restaurants at the Port but you'll need to figure out if it's really worth the $12 ticket pp). Room service menu is just from each of the four restaurants but someone brings to your room - and you no longer get the kids eat free when taking away/room service.

        You can also walk between all the resorts (they're all connected along the beach and out front) and noone cares but without being a guest at the resort itself, you will need to pay on the spot which means you lose out on any discounts/promotions (eg kids eat free, 10/20% off for being a "member", etc), and not everywhere accepts cash. I'm pretty sure people go pool-hopping between the resorts since some are more kid-friendly or adult-oriented than others… but you'll be towel-less.

        Also, for each of the resorts, make sure you ask for the kids activities timetable AND the kids club program. This will give you some idea of what to expect and which activities you'll want to do or send them to kids club to do. From my own experience, only the kids activities which require parents to be there are free, with everything else incurring nominal charge (but relatively cheap compared to price of daycare in Australia).

        Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions. I wish I knew more beforehand. Also, don't withdraw too much money at the airport - the ATMs there are pricey, and other than for tipping staff (or buying cheap baked goods at the Port), there's really minimal use for cash.

        ps. Saw someone else mention the washer/dryer in Radisson. If you book the suite then you'll get this in the room. It's great when the kids make a mess and you need to wash/dry stuff. Granted it's so hot outside you can dry on the balcony pretty quickly, but we used the dryer to help make sure our stuff was ready to pack on the way home. I think the non-suites can use the communal laundry rooms but they are coin operated.

        • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 12:55

          Also just throwing this idea out there, but why Fiji? Are you picking it because it's relaxing, and you want an opportunity for you/partner to have time to yourself (ie kids are in kids club/nanny service)? If so then it's great.

          Otherwise there's other similarly priced destinations to consider like Bali or even Singapore's Sentosa Island. They each have their pros/cons but I'd say Fiji was probably the most expensive and most restrictive in the sense you're stuck in the resorts area, there's not alot else there, and it's expensive/difficult to get anywhere else worth visiting. Sentosa Island is at the other end of the spectrum but we also recently went there for a family holiday with the kids and whilst the rooms were MUCH smaller than Fiji, I think it was better value since you had a lot more eating options and modern conveniences/choice to go around. The pools were also much nicer (and less crowded!) at Sentosa albeit without the big slide that Radisson Blu had. I did miss the nanny service/kids club though since cit meant that my wife and I were exhausted taking them around, going to kids play centres (which are numerous and much nicer than the ones in Sydney), etc…

          • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 21:13
            +1

            @jace88: @jace88, thanks a lot for detailed response. I will have to set some time aside to go through all feedback. The only reason we picked Fiji is we heard from friend/family its much better than Bali. This is our 1st big trip after kids, so will be a change for us as well. I will put Sentosa island on the future list as well. We were thinking we can always go to Bali once little gets around 5 yrs or something, hoping little easier to travel and see places

  • SEPULCHYLD on 22/04/2024 - 08:47

    Hi,

    This is my experience:
    5-11/6 - 6 Nights @ Warwick
    2 adults, 2 kids 6 & 8
    ex Sydney with Qantas/Jetstar
    No transfers
    No meals except for daily breakfast
    No other inclusions.
    Booked in February through Expedia.
    Webjet was similar, I got daily quotes over a week or so as the price varies a bit day to day
    Booked for $3,274.95
    Can't give a review til mid June!

    Good luck!

    Cheers
    JV

    • Fredfloresjr on 22/04/2024 - 09:56
      +1

      So we found the JV's real account.

    • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 10:31

      @SEPULCHYLD, That looks good price. Could you share a link on your deal pls. Good idea to check with Webjet and may be flight center. I shall play around with some dates too to get better quote.

      • SEPULCHYLD on 22/04/2024 - 11:50
        +1

        No special link etc, just get on expedia.com.au , click on packages, start filling in your details, then do the same with Webjet. I like a spreadsheet to, so I filled in mine with possible solutions & prices, repeat daily til you see a trend, when you think you're at the bottom of the market hit "Add To Cart"!

        Did a re-quote same parameters bar a better room (my garden view (read: cheaper) one wasn't available) and got $3,854.30. Not bad.

        Sometimes they quote flights without luggage so be mindful of that.

  • redfox1200 on 22/04/2024 - 09:39

    we went last year in october for 8 nights. shangrila is great

    it was about 2.9k for acommodation (breakfast included) (2 Adults + 2 kids)
    we used qantas points to pay for accomodation just over 300k points
    flights were 20k qantas points per person, plus about $150 taxes each way

    so total if you were paying cash would be about 2.9k + 4 x $1400 (flights) + $1000 food + $1000 spending money

    but using qantas points it was about 460k points + $1200 (flight taxes) + $1000 food + $1000 spending money

    • JimmyF on 22/04/2024 - 09:57
      +2

      so total if you were paying cash would be about 2.9k + 4 x $1400 (flights) + $1000 food + $1000 spending money

      For those playing alone at home as the poster didn't put a total, this would be ~$10,500. Basically double the OP budget.

      • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 10:32

        @JimmyF, thanks for doing that calc for us.

    • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 10:42

      @redfox1200, we looked at few reviews around shangrila and sort of mixed response.

      *Could you elaborate how was exp, food, kids activities, facilities. What room did you stay. Few response online about facilities being run down, need renovation, closed pools and mold in showers etc.
      *Not sure about the age of your kids but how did you manage the food except breakfast, did you eat at restaurants on shangrila all days OR are there more options near by?
      *How was the Zone kids club at shangrila in case if you used?
      *Any Nanny options?
      *How was the water park at shangrila
      *The deal we were looking had FJD 1,000 for food credit if staying 7+. Not sure if these will be enough for 7+ nights.

      Sorry to many questions. Given you been recently, would be great to get your feedback on above.
      thanks

      • redfox1200 on 22/04/2024 - 11:00

        the food was good, there were lots of different restaurants in the resort, we had an ocean deluxe room, overlooking the beach/pool area.

        we didn't have any issues with closed pools at the time, we only used the main pool down by the beach. we had a group of 2 toddlers, and 2 young kids under 8, and 4 adults. (costs above were for our half).

        they were doing reno's to some of the areas when we were there.

        we had breakfast everyday at shangrila as breakfast was included, we packed lunches from breakfast foods (muffins, bread, sandwiches, fruit etc), and really only needed dinner most days.

        only went to kids club a couple of times, the kids seemed ok there.

        nannies were about $7 per hour with minimum 3 hours i believe. they are easy to organise through reception.

        the rooms were fine, 5 star in fiji is probably not equivelent to 5 star in australia. you don't really spend a lot of time in the room.

        the kids were basically just at the pool 2-3 times a day. the blow up water park was cool, might be ok for a 6 year old, as long as they have an adult with them, they have life jackets, and its about a 30m swim to get there, can hold onto the rope lane to get there too.

        we went out one night to gecko's which is at the end of the driveway of the shangrila, but don't take a taxi, just get the hotel staff to drop you down the end with a buggy. they didn't give us a price until we got back to the hotel and it was about $40 for literally a 5 minute trip each way.

        • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 21:21

          @redfox1200, thanks for that. We both adults are non swimmers so not sure if we can assist kids in the pool or the water park. I mean, is it shallow enough for adults to walk and help kids there.

          How you manage to pack lunch from included breakfast, do the resort allow you to do that?

          • redfox1200 on 22/04/2024 - 21:25

            @s0805: Yeah just we just brought a lunch box and filled it up while having breakfast. They have spreads in little packets there so you can make vegimite or jam sandwiches.

            The pool is fine if you stay in the shallow end. Probably wouldnt go out to the blow up water park area then.

            • s0805 on 22/04/2024 - 22:18

              @redfox1200: oh okay. Having a couple of lunch box to pack breakfast for later is good idea. Around water, so being non-swimmer not possible for kids to do Water park activities then?

      • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 12:52

        IMO Shangrila is much fancier than Radisson Blu from my observations of walking around the resorts and looks to be targeting a slightly older crowd (ie not as well suited to young kids) given the restaurant/bars and the pools being a bit smaller/tidier without a slide/etc. It has a much grander entrance, it has a fancy duty free shop in the lobby area, had decent coffee at the cafe there (similar pricing to say Starbucks in Australia) and free wifi too in the lobby. I looked at the pricing for the restaurant there and it was much much more expensive pp than Radisson Blu from memory.

        Note I didn't stay at Shangrila so others probably can comment more on the rooms.

        • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 23:18
          +1

          Sorry I realised I meant to say Sheraton which is next door to Radisson Blu.

  • kiwijunglist on 22/04/2024 - 10:16
    +2

    we went to intercontinental fiji for one week

    taxi is about $40au 1.5hr each way from airport to resort if Booking yourself, lots of online places to book

    best beach on fiji main island, i thought Denaurau Island beach in comparison was really bad.

    they have kids club (wasn't busy), they have daily family activities outside of kids club, eg. hermit crab racing, feeding the fish on the shore. i think maybe you could just do two half day sessions at kids club and the rest just playing at the resort.

    beach is great for swimming

    food was OK. we did all inclusive breakfast, lunch was fruit and snacks taken away from bfast, dinner was light meals. we spend about $100 per day on food and drink for 2 adults and 2 toddlers.

    can pickup fruit snacks and drinks on the taxi ride to the resort from local supermarket just ahh the driver to stop for you.

    resort is not close to anything else so you basically stay at the resort and eat at resort unless you are doing a day trip away.

    would recommend just because the beach is amazing and staff love kids. i thought the room was below average but we only slept in the room.

    if you want to do lots of activities outside of swimming then there maybe better options.

    we spent about $2000 on flights and $6000 on food, accommodation, taxi, incidentals. we stayed at IC for 6 nights and radisson for 1 night. booked flights and accommodation and taxi myself, not a package. beach bungalow, one room, two large beds and a cot. cash back from cash rewards for intercontinental website. I would go back to same resort.

    raddison room was much nicer, we had a washer and dryer, separate lounge and bedroom. how've raddison is just a giant swimming pool / restaurant complex. doesn't feel like a tropical island. doesn't have a proper tropical beach.

  • afah0447 on 22/04/2024 - 14:38

    Go to Thailand or Vietnam. It's cheaper and better.

    • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 15:02

      Are they good for kids? I have only been to those places as an adult and it's great, but I don't recall seeing many kid-friendly activities or locations (ie easy/safe to get around with a pram).

      • muzzamo on 28/07/2024 - 19:30

        In vietnam, somewhere like the intercontintental ho tram is perfect for kids.

  • lainey13 on 22/04/2024 - 22:01
    +1

    Food will get you, check out the prices of the menus of the resorts you can stay at. It's so expensive and the food is not amazing at the cheaper resorts. We stayed at the Radisson Blu on an amazing deal when they first opened up after covid. We paid about $6k all up for everything for 11 nights, and you will NEVER EVER get such an amazing price ever again. I've looked at going back to stay at the Naviti (all inclusive) and I can't get anything less than $7k for about a week (2a, 1ch). That's not even in school holiday time.

    Top reasonably priced resorts for kids:
    Radisson Blu (food was not very good though, no fear of putting on weight here, 1 bedroom suite worked super well with kids in the lounge, and bathroom and balcony still accessible from the master)
    Naviti (has rooms with family section where the kids can sleep separate)
    Warwick
    Outrigger

    More expensive:
    Sheraton
    Shangri la (yanuca island) (water park looked fun, coast beach area will be better than Denarau, but 1hr+ from airport)

    These are on the mainland, also other options on islands etc but these are the ones that came up as good in my research at the time.

    You have to budget for extremely high food costs, for example the very average buffet at the Radisson is like $70, more upmarket resort will be closer to $100 per person. $30 for a burger, $20 for cocktails etc. It's NOT cheaper than Australia, and its not a cheap place to stay in at all. The only plus over somewhere like Bali will be the environment, people and short flight time.
    Main package websites are myfiji, travelonline, the fiji airways holiday website, luxury escapes, my bula bubble. There's quite a few around. Good luck!

    • jace88 on 22/04/2024 - 23:20

      I found the buffet/BBQ at Radisson to be very underwhelming for the price and only made bearable by the kids eat free. The Italian was probably the best of all the restaurants IMO and it was the only air conditioned restaurant too. Lebanese was decent too. Thai was pretty miserable but maybe we are just spoilt with fresh Thai food being readily accessible and cheap in Australia.

  • CatGrandma on 05/05/2024 - 16:57

    If you are happy to sit through a timeshare presentation, the Wyndham resort in Denarau is nice. Find somewhere in Aus running the sales spiel and say no a lot and you eventually get offered a "taster package". It's around $4000AUD for a one off 35,000 points which was enough for my partner and I to book 10 nights in Fiji plus a week in Port Douglas and a few shorter trips (3 nights Port Douglas, 3 nights Ballarat, 4 nights Torquay). If you sit through another sales spiel while you are at the resort they'll give you credit you can use at the resort restaurants etc.

    • jace88 on 07/05/2024 - 10:31

      Given all the news and issues with Timeshare/holiday schemes, it feels like you have to be extremely careful when navigating this… sounds like you may have 'beaten' the system with a good outcome but there's plenty of people out there who either sign up for what is essentially a financial product with substatial long term/indefinite costs, or don't get the freebies/promotional items they offer.

      Even when we were in Fiji on our trip, it didn't stop various people in the street and at the Port trying to get us to spend to come for a one or two hour brunch at Wyndham and they offered to pick us up from our resort/drop us off, and in exchange for just showing up, the cost of the tour/excursion to the islands dropped from like $200+ PP to $50. The red flag was when they told us not to worry because they're regulated by ASIC to which I asked "why would a island tour or breakfast be regulated by ASIC?"

      YMMV of course but I'd be very cautious about agreeing to attend any of these types of presentations and mindful that you may not always get what you expected.

      • CatGrandma on 27/05/2024 - 13:39
        +1

        Oh yeah, my parents bought in like 16 years ago. I think it's a terrible financial choice but they are happy. The accommodation is nice but I don't think it's worth the money. Sat through the presentation this time and it's around $18000 for 6000 points which is the minimum you can buy. That's maybe enough for a week somewhere if you are lucky. They offer financing with a 13.5% interest rate. The same points from a timeshare reseller are $2000 or so. I did the maths a while ago and if I wanted to do a yearly holiday to Fiji buying second hand points was not a bad option but it means you are locked into paying the yearly maintenance fee even if you aren't able to travel and selling a timeshare you don't want seems like a PITA.

  • s0805 on 22/05/2024 - 21:41
    +1

    Thanks all for your feedback so far. Quick update, ended up booking 7 nights with below resort (Sheraton)
    https://luxuryescapes.com/au/property/sheraton-fiji-golf-and…

    Mid Jan 2025,2 adults & 2 kids, Breakfast included, 2 nights of dinner, $500 fjd credit, return transfers from airport. We were lucky there were 15% Luxury escapes gift card offer going on at Amazon. So with the help of that in end it all costed (incl. flights) about AUD 5360. Could have saved more but had to pay $500 using NAB credit card to trigger the travel insurance for all.

    Couple of queries
    * From what i read Aus passport holders don't need visa for Fiji, its provided on arrival
    * Not finding much help on what the arrival visa cost would be, some says it is none but didn't get definitive answer
    * Our flights have 30kg baggage, so thinking of getting things (baby nappies, creams, kid snacks, bottle of whisky) from here. saves us time to do some shopping there and save money as well. Thoughts??
    * Not sure, if any of you had stay at Sheraton before, are there any nearby activities, day trips anyone can recommend for family of 4. We are assuming there will be some further options there for lunch and dinner nearby

    thanks

    • CatGrandma on 27/05/2024 - 13:59
      +2

      Visa is on arrival and doesn't cost anything. Definitely bring a few things with you if you have the luggage space, it'll be cheaper that way. Most of the resorts have small convenience stores and there's a small supermarket at the marina otherwise you need to go to Nadi for groceries. The convenience stores and small supermarket can be a little pricey because they're mostly selling imported stuff Aussies/Kiwis are used to rather than local brands. Bring sunscreen, insect repellent, and bite goo. All of those things cost a bunch from the resorts. The Bula bus runs between all the resorts and the marina and is $35FJD for a 5 day pass or like $11 for a single day. You can walk between most of the resorts pretty easily if you want to try their restaurants but the bus is convenient for getting to the marina. The marina has a few restaurants and some touristy shops. If you want to go to Nadi the public bus is only a few dollars but you need to pay cash. Lots of island tours to choose from all leaving from the marina. I'm the wrong demographic to tell you what's good to do with kids but Malamala island was great as a couple of adults, I'm not sure if the kids would be bored since they don't run kid centric activities but the snorkeling was great and the pool was beautiful.

    • jace88 on 27/05/2024 - 15:01

      Sounds like a pretty good deal. If you can, try to get the hotel to email you the kids club activities/plans beforehand as well as pricing for activities/nanny/etc so that when you check in you can book asap.

      Not sure about the whisky pricing in Fiji (the only drinks we had were the free ones in the resort) but for all those big/bulky kids things you can just pack a cardboard box and bring that. Bring cereals as well if you need them. Sunscreen/Snacks/chips/etc aren't cheap in Fiji (or at least near the resort area). As mentioned in my above comment somewhere, there's also limited shops nearby.

      I don't think I had to pay for Visa on Arrival for Australian passport. They just give to you. It's a very manual form/process but they're faster than you think they'll be in the airport.

      ps. If your kids aren't strong swimmers yet, don't forget to bring the inflatable floaties from Kmart/Target/etc. Inflatables and other swimming-related items are available in the resort but they aren't cheap.

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