fiji travel hotel guide

Fiji Family Hotel Guide

 Fiji is very extremely popular amongst Australian and New Zealanders as a family beach holiday destination and smost of the family orientated resorts are fully booked during school holidays, particularly the June and September holidays. With an enormous empathy and affection for children, Fijians make fabulous hosts and their friendly charm brings holiday-makers back to the same resort year after year. Guests are invited to story-telling, bush walks, volleyball on the beach or even to make a visit to the local village. and those with infants will find the Fijian staff eager to hold and entertain your children at every opportunity. Most resorts have complimentary kids clubs and plenty of family orientated water activities.

Most family resorts in Fiji have plenty of water activities from snorkelling / diving expeditions, children's clubs, sea kayaks and catamarans and sunset bars for cocktails. Most resorts provide entertainment at night which include fire torching, Yaqona ceremonies, traditional dances (mekes) and serenading. Nightclubs are not that popular although the larger Fiji resorts do have some live bands which play a mix of local reggae and love songs.

Soft sand and gentle waves are great formulae for family holidays with the beach resorts along the Mamanuca and Yasawa islands a particular favourite with families, notably Plantation Island Resort, Musket Cove Resort and Treasure Island Resort in the Mamanuca Islands; and the more budget orientated Oarsmans Bay Lodge in the Yasawa Islands. The large resorts along the Coral Coast are also popular with several good family attractions including the Kula Eco Park as well as adventure activities around Pacific Harbour for older children.

Children are enthusiastically welcomed in Fiji and most resorts allow kids under a certain age to stay for free if sharing a room with their parents - some even often free meals as incentives. The exception are the upmarket boutique resorts whose clientele is mostly the honeymoon market and many have a strict no children policy to ensure a romantic atmosphere for their guests, sometimes allowing kids at dedicated holiday periods – the exception is Cousteau Resort on Vanua Levu which is one of the very best luxury resorts for families. Other outer island resorts which actively encourage families are Naigani Island in the Lomaiviti group and Papageno on Kadavu. For those on a budget, many of the backpacker resorts have family rooms, especially in Nadi.

Rural villages are a fascinating environment for children of all ages and they’ll most likely be enthusiastically welcomed by the village kids, encouraged to play and generally well looked after. If travelling by car or taxi, seat belts, let along dedicated infant car seats, are difficult to find, although the major car hire companies do provide the latest safety standard car seats. Prams in general are not that practical to travel with and at many of the resorts, pathways are sandy - even around towns, pavements are not pram friendly.

Minor health issues are the greatest concern for parents travelling with young children, especially 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, baby milk, nappies and children’s medications are readily available and being imported from Australia are of the highest quality. Breast feeding in public is fairly common-place, especially so in rural environments although baby-changing facilities are rarely found.

Family Holiday Accommodation