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Mamanuca Islands
Clearly visible from Nadi Airport, the Mamanuca Islands is a stunning collection of 23 small islands with stunning beaches. Situated in the lee of the main island of Viti Levu, the Mamanuca Islands boasts the finest holiday weather in Fiji - year-round sunshine, calm seas and gentle breezes. This is Fiji's tourism gem. With a choice of a dozen resorts, several of which are on uninhabited islands, and as many day cruises from Nadi, a visit to the Mamanuca Islands is a must on any travel itinerary. Nowhere else in the South Pacific will you find such easy access to so many beautiful islands, all with perfect white sandy beaches and lots of water activities.
Although commercial tourism thrives, the physical make-up of the Mamanuca Islands has enabled it to retain its laid-back unspoiled atmosphere. Most of the island resorts are just that - one island, one resort with no neighbours nor overcrowding.
Scuba diving and game-fishing are excellent along the many outer reef passages, notably the 10-mile Malolo Barrier Reef, with all major resorts having their own dive operators base and game-fishing charters. The modern marina at Musket Cove offers skippered and bareback sailing charters and hosts several International Regattas during the sailing season between May and October. There are many other water activities on offer including para-sailing, jet-ski adventures, banana boat rides, wind-surfing, knee-boarding and kite-surfing, with most resorts providing complimentary sea kayaks, reef snorkelling trips and hobbie cats.
Staying on a small island is the stuff of dreams - sitting back with a cocktail watching the sunset or taking an early morning dip in the ocean. Hoewever, these resorts do come at a premium - for those looking to save money and sacrifice a few of its pleasures might consider staying in Nadi where rooms are far more competitively priced and dining out at independent restaurants can save a lot, and instead take day cruises to the various islands. There are many day trip options available in Nadi, from spending a day at an island resort starting at F$69 per person including hotel pick-up, transfers and lunch, or taking a sightseeing trip by sail boat with dolphin watching and snorkelling along the way starting at F$129. Aerial sightseeing by either helicopter or sea plane is a spectacular way to see the islands.
The Coral Islands
The inner Mamanucas are made up of tiny flat coral islands, often taking just ten minutes to walk around and include several island resorts as well as day trip destinations from nadi for snorkelling and beach BBQ's.
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Treasure Island Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 554 per couple
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Treasure Island Resort Fiji is a small intimate coral island resort 17km off the coast of Nadi. Treasure Island prides itself on being eco-friendly surrounded by a natural marine reserve and with an natural unspoiled tropical setting which encourages endemic birdlife. Excellent snorkelling ideal for both couples and families looking to experience a small island.
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Bounty Island Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 255 per couple + dorm
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Bounty Island Resort Fiji is a small intimate coral island resort aimed at budget travellers and backpackers. The island offers 48 acres of untouched scrub forest surrounded by golden sandy beaches, clear pristine waters and a marine reserve that provides good snorkelling. There's a lively bar and small swimming pool, with accommodation in air-conditioned beachfront huts or dormitories.
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Malolo Group and Mana
The middle islands are the largest and consist of Malolo Lailai and Mana, both of which have several large resorts and an airport runway from the short 10-minute flight over from Nadi Airport (stunning views en-route). This area also includes the group's largest island, Malolo, at just over 2400 acres with iots delightful malolo Barrier Reef off its southern coast with exceptional diving and surfing. These middle islands offer gentle hills with some lovely walking tracks offering stunning views over the lagoon and islands and are a better choice for those who like the freedom to explore, trekking to summits for sunset views and finding secluded beaches with no-one on them.
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Likuliku Lagoon, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 1,221 per couple
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Likuliku Lagoon Resort is renowned for Fiji's finest over-water bungalows. This intimate beach resort boasts traditional architecture with a magnificent building in the design of a Fijian canoe house being its centre piece. With spacious beach bungalows, a contemporary swimming pool, fine ocean views and exquisite service, this is an unbeatavble romantic hideaway.
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Castaway Island Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 734 per couple
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Castaway Island Resort Fiji is a 174-acre private island in the heart of the Mamanuca Islands with a truly relaxing holiday atmosphere. Spacious traditional thatch bures with hand painted tapa material and high ceilings are spread along the beachfront and in the garden setting. Castaway Resort is ideal for couples or those looking for quality time with children.
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Lomani Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 630 per couple
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Lomani Resort is a small Mediterranean style beach resort on popular Malolo Lailai Island in Fiji's sunny Mamanuca Islands. Located just 50-minutes from Nadi by fast catamaran and a no child poliucy, this is the perfect small boutique retreat for a quiet wedding, honeymoon or romantic break. Modern suite rooms, a delightful small restaurant and a large pool.
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Malolo Island Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 566 per couple
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Malolo is an intimate, rustic resort in a quiet corner of the Malolo Group, facing a pretty white sandy beach backed by coconut palms and steep hills. You will be served by the descendants of villagers who have lived there for thousands of years, offering true Fijian hospitality. Perfect for families and couples alike, you can fill your day with a myriad of activities or simply unwind and do nothing at all.
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Musket Cove Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 505 per couple
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Musket Cove Resort Fiji is set on 600-acres of private Freehold land on the island of Malololailai. Adjacent to the Musket Cove Marina and overlooking a sandy beach and the adjacent island of Malolo, Musket Cove offers a spacious relaxing environment ideal for those looking to participate in water activities, exploring the island and relaxation.
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Mana Island Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 317 per couple
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Mana Island Resort is the largest of the Mamanuca Island resorts, located on a long thin island surrounded by white sand . There's lots of water activities, good snorkelling and great walks around the island with stunning views from its gentle hilltops. The resort offers a wide range of accommodation from honeymoon bures to luxury suites and studio style rooms.
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Plantation Island Resort, Mamanuca
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F$ 281 per couple
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Plantation Island Resort is the largest of the Mamanuca Island resorts and is set along a picturesque beachfront with excellent swimming lagoon on Malolo Lailai Island. Its focus is on activities, especially on the water, and along with its wide range of accommodation styles and budgets, this is Fiji's most popular family resort.
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Walu Beach Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 270 per couple + dorm
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Walu Beach Resort is one of the most affordable budget resorts in the mamanucas - a mix between a full service holiday resort and a backpackers retreat. Located on the west side of Malolo Island in the Mamanuca Group, the resort offers a range of accommodation from a dormitory style lodge to luxury beachfront bungalows.
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Funky Fish Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 101 per couple + dorm
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Funky Fish Resort is a small backpacker property on Malolo Island, fronting a small beach and with fabulous views from the hillside restaurant overlooking the ocean and towards the surfing reefs of ther Malolo Barrier Reef. There's a picturesque beach although the lagoon is too shallow for swimming but a swimming pool makes up for this and there are daily surfing trips and nice hill walks.
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Outer Mamanuca Islands
The outer Mamanuca Islands are rugged volcanic islands with secluded bays and interesting rock formations. they are less commercial and offer smaller more intimate beach resorts asd well as several traditional fishing villages. The outer Mamanuca Islands take one and a half hours to reach by fast catamaran, or its a 20-minute hop on a helicopter.
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Tokoriki Island Resort, Mamanuca
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F$ 862 per couple
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Tokoriki Island Resort is a delightful secluded beachfront resort in the quiet outer Mamanuca Islands with stunning sunsets. Just 34 comfortable beach-front bungalows alongside a sweeping beach ensures privacy. Extensive water sports, fishing and diving amongst the pristine reefs.
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Matamanoa Island Resort, Mamanuca
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F$ 386 per couple
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Matamanoa Island Resort is a small, intimate and secluded boutique island. The island boasts a volcanic cone jutting out of the turquoise blue waters with e4xcellent snorkelling off the coral reef. Created for those who dream of peace and tranquillity, the resort has adopted a year round policy of not permitting children under the age of 12 years.
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Amanuca Island Resort, Mamanuca Islands
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F$ 252 per couple
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Amunuca Resort offers a wide range of accommodation most suitable for families or couples on a budget. Amunuca has a modern contemporary fee facing a lovely white sandy beach, and there's excellent offshore snorkelling, lots of activities, hiking trails and above all else, a secluded holiday feel.
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Cruising the Mamanucas and Yasawas
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Captain Cook Cruise, Mamanuca & Yasawa
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F$ 2,661 for 3 Nights
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Captain Cook cruise offers luxury sightseeing in the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands aboard the 50-cabin cruise ship Reef Escape. Enjoy fine cuisine and personalised service as you cruise to pristine beaches and remote islands with palm fringed villages. Snorkel in the warm lagoons, savour the bounty of the Fijian village lovo feast, dance to the drums of the meke and sleep to the sound of surf.
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Yasawa Islands
The Yasawa Islands is a chain of 16 gorgeous sun drenched and rather barren volcanic islands extending to the north of the Mamanucas. The islands are renowned for its gorgeous beaches, tranquil lagoons, backpacker resorts, exclusive retreats and luxury overnight cruises. Here is Fiji's tourism at its best - remote, unspoiled and uncommercial - but its popularity in recent years has seen a gradual shift from a backpackers undiscovered paradise to a more commercial and well trodden tourist route with inflated prices. Nevertheless, the stunning coastal beauty remains and there are enough small hideaways to keep crowds to a minimum.
The 16 islands that make up the Yasawas extend in a line north of the Mamanucas. They are reached by fast catamaran in 2 to 4 hours, or by seaplane in 30-minutes. The islands can be divided into three groups: In the south, and closest to Nadi, are the majestic panoramas of Kuata, Wayasewa and Waya Island which offer some of the finest coastal walks and beach scenery in Fiji. The northern part of the Yasawas, and ironically the most popular as a tourist destination, are the myriad of islands, bays and secluded beaches of Matacawalevu, Tavewa, Nanuya and Nucula which boast between them the outstanding Blue Lagoon Beach, several luxury resorts and lots of budget beach hideaways. A popular way to see the group is purchasing ther Yasawa Travel Pass which includes unlimited return transfers aboard the fast catamaran, Yasawa Flyer, with overnight stops at a choice of 10 budget resorts along the way.
Southern Yasawas
The classic high volcanic islands of Kuata and Waya in the south of the group offer stunning beaches backed by rugged cliffs and high mountain peaks and several pretty traditional fishing villages. These islands have some of the best walks in the South Pacific, meandering high up along cliff edges and looking down into deep bays.
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Wayalailai Beach Resort, Southern Yasawas
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F$ 150 per couple + dorm
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Waya Lailai Eco Resort is one of the best backpacker resorts in the Yasawas with a lively atmosphere, lots of accommodation styles, a good selection of activities including scuba diving (with introductory courses) and some excellent mountain trails for exploring. The resort sits alongside a white sandy beach adjacent to the local village with some reasonable snorkelling offshore.
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Bayside Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 140 per couple
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Bayside Resort is a tiny paradise on the stunning island of Waya. Set in a private beach, this traditional resort has just two bures ensuring a peaceful holiday away from commercial tourism. With no generator, no electricity and kerosene lamps at night, this is an escapists dream with excellent snorkelling and is a great base for hikers who want to explore the hills of Waya.
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Mid Yasawas
In the middle of the group are the fine white sand beaches of Naviti Island and snorkelling with Manta Rays.
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Manta Ray Island Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 118 per couple + dorm
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Manta Ray Island Resort is a modern style backpacker resort managed by a young Australian couple with basic yet comfortable accommodation, lots of organized activities and a keenly managed environmental waste system. Set alongside a gorgeous turquoise lagoon, close to Manta Ray lagoon (May-Oct), the focus here is on keeping guests busy.
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Northern Yasawas
The northern cluster of islands around Tavewa offers a protected bay for sailing yachts and is the anchorage for luxury overnight cruises. The hills have good walking tracks and there's some great scuba diving. Snorkelling is generally good right off the beach. There are lots of backpacker resorts in this region as well as the delightful Navutu Stars, an upmarket resort with Mediterranean style villas and Italian dining. Fishing and diving are superb.
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Navutu Stars Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 588 per couple
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Navutu Stars is a deluxe boutique resort with nine individually designed thatched-roof bures (two honeymoon suites featuring private spa) along a thin strip of beachfront. The restaurant offers a fusion of Italian and Fijian cuisine and a great selection of wines. Navutu Stars is ideal for couples and honeymooners looking for a romantic escape.
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Long Beach Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 140 per couple + dorm
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Long Beach Resort is a small backpacker resort set on the point of a glorious white sandy beach overlooking a turquoise lagoon towards the rolling hills of neighbouring islands. This is a good place to settle down with a book, take in the tranquillity and perhaps engage in a few light activities like line fishing, snorkelling, kayaking or trekking to a nearby village..
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Off the east tip of Tavewa Island is Nacula Island. At ten kilometres long, Nacula is the third largest island in the Yasawas and there are several high peaks over 200 metres. The southern coast has some excellent walking tracks, several remote beaches and two excellent budget resorts with great snorkelling. On the west coast is the delightful setting of Oarsman's Bay Resort. Apart from the fine white sand backed by palm trees and the turquoise swimming lagoon, there are lots of organised activities.
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Nanuya Island Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 239 per couple
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Nanuya Island Resort is a mid-market resort in the Yasawa Islands and offers comfortable wooden bungalows, a beautifully designed restaurant and lots of watersports . The beach is gorgeous and there's excellent snorkelling making Nanuya Island one of the best value holiday spots in Fiji. With a total of only twelve bungalows, this is an intimate setting ideally suited to couples.
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Oarsman's Bay Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 174 per couple + dorm
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Oarsman's Bay Resort is a small budget style resort in the Yasawa Islands with a fantastic reputation. Whist retaining the dormitory style accommodation above the restaurant area (single beds only), the focus here is on a relaxing beach experience for couples and families. Good snorkelling offshore, hill walks and no motorised sports.
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The northern most island is chiefly Yasawa Island. This long thin island, with the Sawa-i-Lau limestone caves off its southern tip, has some of the finest beaches in the South Pacific. There is just one upmarket resort, but lluxury cruises from nadi visit and anchor off its beaches and some of the backpacker resorts can make day trips. There are several traditional fishing villages with lots of traditional thatch homes.
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Yasawa Island Resort, Yasawa Islands
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F$ 1,450 per couple
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Yasawa Island Resort Fiji offers luxurious accommodation and service in one of the most splendid beach settings in Fiji. Isolated, traditional, great for exploring and scuba diving, this is the ultimate pampered small resort beach holiday in Fiji. Yasawa Island offers one of the most secluded honeymoon bures in Fiji.
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