Fiji — Big & Little Adventures

Bula! 10 nights in Fiji

On a previous visit to Fiji we stayed out on Castaway and Malolo Islands. Both are amazing and I highly recommend them, however this time we decided to stick to the mainland as the kids are a little older and we were looking to explore!

This time we picked the Coral Coast of Fiji at the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. Approximately an hour’s drive from Nadi Airport, it’s a scenic drive through villages and the town of Sigatoka.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with traditional Fijian music, a cold drink and checked in straight away. The view from reception looks out onto the resort and out to sea and looks not unlike what we imagine to be the village in ‘Moana’. It even has a reef we are not supposed to go beyond!

From this view, Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort looks like something out of ‘Moana’!

As a family of 5, the standard bures are too small for us, so we stayed in a Deluxe Ocean View Room which consisted of a separate bedroom, ensuite and living area. Very spacious for the next 10 nights. Our room came with a Talai Butler service which included canapes and a beer, wine or bubbles each evening around 5pm and a nightcap before bed!

The grounds are impeccably kept and while some of the resort is looking a little tired, renovations are underway and it certainly did not hamper our experience.

In terms of dining, there is quite an array of options to choose from. There is the Sundowner Bar & Grill, the poolside Baravi Restaurant, Kalokalo Bar, Vale Ni Kana (the resort’s buffet restaurant) and the Ivi Restaurant (for formal dining). There are meal plans available and are worthwhile if you know how much time you are spending at the resort. We bought our plans in blocks of days and on the days we weren’t around for lunch (due to sightseeing or other activities), we used the voucher for a meal on a different day. For example, we used one of our lunch vouchers for breakfast on the last morning. Kids also eat free which is a great bonus!

Our kids loved the kids club! On registration they were given a passport which included a timetable of activities for each week. These activities ranged from crab and frog races to basket weaving to discos. Some activities attracted a fee such as a trip to the Kula Wildlife Park next door to the resort & tie-dying t-shirts. The kids had so much fun doing all the activities, that we eventually had to say no to them attending some of the sessions as we weren’t getting enough family time with them on our holiday!

I should also mention at this point, that the resort boasts an award winning Mei Mei Nanny service which is fabulous for families with babies and younger children.

Dressing up in traditional costume at the kids club on the Meke Theme Night

While the kids were at Kids Club, we hung out around the pool and on one occasion had a massage up at the Bebe Spa which was divine! There is also an adults only pool and bar a short walk away from the main pool area. It was the ultimate relaxing holiday.

While the mice are away, the cats will play!

Not ones to laze around for too long however, we did venture out a few times to explore. One of the day trips was the Sigatoka River Safari (booked at tour desk near reception) and had a fantastic day at one of the villages. The tour visits a different village each day and on the day we did our safari, the village we visited was Toga (pronounced Tonga). Although this village receives foreigners on a regular basis, we were still made to feel so welcome and we loved watching our kids interact with the village children. The villagers cooked us a traditional lunch after performing a Kava Ceremony and lunch was followed by some traditional Fijian dancing.

The village is situated on the Sigatoka River and we travelled there by speedboat. On the return trip, the tour guide did donuts in the river and we all got saturated (much to the delight of the kids).

A couple of times, we caught a taxi or the resort shuttle into the town of Sigatoka to explore the markets and general Fijian way of life.

Our older kids (7 & 10yrs) were ‘rangers for the day’ at Kula Wildlife Park next door to the resort. They were collected from the resort at 8:30 and returned around 3:30pm. Their day included preparing food for the wildlife at the park (mainly birds, snakes and lizards) and were also given the opportunity to feed some of them. They learnt a lot about the conservation at the park as well as cleaning duties etc. The park also has slides, pools and zipline so their day was not all work! Expect to pay around $100AUD per child for the day which included lunch. Ours were the only 2 kids with the ranger that day so you can imagine they had an absolute ball and you could not keep the smiles off their faces when they returned home!

Snorkelling outside the resort was pretty good. Visibility is much better on calm days. Not really any vibrant coral but plenty of colourful fish including mini ‘Nemo’s and Dory’s’. There are some cages out in the middle of the snorkelling area protecting some giant clams which are very old. They are definitely worth checking out!

The resort itself boasts many activities to keep you occupied. I did a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the resort and Ben did a Fijian Rum Tasting workshop. There are the usual resort activities such as volleyball, water aerobics, bingo and frog and crab races for the adults, but there are also more cultural activities such as the Fire Walking Show, Kava ceremony and Fijian dancing.

Getting the fire pit ready for the Fire Walking Show

All in all, we had a great time at Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. It is ideal for families but you’ve also got space and privacy if you decide to visit as a couple or on your own. There are often some fantastic travel packages available which include meals and massage/nanny service so keep an eye out for them!

Happy travels!

More pics on Instagram @bigandlittleadventures