I had a week's break in Fiji in March, in between chemotherapy sessions, and it was a real relief to get away. The thought of coming back for more sessions was always in the back of my mind though, and I am really looking forward to travelling again when I am cancer free and able to celebrate the start of my next chapter.
I've been to Fiji a few times and I have always been amazed by the beauty of the Fijian people, they are genuinely the nicest I've met anywhere.
We stayed at Club Wyndham and had an ocean front unit, and I loved looking out at the ocean every day. It was near the end of the rainy season and we did get a lot of rain, but the weather was always warm, and in most cases we could still sit outside under the cover of the balcony and enjoy the view.
We booked 3 day trips but ended up cancelling the third due to the rain. Despite the uncertain weather we enjoyed day trips out to Tivua Private Island with Captain Cook Cruises, and to South Sea Island with South Sea Cruises.
It was an overcast day when we arrived at Tivua Private Island but the colour of the water was still beautiful. Due to the high likelihood of rain we didn't get to sail out on the Tall Ship which was a shame, but the catarmaran ride was still an enjoyable experience.
I'd reserved a waterfront shade cabana which I was very happy about as it gave us a dedicated place to sit for the day with guaranteed shade. You could wade into the water but it was so shallow that it wasn't easy to swim unless you went back near the end of the jetty.
I didn't feel up to snorkelling but on the way back to the boat I was admiring the crystal clear water and watching a school of small fish, and happened to see a small shark swim straight past! It was beautiful to see and I think it was a Black Tipped Reef Shark, but I wasn't fast enough to get a photo. 💛
When we went to South Sea Island we didn't book a place to sit, but were lucky enough to get shaded seats with direct ocean views.
We got into the water for a bit of swim and the water temperature was perfection.
However, a big lesson for me on both days was that I should have brought my reef shoes - the beaches in both locations had sand made up of a lot of coral and it was really rough to stand on barefoot. I will be ensuring that reef shoes are an essential part of my packing for future trips.
There was also a small pool on the island which was really deep, and another great way to cool down.
We watched my favourite sunset of the trip at the Sheraton, as we decided to pop in there for dinner one evening at Tatavu restaurant. We had the perfect table out near the ocean, a clear evening, and good food.
If you love seafood and are staying in or near Denarau Island, at the Denarau Marina I'd recommend you go to Sails. We ate there for our final dinner and found the service and food lovely.
I didn't want to say goodbye to Fiji, it's a place I've often thought I'd like to live for a while, even a few months.
I took this picture from the plane as we left and it has definitely inspired me to go again in the future to explore some more of the beautiful islands - and next time I will definitely be going snorkelling.