Our time in Samoa quickly came to a close. We really fell for the genuine hospitality and manner of the Samoan people, their village way of life rooted in Christianity, and the raw beauty of Upolu. But, as with all things in life, it had to come to an end for us. We were up before 2 AM, and at 3 AM caught the hotel shuttle to the airport. Our 5 AM flight to Fiji left 15 minutes early! Upon arrival in Nadi, we quickly cleared customs, retrieved our bags, got new Fijian SIM cards, and secured our Hertz rental. By 6:30 AM, we were on our way.
Since we didn’t anticipate being allowed to access our Marriott hotel room until mid-afternoon, our plan was to drive to the southwest corner of Viti Levu, Fiji‘s main island, and explore one of the country’s widest and longest beaches: Natadola Beach.
Natadola Beach was truly stunning. We think we visited it on our first trip to Fiji in the early 2000s. We literally had the entire stretch of beach to ourselves. It was magnificent.
We walked 2 1/2 km and then started the drive towards the Marriott in Momi Bay, on Viti Levu’s West Coast. It didn’t take long after arrival there for us to realize that this is a truly luxurious and stunningly beautiful resort. We are certain you will agree, once you see the photos below.
As a ‘Titanium’ member in Marriott’s frequent guest program, I was treated with such incredible kindness and hospitality, I’m still stunned by it all. Not only did they allow us to check in upon our arrival at 10:30 AM - practically unheard of at a resort property - they also gave us breakfast this morning. (And a breakfast buffet at this property is unlike any other breakfast I think we’ve ever had.) They upgraded us to a duplex ‘bure’ right on the lagoon, with a private beach. They gave Pam a lovely gift, and they sent a bottle of champagne and snacks to our room. It was all a bit overwhelming.
We did a walk, hung out on our private beach, went up the street to the hotel’s infinity pool overlooking the west coast of Viti Levu, and then went for a swim in the lagoon. The twice weekly cultural show took place this evening, so we enjoyed watching a kava ritual, followed by wonderful singing and dancing by about 30 people from a local village. That was topped by a quiet dinner. By 9 PM, we were in bed. It truly was a magical day, but one that started super early.
A packed Boeing 737 Max 8 Took us from Samoa to Fiji at 5 AM. The flight both departed and arrived 15 minutes early.
Given the large Indian population, Hinduism is one of the main religions here, followed by 28% of the population. (64% are Christian and 6% are Muslim). This is the Hindu Temple in Nadi.
It was morning rush-hour, between 6:30 AM and 7 AM, when we were leaving Nadi to drive south on Viti Levu. It was quite fascinating to see school children in their uniforms, and all manner of transportation, as people were trying to get to work. We were struck by the above scene: can you imagine a child being allowed to ride in the back of a pick up truck like that in Canada?
Pam has always been someone who loves Wheatabix. They have the cereal here in the South Pacific as well, but, as it is called in Australia and New Zealand as well, it is “Weet-Bix”.
As mentioned above, Muslims comprise 6% of the population. This is a small mosque near Natadola.
This impressive swampy area filled with water lilies was quite the site en route to Natadola Beach.
In our hunt for Natadola Beach, Google Maps erroneously took us into a tiny village. We had a couple of lovely conversations with locals who tried to set us back on a proper course. This is a scene from that village.
Not that the entire population lives like this, but we certainly did see a lot of examples of such housing.
Natadola Beach in Southwest Viti Levu
Natola Beach is one of the longest, widest, and best beaches in Fiji, we were told. We arrive there at 8 AM and have the entire beach to ourselves. We did a wonderful 2.5km walk.
Morning glories in Bloom at Natodola Beach.
Dunes at Natadola Beach.
A lot of the agriculture is still done the old-fashioned backbreaking way.
They were shocked to see pine forests. Somehow, we didn’t expect to see pines in such a tropical area as this.
Much of Viti Levu is comprised of rolling hills like this. A beautiful lush landscape.
The population is comprised of 57% indigenous Fijians and 38% Indo-Fijians. The Indians were brought here in the 1800s by the British to develop the sugarcane industry.
All over Viti Levu, you will see a very narrow gauge set of tracks running across the roads. This was the means of getting sugarcane from the fields to local collection points.
Marriott Momi Bay Resort
This highway sign really added to our excitement. And the sign’s hype (“paradise”) did not disappoint!
An aerial view of the resort, taken from the hotel’s webpage.
Our accommodation is in a bure. Bure is the Fijian word for a wood-and-straw hut. Today, bures come in many shapes and degrees of comfort!
Take a quick tour of our ‘bure’ here at the Marriott:
A welcome gift and personal note from the general manager of the hotel.
That’s the kind of day we had!
The overwater bures at the Marriott. They go for a mere 1954 Fijian dollars per night! ($1225 CAD). Although it didn’t rain all day, the sunny skies this morning gave way to nasty looking clouds
The infinity pool.
Our private beach.
Fijian cultural show
Every cultural event in the South Pacific seems to involve a kava ceremony. Kava doesn’t make a person intoxicated, but it seems to have a numbing or mild drug affect on a person. This is what kava looks like in powder form. We didn’t try it.
About 30 people came from a local village to perform traditional songs and dance. We were impressed by their harmonies and rhythm. A friend told us that missionaries had taught four-part hymn singing to the Fijians, so such harmonies are now quite embedded in their music.
Pam, gettin’ down with the locals!
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