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Hello everyone. I'm going to be working in mainland China for a few months. My wife is staying home. After the end of my business trip, the plan is she'll meet me somewhere in Asia that has a nice beach. She's expressed a desire for Fiji for some reason. Because of the nature of my work, I'll basically have nearly free hotel rooms available to me globally. So price of lodging isn't a concern. Airfare maybe is. I'm just wondering if Fiji is all it's cracked up to be or would we enjoy Thailand just as much? I'm just wondering if the remoteness of Fiji plays up to it's "brand" and isn't necessarily any better than say Thai beaches or Vietnam. Thanks for any input!
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Jul 3, 2017 01:05
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| # ? May 3, 2024 09:58 |
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Yeah, Fiji is definitely worth it. However, it's definitely a matter of picking the right place. The resorts on the "coral coast" of the main island (south-west of Nadi) aren't that great imo, and a lot of them are in front of reclaimed mangrove swamps so there isn't much "beach" anyway. We stayed in a place called Octopus Resort on Yawa Island which was fantastic and I'd definitely recommend. Good snorkelling and diving, a couple of good hikes nearby, and you can go snorkelling with manta rays too which is really cool. The big advantage of Fiji is that you don't get huge hordes of tourists (particularly awful mainlanders) like you do in Thailand and Vietnam. A couple of other spots to think of for a beach break in Asia if you're not particularly set on Fiji: - Philippines (particularly Coron/El Nido or Bohol) - Maldives - Cambodian coastline around Sihanoukville - the Gili islands in Indonesia
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Jul 4, 2017 17:13
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Go to Maldives
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Jul 9, 2017 16:05
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Thank you all. I'll look into the Maldives.
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Jul 9, 2017 16:45
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If she's set on Fiji I'd look at Oarsman's Bay resort in the outer Yasawa islands, I think it was Nacula island. You can take the speedboat shuttle to get out there. Stunning beaches/water, and you've never seen the night sky until you've been this far away from light pollution. Agreed w/ webmeister in that you need to get off the main island to enjoy awesome beaches in Fiji. For Thailand, Ko Phangan and Ko Phi Phi have good beaches, and are cheap, but it will be crowded/touristy. I'd advise against Boracay in the Philippines, as the algae blooms have ruined what once was a spectacular beach. But I've heard El Nido is still awesome.
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Jul 11, 2017 05:04
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In agreement with above, skip Fiji, do Maldives, or even Seychelles.
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Jul 11, 2017 07:09
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Abugadu posted:I'd advise against Boracay in the Philippines, as the algae blooms have ruined what once was a spectacular beach. But I've heard El Nido is still awesome. Definitely don't go to Boracay unless your idea of a holiday is constant aggressive hawkers on the beach and Chinese tourists spitting and yelling. But yes, El Nido and Coron are both awesome spots in the Philippines and not too developed/touristy yet.
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Jul 11, 2017 09:16
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I cannot recommend El Nido enough. My fiancée and I did a Boracay/El Nido trip last November - we included the former out of morbid curiosity, and it was just... OK - and the views around the area are absolutely incredible, the snorkeling was fantastic, and it was a much more laid back feel than dicking around in Boracay (but no regrets about giving it a shot). It's pretty clear that the secret's out though, so if anything, head there before it turns into Boracay 2.0.
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Jul 11, 2017 15:28
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It really, really depends on what kind of travelers you are. Fijian beaches are much nicer than their Thai equivalents, but there's a lot less to do in Fiji and the food isn't very good. Fiji has much better scuba diving and snorkeling, but that's about all there is to do aside from lay on the beach. If that sounds good to you, then Fiji would work well. But if you want a wider variety of activities and good food, Thailand is better. Also echoing previous comments that you need to get off the main island of Fiji if you go there. I've been to Taveuni (plus the part of Vanua Levu right across the Somosomo straight) and Kadavu and both are very nice.
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Jul 11, 2017 18:37
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Oakland Martini posted:It really, really depends on what kind of travelers you are. How would you compare the Maldives to a place like Bora Bora?
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Nov 3, 2017 00:06
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Cheesemaster200 posted:How would you compare the Maldives to a place like Bora Bora? I have not been to either place.
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Nov 6, 2017 19:49
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Cheesemaster200 posted:How would you compare the Maldives to a place like Bora Bora? It depends on what you spend. The Maldives is a class of it's own when you get to a certain level, in my opinion. Im going back for my 3rd time in 2 weeks.
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Dec 6, 2017 10:29
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sellouts posted:It depends on what you spend. I concur with this, Maldives is by far the top island destination I have ever been to. I can strongly recommend https://www.mirihi.com which is our favourite "resort" there, and as it happens, also not THAT expensive when compared to some of the other ones I have stayed at. If you enjoy drinking alcohol, it might be worthwhile going for an AI package, as this can get very pricey. Their house reef is excellent, as is the food & staff, only a single TV on the Island, no children (I have seen one very well behaved one in total of 3+ weeks I have stayed there overall) and plenty excursions etc. Generally speaking, the smaller the resorts are in the Maldives, the more I enjoyed them. The worst experience was likely the Conrad, which was also the largest one I stayed at. The upside of the stay there however was that some of the staff recommended us Mirihi which is a few km away (we watched the Conrad's fireworks display on New Years from Mirihi) As an aside, if you want to have a really unique island experience, I can recommend Bom Bom Island in Sao Tome, https://www.bombomprincipe.com It's the only place I have been to with better marine life than Maldives. Owners have changed since I have last been there to a well-known South African entrepreneur who was also the first African in space, who redeveloped it into an eco-style lodge or something like that. Friends who have been since say he did a great job at it too. Also, if you are in any way interested in Deep-sea fishing, Bom Bom will make your wildest dreams come true.
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Dec 6, 2017 12:54
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The mainland, for the most part, is shithouse.
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Dec 10, 2017 15:30
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To be fair the marine life in Maldives depends 100% oh what island or atoll you stay on. House reef in Huevafen Fushi was great. Snorkeled in a cloud of 10000+ fish every morning. But I’ve heard the House reef on St Regis is whatever. This will be our first trip to a large brad/chain resort in Maldives, but it’s the St Regis, so it should be fine. The breakfast spread will be nice.
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Dec 10, 2017 18:58
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Is it possible to go to the Maldives without staying at a resort? I’m a single traveler bumming around SE Asia right now, looking for good snorkel spots. I know it’s not a budget destination, but is less than $50 a night possible?
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Dec 19, 2017 06:47
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The main island in Maldives is pretty lovely and though I am sure you can do it, it's going to be far removed from what one expects from a Maldives vacation. You're probably better off in any number of other destinations.
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Dec 19, 2017 19:08
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sellouts posted:To be fair the marine life in Maldives depends 100% oh what island or atoll you stay on. Was at the St Regis Maldives a few months ago. First time to the Maldives and from what I understood the house reef is still recovering from all the construction as its a new property. We did see sea life off our overwater bungalow, including lots of bright colored fish, crabs, and even reef sharks. But it was not as lively as I expected. That being said the property was amazing, the breakfast spread was ridiculous, and the rest of the food in general was pretty good. They also drove us back from the sea plane lounge to the main airport in a Bentley which was fun. Epic property, but we paid for it with points, if I was paying their cash rates I would've picked the Cheval Blanc Randheli which has similar rates to the St Regis but looks better. As far as Fiji being worth it I have heard the main Island is not that great and you're better off going to Bora Bora from there and that ultimately the Maldives is the best Island destination as pretty much every resort is its own island.
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Dec 26, 2017 00:36
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Ramrod Hotshot posted:Is it possible to go to the Maldives without staying at a resort? I’m a single traveler bumming around SE Asia right now, looking for good snorkel spots. I know it’s not a budget destination, but is less than $50 a night possible? No. Go elsewhere. beastieb posted:Was at the St Regis Maldives a few months ago. First time to the Maldives and from what I understood the house reef is still recovering from all the construction as its a new property. We did see sea life off our overwater bungalow, including lots of bright colored fish, crabs, and even reef sharks. But it was not as lively as I expected. That being said the property was amazing, the breakfast spread was ridiculous, and the rest of the food in general was pretty good. They also drove us back from the sea plane lounge to the main airport in a Bentley which was fun. Epic property, but we paid for it with points, if I was paying their cash rates I would've picked the Cheval Blanc Randheli which has similar rates to the St Regis but looks better. Just got back and agreed! We did points as well and had villa 501, closest to the island. I felt like that was by design. The breakfast spread is amazing but the real gem was the menu. Maldivian eggs Benedict with soft shell crab? Hell yeah. There really isn’t a house reef. We saw SO much more life when we stayed at Huvafen Fushi. That was the bummer and overall I felt like maybe given that this is the 13th month of operation that it may be the first holidays where the resort was 100% occupied with premium customers? The service was just a bit....off? Pool/beach service took forever, breakfast coffees were forgotten regularly, the spa forgot about the appointment that our guy booked for us. If I had spent money I probably would have said something but given we were on points and the resort was full of paying customers I get it. It was the first time my wife and I said “yeah, I dunno if we will be back”. I guess that is pretty telling? And the saxophone woman at the Whale bar at sunset was just so ridiculous. Was she there for you? Cheval looks amazing but I feel like it is a step up in price from even st Regis. We’ve been to the Maldives 3 times, I think next stop for us is Park Hyatt (points), Anatara Kihava, or FS Landaa Giraavaru for the marine life.
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Jan 1, 2018 15:34
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We were in 502, so just passed where you were. They were at about 60% capacity when we were there.. if that. Yea, the a la carte breakfast menu was insane, every morning we had the omelette with crab, lobster, and caviar, it was so good. We would spend almost 2 hours eating our way through breakfast with the unlimited bloody Mary's and all the food we could eat while enjoying the view. It had only been opened about 4-5 months when we were there, and service was a bit spotty, nothing offensive, but the occasional drinks taking longer and the like. The whale bar had some Russian woman DJ while we were there, kinda euro edm'y but it was chill. If we go back to the Maldives we would probably do the Park Hyatt next time especially now that they are updating the rooms. Also, I wouldn't go as far as the Maldives to ONLY go to the Maldives, we were in Japan for a while before that, so did a short stop in Singapore and then ended the trip in the Maldives. It took over 30 hours from checking out of the hotel to get home, and even in biz/first it was still quite a trek that I don't think I would have wanted to do the 30+ hours straight both ways.
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Jan 3, 2018 17:24
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Yeah, the russian girl DJ added a saxophone playing friend. It was so absurdly funny. But you are right, that is Exactly our plan, right down to the stopover. My biz partner is lifetime globalist with a phone numbers worth of points, so we may do a trip of Park Hyatts. Last time we went through Dubai. Abu Dhabi was great. I don’t need to do that again though. Maybe through London on BA? I really hate Club World though and I go through London many times a year. Christmas Markets night be nice.
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Jan 4, 2018 05:08
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My friend and I just looked a trip to Fiji in late May... any favorite islands people have been to? We're there for 2 weeks, and were looking at staying on the main island for a couple days and then parking it on 1 or 2 other islands for the rest of the trip. Mainly looking for nice beaches, perhaps some snorkeling.
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Jan 17, 2018 22:36
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Private Label posted:My friend and I just looked a trip to Fiji in late May... any favorite islands people have been to? We're there for 2 weeks, and were looking at staying on the main island for a couple days and then parking it on 1 or 2 other islands for the rest of the trip. Mainly looking for nice beaches, perhaps some snorkeling. Unless you're going to the east side of the island, that's probably the worst time ever to go, as Interhash will be there from the 24-27th - 4-5 thousand drunken runners stumbling about the Nadi area and surroundings. Getting a hotel will be awful. But I recommend Nacula for remote awesome beach in the Yasawas.
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Jan 19, 2018 02:27
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Abugadu posted:Unless you're going to the east side of the island, that's probably the worst time ever to go, as Interhash will be there from the 24-27th - 4-5 thousand drunken runners stumbling about the Nadi area and surroundings. Getting a hotel will be awful. Geez, thanks for the heads up! Had no idea that was going to go on. Luckily we're getting there the week before that, so we'll make sure to be clear of the main island during that time.
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Jan 19, 2018 11:47
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Has anyone here done the Park Hyatt Maldives stay as of yet? I saw it mentioned somewhere in thread, and am currently looking at a family holiday (two kids, 4 & 7) there as I have points to kill. Is the House Reef any good, and is the resort reasonably family friendly?
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Feb 22, 2018 15:50
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| # ? May 3, 2024 09:58 |
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Yes the house reef is good. It’s not super kid friendly as they’re trying to re-vamp that aspect and I’m not sure if they have launched it all yet. As this is a point stay, what options do you have or what properties are you considering? You’ll still be paying almost 2k in seaplane flights alone so that’s a ton of family activities almost anywhere else you could go. I’ve seen a ton of kids at the American chains in Maldives vs the isolated Russian family or so at the others, so plenty of people with your idea have made it work.
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Mar 15, 2018 10:20
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