Situated off the coast of Viti Levu, close to the capital Nadi is one of the most picturesque island chains in the world. The various islands that make up the Yasawa chain offer something for every traveller, from budget dorm style accommodation to private resorts. So there are options for every traveller!
For an additional charge the resort also offers a trip out to Turtle Island, made famous as the setting for the movie ‘Blue Lagoon’. I’ve never seen the movie (nor intend to) but the sound of a boat ride and cave diving was too tempting. This is definitely worth doing. Swimming underwater through passageways and the eerie glow of the water in the dark are great fun. If you aren’t confident around water this might be one to skip – but for everyone else, jump on board.
The resort offers varying activities each evening to keep things interesting but other than the Turtle Island diving the resort doesn’t offer anything significantly different to other Fijian destinations. Whilst it is an amazing destination if you need to do more than relaxing and enjoying life on Fiji time then Nacula Island probably isn’t for you.
For my stay, I was at Nacula Island (the most distant of the resorts by ferry) and stayed at the Blue Lagoon Beach Resort. Nacula Island offers beautiful white sand beaches & crystal clear waters. Perfect for swimming, sunning and enjoying a drink or five. And the accommodation & facilities are spacious & modern.
First up, the ferry – it took a good 4 or 5 hours to reach Nacula Island from Denarau Port, Nadi and I can imagine the ride can be pretty hairy at times. For my trip the seas were relatively tame and there were more red faces than green. I took the Yasawa Flyer, you can get an idea of pricing here, some resorts include it but it is rather costly (http://www.awesomefiji.com/transfers/)
There is some amazing scenery as you head around the various islands and a great experience all round, especially getting opinions from other tourists who are finishing up their stays at other resorts. As an added safety precaution, I would put valuable items in a sealed bag of some sort – transferring from the ferry to the smaller dinghies to take you to your resort is a bit messy – you would prefer to err on the side of caution and not damage electronics & valuables.
The Blue Lagoon Resort is perfect for rest & relaxation, especially for couples. When I was here about 95% of holiday makers were couples, and a good portion of those were honeymooning. So if you’re a single traveller I might suggest trying one of the more party oriented islands.
The resort offers snorkelling and diving trips, however the snorkelling opportunities at the resort are limited. I tried along the resort beachfront to no avail. Once a week the staff offer a walk to the top of the island to take in the surrounding scenery – it is definitely worth doing if you can sign up for it. Not only is the scenery amazing but it also gives you the chance to burn off some of the calories from all the cocktails! The walk takes about 4 hours and gives some great photo opportunities.
Daniel & Nadine 