Travel Agent - October 29, 2007 - (Page 37)

LEFT: Likuliku Lagoon Resort over-water bures (traditional palm-roofed bungalows) BELOW LEFT: The interior of a bure at the Outrigger on the Lagoon Fiji Tourism constitutes Fiji’s main source of foreign exchange. Last month, the Fiji Visitors’ Bureau received almost $1.3 million for marketing the destination to tourists. The U.S. Department of State’s public announcement advising U.S. citizens to consider carefully the risks of travel to the Republic of Fiji will be reviewed at the end of this month. Hopefully this combination of marketing dollars and reexamined advisories will get Fiji back on track and doing what it does so well—providing vacation and honeymoon experiences to satisfied visitors. Tropical Luxury Fiji is well known for its bures (pronounced boorays). These are traditional palm-roofed bungalows that are widely spaced for privacy and the free flow of ocean breezes. Visitors will find bures to be prevalent and an unexpected luxury. The most difficult times to book rooms in Fiji are during Australian and New Zealand school holidays (usually July through October) and over the Christmas/New Year period. Likuliku Lagoon Resort (www.likuliku lagoon.com.au) is a couples-only resort on Malolo Island in the Mamanuca archipelago, 16 miles from Nadi International Airport. Transportation from Nadi is 10 minutes by helicopter or seaplane, 30 minutes by speedboat transfer or two hours by catamaran transfer. The resort has 45 bures. Ten of these are Fiji’s first and only over-water bures. All bures have wireless Internet access, DVD player with flat-screen monitor, sun loungers and daily delivery of a chef’s canapé plate. The Deluxe Beachfronts with their own plunge pools are the most popular beachfront bures. The split-level design offers optimal lagoon views. The over-water bures are booked at 100 percent occupancy most of the time; book at least three months out to secure one for your clients. The resort’s Tatadra Spa has two couples’ rooms. The spa director is Scott Howard (gsm@ ahuraresort.com, 679-672-4275). On Tuesdays, Fijiana, the resort restaurant, hosts a Fijian Lovo, which is a traditional form of cooking in the South Pacific where meat, seafood and vegetables are wrapped in coconut and banana leaves and then buried with hot stones and coals to cook slowly in an underground earth oven. Sunday evenings are Magiti night (Fijian for “feast”). Guests participate in a Fijian family feast “share style.” The wedding coordinator is Vasiti Tui (679672-4275, groups@ahuraresorts.com). Prices start from $1,448 per person per night, inclusive of all meals and non-motorized activities. Travel agents can contact Samantha Muspratt, director of sales and marketing (dosm@ahuraresorts.com). The Sheraton Denarau Villas (www.star woodhotels.com) is on the island of Denarau, a 20-minute drive from the Nadi International Airport. Guests staying at the Sheraton Denarau Villas have access to all the facilities at the adjacent Sheraton Fiji Resort and the Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji. The 82 Villa Suites come with a lounge, dining area, fully equipped kitchen and laundry. The resort has an innovative twin key design CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 AGENTADVICE Jacintha Perera, owner of Elk Grove, CA-based Island Getaways, is a South Pacific Specialist with first-hand knowledge of Fiji, having made multiple trips to the destination. “Many visitors think a visit to Fiji consists of water sports and sitting around with a cocktail with pretty flowers in it,” says Perera. “There’s a lack of awareness of the options for soft adventure on land.” Perera ticks off the list: “There’s mountain biking, hiking, high-speed jet boating, river kayaking and bamboo river rafting, which is slow and leisurely.” Perera often recommends “The Cave Tour” from tour operator Adventures in Paradise Fiji (www.adventuresin paradisefiji.com). “You start with an inland walk, not really a hike, to the Sigatoka Valley to an ancient cave, where guides talk about the local history,” says Perera. “Later you take a bamboo raft ride back to where your bus is parked.” Perera acknowledges that many agents suggest their clients include a few days in Fiji en route to Australia or New Zealand. “I recommend they take a full week in Fiji, and preferably stay on the Coral Coast, where they’ll be convenient to soft-adventure options,” says Perera. October 29, 2007 TravelAgent | 37 http://www.starwoodhotels.com http://www.starwoodhotels.com http://www.likulikulagoon.com.au http://www.likulikulagoon.com.au http://www.adventuresinparadisefiji.com http://www.adventuresinparadisefiji.com

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Travel Agent - October 29, 2007

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