Where do I even start? We have 3 weeks in Feb/March 2013 for our 25th wedding anniversary. I want to visit Australia; my DH wants to visit Fiji. Going to try to do both. 2 weeks Australia, 1 week Fiji
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Cat:Australia and the South PacificForum:0EE6B300
Cat:Australia and the South PacificForum:0EE6B300Discussion:e8647dae-e121-4aa2-9a1c-a1a1e08f2394
Where do I even start? We have 3 weeks in Feb/March 2013 for our 25th wedding anniversary. I want to visit Australia; my DH wants to visit Fiji. Going to try to do both. 2 weeks Australia, 1 week Fiji. Is this at all practical?
This is very intimidating...we are from the US and have not been to the South Pacific. We like adventure, culture, beaches, and good food. We are active but do not want to be rushed. Would love to plan this ourselves. Seriously...where do I start? Seems very overwhelming...... Thanks so much for any guidance you can give me!
It's very practical, as Fiji is on the way to Australia. Air Pacific (based in Fiji and affiliated with the One World alliance) usually allows one free* stopover in Fiji on its US-Australia fares. You should check to see if other airlines match that offer. My suggestion would be to do the Fiji stopover on the way to Australia, in order to begin adjusting to the drastic time-zone change in a leisurely environment. We will be doing a similar independent trip in a few weeks, though it's Fiji and NZ rather than Australia; I can provide more information on the Fiji portion later.
*free means no additional charge for airfare; you pay for your lodging, food and other expenses.
I have always wanted to go to Fiji, so when our trip to Australia came up I thougth we could work it in. Our hosts in Sydney said "whydon't you just go north to Queensland - Port Douglas or Cairns? The flights within Australia were very reasonably priced to. I am glad we chose to do Port Douglas and experience the Great Barrer Reef and the rainforests.
Just a thought...... Should I ever get back to Australia tho I would break the flight up and stop in Tahiti.
We will be landing in Cairns next month. We plan to drive to Port Douglas after a night stay in Cairns. Could u suggest a place to stay for two nights? We would appreciate a suggestion for a snorkel trip leaving from Port Douglas.
We went to New Zealand and Fiji in one trip so I assume that travel-wise it should be quite doable. A week in Fiji should be plenty, find a nice resort to decompress and snorkle/dive, maybe a bit of the main island.
The question is how much of Australia do you want to see and do in two weeks? It is a very big country, the size of the US. Two weeks is not much. I was there for four weeks and saw a lot, but there was a lot I didn't see. Certainly if you are active you would want to see the barrier reef, some of the interior, and I would recommend also Tanzania and Kangaroo Island. Did not go to Darwin or Perth. I also went horseback riding in the countryside at a lodge not far from Melbourne.
My suggestion if you don't want to be rushed is just do Australia, or do New Zealand and Fiji. New Zealand is a great country for active people and small enough to be manageable.
The best boats leave out of Port Douglas & there are lots of little shops that sell the tickets in both Cairns & Port Douglas. Make sure to get one that goes to the outer reef as it is gorgeous. The little shops wil check to see which boats are not going out while you are there as they do maintance on them. Can you spend more time in the Port Douglas area? It is close to Cape Tribulation which is a beautiful rain forest. We drove directly to Cape Trib from Cairns & then worked our way back down the coast. When we went we used the Aussie Pass & flew to Adalaide (for Kangaroo Island), Cairns, Brisbane & Sydney. When we go back we would like to do the interior & Perth. There is a lot to do around Brispane (Steve Irwin's zoo & the Koala sanctuary) & we drove down the coast. However, it is the only place that I don't care if I miss next time & would go there to get to the Whitsunday Islands. The people are amazing & you will love your trip.
A very doable itinerary which my husband and I followed on several trips to Australia. For a good introduction to Fiji look into taking a Blue Lagoon cruise in the Yasawa Islands. We liked this so much on our first trip that we returned and did it again the following year and have since repeated it several times, the latest being last year. In Fiji If you do do the Blue Lagoon cruise consider spending the time before embarkation at the Orchid Hotel, a lovely way to decompress after the long flight from the U.S.
Get a good Australia travel guide like Lonely Planet to help plan your time there. Your interestes will help you decide which places you want to visit. Sydney certainly. There we enjoyed the Grantham Hotel in Potts Point. In Queensland,we liked hiking in the Green Mountains of Lamington national Par, staying at Binna Burra resort. For an authentic Great Barrier Reef experience I recommend Heron Island but if you are not that interested in spending several days or a week snorkeling there are day trips out of Cairns to the outer reef which are excellent. I'm also very partial to Darwin and Kakadu National Park, both experiences of vintage Australia. In Darwin I liked the Hotel Darwin, not five star but has an old fashioned ambience and excellent location. In Kakadu I particularly enjoyed the Yellow Waters Resort.
One of our daughters lived in Australia for two years so we visited there a number of times and I later led tour groups around the country. You won't see it all in two weeks but you should get a good introduction to this wonderful country.
As I think that Air Pacific may be the only airline now offering a Fiji stopover on the way to Australia you may want to consider using Air New Zealand and reversing your itineary, stopping over in Fiji on your return trip to the U.S.I've used both airlines and each is quite satisfactory.
We did a stopover in Fiji on Air Pacific and visited the Yasawas in January 2008. Unfortunately, December-April is the rainy season with higher humidity, temperatures and rain. The rainfall made the water cloudy and ruined the snorkeling. Downtown Nadi was flooded for two days. However, you're going later and might get lucky with no storms during your visit. The best time to visit Fiji is during our summer (May-October).
After doing a little research I am starting to think we may want to rethink the timing of this visit....not a fan of violent storms or cloudy water. Wanted to go in Feb/March since that is the actual anniversary time. Hmmmmm
It's difficult to pick the best time to travel to Fiji and Australia because the best time to be in Fiji is during the Australian winter which isn't the best time to visit most of Australia. I live in Sydney and believe March is usually the best month here and I really think Sydney is a must visit for tourists to Australia. February is often very humid and there can be quite a lot of rain. March is usually warm and dry and the ocean temperature ideal. When staying in Fiji I personally think the islands are the pick although the Coral Coast is lovely too and quicker to get to. I recommend the Outrigger on the Lagoon or Plantation Island although there are many other good options including the hotels on Denarau Island although the sand is black in that area. The Blue Lagoon cruises, as someone mentioned earlier, are also a fantasic experience. In Sydney, if money is no object, the Quay Grand Suites Sydney hotel is absolutely beautiful and located close to the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and has sweeping views of the harbour and bridge. It comes at a price though! Another option is the nearby Quay West Suites, although not quite as well positioned or luxurious, it is still very nice. Both of those hotels offer self contained rooms which I think is a necessity on a long trip. A couple of nights in Manly will allow you to soak up a bit of sun on famous Manly Beach. There aren't very many hotels there but the Sebel Manly Beach is probably the pick of them. You can get a standard hotel style room or a one or two bedroom apartment. Manly is great for night life and eating out, and there are also a lot of great boutiques, galleries, markets etc. Another suggested stop in Australia would definitely be Port Douglas. Fly into Cairns and have a look around and then head up to Port Douglas. I personally don't think Cairns has much going for it but Port Douglas is lovely and you can get a boat from there to take you out to the reef for the day. There are quite a few accommodation options, but my favourite has to be the Sea Temple Resort & Spa Port Douglas hotel. Again, it's a little bit pricey but worth it if you have the money to spend. From here you can also visit the Daintree which is beautiful. Although I haven't had the opportunity to visit Darwin myself, I believe it's a great place to see with plenty of things to do. Melbourne is also a lovely city with lots of great restaurants, bars, theatres, galleries, boutiques etc but it is only a city whereas Sydney being on the beach has a lot more options. If time permits flying out to Alice Springs to visit Uluru for a night or two is a unique Australian experience and one you'll never forget. Also, if you do end up coming to Sydney, think about prebooking a bridgeclimb. You can take a tour and walk to the summit of the harbour bridge which is 134metres above sydney Harbour. The tours are usually booked out months in advance so you will definitely need to book before you come. Seeing a show at the Sydney Opera House is also a must do. You can usually book tickets on the day but a quick look at their website before you arrive is probably advisable if you want to make sure you get to see what you want. I hope this all helps.
