Fiji Vacation with Friends
Fiji in one word.... magical!
Having been to Fiji once was luck, to visit a
second time was fate! Traveling and sharing the experience
with my close friends at "Taveuni Palms" made it all the
more memorable. We truly enjoyed each other's company outside
the hustle bustle of daily life. It was very special to
us, as we are happily reminded every time we admire our
photos.
There's something special about Fiji, maybe it's in the air, you wake up
feeling healthy and alive. Whether it is a sunny or rainy day, it is a
magical place.
We loved the simplicity of the island and some of our favorite moments were
in just doing the simple things. Like riding the bus to
Lavena, local music, admiring the spectacular views, passing
through local villages in route to our daily excursions
... we'd wave to the children on their way home from school,
they'd smile back and wave eagerly yelling "bula". We enjoyed
walking to the local market to pick up a fresh "roti-parcel"
in the late mornings. Simplicity at it's best was floating
on the rafts right in front of our resort ... so very relaxing
and so simple, a dip in the pool was always inviting, or
taking a lazy afternoon nap in the hammock.
Our accommodations were lovely, especially having our own
deck and the comfort of a house was incredibly nice. We
loved the trade winds, nightly breezes and sounds from the
ocean drifting through the windows at bedtime, just dreamy.
We loved having our own kitchen, which was a great convenience.
We'd wake up and have an amazing breakfast, with fresh fruits
we could pick right from the trees, we always had some sort
of delicious tropical fruit. We have to say, dinners were
the favorite meal. "Teila" our personal chef used the freshest
ingredients to make each meal unique. One night inparticular
stands out, it was a theme night when "Ishi" prepared tradition
Indian curry at our table, we learned how to make homemade
"roti" and she dressed us in authentic sari's rich in color
... which make any women look gorgeous. It was an amazing
evening that exposed us to the beautiful Indian culture
in Fiji. The other nights were equally as wonderful and
diverse - always having such a beautifully presented variety
of foods and ideal seaside locations to dine (facing the
most amazing sunsets we have ever seen ... seriously!)
Some favorite memories include playing croquet on the lawn by the beach, cocktails
and daily tropical drink specialties on the bula deck at
sunset, Yoga in the morning when the deck was still shaded,
not to mention collecting shells along the beach and making
jewelry on the deck was so much fun, we made several necklaces
and bracelets.
We also discovered that we love Kayaking while in Fiji, it was amazing along
the coast in Lavena, or just out in front of our place.
The absolute highlight of our time in Fiji, was when we were island hopping
on the boat charter with our own personal boat guide "Vosa" and found
ourselves amongst a school of whales and dolphins, it was awe inspiring.
Fijians make me smile and bellow "BULA"! So warm, friendly, and mellow, and
so wonderful.
Taveuni Palms, the entire staff, Ashley, Paul and Makayla,
the best hosts ever, always smiling. Ashley and Paul always
had wonderful suggestions for island activities, unique
outer island boating excursions, plus the casual nature
of everyone taking care of us on the property certainly
made us feel like we were on a real vacation - the best
ever!
We had a hard time leaving Fiji, Taveuni and Taveuni Palms ... we cried,
seriously, we did. Wouldn't you if you had to leave paradise?
Thank you Taveuni Palms (everybody) ... we have come two years in a row ...
do you doubt we'll be back? Its becoming a habit we can't do without.
See you all next year!
Stacy Shear & Veronica Raspuni
San Francisco, California
USA
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