Is the key to happiness just a 3-hour flight away?
Fiji’s year-round tropical warmth and famous Bula Spirit are the perfect antidote to life’s turbulent times.
If, like most of us, you've been feeling the stress of the global pandemic, you could probably do with a boost of serotonin. With 333 islands ready to be explored, year-round tropical warmth, and friendly locals with that famous Bula Spirit, Fiji is the perfect place to get some of that true happiness- and it's only a threehour flight from Auckland and four-hours from Wellington and Christchurch.
FIVE WAYS TO FIND HAPPINESS IN FIJI 1. Share in a smile that makes your cheeks hurt
Laughter and smiling pumps oxygen into your lungs, triggers your nervous system and changes your brain's chemistry, and you'll be doing plenty of it in Fiji with the locals.
Step off the plane to one of Fiji's many incredible resorts where your welcome is often bookended with an upbeat ‘Bula!' and a following serenade with beautiful Fijian music and sung by the entire team at the resort, it's like something straight out of a movie scene.
While you're there, join in with the locals' traditional song and dance called the ‘meke', a form of Fijian storytelling, told through song and dance. It's incredible to watch but even more it's even more fun to join in.
2. Soak up the year-round tropical warmth
Whether you're a flop and drop kind of traveller (after some slip slop slap of course) or a wrap up and stay shaded kind, we all know the benefits of Vitamin D, and with plenty of it all year round in the idyllic islands, it's the perfect place to get your boost whatever the time of year.
Malamala Beach Club, the world's first island beach club, boasts gorgeous white sand beaches, beachside cabanas with butler service, surrounded by lush landscape and a picturesque infinity pool that's sure to get you cracking a smile, or at least a coconut. Balmy temperatures make those crystal-clear waters around the Yasawa Islands the perfect backdrop for all your water sports – anything from snorkelling, paddle boarding, swimming and it boasts some of Fiji's (and the world's) best diving.
Or if you're looking for something a little more private, Fiji is remote by nature, with crowds simply a foreign concept and social distancing known all too well for years gone by. There's nothing quite like spending your days at a private beach with a good book and a cocktail in hand. Private postcard backdrop beaches are abundant in the Yasawa and Mamanuca Islands. Many resorts including Yasawa Island Resort & Spa, Royal Davui Island Resort and JeanMichel Cousteau Resort Fiji offering private champagne beach picnics and views to die for, you'd be hard pressed to leave Fiji having not found happiness.
3. Recharge the batteries with a wellness experience
We all feel better after a holiday, but Fiji's incredible destinations really let you switch off and take time out for yourself, so you can return home feeling rejuvenated, refreshed and having found total happiness.
There is an array of spa resorts dotted around the 333 islands offering wellness and relaxation experiences; from facials and pedicures to traditional Fijian massages that will restore your tranquility and have you walking out the spa a brand-new person.
Fresh catch of the day dock to dine initiatives and locally grown vegetables are also the norm in Fijian cuisine, leaving you feeling healthy and satisfied. Many hotels in Fiji have their own on-site garden and have adopted farm-to-fork experiences for their guests to get the most out of locally and organically grown produce.
4. Find joy in giving back
Fiji is home to some incredible locally made products with meaningful missions such as Rise Beyond the Reef, Pure Fiji and Nama Fiji. Visitors will also find that Fiji is extremely dedicated to preserving its natural beauty and ocean environment through powerful sustainability programs and initiatives. Several resorts have resident marine biologists, world class ecology programs, mangrove restoration programs, coral planting programs and so much more.
Rehabilitate injured turtles at Turtle Island Resort or plant mangroves and help rejuvenate marine nurseries while offsetting your carbon footprint from the flight over at the Shangri-La Yanuca Island Fiji.
5. Gear up for a multitude of experiences
No matter what puts a smile on your face, you’ll find something amongst Fiji’s islands to suit your taste for adventure. Marine adventurers will get their thrills from the endless opportunities to snorkel, surf, scuba dive or jet boating up the Sigatoka River. Nature lovers will find plenty of hiking trails like the Tavoro Falls, a series of three waterfalls located among a 3-hour return hike - don’t forget to pack your snorkel because you’ll have hundreds of prawns waiting to greet you underwater. There’s lush scenery to get your serotonin firing and the slides and wave pool at Big Bula Waterpark in Denarau provides joy for the whole family.
Whatever type of happiness you’re seeking, Fiji’s got it. Kiwis can book and travel in confidence with the country’s destination-wide Care Fiji Commitment. A standard of best-practice protocols and safety measures in place to ensure the protection of travellers and locals while making your next holiday completely seamless. Fiji is well and truly open for happiness.
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