Fiji’s Coral Coast is one of the absolute best holiday options out there – particularly if you’re travelling with kids or going for a short time – but it totally flies under the radar. Here’s why it should be top of your list – plus here’s where to stay, what to expect and what to pack…
Go for a paddle in the sea, or a dip in the pool by the swim-up-bar? Order a frozen daiquiri or a glass of bubbles? Read a book curled up in a cosy cabana, or stretched out on a sun lounger? Walk across the beach to get to dinner, or call for a golf buggy?
Honestly? It is my dream for these to be the only kinds of questions I have to consider – and magically, they were about as complicated as it got on our recent family trip to Fiji. YES, EVEN WITH TWO KIDS.
I write this in capitals, because for a long time now, I’ve been talking to friends about how holidaying with children rarely feels like the holidays of yore. It’s more like just parenting in a different location. But, for once, I legitimately feel like I just got back from a holiday. Heck, I even read a book!
Here’s how it happened.
The Coral Coast
Early this year, in the middle of summer while we were feeling great (and yet to decide to embark on house renovations, eek!), my husband and I thought about winter. About how for the last few winters we’ve miserably worked out way through what feels like every known virus to man (we have had a kid in daycare, in case that wasn’t immediately obvious). So, we decided that this would be the year we put in a circuit breaker of going to Fiji during the July school holidays – the coldest of them all. Thankfully, this idea came to us just as Fiji Airways was having a sale.
Now, the smart thing to do would be to keep my travel secrets to myself, so these places don’t become impossible to get into, but we don’t gate-keep here at Capsule and the Coral Coast is one of Fiji’s best kept secrets.
I have once in my life headed to one of the incredible little islands off the mainland in Fiji (Malolo Lailai to be exact – the one Plantation Island Resort is on!) and my goodness, it was stunning. Those white sand beaches, light blue waters and swaying coconut trees are like something out of a movie.
We could get away for five nights – perfect for soaking up some sun, getting a dose of vitamin D and hopefully charging up the batteries so we could perhaps have a healthier winter. But with two kids in tow and a short-ish amount of time, I didn’t want to waste too much time (and money) faffing around getting ferries.
This is where the Coral Coast becomes one heck of a great option.
When we think of Nadi, most of us just think of Denarau. And yes, yes, Denarau is lovely. The resorts are beautiful – the pools are enormous and the kids’ clubs are amazing. But personally, if we’re staying put on Nadi, the Coral Coast is my go-to – it feels like the choice in between Denarau and a secluded island holiday. There are amazing resorts – and pools/kids clubs – but you can also grab a sun lounger on the white sandy beaches and go for a dip in the sea (which I’d never contemplate trying in Denarau).
The Momi
We opted for a stay at the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay. It’s just 34km from Nadi Airport (around a 50-minute taxi ride) away, where you’ll find a little slice of paradise.
The resort itself is stunning – it’s one of the few easily visible from the air as you fly in. If you have a window seat and a day flight you’ll likely be able to look down and see the striking man-made lagoon featuring a string of 22 over-water villas.
In total, there’s 250 rooms – all of which offer a view – five different dining options, three large swimming pools (including an adults’ only pool which is located almost on the opposite end of resort, ensuring maximum tranquillity), a day spa, fitness centre and a kids’ club.
There’s plenty of room to just flop, read a book and soak up the sun, or, you’re welcome to join any of the host of events that take place every hour of the day – including an alternative board of wet-weather options – from fish feeding to aqua-aerobics and crab racing.
I’ll be honest with you – it’s definitely not a cheap option, but it’s a beautiful option.
It’s a five star resort, with five star prices when it comes to the food menu, and if you’re opting for the top-of-the-line accommodations: the overwater bungalows. They were the first of their kind on the mainland when the resort opened in 2017, and do look gorgeous, with direct access to take a dip in the lagoon waters. And to be fair, they’re certainly a whole lot cheaper than other over-water bungalows (like out on Likuliku on Malolo Island – or further afield like Tahiti or the Maldives).
There’s also fab duplex ocean front or lagoon bures, which look out onto your own little slice of beach. Some are close to the facilities – a great option if you have kids and don’t want to be too far away – while others are a lot more secluded (perfect if you’re after your own space).
We opted for an entry level room – a deluxe lagoon view room. We had two queen sized beds and a large bathroom, with a deep bathtub and a separate shower. These come in two story blocks, meaning you either get a private little balcony upstairs to relax on – or a ground floor one. We loved our little ground floor room that opened up onto a grassed area where the kids could throw around a ball – it was also just a quick step and a jump across to the kids’ pool.
At night we had a few visitors – a very friendly cat (wearing a collar) and two dogs, which depending on your family could either be a real negative or an absolute plus. When the local cat bowled in and curled up on a chair in our room our two boys declared this their best holiday yet.
Another great thing this resort has going for it is the peace and quiet of it all, largely thanks to just how big the resort is. Our trip was during school holidays – for NZ and Australia – and the resort was at capacity, but I was shocked by how quiet the place felt. There were always sun loungers or cabanas available (it didn’t seem to be one of those places where people ‘bags’ a lounger and leave a towel or belongs on it at the break of dawn… and then rarely even use it?!). Most of the time there were only a few other families in the water when we swam in the sea.
The only time I was really aware of how many people were at the resort was when trying to make a dinner reservation. My advice? If you’re going during school holidays make sure you book for dinner at least 24-hours in advance. The resort is pretty secluded, so there’s not a lot of other options!
On the topic of food – look, it’s pretty good, but it always reminds me how spoilt we are in NZ with amazing food options, particularly if you have any dietary requirements. I’m gluten-free and ended up having the same (albeit pretty tasty!) Nicoise salad with yellow fin tuna, for three of the nights we stayed because if was by far the best option (at one restaurant, my only option). The resort is too far from anywhere else to give you any other option than to eat within it and although there are five restaurants the menus aren’t too dissimilar. We took a trip into Denarau one day and I found myself feeling quite excited about the prospect of eating something new.
I would completely recommend adding the breakfast buffet to your package though. The hardest part about coming back from the holiday was not waking up to that spread. There were options galore – hot food stations, egg stations, juice bars, fruit platters, pastries, pancakes, waffles, a mimosa station – pretty much any breakfast food you could imagine, existed.
When I asked the kids what their favourite part of the holiday was, their list included: the buffet, the cat (of course) – and our four-year-old said #1 was the Bula Bus. The resort has its own little bus for getting around in – as well as a number of golf carts, which you can call for from you room to deliver you around. My son never had any destination in mind – he loved just hopping on the bus and riding it around and around the resort.
Most days now, when the weather is a bit rubbish, or we don’t have anything planned for the day, my son says, “Hey, I know what we could do. Let’s go to Fiji! We could go on the Bula Bus”
If only.
TDLR: The Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay
The good: It’s easy to get to from Nadi airport, it’s very clean, modern and has great facilities. Fabulous pools and an incredible lagoon. The beds are heavenly, and the rooms are generously sized – especially the bathroom. Every room has a view, and the resort itself is picturesque. It’s huge, but friendly – and magically never feels remotely crowded, even when at capacity. The buffet breakfast is out of this world.
The not so-good: I’d say the one thing that I was ho-hum about was the food. It’s expensive and a bit monotonous – if I was in Auckland shelling out that kind of money for a meal, I’d be expecting more.
Ideal for: Families – there’s heaps of kids activities, plus great pools, AND they can swim in the sea (the shallows – of which there’s a good stretch – are very kid-friendly. I’d also recommend it to couples – I’d just suggest getting one of the duplex’s on the opposite side of the action (over by the adult’s pool and Fish restaurant, the fine-dining option).
Packing Tips:
+ SNACKS AND FOOD: There is a small convienience store within the Momi, but as you’d expect, the prices are pretty steep. We got a taxi from the airport to the resort and along the way stopped off at a supermarket where we picked up bottled water, sodas, tonic water (the sun drenched deck was the perfect spot for an evening G&T!), limes (they were crazy cheap), fruit, veges, potato chips and snacks. We also took over some cheese and yoghurt in our suitcases (which you need to declare at customs), as well as the kids favourite snacks. In the room, you have a fridge, kettle and coffee machine, with a couple of cups and saucers, glasses and spoons. I definitely recommend taking a small chopping board and a sharp knife. I probably go way OTT, but I also take a bit of dishwashing liquid, a tea towel, a couple of knives and forks, a tiny grater and a bowl.
+ A BLOW UP BED? Our boys are four and 11 and hard to share a bed with. We had a room with two beds, so we took an extra little bed for our youngest which easily fit in our suitcase. I bought this Intex kids inflatable bed (It’s $75.68 on Amazon) which has been a life saver on lots of trips lately. It has an air bed frame with a separate mattress – so, essentially, it has sides to stop your kid rolling out of bed in the middle of the night. It also means you can tuck sheets into it. Marriott has a handy app where you can make dinner reservations and put in orders to housekeeping, so i just needed to hit the button to request a blanket and a pillow and we were set!
+ POOL / SEA TOYS: I took along a few toys for the littlest, and a ball for the boys to kick around. But the ones that paid dividends were the water toys. I bought this quite insane Inflatable Turtle (I got it here on Amazon) – it’s big enough for the kids to take rides on and they spent hours and hours playing with it. I also picked up a four pack of dive toys for $7 at Kmart which provided plenty of entertainment too.
Alice travelled to Fiji with the partial assistance of booking.com
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