Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award winner Rob Kay wrote the original Lonely Planet Fiji Travel Guide, and is Founder of Fijiguide.com.
For Fijians, climate change is not some abstract notion. Fiji is on the front lines, both as an island nation and, a leader in placing the reduction of carbon emissions atop the global agenda. And not a moment too soon. Since 1993, Fiji has recorded a 6 millimeter (0.2 inch) increase in its sea level per year. This has resulted in saltwater intrusion and coastal...
Arguably one of the most influential chefs in Fiji, Chef Mo Arun has become well known in recent years as a practitioner of the “Pacific Rim Authenticity Cuisine”. A native of Nadi, he began his culinary career at the Fijian Hotel (now the Shangri-La) and Regent of Fiji (now The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa). He subsequently moved to New...
It is my pleasure to introduce readers to Ronald Wright’s masterpiece, On Fiji Islands. In this work the author weaves his interests in history and ethnology into a visceral depiction of late 20th century Fiji. As the Washington Post proclaimed in a 1986 review: THIS IS A FINE TRAVEL BOOK, PERSONAL WITHOUT BEING PRETENTIOUS, OPEN·EYED WITHOUT BEING NAIVE, AND...
Rick Garrett, a long time South Pacific travel planner, stopped by our office once again to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about orchestrating a vacation in Fiji. Rick runs a wholesaler called Travel Pacific and he readily admits that the ease of booking one’s own land and air on the Internet makes many people shy away from working with a travel...
I stumbled upon the Northern Club by chance. I needed to huddle with a business partner in Lautoka but had no idea where to stay that was friendly, clean, reasonably priced and hopefully interesting. A friend recommended the Northern Club. I didn’t know about their accommodations nor did I know much about the organization. I decided to take a chance. Before I...
Long time Fijiguide.com contributor Marilyn Marsh has just returned from her annual trip to Fiji. This year she focused on the Yasawa Group. Marilyn is an excellent writer and a photographer with a knack for underwater shots. Over the next ten days Fijiguide.com will present her travelogue– both text and photos, in a four-part series. This the third segment of...
About Six Senses Fiji We’ve all read about the marketing of ‘sustainable tourism’. It’s a big draw nowadays but much of the time it’s all smoke and mirrors. However, in Fiji, they are not just talking about ‘selling’ sustainable tourism. Six Senses Fiji, an upscale property which has recently opened up for business, is really doing something about it.I...
History of the Grand Pacific Hotel – Suva I’ve written about the newest incarnation of the Grand Pacific Hotel (GPH), which is rising once again like a Phoenix on Suva’s waterfront. For nearly two decades as the esteemed Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen described The Grand Pacific Hotel as “sinking into the muddy shores. Any passer by...
Long time Fijiguide.com contributor Marilyn Marsh has just returned from her annual trip to Fiji. This year she focused on the Yasawa Group. Marilyn is an excellent writer and a photographer with a knack for underwater shots. Over the next ten days Fijiguide.com will present her travelogue both text and photos, in a four-part series. This first blog describes how to...
Part Four This is the Fourth in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen. These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH Fiji Times twice to find people who had worked at the Grand Pacific or who were in any way related to the building and could tell a story about it, but only two persons reacted. The people I found who could...
Part Three This is the third is in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen. These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH It was not true as stated by Finance Minister Jim Ah Koy in 1998 that the Grand Pacific had been “an eyesore for the last 20 years”. But it was true that the hotel, for all its dignity and...
Part Two This is the second part in a series of blogs by Norwegian anthropologist Solrun Williksen. These next few excerpts cover the glorious history of the GPH The Grand Pacific Hotel was built in 1914 and was hailed as a masterpiece of colonial architecture and a seat of splendid receptions, balls and dinners. It had 60 rooms and a hall with huge cane chairs...
