Fiji Islanders Feast on Song, Dance : Visitors find a Pacific paradise where cannibals once devoured enemies and unwanted visitors.

Fijians were once the Pacific’s most notorious warrior-cannibals, devouring enemies, unlucky visitors to their islands and occasionally each other with ceremonial wooden forks that are still sold in replica to tourists seeking a touching reminder of faraway places.

The last European to suffer this fate was the Rev. Mr. Baker in 1868, of whom it is said that only his “boiled boots” remained, a part of the story that could be apocryphal, as the accepted method of feast preparation then and now is by earth oven.

Such erstwhile savagery by Fijians is difficult to accept today, since these handsome people are generally regarded as some of the friendliest anywhere in the Pacific. Native Fijians typically greet you with a cheery “bula!” welcome, frangipani blossom behind one ear and a smile as bright as the Southern Cross hanging in a crystal-clear Pacific night.

Pre-Christian Fiji had no written language, so history has been passed down in song, dance and the tales of storytellers. You’ll see and hear all three at the meke ceremony, a lively and joyful remembrance of an ancient culture going back 2,000 years before Christ.

A major lifestyle change for the islands’ natives probably began when the first whalers hove to, and continued with the influx of workers for sugar plantations that still account for a major part of Fiji’s economy. More than half of the population is of East Indian descent, their forebears brought here a century ago to work the cane fields.

Viti Levu and Vanua Levu are the largest of Fiji’s more than 300 islands. They float on the watery border between Polynesia and Melanesia. In this Pacific crossroads, all of the ocean’s beauty, romance and balmy weather seem to have washed ashore to create a never-never land of milk and honey, the thermometer forever stuck on 75.

How long/how much? Give your home-island base (probably Viti Levu) two or three days, plus another two for a cruise to other islands or a short flight across Viti Levu from Nadi (pronounced Nan-dee) to the Pacific Harbor Cultural Center near the capital city of Suva. The center is an absolute must; there’s very little worthwhile in Suva itself. Lodging costs are moderate, dining very reasonable.

Getting settled in: The Skylodge Hotel is a spread-out affair on 11 acres near Nadi, with an indoor-outdoor restaurant, nice pool, beautiful landscaping and scads of sports activities. Like many moderate-cost hotels on Viti Levu, Skylodge has no beachfront, but a short drive will take you there.

Fresh tropical flowers grace the bedrooms, which are generous in size, bright, and with contemporary furniture and rattan. There are also barbecue lunches, a band for evening dancing and transfer service to Nadi International Airport.

Dominion International in Nadi, cut from the same bolt as the Skylodge, has about the same decor and lush grounds. Now add a tennis court, three-hole golf course, a separate pool and playground for children.

Like the Skylodge and many other Fijian hotels, this one has coffee- and tea-making equipment in each bedroom. The Dominion has a house band every evening, plus other entertainment and events three nights a week.

Sandalwood Lodge is a small, neat and friendly but very modest place where the evening entertainment is video movies. You’ll sense a distinct beachcomber feeling, yet there’s a small pool, and bedrooms with refrigerator and coffee-making gear. Locals praise the dining room for traditional fare (see below).

Regional food and drink: Not surprisingly, seafood is the big deal here, most often prepared with lolo (coconut cream) or wrapped in taro or banana leaves before roasting. Try the coconut-breaded scallops with mango butter, snapper, mullet and crab and sea turtle.

Pork is a staple throughout the Pacific, often prepared here in the lovo (underground ceremonial pit). Indian dishes are also very popular, thanks to those canebrake workers.

Yaqona (pronounced yang-go-na, also known as kava ) is Fiji’s traditional welcoming drink, made from pepper root, and the consensus of first-timers is that it has the look and taste of a washing machine’s first rinse. Yaqona is nonalcoholic but the root has narcotic properties. The local banana wine will do you in the next day. And the beer is great.

Good local dining: You’ll probably take many of your meals in the hotel, but don’t miss a visit into Nadi for real local food, plus Indian or Chinese.

India Curry House on Main Street has only eight tables, but the kitchen aromas are irresistible. Try their crab or prawn curries for $6.50, or the chicken, goat or lamb versions at $4. The Indian breads are marvelous, chutneys the same.

Poon’s, upstairs on Main Street, is a town fixture, with imitation brick walls, folding chairs and a few Chinese lanterns and screens about. But don’t be put off by the decor--try the hot and sour soup, chicken with cashews, sweet and sour prawns, Mongolian barbecued lamb or the daily special plate. You’ll dine like a Ming warlord here for under $10.

Sandalwood Inn’s dining room is the place where government bigwigs from Suva head when they want authentic Fijian food prepared well. Try the fish or chicken with coconut, or a number of other typical island dishes, many accompanied by dalo , a root vegetable prepared like poi. Most meals here are in the $8 range.

Going first-class: The Regent of Fiji in Nadi captures the true feeling of its locale in architecture, furnishings and lovely tropical gardens--better than any other resort hotel we saw. The grounds are a nirvana of frangipani, white almond, hibiscus, sea grape, gardenias and mango trees, plus another 90 varieties of tropical flowers and trees.

Bedrooms use rattan, batik, tapa and other native cloths and woods to create a very elegant version of a bure (native hut). Each has a balcony overlooking the sea or gardens.

The Regent has three restaurants, a beach, pool, 10 day-night tennis courts, complimentary golf at the nearby Nadi Golf Club and its own private offshore island with boating day trips free to guests. Every Monday there is a meke ceremony, with Fijian food cooked in the underground lovo oven, plus traditional songs, dances and native fire-walking.

On your own: Fijian life centers on the sea, and you’ll find miles of beaches, every imaginable water sport, surf and deep-sea fishing and full- and half-day cruises to other islands readily available.

By no means miss the Pacific Harbor Cultural Center, a fascinating ethnic enclave of natives working at their crafts, making such as baskets, batik and ironwork in bures set in and around a lake, which you visit in a double-hull canoe with a guide who explains each artisan’s work. It’s also a remarkable crash course in Fijian history. Sunflower Airlines will get you to the center, near Suva, for $52, round trip $82.

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Flaking Out in Fiji

Getting there: Fly Air New Zealand or Qantas from LAX to Nadi, with a stop in Honolulu. The advance-purchase, round-trip fare is $790 until July 31.

A few fast facts: The Fijian dollar recently cost us about 68 cents, making our dollar worth $1.46 Fijian. The cool-dry season of May through October is the best time to go, with November until April the wettest. Locals say May-June is the very best, with slight crowds and friendlier prices. Put aside 10 Fijian dollars for the departure tax.

Where to stay: Skylodge Hotel (Box 9222, Nadi; $90 double); Dominion International (Box 9178, Nadi; $82 double); Sandalwood Lodge (Box 9454, Nadi; $33-$46 double); The Regent of Fiji (Box 9081, Nadi; $230-$285 double).

For more information: Call the Fiji Visitors Bureau at (310) 568-1616, or write (5777 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles 90045) for brochures on the main and surrounding islands, sights and activities, plus individual hotel brochures with prices. Ask for the Fiji package.