Backpack & Budget : Bunking Down on Fiji

Fiji doesn’t have any official international youth hostels, but some hotels and resorts do provide rooms with dormitory beds for budget travelers.

Each year the New Zealand Youth Hostel Assn. (YHANZ) checks out potential facilities on Viti Levu, the Fiji island with the international airport, on behalf of the International Youth Hostel Federation, and recommends suitable accommodations for backpacking travelers.

This year they have added the Sigatoka Hotel to their list.

The bunk-bed rooms that YHANZ recommends generally range from $5.50 to $7.50 per night. Travelers who have memberships in Hostelling International are eligible for a further 20% discount.

The Sigatoka Hotel is situated in the coastal village of Sigatoka between Nadi (where international flights arrive) and Suva.

The hotel’s dormitory rooms have six beds each. It can be contacted at P.O. Box 35, Sigatoka, Fiji.

Other locations that YHANZ continues to recommend include:

The Hideaway Resort is on Queen’s Road on the Coara Coast, 12 miles east of Sigatoka; telephone 011-679-500-177 and the fax is 011-679-520-025. Backpackers have access to 50 beds in a two-story bunkhouse.

Facilities include tennis, board sailing, a swimming pool, beach and bar. Contact P.O. Box 233, Sigatoka, Fiji.

Seashell Cove Resort is 23 miles south of Nadi at Momi Bay. The resort offers local entertainment one night a week, and surfing and diving course are available.

Backpackers will find 24 beds in six bunk rooms. Contact the resort at P.O. Box 9530 Nadi Airport, Fiji.

The Nadi Bay Motel is a 10-minute walk from the beach, on Wailoaloa Road, midway between Nadi Airport and Nadi town; tel. 011-679-723-599 and the fax is 011-679-720-092. Write to Private Mail Bag, NAP 0359, Nadi Airport, Fiji.

Budget travelers are offered 10 beds in a large dormitory room. The dormitory rate includes a continental breakfast. Resort facilities include a swimming pool and a courtesy bus from the airport.

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If you are planning to visit Rome, you’ll no doubt be thinking about seeing such world-famous sites as Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, Vatican City and the Forum. In addition, the local youth hostel staff encourages budget travelers to consider a new option: a day of cycling along the Tiber.

The route starts across from the Foro Italico youth hostel and goes for 7 1/2 miles through what is to become the Tiber National Park, going from a city environment to wetlands.

Ask the staff at the local youth hostel for details. They can also recommend bike rental shops in the city and they frequently arrange cycle excursions.

The Foro Italico Youth Hostel is at A.F. Pessina, Viale delle Olimpiadi 61. A bed in a dormitory room with breakfast is $12 per night. Bicycle storage is available.

While sightseeing in Rome, keep in mind that the Vatican Museums and Galleries are free on the last Sunday of each month, between 8:45 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.