Fudging on Fiji’s High Prices

The Youth Hostel Assn. of New Zealand (YHANZ), which on behalf of the International Youth Hostel Federation regularly searches for budget accommodations in Fiji for hostelers, is recommending seven new facilities as suitable low-cost lodgings for international backpackers visiting Fiji in 1995. One of its 1994 recommendations, the Sigatoka Hotel, has been closed.

For those who want traditional-style settings:

* Club Fiji Resort at Nadi Bay, P.O. Box 9619, Nadi Airport (telephone from U.S. 011-679-700-622 or 011-679-702-189; fax 011-679-702-324) offers accommodation in beachfront, traditional thatched-roof bures. A bure for two would be about $38. Dormitory beds (eight beds per bure ) are $15.65 per night. The resort has a swimming pool and guests have free use of windsurfing and paddleboard equipment. Other available sports include sailing, snorkeling, diving and water-skiing.

* Accommodations are available in traditional bures or in a modern full-furnished dormitory at Ratu Kini Boko’s Hostel at Mana Island, P.O. Box 5818, Lautoka (island tel. 679-667-520, Lautoka office 679-663-724). Dormitory accommodations are $39 per person. Island hopping (to neighboring resorts), fishing and swimming trips can be arranged. Private rooms are also available.

The five following facilities are members of Cathay Hotels Fiji, Ltd.

* Just a short walk from the center of Lautoka, Fiji’s second largest city, the Cathay Hotel, P.O. Box 239, Lautoka (tel. 679-660-566) has beds available in small dormitory rooms (cooled by ceiling fans) for $12.75. The hotel has a licensed dining room, lounge and swimming pool. Air-conditioned single, twin and double rooms are also available.

* About a 15-minute drive from Nadi (the town closest to the international airport) is the Saweni Beach Apartment Hotel, P.O. Box 239, Lautoka (tel. 679-661-777). The beach retreat allows camping and offers beds in a small dormitory for $14.20. The hotel has a licensed lounge and bar, a mini market and swimming pool.

Beachfront apartments are also available.

* The Tubakula Beach Bungalows and Surf Club at Queen’s Highway, Coral Coast, P.O. Box 2, Sigatoka (tel. 679-500-097, fax 679-340-236) has backpackers’ beds at its beach club dormitory for about $14.20. There is a mini market and swimming pool, and self-contained bungalows are also available.

Suva is Fiji’s capital. Two facilities offer low-cost lodging near the center:

* The Travel Inn at 19 Gorrie St., P.O. Box 2086, Government Buildings, Suva (tel. 679-304-254, fax 679-340-236) offers shared twin rooms (with shared bathroom) for $14.20 per person. A single room with a shared bathroom is $21.30. There is a kitchen that guests can use, and apartments are also available.

* The South Seas Private Hotel at 6 Williamson Road, P.O. Box 2086, Government Buildings, Suva (tel. 679-312-296, fax 679-340-236). Dormitory beds are available for about $10, a double with a shared bath is $25.30 per couple.

Value-added tax is 10%.