Fiji

7 Days in Paradise

For our first trip as husband and wife, we went to the Island of Savusavu in Fiji. This had always been a dream of mine, but we didn’t think is it was possible. However, when we were researching honeymoon locations and saw this deal via Costco Travel (not sponsored, but hey if you see this @costco…) , we couldn’t say no.

Drink of Choice

While most of my drinks of choice have revolved around alcohol, this one hella relaxing for a completely different reason. Kava is the national drink of Fiji and it’s chocked full of melatonin, so after a long day of relaxing, its the perfect way to end the day.

Not Hungover in Fiji

Kava is the national drink of Fiji and is derived from the root of the Kava plant. While this drink is loved across the Pacific Islands, the traditions and rituals associated change from nation to nation. The picture to the left is of a small version of the traditional Kava bowl in which the drink is made and served from.

Travel Day

I normally don’t note what happens on travel days because it’s always pretty standard and to begin with it was. But once we reached the main Island of Nadi, we needed to take a small plane to Savu Savu and that was the most interesting part of the trip. TSA was not what you’d expect because it’s practically non-existent. Plus, you and your bags have to be weighed before flight because the flight needs to be properly balanced. Getting weighed in front of each other is quite the way to start your marriage, but also just proved how comfortable we were in front of each other.

My husband is in the very front on the left and I was in the very back on the right! I think that means we quite literally balanced each other out on the plane.

The Perfect Romantic Getaway

Before this adventure, my husband and I had only gone on trips together rather than a vacations. So the goal for this trip was just relaxation. The best part about an all inclusive, and specifically booking this trip through Costco, is that they plan it ALL for you. When you’re in a relationship and especially as a couple that lives together, there is always a balance of task assignment. You’re always having to think about who needs to do what chore and who is cooking and what you’re going to eat. The mental load takes a lot out of each person in the relationship and I don’t think that is appreciated enough. All that to say, I think we were both so mentally tired and having everything planned for you just added another layer of relaxation because neither one of us was carrying a mental load.

After a nice shower and a romantic lunch, we were able to sit with a coordinator at the hotel who guided us through everything that was included in our package (3 couples massages, a nice picinic dinner, all of the activities at the hotel including snorkeling). They walked us through each day and came up with a custom itinerary and made sure that itinerary was delivered to the room each day. Especially that daily reminder, it took out the mental load of preparing for the next day. This was a true break from reality.

Rest, Relax, and Read

As a surprise to NOBODY, the spa was my favorite feature of the all inclusive. We had the couples massages spaced out equally so that basically every other day, we got a couples massage. They had so many options massages and we were able to try three different types. My favorite has always been deep tissue, but they had a hot stone hybrid that was just chefs kiss. My body has never felt like spaghetti like it did this trip.

The spa also had a whole area where you could come and go and relax. They had these salt baths where you would basically have your own hot tub with your partner and they would put special salts to meet whatever relaxation needs you have. The eucalyptus salts were our favorite. We could sit there all day and honestly we sat their most days and just read. I brought 8 books and finished all of them. Truly felt like heaven.

Meal Time!

Okay, obviously, the spa was a huge highlight for me, but as someone who doesn’t care too much about food, I was surprised how much the food stuck with me. I think the thing that struck me the most was how much attention they paid to my allergies and customizing my meals for me.

I think more than that though, meal times were so enjoyable because neither one of us had to think about what to eat or when to start cooking. We could spend the entire meal just catching up and talking without any distractions.

Every evening, they also had educational show about the culture and history of the island. We were able to participate in Kava nights where we drank the national drink of Fiji- Kava. We followed the rituals of when people celebrate around the Kava bowl.

And of course, speaking of drinks, this wouldn’t be me without talking about the drinks. Every meal had two specialty drinks and a whole menu of delicious cocktails to order from. And if there is anywhere to be hungover, it’s nice to be somewhere you’re constantly pampered.

We love a good waterfall

For anyone who read the Iceland blog, you know, we LOVE a good waterfall. This trip was no exception. One of the included excursions was a picnic by waterfall after a hike. It was a bit rainy, but because this was a private hike, the hike and the waterfall were just for the two of us. The landscape of Fiji was stunning. From the gorgeous flowers to the breathtaking greenery, my husband and I were able to reconnect in one of the most lovely places on Earth.

Just keep swimming

I love to go diving, but the unfortunately we both had a bit of a head cold during our honeymoon. This didn’t stop us from taking advantage of the water. First, before I go into the BEAUTY which is Fijian water, I want to give a huge shout out to my husband for trying to get scuba certified for this trip specifically because he knows how much this means to me. Even though we could not dive, we went snorkeling several times. The sheer variety of fish is nothing I have seen in my history of the diving and snorkeling. Honestly, my only regret from this trip is not bringing my GoPro to have proof of the beauty.

Something other than the boring

When my husband and I were doing long distance, we did so much and went so many places. And don’t get me wrong, it was a dream. But during one of our last long distance visits, my husband looked at me and said, “I can’t wait to do the boring stuff with you.” And after a year of adventures during long distance, and a year of the good boring stuff, we were ready for something different. And this was so perfect. It wasn’t boring, but it was not as involved as our Iceland trip for example. I think that is what made this the perfect trip. This trip was the perfect mix of everything we love as a couple- relaxation, outdoor adventures, and so much food/drinks.