Fiji All-Inclusive Resorts

About the author, Michael Cottam Founder of Visual Itineraries, Michael lives in Bend, Oregon. He's an avid traveler, scuba diver, photographer, and a private pilot, and also the founder of Bright Yonder. He's been to Fiji, Thailand, Vietnam, Seychelles, Kenya, France, England, New Zealand, Jamaica, Belize, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, British Virgin Islands, Mexico, and the major islands in French Polynesia. He's been a Rotarian for 21 years, currently on the board of the Greater Bend Rotary Club. Follow Michael on LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.

Worried about spending too many clams on your trip to Fiji?

(Yes, that's a giant clam in the photo above--I found it near the Malolo Barrier Reef in the Mamanucas)

Many vacationers look for all-inclusive options when they travel, so they don't have to continually pull their wallets out while on vacation, nor do they want to find a whopping great bill under their room door at the end of their stay. All inclusive resorts have become extremely popular in the Caribbean, but "all inclusive" is really a misnomer...they ought to be called "most-inclusives".

What passes for "all-inclusive" is typically just room and meals, maybe house wine and beer, and some basic activities like non-motorized watercraft (kayaks, small sailcraft, etc.), tennis, etc. Almost everywhere you go in the Caribbean, you'll be charged extra for scuba diving, spa treatments, premium wine and liquor, deep-sea fishing, jet skis, etc. For most people, that's a pretty good compromise. In Fiji, they're pretty much ALL all-inclusive And in Fiji, you can get that arrangement at nearly all the resorts--but rarely will you hear it called "all-inclusive". But a rose by any other name...

Most resorts in Fiji aren't located places where you have a choice of outside restaurants to go to--often, because you're on a little island where everything there is part of your resort. Typically the resort will either include all meals and many activities in their tariff, or have a meal plan that you can purchase that covers your food, and sometimes your drinks as well.

See our complete list of Fiji travel specials.

Meal Plans

For your convenience, here's a list of links to the meal plan info for many of the resorts in Fiji. And just because we don't have a link to the meal plan info for a resort (or they don't have that info on their site), don't presume that it's not available--check with a travel agent and they'll find out for you. Without further ado, here's our list:

• Beqa Lagoon
• Blue Lagoon
• Castaway
• Crusoe's Retreat
• First Landing
• Intercontinental Fiji
• Jean-Michel Cousteau
• Koro Sun
• Lalati
• Likuliku
• Laucala
• Lomani
• Malolo
• Mana
• Maravu
• Matamanoa
• Matangi
• Musket Cove
• Namale
• Navutu Stars
• Nukubati
• Outrigger on the Lagoon
• Plantation
• Qamea
• Royal Davui
• Sonaisali
• Tadrai
• Taveuni Island
• Taveuni Palms
• The Uprising Beach Resort
• Toberua
• Tokoriki
• Treasure Island
• Tropica Island
• Turtle Island
• Viwa
• Vomo
• Wadigi
• Wakaya Club
• Wananavu
• Warwick Naviti
• Yasawa

Meal plan pricing is often quoted in Fijian dollars--why is that, you ask? Well, Fiji's tourists come from many countries--primarily Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, and the UK, but also a surprising number from the other Pacific Islands (nearly as many as from the USA in fact!). Only about 10% of the tourists are coming from the USA, so while we Americans might think of our currency as pretty universal, the vast majority of visitors to Fiji are getting their paychecks in some other currency. As well, currency fluctuations can be fairly substantial, so it's simpler for everyone if the conversion from the Fijian price to the visitor's currency is done at the time it's paid for.

What's Included at a Fiji All Inclusive?

It varies, but it's honestly not a lot different from the Caribbean all-inclusive resorts. Some are just meals and non-motorized sports; some include alcohol in some form; nearly all charge extra for things like scuba, spa treatments, and premium liquor and wine.

Prices for the extras like alcohol, scuba, etc. can vary; your travel agent can fill you in on pricing for the particular resorts you're considering, but in my experience you can expect to pay about as much as you would for similar services in Hawaii. The local Fiji Gold beer, by the way, is inexpensive and pretty good--and I say that as a resident of Portland OR, the craft brewing capital of the US!

Definitely check with a travel agent regarding meal plans ahead of time, as often resorts will have special deals on their meal plans that are only available if you book through a travel agency--if you wait until you get to the resort to pay for your meal plan, you might end up paying more.

What about golf in Fiji?

If you're looking for a resort where golf is included, you might be out of luck. There ARE some excellent courses in Fiji, but they're mostly on the main island of Viti Levu, which tends to be where travelers stay just one night before heading to one of the outer islands. There's some great info on golfing in Fiji on the WorldGolf.com website.

Entertainment

Entertainment will often be free at the resort, with perhaps a kava ceremony, or a performance such as fire dancing, a 'meke', or fire-walking in a few locations. While kava itself isn't the tastiest thing on the planet, the ceremony itself is an interesting experience, and you'll find that the Fijians truly enjoy sharing it with you and teaching you the bits of the kava ritual. It's fun, and nothing to be afraid of.

And as you can see in the video below, there's underwater ballet available as well (here, the divemaster plays with a school of sergeant majors).