Tahiti v.s. Fiji v.s. Bali - thought?

amyelise25

We are just now starting to research the pros/cons of going to any of these three locations for a two week honeymoon and I was interested in any advise or feedback people may have about these locations. Our only criteria is that we want to spend at least some portion of our time in a hut over the water type room. I know that they exist in Tahiti (and surrounding French Polynesia) and Fiji. Possibly in Bali. And I want to snorkel. Thanks for your feedback.

littlechilds

Only thing we didnt like about Tahiti was...it seemed like every meal we had was over $100 lol.  Everything is expensive there.

StephBeanWed61502

They all seem beautiful, but I know a couple that honeymooned in Fiji, and actually had kind of a bad time because everything was so, so, so expensive.  They spent around $10K on the trip, and just didn't feel like they got very much for their money.  I have heard that your money goes much, much further in Bali, and it seems equally stunning.

SuMmErKuTiE

We honeymooned in Fiji, and we stayed in a beach front Bure with a private courtyard with a jacuzzi and outdoor rock shower. We loved it, but our only regret is that we didn't resort hop and check out other resorts while we were there. We stayed at the same resort the whole time, and looking back we wish we had explored a little more.

The pros of most resorts in Fiji as opposed to Tahiti is that they're mostly inclusive which means all meals and most activities are included. Also, the resort we stayed at, Qamea Resort & Spa is now offering free local wines and beers to their guests. We were upset when we found out, since we had to pay for all of our drinks while we were there. (We "liked" the resort on FB so we see their announcements).

I've heard that Bali is much cheaper, it's farther away, but once you get there I've heard that the hotels and food is much more reasonably priced than Fiji or Tahiti.

mica178

Tahiti probably has the most availability of over-water rooms.  Fiji is less expensive than Tahiti, and Bali is much less expensive (although it has options that are just as expensive too).  We went to Fiji for our HM and really enjoyed it.  We liked the small town of Savu Savu and found that everything off resorts was pretty reasonably priced.  We went to Bali too, and there is quite a lot to do.  If you want more of a nightlife off the resort, Bali has a huge community of western surfers and backpackers to hang out with.  We didn't enjoy Bali as much as we enjoyed Fiji, though.

Jells2dot0

There is only resort in Fiji that has OWBs and they will run over $1000FJD/night. The only good thing is that the resort is partially all-inclusive (meals but not beverages). The resort is LikuLiku. I have been on the property there and have been to Tahiti 5 times and personally think that the OWBs in Tahiti are better. There are also specific resorts in Tahiti that are better for snorkeling than others (Hilton Moorea is fabulous, also good is the Sofitel Private Island Resort in Bora Bora.) Le Meridien Bora Bora also has great snorkeling but not from the OWBs. As others have mentioned, Bali is less expensive than the others, though the air may be a little more. Once you're there, though, you will get more for your money. If you want an OWB and the absolute most for your money, check out the Cook Islands/Aitutaki Lagoon Resort. I'm not sure what your budget is, but the Cooks are based off of the New Zealand dollar and it goes much further than the Fijian Dollar and especially the Pacific Franc. A two week honeymoon in Tahiti will easily cost over $10K with an additional $2k or more in activities and food.

HTH!

girlinchicago

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_honeymoon_tahiti-vs-fiji-vs-bali-thought?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:11Discussion:e421a876-495e-48b3-b4ab-4a4887f787adPost:c9f517a1-1332-40f2-835e-d7033479f8c0">Re: Tahiti v.s. Fiji v.s. Bali - thought?</a>:
[QUOTE]The pros of most resorts in Fiji as opposed to Tahiti is that they're mostly inclusive which means all meals and most activities are included. 
Posted by SuMmErKuTiE[/QUOTE]<div>
</div><div>This was one of the main reasons we chose Fiji over Tahiti.  Also, I really loved the idea of staying on a private island vs. a larger chain hotel, which is mostly what I saw in Tahiti/Moorea/Bora Bora.  I also really wanted an adults-only experience, which we got at both of our resorts. </div><div>
We spent a week at Royal Davui followed by five nights at Likuliku, including a few nights in their overwater bungalows.  I obviously can't make the comparison between the OWBs in FP vs. Fiji, but I have to assume there are some advantages to FP in that respect.  Our OWB was absolutely stunning and well done, but Fiji is pretty tidal and we happened to travel over dates where low tide was, at times, during times when we would have liked to swim.   Not a huge deal but something to take into account.  </div><div>
</div><div>Having said that, I have zero regrets about going to Fiji for our honeymoon.  Royal Davui was absolutely incredible and a one of a kind experience.  Likuliku, while not as memorable as Royal Davui, had some of the most amazing food we have ever eaten and we are definitely foodies.  The rooms are gorgeous, as is their pool area.  </div><div>
</div><div>We splurged quite a bit on our honeymoon as it was also our wedding (we got married at Royal Davui), but we felt we got an amazing value as the resorts included a lot (all meals, some activities), the honeymoon packages were "better" (bottles of champagne and massages vs. a half bottle of champagne in Bora Bora), and with the money we "saved" we were able to upgrade to things like helicopter transfers to and from Likuliku.  </div><div>
</div><div>Bora Bora used to be my end all, be all location - I lusted over it for yearrrrrrrs, but we couldn't get legally married there so it wasn't even an option in the end for us, as we wanted our wedding to be the real deal.  I still hope to visit someday, but Fiji absolutely satisfied the desire to go to an exotic, tropical location and the private island experience is incredible.  Good luck and let me know if I can help with any other questions - I did a LOT of research!</div><div>
</div><div>**ETA: One more thing!  Fiji is known as the soft coral capital of the world.  Royal Davui had the most amazing snorkeling we've ever experienced and we've traveled quite a bit throughout the Caribbean, Hawaii, etc.  (a marine sanctuary surrounds the property) The first day out we saw so many types of fish, sea cucumbers, even sharks.  If snorkeling is important, Fiji is a wonderful choice. </div><div>
</div>

Karen's MOH

We went to Bali and I feel like we had a decent value for our money there (but it cost a lot to get there, of course). We love, love, loved it-- there was a lot to do, but you can also do nothing and love it. During the time of year we went (Nov.) it was a lot cheaper than Fiji. However, I don't think they have over water bungalos. We stayed in a resort right on the water in Jimbarun bay, and it was so beautiful, but we definitely weren't practically in the water like you see in some pictures from other places. I seriously loved it, but if you are set on an over water hut, I don't think they have them. 

Cinderella30

My husband and I chose Fiji over Tahiti since we would get more for our money by staying at semi and all-inclusive resorts.  Like girlinchicago we stayed at Royal Davui as well as Namale.  Both resorts are absolutely beautiful, though Namale is more of a hassel to get to since it's on the smaller island Vanua Levu and the flights are iffy and can be canceled for many reasons.  The food and service at both resorts were absolutely awesome!  For snorkeling, Royal Davui was definitely a better choice.  We saw so many amazing fishes, sharks and beautiful reefs.  The experience was great and since it's close to the main island you can choose to do some day trips: rafting, visit the capital and go shopping, ziplining, etc.  There's definitely not as many activities and things to do in Namale but it was nice to be able to relax and they have such an awesome spa!  Namale was AI so it was great to be able to go to your room and just grab a beer from the minibar (and cookies!) and not have to worry about the tab in the end.  I don't think you can go wrong with Fiji, you just have to do your homework or work with a TA that knows the area.  I actually found Caroline Bracewell from Easy Escapes Travel and have noticed that many TK posters who've traveled to Fiji or Tahiti have used her as well.  She was great about keeping everything within our budget (she's also either stayed or done site inspection on many of the resorts) and I didn't have to figure out transfers, which can be confusing.  Good luck!  I'm sure that any destination you choose will be more than fine!

mellimel19

We looked into all these locations for our honeymoon as well. Once we started pricing things out, we quickly found that Tahiti was definitely out of budget for us. So we started weighing the pros and cons of Fiji vs. Bali. Fiji had the overwater bungalows. I've read that the sand/ground in Bali is not strong enough to support the overwater bungalows, so there are none there. But we felt we'd get a lot more for our money in Bali, plus Bali seemed to have a lot more of the activities/sites we were looking for, so that's where we booked our honeymoon and couldn't be more excited! Even though we won't be in an overwater bungalow, we'll be in a private villa with our own private plunge pool, so I don't feel like we're missing out too much!

I tracked the airfare for months before booking, and was able to find flights that were about $1500 cheaper than we had originally seen for our travel dates. We also booked one of our hotels through luxurylink.com and got a fantastic deal.

lkatz33

Mellimel19...what's your itinerary? Are you staying in one place or moving around? Also, would you mind sharing what resorts you booked and how you found the cheaper airfare?

lkatz33

Mellimel19...what's your itinerary? Are you staying in one place or moving around? Also, would you mind sharing what resorts you booked and how you found the cheaper airfare?

SOANGELIC91

Hello all!

My fiance and I have been going crazy--(ok well more like me) trying to find a honeymoon package that meets our needs. We want a package that is all inclusive: activities, meals, and airfare. Ive been working with several travel agents and each have quoted me for around $7,858 for tahiti and $7,700 for fiji. We were also thinking about Hawaii but the only problem is that there are no "all inclusive packages," and for what we were quoted ($6,600) for two including airfare, and traveling to three different islands, we would end up paying the same, if not more than we would in tahiti and fiji, when we pay for things like food and activities. Please, someone help I am about to give up and tell my fiance to go to vegas and thats it!