Bula! Wow, it was so amazing to get on a flight and travel to one of my favourite places in the world after two and a half years! (Damn you, Co**d!). We had such an amazing first family holiday with our little one in Fiji, and it was the perfect introduction to overseas travel with her.
In this post (Part One of Two), I share our travel journey out to the Fiji islands, the highlights of the first resort we stayed at (Blue Lagoon Beach Resort) and why we love it so much. I also made a similar video for YouTube, which you can view below.
Throughout I also share helpful baby and travel tips, including our packing essentials and information on travelling to Fiji at the end. (Part Two is here).
About us and Flying with a baby
If you're new to this blog, hi my name is Krysti and my husband and I love to travel! We added a new little addition to our family in 2021 and we are so excited to show her the world. We wanted to introduce her to travel with a destination that ticked all the boxes. Nice and easy to get to, family-friendly, tropical and lovely warm water to swim in, good food, and friendly people. I can confirm that Fiji is the perfect place for all that.
Miss H was no stranger to planes, she had been on four flights around New Zealand before she was four months old - and she was an angel on all of them (she fell straight asleep!). For my experience and tips on flying with a younger baby, head to my last post here.
We didn't know what she would be like at nine months old (newly crawling) when we went to Fiji, but she surprised us again and was great. We kept her busy with lots of snacks, interactive toys and books, a little bit of screen time (pre-downloaded Netflix movies/shows on an iPad) and she napped for about an hour.
Wellington to Nadi is around a 3.5-hour flight so it's definitely manageable. I reckon the younger they are the easier - I can imagine when she's walking and running around, she won't be quite as happy to sit on our laps for that whole time.
We also paid a little bit extra for the front row/bulkhead seats which was perfect as she could sit on the floor in front of us and play. We flew with Fiji Airways for the first time and they were great. The staff were lovely and helpful and it was a comfortable flight. It was also affordable and direct, (Air NZ currently only flies direct from Auckland), so it was a win-win for us.
Our Fiji Holiday Itinerary (Part one)
Here is the first part of our itinerary and an overview of our holiday. However, if you have the possibility of staying longer I would totally recommend it - extend those nights out in the islands, it is truly paradise and you won't ever want to leave!
Many people might find it easier to holiday in Fiji on the mainland, but for us, the true Fijian paradise is out in the islands. Our favourite place is the Yasawa Islands, it’s a little further to get to but boy is it worth it. It's where you can experience real tropical paradise, with incredible crystal clear turquoise water, stunning coral reefs, outstanding food and the most amazing and kind staff. We just love it there!
Day One - Gateway Hotel (1 night)
Our flight arrived in Nadi at 4:35 pm and we were flying out to the Yasawa Islands the next morning, so we spent the night at Fiji Gateway Hotel. It's a popular airport hotel directly across the road from the airport and there are free shuttle rides there all throughout the day and night. They provide infant cots, have an awesome pool with a slide, a good onsite restaurant and it was a comfortable stay.
Airport Tip: When you've collected your luggage I highly recommend visiting the Vodafone desk on your way out and picking up one of their tourist sim cards. We went for the $35 FJD value pack which included 7 GB of data. They put the sim in and set it all up for us so it was super easy.
Days Two - Five - Blue Lagoon Beach Resort (4 nights)
We were heading to Blue Lagoon Beach Resort out in the beautiful Yawasa Islands and decided to catch a helicopter transfer with Island Hoppers to get there. We had been to Fiji before pre-baby in 2019 and caught the Yasawa Flyer ferry before - it's cheaper and the ride is pleasant with great views. But we didn't want to spend nearly five hours on the ferry with a baby, the 20-minute helicopter flight was a heck of a lot more convenient and it's a stunning scenic flight over the islands.
Miss H was due for her morning nap and instantly fell asleep for the whole ride. They had mini headphones for her and she wasn't bothered at all by the noise.
We were warmly welcomed at Blue Lagoon Beach Resort and showed to our incredible beachfront room called Palm Villa (we were kindly upgraded). It was extremely spacious with two bedrooms (including a travel cot already set up), a lounge area and a gorgeous outdoor tropical bathroom.
After being closed for over two years, this resort had only been open again for less than three weeks but you wouldn’t have known it. We had the most amazing time, and four nights definitely wasn’t long enough. There are so many fun activities and excursions to take part in if you wish, such as a boat trip to the famous Sawa-I-Lau limestone caves, visiting the local village and school, mountain hikes, and all the water activities you could dream of including snorkelling and scuba diving.
Baby Packing Essentials
Below is my own packing list I used, broken down into what to bring on the plane and checked luggage. Out in the islands there are obviously no shops to purchase baby products so you have to bring enough of everything to last.A big question is should you bring a stroller? We brought ours as it's a small foldable one that fits in the overhead compartment on planes, so it's handy to have at the airport. As we did a helicopter transfer to the islands with Island Hoppers, they have free lockers to store additional items not needed, so we left our stroller there.
Packing List - Plane / Carry-on bag
- Passport!
- Small stroller or baby carrier (optional)
- Spare plane outfit and bibs
- Nappies and wipes
- Travel change mat
- Light sleepsack (optional for the plane but for us, it's a good sleep association for her)
- A couple of favourite toys and books
- Dummy with clip
- Container with snacks and a ziplock bag with a banana (be sure to dispose of this before getting off the plane)
- Bottle/sippy cup
- iPad with movies downloaded (optional)
Packing List - Checked Luggage
- Enough nappies and wipes to last the whole trip
- Swim nappies
- Bibs (including food catcher bibs), small weaning spoons
- A few more favourite toys and books
- Sleepsack - light
- White noise machine, dummies (if using)
- Any bottles/feeding gear you might need
- Summer clothes
- Baby monitor (optional but it allowed us to relax on the beach loungers outside while she napped)
- More snacks (though she didn't need them - she was fed so well there)
- Swimsuit and hats x2
- Sunblock and insect repellent suitable for babies
- Rubber ducky (her favourite bathtime toy that she associates with water - helped her love pool time and ocean swims. We also bought a pool ring floaty for her but she didn't like it at all, she just wanted to be held by us in the water)
- A small container of powder/rash cream
- Small ziplock bag of washing powder to handwash clothes (or you can pay for laundry)
- Hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste
- Any medicine in case (we brought baby pamol)
- Anything you think your little one might use every day and miss eg. teethers
I hope you found this post helpful if you're thinking of travelling to Fiji with a baby. I promise you it will be an unforgettable family holiday!
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