Fiji vs. Hawaii
I had a connection in Fiji on my way back from Australia. It would have been criminal not to stopover, right?
Of course it would. I was flying Fiji Airways from Melbourne to San Francisco, necessitating a connection in NAN. My initial booking was continuing straight to the West Coast, but I had time to add a few days.
This analysis is based on one trip to Fiji vs. dozens to the various Hawaiian Islands. (I’ve been to Hawaii so many times over the years that I’ve watched the islands “grow up.” A road on the Big Island that went from a dangerous gravel road to a paved road. Vacant land on Kauai that turned into an ugly mall.)
Like Hawaii, Fiji is a collection of islands in the Pacific. Like Hawaii, there are a lot of beaches.
I stayed in Denarau Island, a collection of resorts about 30 minutes from the airport. Despite its name, it’s not really an island. It’s a small peninsula on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu. Denarau has hotels under the various American brands: Sheraton, Hilton, Wyndham, Radisson.
Aside from the beaches, the main thing in Denarau is Port Denarau, where boats take you to nearby islands.
Some are for sightseeing, day trips, day trips, “night” clubs that operate during the day.
I booked a tour with South Seas Cruises. They have their own island with activities like snorkeling, diving, a “glass bottom” boat which brings some of the pleasure of snorkeling for people who don’t want to get wet. There’s a dance performance around lunchtime. They serve a buffet lunch and unlimited soda and Fijian beer. They also offered outdoor massages. I paid $30USD for a 40 minute oceanfront massage.
Other islands, like in the Maldives, are dominated by one resort. They are nicer (and more expensive) than the ones on Denarau. I wanted to stay at one of them, but with one boat a day to get there, it didn’t make sense on a three day trip.
Like Hawaii, Fiji is often used for film and TV shoots. Survivor fans can see the site of the Tribal Council from the 14th season. Fans of Tom Hanks’ Cast Away can visit Monuriki, more commonly known as Castaway Island.
There’s a small “mall” at Port Denarau, with restaurants, clothing stores and miscellaneous stores. Nothing really special. I did smile when I saw that a Hard Rock Cafe had disappeared. Its replacement, Cantina, had a serviceable quesadilla.
Unlike Hawaii, there are a lot fewer Americans. That’s a plus. We’re a loud and obnoxious group. Fiji seems to be to Australians and New Zealanders what Hawaii is to West Coasters - a 4-5 hour trip to a tropical destination.
The tourist infrastructure isn’t as well developed in Fiji. There is no Uber or Lyft. There aren’t as many as packaged tour providers. The ones that exist aren't as consistently available. I wanted to do a trip to a village and a waterfall hike, but the tour operator wasn’t running them. No problem, I thought. I’ll just rent a car. No availability.
A few other differences versus Hawaii:
It’s way cheaper. Roughly half off for similar quality when it comes to lodging and food. A cocktail at the Sheraton is ~10USD vs. the $18-$25 you’d pay in Hawaii.
There is a large Indian influence. More than a third of the population is of Indian descent, which translates into good Indian food. That’s something Hawaii sorely lacks.
Tipping is not expected. It’s nice to not worry about everyone having their hand out.
There isn’t a big resort city like Honolulu. I’m sure some people would want that, but I’m perfectly fine without it. The world-renown Waikiki Beach is an OK, narrow and way-overcrowded beach. It’s crowded with tour buses.
One important difference in international hotels vs. U.S. hotels: the lower-end American brands can be quite nice. The Sheraton Fiji had a great location, newly renovated rooms and an enormous, good breakfast buffet spread. I generally avoid Sheratons in the U.S., including those in Hawaii.
Verdict: Although Fiji is beautiful, it’s not worth a trek on its own. Another five hours past Hawaii is too long. But if you are flying to APAC and can add it as a stopover, do it! It’s reasonable to make the reverse argument for those who live in Australia and New Zealand: Fiji hits most of what you’d want in a nearby tropical destination.
Booking an award trip to Fiji
Fiji Airways is stingy with business class inventory until close in. The best way to do it is with Alaska Airlines miles. For 55,000 miles, I was able to get a one-way business class ticket from Melbourne to San Francisco, with a free stopover in Fiji. If you want to do your own Hawaii vs. Fiji comparison, you can book a separate flight to Honolulu, spend a few days in Hawaii and then fly from there to Fiji, reducing the miles required to 45,000.
The Fiji inflight experience is better than the American carriers (not hard!) and Air Canada, but lags behind European and Asian carriers. On the A350, which is used from Fiji to Los Angeles and San Francisco uses the best business class seat out there.
Getting Alaska miles
Alaska Airlines miles are the tougher ones to get among American carriers.
A deal I would (and did) jump on right now is the Alaska Airlines card issued by Bank of America. They’re offering a 70,000 bonus miles for getting the card and spending $3,000 within the first 90 days. It’s the best offer I’ve seen. The usual is 40,000 to 50,000 miles.
Alaska Airlines miles are the most valuable among U.S. carriers. Unfortunately, as I predicted, they are a lot less valuable since Alaska joined oneworld.
The card also includes a companion certificate for $99+taxes. It’s another great deal, especially for those on the West Coast.
Link to 70k offer. (I get no benefit here.)
You can make it a 72,000 mile offer if you include an Alaska Airlines employee as a referrer. I’m sure you can tweet at @alaskaair and ask for one. Tell them @rakeshlobster sent you - I’m sure everyone on their social media team knows me by now. (Or email me directly and I’ll give you a friend’s info. I get no benefit here either.)
An update on my Southwest fiasco
As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, I got caught up in the Southwest mess over the holidays. We got Southwest miles worth $600 (for two tickets). Southwest also extended our companion status a month. That ended up going to waste because I got sidetracked to Fiji, but it was a nice gesture.
Southwest also reimbursed about $1,500 in expenses in less than a week. It’s the best I’ve been treated for irregular operations. (Obviously they had a lot of public and government scrutiny, which likely helped.)
Everyone screws up. How you respond to your screw up is important. Southwest did a great job here.