Pacific Islands

Lisapeep

I'm thinking Fiji, Cook Islands, French Polynesia etc. What are your experiences of these places? What would you recommend there? How long would you need for a holiday there?

PunyHuman

I was in French Polynesia for a few days last year. The islands are beautiful and the people are friendly but the city of Papeete itself is no great shakes, so I wouldn't recommend staying there. It's also very dear.

Moorea is nice; a real tropical paradise island. If your thing is beach- and sea-related activities, or walking around in the jungle, you could easily spend a week or two in Polynesia.

*I was kicking myself that I didn't have a driving licence to rent a car because the buses seem to stop at about four in the afternoon.

*You might consider going to Easter Island which I thought was fantastic. A definite trip highlight.

Benedict XVI

Just back from a week in Fiji
Spent most time on the main island Viti Levu
The resorts there are cheaper than the outer islands but the beaches are not as good aparently.
People are very friendly, and things are fairly cheap.
If you are no intersetd is relaxing by the pool you could go into the montains to real Fijian jungle villages, and Suva the capial city is also worth a look

On the other islands it depends what you want, some are exclusive, some are bacpaker, and prices of accomadation are not good value for money from what I saw.

peeps78

i was in vanuatu and the cook islands last year.
we stayed on Porta Villa in vanuatu (it where the original bungee jump was invented and still practised by the locals), it was really amazing but i preferred rarotonga in the cook islands. it just felt safer and was easier to get around.
id reccomend staying for 2 weeks minimum. i only stayed a week on both islands and i seriously wished id stayed longer.

Delboy05

i spent a week in the Cook Isls in 99 on way to Oz around september time. The main island has a large mountain in the centre and it attracted rain like there was no tomorrow. Basically spent a week getting drunk in a hostel!!!!
But what I did see was very nice....friendly people, very relaxed, fairly cheap. We were met at the airport in the middle of the night by various people trying to offer you accomm...so there's no need to book anything beforehand.

Was also in Fiji for a few days. Only spent 1 day on the main island before heading to an offshore island resort for backpackers that our holiday offered us. It was beautiful, really amazing. Crystal clear waters, loverly beaches- $50 a day all in. No nightlife though - everyone in bed a few hours after dusk but up early next day.
Word of warning - check the boat you'd be travelling on. Ours was very shaky on the way back - broke down several times and we were left to float for a few hours till the engine got going again. We then heard some scare stories on our return about people in similar circumstances where the boats sank and help was very slow in coming...people don't raise alarms when boats fail to arrive at dock!!! See the boat before you book.

Wanderer222

If you're going as far as the Philippines, check out Boracay or Palawan. They are a bit touristy, but as exotic as they come!