chatted with the staff. It was exactly what we needed! I remember feeling so lucky to be sitting there and so enchanted by the energy I felt. It was the magic promise of summer on a distant shore. I'll never forget that feeling. Being at Likuliku felt so incredibly remote, warm, and quiet... as if we had just arrived at the end of the world. Actually, that's probably not far from the truth. Sitting there taking in all that scenery in the midst of my frothy smoothie, I knew we were in for something captivating and very unforgettable. We were lucky both places we stayed in Fiji... we chose well. I'm also glad we stayed in two different locations in Fiji since they were quite different. Both sides of Fiji had their unique climate, topography, ecosystems, and local charm. Qamea island had a much wetter climate and more of a tropical rainforest ecosystem while Malolo island was drier and without the giant hardwoods and lush jungle. I loved them both.

We stayed in a bure (pron. "boo-ray") on the beach but Likuliku has overwater bures, too. It's the only resort in Fiji that has them. I think we would have liked to stay in an overwater bure but they were all booked up by the time we made our reservations. We were grateful, though, our accomodations were fantastic to say the least. Our bure (pictured at right) was natural and gorgeous with its authentic Fijian style, beautiful lagoon view, private plunge pool, flat screen TV, outdoor shower, the works. It was luxurious, elegant, and comfortable. Each bure even had a cookie jar they kept stocked with freshly baked cookies! Can't go wrong with that. It felt like home, only warmer... and on a tropical lagoon. One of my favorite moments when vacationing in the South Pacific is the first time we enter our bungalow. It's like a fantasy I never want to snap out of. I knew we belonged there, like two clownfish in an anemone. Speaking of clownfish, the snorkeling at Likuliku was fantastic, just like on Qamea island.... tons of tropical fish and corals. I even saw three spotted stingrays. There were lots of clown fish pretty close to the shore. We spent lots of time with them. Turns out, clownfish actually are funny. Always a personal favorite of mine. Clowns seemed to be ever-present on this trip... all the clownfish we saw, the funny

Fijians we met along the way, and we even saw two clown triggerfish. First time, too... what a treat. But then I saw many species new to me since this was the closest we've ever been to the epicenter of marine biodiversity, the Indo-Pacific realm. While snorkeling and diving we saw, among countless species I can't identify or probably even remember, 3 varieties of clownfish, blue spotted stingrays, a white-tipped reef shark, more soft coral than I can fathom, a spanish dancer (a particularly graceful swimming nudibranch), oriental sweetlips, antheas in an array of colors, parrotfish, butterflyfish, titan triggerfish, orangeline triggerfish, picasso triggerfish, banded coral shrimp, regal angelfish, trumpetfish, flutemouths, surgeonfish, sergeant majors, pennant bannerfish, moorish idols, moray eels, wrasse, grouper, boxfish, lionfish, batfish, and even the beautiful and deadly cone snail, native to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia! And those are just the ones I do know, which isn't saying much. The diving was absolutely fantastic and I never saw so many dazzling, healthy corals and sea beds. Here's my dive and snorkel video. Here's a little footage of Likuliku Lagoon Resort.

Of course, I'll never forget how it felt to be there, drinking in all the quiet, friendly beauty of Fiji and playing in the fish-filled lagoon. I can still feel the night wind playing with my hair on our walks back to our bure after dinner... the pretty bird sounds, the palm-fringed pathway sparcely lit from below. As with all the places we've visited in the South Sea islands devoid of light pollution, the stars were unbelievable! The only other place we've been with stars like that is Tahiti. Looking back on vacations like this and Tahiti, sometimes I have to ask myself, "Do I even have a right to be this happy?" Then I get over it 5 seconds later. If there was one thing I would encourage people not to miss out on if planning a vacation to Fiji, it's the diving and snorkeling. But that's just me.

The people in the Mamanucas and at Likuliku were very good to us, very kind, very welcoming. I would definitely recommend Likuliku to anyone looking for a relaxing, pampering adults-only vacation in Fiji. We loved chatting with the staff, sharing our pictures with them, telling them about our dives, and getting to know them. The service at Likuliku was very professional and we were never neglected. It almost felt like a bunch of friends had invited us to stay with them. The atmosphere was calm and festive and the drinks were fantastic. A lady at the island bar made me a special drink... and not to be a drama queen, but it was completely fabulous!!! It was the best blended drink I've ever had. We ate like kings, too. In fact, I probably won't have to eat again until my next trip to Fiji. A mixture of French gourmet and fresh South Sea island catch, the cuisine was ridiculously awesome. Plus, since it's all-inclusive, (except the alcohol, of course), life is that much easier. In the excitement of my perpetual state of motion, curiosity, and exploration typical of me on vacation, I forgot to set aside time for us to hike up the hill behind the resort and get some photos of the lagoon from above. Luckily, I'm pretty sure this is the only thing I'll be regretting as I watch the last traces of my tan swirling down the shower drain.

Okay, so there's one other thing: we didn't get to see enough sharks. I only saw one tiny white-tipped reef shark in a sea cave, not that she wasn't lovely. Plenty of sharks live and hunt in Fiji's rich and vast expanses of blue. We just didn't run into any probably because we weren't in the right place at the right time. I was told Beqa Lagoon to the south is the place for shark sightings. There's always next time! Vinaka (thank you) for taking the time to read my Likuliku page! Photos are below. Click any image to view full size: