Very rarely does a day so fully exceed my expectations! Where to start?! Fiji is a country of great contrast and great beauty. The tourist resort of Nadi in the north is chocked full of 5 star resorts and honeymooning couples, whereas the captial Suva in the south is a working city on the edge of poverty. Both are about 5 hours apart by road making them both hard to visit in a day. We arrived in Suva at dawn on a Wednesday, bags packed and ready to start the 36 hour journey back to London… but first we were afforded 20 hours in Fiji! All immigrated and full of excitement at 9am we headed to the hotel to drop our bags. Where should we go? We had only 1 day to explore one of the most beautiful places on earth and options close to the southern city of Suva were limited according to all we asked. Just as we were losing hope, a young bellboy appeared in my hotel room doorway.

“Do you want to go to heaven?” he asked

“Absolutely!” I replied.

He spoke to our driver, we had no idea where we were going except that there were allegedly wild dolphins and it was 3 hours away! Our driver had never been before and seemed as eager as us to have an adventure!

Essentials packed and full of beans… we headed into the unknown!

The best thing about travelling to places for just one day is you have to be brave. You can’t just ‘wait until tomorrow’ to do something because tomorrow, you’ll be somewhere else, or on a plane home! If an opportunity to see or so something presents itself, you HAVE to go for it. And so, as we bounced along dirt roads (with our driver asking every villager we passed if we were going the right direction) my excitement was beginning to bubble over!

Finally, we arrived at an old wooden sign that read ‘Takalana’… we had arrived!

I can only describe this place as a hidden bit of paradise. So far off the beaten track that only one tourist had ventured there in the previous month, we got out of the taxi to utter silence, broken only by the crash of distant waves.

Sophia, a bustling woman with a a baby on her hip, appeared on the verandah grinning ear to ear. Welcoming us to her home, she instantly gave us a fabulous bungalow, complete with kitchen and ocean view balcony as our home for the day, and informed us she would make us lunch after we returned from her brothers boat as he was just about to go out to see the wild dolphins! Blind sided and fascinated we just nodded and went with it!

Sat in a boat that seemed older than myself, we set off to moon reef. Moon reef is found 2 miles off the east coast of Fiji and is home to a family of spinner dolphins as well as a cornucopia of fish and ocean wildlife. The shades of blue were countless as we approached and the silence somewhat overpowering.

The dolphins stayed hidden, but we didn’t mind as we headed straight into the pacific for some time on the reef. Heated water, as warm as a bath, bubbled through the coral as colourful fish darted around my hands.

Hungry and thirsty we headed back to land!

Oh my… how could we know that a feast would be waiting for us?! The whole family, including baby and dog sat with us, as we saw a table covered in fresh coconuts, barbecued chicken and sticky rice! The next hour passed with laughter, chasing a toddler, playing with Snoopy the dog and chatting with Sophia and her family as we planned to venture up the mountain to a waterfall where you could swim!

What a trek! Without a path, the journey up the mountain through the jungle was an adventure in itself! Forcing our way through the undergrowth and mud we reached a clearing where a waterfall cut a deep dark pool through the rock.

Swimming in the pool! How refreshing!

Dinnertime was approaching and we had no idea of the delights that awaited us back at the beach! Hot, wet and covered in mud, we made our way back down the mountain to Takalana beach.

The whole family had invited the community to join us for dinner! Musicians started to arrive from the village, more and more people started to arrive. The men built fires on the sand as the women stoked huge barbecues covered in fresh catch from the reef! Music filled the air and conversation was plentiful. As darkness fell we were inducted into the community with the local drink ‘cava’. Now ‘cava’ is a mild narcotic brewed from roots of local Fijian plants!! Served in coconut shells, just a sip is enough to accept the hospitality of your hosts. So one sip later I was very glad to become part of the most friendly village I have ever visited!

As the night progressed, our poor taxi drivers wife kept calling asking why he was now 13 hours later than he planned! We said our goodbyes and headed back south towards Suva. The smell of smoke filled my hair as a reminder on the journey home of the magic that we experienced that day. If you ever go to Fiji I’d say, skip the tourist hotspots, and make your way to Takalana! It has the best hospitality and best accommodation you’ll find. ( http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g294334-d1019402-Reviews-Takalana_Bay_Resort-Viti_Levu.html )

The amazing reef!

Takalana…It’s real, it’s heaven, and it’s waiting for you!