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Jul 5, 2014 | 10:49 am

#26

matthandy

Join Date: Jul 2008

Location: Kent, UK

Programs: BA Gold, SPG Platinum, Marriott Platinum, Hilton Diamond

Posts: 3,809

The Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa – Part 2

So where were we? Are yes, I'd already spent a couple of nights at the resort and was getting into the stride of things. On my third day I decided that I wanted to explore the beach a little more. The beach at the resort is rather good although not in the 'spectacular' league of some of the leading beaches around the world (including Australia). It would however, do

.

After breakfast I got changed, grabbed my camera and headed down to take a few snaps of the beach area.

As previously mentioned, the beach is not private, in as such as the locals, or guests from other hotels are free to use the beach. From what I could see though, it was mostly guests from the Intercontinental.

The beach wraps around the resort and from what I could tell the water is mostly shallow.

The beach at the far end of the resort

The island opposite the resort

The beach

Palm trees in the wind

Panorama of the beach from the resort

Panorama of the beach and island

After spending some time wandering around I decided to go and grab some lunch, via the bar as I wanted to take a look at it.

The bar was quite large and open with lots of cushions to relax on. As it happened, any time that I spent there in the evenings was spent almost with only my own company as it was very quiet.

I had pondered having lunch at the bar but because it was so quiet I changed my mind and went back to Tobo. I went for a sandwich with chips it would seem (from the photo!). Then I made my way back to my room for some relaxation. The light was great so I decided to take a few photos. The activities guys near the pool noticed me and shouted for me to take their photo, which I did. All in good spirit.

That evening, as the sun was setting I decided to head down to the pool for a swim. As the sun started to go down there was a spectacular view over the water. Feeling adventurous I took my iPhone into the water with me, keeping it above the water of course. I was able to capture a few good shots but I did almost drop the phone in the water as a result of the unseen dip down on the pool floor. Luckily, no harm came to the phone and as the 'fire lighting' ceremony began (something that is done every evening) the chap walked right across the infinity edge of the pool making for a stunning sunset photo.

The bar

Lunch, standard fare

The afternoon sun on my balcony

Cheeky chappies

The evening sun on the family pool

Sunset from the infinity pool

Sunset and fire lighting

Sunset by the pool

After going back to my room, showering and changing I went down to the bar for a drink before dinner. The place did seem a little busier. I settled on the chairs outside and just sat and listened to the sounds of the night. Unfortunately, those sounds were interrupted by a group of people who seemed to want to out-do each other with every sentence. Every comment was a boast. 'Well John has done this, Mike has done that'. Who cares? Awful people.

Luckily my cocktail arrived swiftly and I gulped it down and headed over to Tobo again (yes I know, but as I explained, there really weren't that many other options!). The waiting staff recognised me and I was given a choice of tables. I settled for one at the front, near to the pool. Another cocktail of the day was ordered and then I picked the food. I went for the butter chicken which was actually pretty good.

Tobo

Another cocktail

Butter chicken

The following day was my last full day in Fiji. Like every other day, I decided to do not much at all! I skipped breakfast and decided to spend much of the day at the beach. I took my book and spent a few hours relaxing in the shade of the palm trees before a spot of swimming.

I had actually planned to go on a tour but in the end lack of numbers meant that it was cancelled. At least I tried.

The evening was absolutely great. The sunset was beautiful and I just sat with (yet another) cocktail of the day and just took it in. Dinner was at Tobo again. I had the mahi mahi which I didn't really like. I think that was more to do with the type of fish though than how it was cooked.

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

Good morning

The view from reception

In the water

The beach

Palm trees

I 'heart' Fiji

Cocktail in the sunset

Dining by the pool

Dinner

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and reflected on my time in Fiji. I felt that I had been able to relax like I had planned. I would have liked to taken a tour as it did feel in some way that I'd not fully taken advantage of being in Fiji, but touring around wasn't the intention for this trip.

In the morning I packed my bags up and then headed down for breakfast. I had a 2pm pick up which meant that I had time to do something in the morning such as spend more time at the beach and go for a swim, which I did.

I had lunch at Tobo before heading back to my room to shower and pack up the last bits before heading to reception to check out and catch my transfer mini-bus to the airport. The check out process was painless and the staff were very friendly as always.

Lunch, pizza

Reception

Looking over the resort from reception

I had about 20 minutes to kill before the mini-bus arrived. Unlike the way to the resort there was a couple who joined more for the hour long ride to the airport.

Verdict

I really enjoyed my time at the Intercontinental Fiji. It is an amazing resort staffed by lovely people. The facilities are great for both families and adults and I really did appreciate the size of the rooms, the beach and the pool. The gardens around the resort are lavish and everything is very well appointed. The timing of my visit was a mixed blessing. It was nice that the pool areas and the beach were quiet but I would have liked a few people to liven the place up a bit in the evening.

Overall, the resort compared well to the Hilton that I stayed in previously and it definitely did feel more up market, as reflected in the price. The only downside of the resort is the fact that it is reasonably remote but hopefully the fantastic beach and facilities help to make up for that!

Up Next

My return flight to Sydney.