Coral Coast Fiji | Mango Bay Resort
Welcome to the Coral Coast, Fiji. The look and feel of a remote Fijian island, without having to get on a boat for hours. Surrounded by luscious gardens, coconut trees and crystal clear waters, let me tell you about Mango Bay, your ‘home away from home’.
After a week living in a local Fijian village and very much having an eye opening, authentic experience, for our second week in Fiji we booked somewhere a little more luxury and by luxury, I mean having hot water, Wifi and a restaurant serving a variety of food. Island hopping in Fiji can get expensive so we looked into where else to go that would allow us to still experience white sands and crystal clear waters without spending all of our money on boat transfers. This is when we stumbled across The Coral Coast, located on mainland Nadi and around 3 hours from the airport. We booked ourselves into a ‘Beachfront Bure’ at Mango Bay Resort that offered beautiful views of the ocean and a tiled outdoor bathroom. At £50 a night, this was definitely out of our budget travelling price range but finding cheap, nice and comfortable accommodation in Fiji as a couple, was proving difficult. Nonetheless, we figured that Asia would be a lot cheaper so we could afford to spend a little more on accommodation in Fiji.
We took a bus from Lautoka Wharf after we got off our boat, meaning we arrived around at Mango Bay around 8pm, just in time for dinner and games with our friends who we met on the Yasawa’s. Arriving in the dark meant we couldn’t see just how idyllic Mango Bay was, leaving us even more excited to wake up and explore. On March 30th our week in paradise begun. The photos on Mango Bay’s website did not to this place justice, the room was a traditional Fijian beach hut so a thatched roof, chic interior decor and a blue external outdoor bathroom. The grounds were absolutely stunning - lush green grass with plants and an array of sky scraping palm and coconut trees. We were totally blessed with the weather on the Coral Coast meaning days were spent lounging in 30 degrees heat without a cloud in the sky, reading, listening to podcasts and dipping in and out of the sea or pool to cool off. From the sounds of the waves crashing by your feet to coconuts being picked for you as an afternoon drink and snack, Mango Bay was everything we hoped for and more. Surrounded by a flourishing garden, the grounds are well looked after and enjoyable to wander around for a late afternoon stroll with a gin and tonic or coffee in hand.
To have a break from sunbathing, we drove to a nearby village called Biausevu as apart of Kai’s birthday celebrations where there was a famous waterfall. We hiked about 30 minutes through forests and streams until we could hear running water and knew we had reached our end spot. The location was totally tranquil - birds tweeting and little fish swimming in the ice cold pool of water which lay beneath a 20m gushing waterfall. I swam and sunbathed on the side as Kai climbed up with the locals to dive off various points. Days in Mango Bay ended in the restaurant which sells a mixture of delicious western and more local dishes from fresh pasta and pizzas to grilled fish in Fijian marinades, meats and salad bowls. The drinks menu is also extensive, offering cocktails, juices, shakes and both local and imported spirits. Many a gin was enjoyed over endless games of pool, card games and music until the early hours of the morning before we would finish the night off lying on a sun-bed watching the stars. It really was absolute paradise and the perfect place to spend Kai’s birthday. (We didn’t actually realise until nearing the end of our trip that this is where The Bachelor In Paradise is filmed)
If Fiji is on your travel list when keep an eye out for Mango Bay and the Coral Coast when you’re researching as it really is the perfect spot that feels as though you’re on a secluded island without having to get an hours on end long boat to get there…
