Pete’s birthday 🎁 Week

Day 1 (22/3/18)

Holidays always start with crazy times!  Up at 4.45am to finish packing and off in our Uber at 6.30am. Got the upgrade I hoped for so were able to have breakfast and the obligatory champagne 🥂 whilst waiting to board. Pretty smooth and quick flight (3h15m) to Nadi. Left home at 9.45am. Arrived at Nadi 3pm. Easy transfer to hotel after receiving our shell necklaces. In fact we were really lucky to get a personal driver to our resort, rather than the transfer bus. Sofitel is lovely and our room is right outside the Waitui beach club (adults only). Timing was perfect too as they have complimentary canapés and drinks at 5pm. Brief walk along the not so white beach and then  I had my first cocktails in the beautiful edge pool.

Then to dinner - we had 5 restaurants to choose from but we settled on salt. Lovely evening but long day so back in our room by 9pm. Pete found the footy (😩) but I promptly fell asleep!

Day 2 (23/3/18)

Kind of restless night but still felt rested after the first night here. Woke up earliesh (my holiday aim is to sleep through to 7am where that is the first time I wake in the morning) and we headed to Waitui Beach club but due to inclement weather we were moved to Restaurant V where we had a delish breakky. Mimosa, juice, coffee, fruit and hot dish.  Bula bus around Denarau Island and I bought a Camilla lookalike 😂. 

Back for a few hours in the pool and then a wine or two in the room before heading backed to Waitui Beach club happy hour. 

Then I had the delightful Mariannie give me the corn braids she normally gives kiddies. I love it. Hair off my neck!!  Back into the room at 8.30 so we ordered in and had a lazy night. Best I rest for my 2.5 hour spa session in the morning 😊

Day 3 (24/3/18)

Another overcast day when I woke early. Haven’t achieved my goal of 7am wake up yet but I’ll keep on trying!  Headed off at 8.15am for my Toe to Toe experience and Sandy was absolutely bloody brilliant.  Massage, facial and pedicure and it was up there with the best.  Came home to grab Pete and we had the hilarious episode of attempting Stand Up Paddling. I got up a few times to generally fall over straight away. Maybe a few strokes lol.   Pete went ok but it was really choppy and pretty tough way to start. Hoping for a calmer day tomorrow.  We had to lie down for a bit to recover - tough view to take in 😂. 

Late lunch at Salt and then we booked our Tivua island cruise for Monday. Back to Waitua Beach Club Happy Hour before heading back to Breeze bar to watch Manly get flogged!  Early night - bliss!

Day 4 (25/3/18)

So close to 7am but woke several times during the night. I’m getting there....

Super lazy morning and only had breakfast at the Lagoon Buffet restaurant at 9.30am. Then out for some kayaking and poor PD got one with a hole. We got all the way out to the boundary buoy when I said you look like you’re taking water. He promptly capsized and he had to be rescued by jet ski. Lucky me got to kayak back in 😩😩. Wandered down beach to Wautui club and got a cabana to ourselves and spent a couple of hours in the pool. 

Nice relaxing start to the day.  A bit of relax in air con and a few wines (beers) before having some corn chips for lunch (so healthy) and then our happy hour was moved to Havana Breeze bar. Room service and extremely early night

Day 5 (26/3/18)

Arrrgh will I ever make 7am sleep in?  Such a restless night - it would seem going to bed early is not the key. Anyways up early and readies ourselves for our Tivua Island day cruise.  My quiet 90 minute sale to the island proved anything but! Nevertheless we arrived and it was devine despite the overcast conditions. 

Walked the island and had several dips with the baby black tip reef sharks. Lunch and then my very own private snorkel with Junior. Highlight of my trip so far!  

Sails were up for the trip home and it looked like we were heading to a storm but the weather broke. 

Got 35 minutes in our beach club and then I tried to book a ‘Sleeping Giant’ half day tour 😪 but no luck. Snuck a postcard back into the room so I can write a ‘birthday’ card up for Pete.  Another night in the room - happy to do so - long hot day and it isn’t as though we are swamped with brilliant food choices.

Day 6 (27/3/18)

Happy birthday PD ❤️

Started off with a late breakky down by the water in the Waitui Beach club. Home made crumpets - yum!

As we didn’t get in to the day tour we decided to go on the $1 yellow bus 🚌 into Nadi. Well that was an experience- we were lucky to make it with the manic driver 😂 but we did and there was no shopping mall as I expected just a big long street full of shops. We somehow got conned to go to a local out of the way shop and pretty much felt like we couldn’t leave until we bought something. We did get what we wanted although I’m sure we paid more than we should have. We wandered into another couple but they really pushed hard so we stepped out quickly.  Went back to the Denarau marina for lunch and then back to the motel. Nice message for Pete from Danielle (and others) and then PJ called which was fantastic 😀

Headed over to our last cocktail hour but due to rain (first time it rained during the day on us) we had our last one in the Havana Breeze bar. We got there late with only 15 minutes left but the wonderful Epeli was on to it and got us a couple of drinks. 

My biggest regret of this holiday is that we didn’t got to V Restaurant earlier. Epeli had booked us a window seat and we saw GM Vincent prior to going in. He organised a champers for both of us and then Pete and I decided on the degustation menu. Pork belly, eggplant, braised beef (mahi-mahi), sorbet and deconstructed cheesecake- OMG MAGNIFICENT!  One last special surprise (I’m so upset, I thought I had videoed it but I didn’t 😩😩) was the staff singing happy birthday to Pete. That was after they had sung the Fiji farewell song and hugged us goodbye.  Perfect evening!

Day 7 (28/3/18)

Late late breakfast for our last day - I went for the last dip in our Waitui Beach Club pool while waiting for breakfast and then it was pretty much eat, pack and go.  I had one last bit of business and that was up at 'Jacks' so I could get my VAT refund on my beautiful black pearls I bought!  Apparently they become more lustrous the more you sweat. Who would have known that being a sweater was a good thing - ha!

Great flight home (got the upgrade) although we were slightly delayed due to a medical incident.  No problems as Robbie the hostess had the wine out early.

Home to the best reception ever.  Love my babies!!  Even Quinney put up with Schnitzel's positioning haha.  Thank you to my Aunty Lyn for puppy sitting and keeping the house in spotless condition.  Love you!  Off today to meet a potential sponsor for Play for a Cure Dinner, so like always back to reality (and washing).  Loved my time in Fiji, really would love to make it an annual trip!