18 days in Fiji (#12) Mantaray Island Resort

Bula! Hello! Welcome to Fiji!

I hope that you've found this series on Fiji both informative and interesting. My aim is to help take as many crinkles out of your vacation as possible and maximise fun and connections for you.

This post will be about Mantaray Island Resort. The island I did not want to leave and which I wished my four nights could have been stretched further! It was here too that my son achieved his dive certification as well.

The proud certified diver with his instructor (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

Transport to the island 

Getting to Mantaray Island is quite simple as there is a fast speed catamaran that does a circuit of the major resorts located on the smaller islands from Port Denarau. You can also get there by sea plane if you so choose. The trip by sea to Mantaray Island takes about 3.5 hours. You can read more about this in 18 days in Fiji (# 8) Swim or hitch hike to the islands? 

The little things that delight 

The transfer from the Yasawa Flyer to the island was smooth and hassle free. Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted with a much welcomed fruit punch. The friendly staff took our luggage right up to our rooms while we hung around for our 'welcome to the island' chat.

Welcome to Mantaray Island (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

It is the attention to detail that really impressed me about my stay on the island. And in my case, it was the hibiscuses!

There were fresh hibiscuses in the foot bath every morning for each unit.

Foot bath with fresh hibiscus each morning  (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

There were also  fresh hibiscuses at the sink of the communal shower blocks every day.

Communal shower block (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

At the breakfast buffet, hibiscuses again formed an integral part of the decoration.

Breakfast! (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

The staff wore hibiscuses and sometimes frangipanis behind their ears - both men and women.

Frangipani or hibiscus, which will I wear today? (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

The dining staff greeted every guest by name. They were gentle and respectfully friendly and added to the serenity and tranquility of the place.

Our regular dining room staff
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

It was absolute bliss to have all one's meals catered for and to focus on just having a good time snorkelling, diving or swinging in the hammock.

Fish and chips 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

The resort also offered other activities including jungle trekking, visit  to a local village, Fijian meke, bracelet making and weaving. Save's (pronounced as Sah-vae) nimble fingers made quick work of jungle tiaras, fans, baskets and even a fish on a line. He showed us how to make bracelets from string and collected shells. I was all thumbs when it came to knot making.

A jungle tiara (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

Weaving a basket (Photo by Maria Ngo) 

Making a bracelet(Photo by Maria Ngo) 

Bracelet completed (Photo by Maria Ngo) 

Fijian meke (Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

And if you fancied a massage, you could book one at their spa. There were also paddle boards and kayaks that you were welcome to use as well.

Scott the manager with one of the masseuses (Photo by Maria Ngo)  

Fancy kayaking?(Photo by Maria Ngo) 

I did wonder initially how the 'jungle' floor looked so neat and not over grown. The question was answered the following morning when I saw staff sweeping up the fallen leaves and tending to the plants.

I loved it that there was a coral reef just a flipper kick away from the beach. When the tide is quite low, you have to take care that you glide gently over the coral so as not to damage them. Here in the reef within snorkelling reach you can see myriads of fish. For my introductory dive we did not have to go far out to experience the underwater paradise of colourful fish and coral.

A small secluded beach just perfect for snorkelling 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

There is a dive shop where you can book dives and diving lessons. If you were to go diving, there is a high possibility of encountering giant sea turtles and a few reef sharks - which my son and hubby experienced. Between May and October you can also dive with the manta rays.

Accommodation 

We had initially booked into one of their Tree Top Burres (or huts) which can sleep two people in each in either double bed or two single bed formation. The burres come with ceiling fans but not air conditioning. As I was suffering slightly from heat exhaustion when we first arrived I could not bear sharing a small double bed in the heat. Scott the manager was kind enough to organise a villa instead for the four of us.

The beach villa was an absolute delight! It had air-conditioning and the open to the heavens ensuite bathroom was simply heavenly. The decor was sand, stone and drift wood inspired. I fell in love with the villa the moment I set eyes on it.

Ensuite with open to the heavens shower 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo)

The beach villas also have a direct view of the sea. The tinted double glass doors let you take full advantage of the view while affording you some privacy.

View through the villa glass doors - that's how close you are to the sea
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

The tree top burres are behind the beach villas while the dormitory style accommodation popular for back packers is slightly behind that again.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner   

Meals are catered for and there is a levy charged per person for this. There are no cooking facilities but there is a kettle and mini bar fridge in the beach villas. The office keeps a small stock of personal care products that you can purchase in emergencies but if you want snacks between meals, I suggest that you bring your own as you cannot buy any on the island.

Baked potatoes and roast beef dinner
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

Vegetable curry for breakfast 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

Live entertainment added to the ambiance of the dining area.

Live entertainment 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

You can purchase alcoholic beverages, mocktails and soft drinks and you won't run out of iced water - the staff keep the iced water jug topped up continuously. Believe me, in the hot weather, this was very much appreciated and a nice touch.

Refreshingly cold and sweet mango and pineapple 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Vegemite was part of the breakfast provisions. I guess this was about catering for their nearby Australian neighbours. Curries as well as eggs cooked personally to your specification was all part of the breakfast service. There was a healthy selection of local fruit including freshly picked mangoes from the island's mango 'orchard'. But if you preferred continental fare, you were amply catered for as well.

Vegemite breakfast (Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

Farewell to Mantaray Island 

And so with that, our trip to Fiji was reaching its finale. On our last night on Mantaray island, we watched a Fijian meke performed by the multi talented staff. We listened and watched the history and stories of their Fijian ancestors enacted. If we had stayed another night, we would have experienced a lovo feast.

As our flight wasn't until the evening the following day, we stayed one more night at a resort enjoying the Fijian resort lifestyle before catching a taxi to Nadi International Airport in the late afternoon. (Which will be the subject of my next and final post in this series on Fiji.)

Thank you and vinaka for joining me on my journey in Fiji! Catch you soon!

Vinaka! 
(Photo copyright Maria Ngo) 

18 days in Fiji (# 4) Snorkeling, sea creatures and sea lice

Bula! Hello! We've just spent 18 days in Fiji. And what a time that was!

Before we went though I had so many questions! Well, now that we're home and I've found the answers to some of those questions, I thought I might share my discoveries. After all, sharing is caring. 

Also, I thought that by sharing my discoveries, I might help you save time, money and perhaps add to your safety and comfort!

So, over a series of posts, I hope to tackle some topics that might be of interest to you to help you in your preparation for a holiday in Fiji.

Picture perfect 
(Photo taken by and copyright Maria Ngo)

So here's the next topic I'm going to tackle - safety in the water - you never know what could be lurking there - and especially sea lice!  

Snorkeling, sea creatures and safety

Fiji is synonymous with coral reefs, white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. With more than 300 islands, it makes sense that it is positioned as a preferred tourist destination for diving and snorkelling. 

When it comes to snorkelling it pays to keep your hands to yourself where coral is concerned. Firstly, coral are easily damaged. 

Secondly, because it can take a whole year for coral to grow up to 0.3 to 2 cm while some faster branching coral can grow up to 10 cm a year and your touch could set them back years. 

Thirdly, and more importantly, you might get stung - by pretty coral, cute fishes and also cleverly disguised fishes masquerading as dead coral or stone. 

Some coral can pack a nasty sting. I won't repeat what has already been well documented about stinging fire coral, black and white banded sea snakes, stone fish, lion fish, scorpion fish, moray eel, cone fish, jelly fish, crown of thorns, trigger fish, sharks, sea urchins, stingrays, rabbit fish etc. which you can read here and here. 

There was one little nuisance marine creature that appears to be undetectable to the eye that I want to talk about instead - sea lice! 

Sea lice 

We were so excited about finally getting to do some snorkelling at the smaller islands that we'd heard so much about when I felt little stings first on my finger and then on my arm. 

The sting did not last long and there was no immediate reaction like itching of the stung spot or rash or swelling or redness. The sting was intense but didn't last any more than a second or so and then it was gone. Or so it seemed. 

I carried on snorkelling and thought nothing of it. I couldn't see anything in the water and I was too engrossed in the coral and fish to give these a second thought. Every now and then I'd seem to "run into" a patch of warm water and experience more stings. By about the third or fourth "run ins" I was trying to make myself as small as possible and to present as few exposed body parts as possible. 

Lucky for me I had on an extra layer of tight fitting short sleeved rash guard suit and swimming shorts. This was in case I got cold in the water and also to reduce the amount of sunscreen I would normally use. 

It wasn't until the following day that the effects of these multiple stings added up to over 70 little itchy red bumps! 
And then a few days later, these little bumps became blistery looking bumps that made me look like I was diseased and had chicken pox or something! And the ITCH! It was dreadful! 

I had seven little bumps just on my thumb alone! Some of these were very close together and kinda "joined" up into one another. 

Itchy bumpy and blistery! 
(Photo taken by and copyright Maria Ngo) 

I found that ice helped sooth the itch. Also, luckily for me I usually travel with some sort of anti-septic anti-itching creams (usually something that contains a good amount of lignocaine in its active ingredient). I pretty much plastered myself with these. 

As the bumps looked like tiny little blisters, I took great care not to burst the blister and took care to avoid scratching them. 

Apart from the intense itchiness, I suffered no other ill effects like nausea, fever or vomiting which I was watching out for in case it was more serious. 

I did not yet know what these were until I went on another day cruise and chatted with the locals. I also searched the internet and found only one mention of something about sea lice but it sounded more like they were having issue with fleas rather than sea lice. 

My son's arm the day after encountering the sea lice
(Photo taken by and copyright Maria Ngo)

What the locals said was that Yes, there are things they called sea lice which they would encounter on occasion when they went into the sea. It was just something they were used to and it didn't seem to bother them. I surmised then that each person could potentially react differently to it. 

Some said that it was when the waters were warm that they noticed it most while others said that it was when the waters were rough and stormy. No one knew for sure what the optimum conditions were for these sea lice. They also did notice that they appeared in swarms. 

As for us, we encountered these at most places we went to on our day cruises, and hardly any when we were on Mantaray Island (on Nanuya Balavu Island in the Yasawa Islands group). 

And so began my search to find some means of protection against pesky stingers. 

So we went into Nadi town centre to look for rash vests and pants. 


The outcome wasn’t perfect, and with hindsight, I should have gone for a more fitting rash vest but the pants worked fine. 

Rash suits, ice, anti-itch creams and dilo oil 

So what have I learnt from all these? Wear tight fitting rash suits and pants as a guard against these sea lice. Ice the stings, apply anti-septic anti-itching creams. And one other thing, while chatting with one of the sales staff at Jacks of Fiji, I mentioned my encounters with the sea lice and she suggested a bottle of dilo oil. And the verdict? It seemed to work for me while another local said they used coconut oil for the stings. 

Dilo oil 
(Photo taken by and copyright Maria Ngo)

Anyway, forewarned is forearmed. Now you can be more prepared than we were. 

Vinaka vaka levu! Thank you very much for reading! Catch you at my next post. 

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