Stories That Have Been Told - Fiji Articles - Melissa McCoy

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Come As A Visitor, Leave As A Friend ...
(Pacific Rim Weddings)

The Fiji Islands have an eclectic variety of delightful small resorts. There's something wondrously inviting about properties that have 13 or fewer bures (boo-rays) or bungalows. These intimate resorts, with their attentive friendly staff members, will welcome you into your ultimate romantic dream come true.

Tucked away on an unspoiled 30 acre peninsula on the island of Vanu Levu, sits the Rainbow Reef Resort. No roads mar the pristine beauty of the surrounding jungle. You are ferried by boat across the Somosomo Straits from Tavenui island. As you approach the resort's crescent white sand beach and see the graceful waving palm trees, you are transported back to a simpler era. Time slows to a pace measured by the traveling of the sun across the sky and the singing of birds. Cast off your watch, forget the clocks, and live the fantasy.
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Room With A View ... (Pacific Rim Weddings, Spring 2002)

The Fiji Islands are a potpourri of flora, ocean fauna, white sand beaches, and small intimate resorts. Only eleven hours from Los Angeles (six from Honolulu), these islands offer romantic experiences as diverse as the fish in the sea. Fiji has more than 300 islands and islets, but only 100 are inhabited. Take your pick of a nature adventure, cultural experience, diving or snorkeling adventure, five-star pampering, or a beach all to yourself (promise) for the day with champagne and lobster. You can stay at a resort with only one very welcoming villa or bure (pronounced boo-ray) or a variety of resorts with 8-30 bures. The Fiji Isles also appeal to those who want a large resort environment. The Sheraton has three properties in Denarau (Nadi), the new Outrigger property is a fun getaway, and the renowned Shangri-la Fijian (Coral Coast) is another resort option
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The Lure of Getting Married in Fiji .. the Vatulele Way
(Pacific Rim Weddings, July 2001)

Marlo and Jim had been together for several years before Jim proposed. A busy lifestyle included exotic travel and demanding work schedules, but marriage was not on the immediate horizon—or so she thought. Jim surprised Marlo one evening, “He proposed to me on New Year's Eve 1999 on the beach in New Jersey. We took two glasses, a bottle of champagne and two wish bottles. We both made a wish and then at the stroke of midnight Jim proposed. My ring was attached to one of the seashells we collected on a previous vacation together.” Jim’s proposal was romantic, sensitive, and perfectly timed. They set a date for their marriage to allow ample time to plan the wedding of their dreams.

As consummate travelers, Marlo and Jim both wanted to go somewhere they had never been. Marlo says, "I had seen the movie The Blue Lagoon and thought that Fiji was absolutely beautiful. It was on our list of places to visit." The warm weather and incredible beaches held the allure and exotic setting they were seeking. Marlo learned that the Fijians share their ceremonial customs with visitors who marry there, and she loved the idea of something so different.
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Escape to Fiji - Pacific Rim Weddings, Dec. 2000

It was obvious.. being married in the remote islands of Fiji is an extraordinary experience. I watched the faces of the bride and groom which told all…euphoria. As the angelic voices of the Fijian choir moved me from tears to inspiration, I contemplated ways to lure my husband to Fiji to renew our vows. Through our office, Fiji Escapes Travel, I had arranged many weddings and honeymoons to Fiji, but the first hand experience was far better than anything I could have imagined! All of the notes we received from our clients over the years couldn’t begin to convey the true picture, words were simply inadequate. You had to be there—better yet, you had to get married there!

The Fiji Island Archipelago, a group of more than 300 islands located approximately 3200 miles southwest of Hawaii and about 1700 miles from New Zealand, became independent within the commonwealth of England in 1970. The islands have long been known as destinations for divers and as stopovers for travelers to New Zealand and Australia, but within the past decade have gained attention as an island paradise for romance. United States travelers in particular have caught the "remote hideaway fever" sweeping the globe. With the new emphasis on remote and private locations for those seeking the ultimate romantic getaway, Fiji has emerged as a unique destination for both weddings and honeymoons.
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Sea Kayaking with Kayak Kadavu, Fiji
(Sea Kayaker Magazine - 1998, Outside Magazine)

Rationally, I knew cannibals no longer waged brutal, blood-thirsty warfare in these parts. Still, I experienced a brief flicker of doubt as we were escorted into the presence of a rather sinister-looking chief in a remote village called Ravitaki on one of the less-traveled of the Fiji archipelago's 350 inhabited islands. Sure, the natives at the Sheraton on the main island were friendly, but who really knew what these folks had planned for dinner?

My overactive imagination aside, it wasn't the first time I had faced danger that first official day of our seven-day expedition to a South Pacific locale. The 16-seater prop plane that flew us from Fiji's main island of Viti Levu to the island of Kadavu appeared to be in good shape, but the pot-holed dirt road they called a runway did not. As we banked over the brilliant, kaleidoscopic, coral-rich waters that are Fiji's trademark, our pilot turned and flashed us a wicked grin as he aimed for the spit of land in front of the plane and prepared to land. After a hard brake and a few neck-jarring bounces we were down, and I joined the seven other relieved passengers in spontaneous applause, hoping to bring feeling back into my whitened knuckles. In our excitement, we almost missed the tiny, one-room, clapboard-style Vunisea airport.
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