Here is your ultimate family review of the Radisson Blu Resort Fiji on Denarau Island.
You know those moments all parents have, when you just crave some simple, easy down time as a family. Where you can slow down, not do any cooking or cleaning for a few days and enjoy some quality time with your kids. Only three hours from Australia’s east coast, Fiji for kids will be your perfect solution.
There are always lots of sale fares to Fiji and a reasonable amount of competition with four major airlines competing for the route between Australia and Fiji - Qantas, Fiji Airways, Jetstar and Virgin Australia.
If you want to stay in one of the best family resorts in Fiji, the Radisson Denarau will allow for some quality rest and recuperation whilst you bask in the tropical island atmosphere. Before settling on a place to stay I spent plenty of time scouring trip advisor reviews to find amazing recommendations for a family stay in Fiji. To our delight the overwhelmingly positive reviews for the Radisson Blu Fiji turned out to be accurate and we had a fantastic eight night stay at the hotel.
Here is the low down on what you can expect…
Radisson Blu Resort - Overview At a glance the Radisson Blu Fiji offers a variety of rooms and packages, four swimming pools, six restaurants, kids activities and easy access to all that the Denarau Marina offers including day trips or overnight stays to neighbouring islands.
Family Rooms at the Radisson Denarau For our stay, we paid for a Lagoon view one bedroom suite which was super spacious and comfortable for a family of four. The main bedroom has a king size bed and a balcony so you can sit outside in the evenings once the kids go to bed. It could also be closed off completely from the large living area and kitchen giving some privacy and noise control. The bathroom was quite luxurious, very clean and included a bath which was helpful with a baby and toddler. The kids shared the high-quality sofa bed in the main lounge room with comfortable mattress. Overall the room was extremely comfortable, clean and functional for a family stay. Additionally the view from our balcony was pretty great overlooking the family pool and out towards the ocean. We could easily sit on our balcony to watch the fire dance shows in the evening.
Pool I’m pretty sure I am not the only one who spends a lot of time checking out the pools on hotel websites. I LOVE a beautiful resort pool blended into pretty tropical gardens, and with young kids I look for pools with sandy shallow areas for them to paddle safely without constantly needing an adult in the water. The Radisson Blu pools in Fiji are absolutely perfect for young kids. The main pool is adjacent to the restaurant and bar and has sandy banks that gradually deepen into the centre. With its man-made beach area, toddlers and infants can spend hours building sandcastles and running in and out of the shallow waters.
If it’s a little more action that the kids are after there is a white water slide and dedicated kids pool for games and activities and the resort runs aquatic activities throughout the day.
When to visit Fiji In Fiji the prices for five start resorts are pretty reflective of prices you will find in Australia. Keep in mind though that if you are flexible with dates and prepared to travel outside of school holidays then you are more likely to find a great deal for the Radisson Blu Fiji.
We visited in May which was the shoulder season but found this to be an optimal time to be there. Warm sunny weather was still the norm most days with the occasional tropical storm or rain shower mostly at night. Although the resorts still had plenty of families visiting it wasn’t at all over crowded.
Staff
The staff at this hotel were extremely friendly and welcoming and helped to make the kids trip memorable with their happy ‘bulas’ each time you passed. Of particular mention were the friendly housekeeping ladies who took the time each day to ‘dress up’ our kids’ toys with flowers and placed them in funny places throughout our rooms. The girls found it quite amusing each day to return from the pool to see where their toys might be that day.
Activities When in Fiji you really should take the opportunity to take a day trip or potentially even side trip for a few nights out to the Mamanuca Islands. The boats for all these islands depart regularly from the Denarau Marina. Simply because we were travelling with a restless six month old at the time of this article we only ventured as far as South Seas island but having been to other islands previously you really can’t go wrong. All of them feature crystal clear waters, stunning scenery and excellent snorkelling. South Seas Cruises are one of the major tour operators in Fiji and the quality of their tours is very high.
If you run into any bad weather on your holiday you can always take some time out at the Fun Factory (Denarau Marina). Fully decked out with climbing walls and tunnels, trampolines, ball pits and more our kids loved this place and burnt off some energy on a stormy day.
For the adults there is plenty to keep yourself active and happy. Hubby enjoyed some golf at the Denarau Golf Club, the paddling in kayaks is a good workout and I loved the spa and massage service.
For more things to do in and around Denarau make sure you read my full article on best resorts and things to do in Fiji.
Kid Friendly Resort Fiji This resort really is tailored and focused on pleasing families particularly those with young children. The Blu Banana kids club was bright and fun, enticing kids to come in and play and the staff working with the children were very enthusiastic and friendly. Kids must be over four years old to be left in the kids club but for the youngsters you can still access the kids club facility for play time. Older kids will also LOVE the night activities that the resort run allowing parents a quiet dinner non kids! If you are travelling with infants and toddlers and happy to leave them with a babysitter then you can pay for babysitting services in your room with a two-hour notice period.
Food For such a tropical place the distinct lack of fresh produce in Fiji does have a follow through effect for dining. If there is one area of the resort that I would rate as a little below expectations it was the food. Of course this can be quite subjective and our visit was a couple of years ago so things may have improved.
There are some considerably good food options throughout Denarau though. At the Marina we loved the food and ambience of the Nadina restaurant which served delicious traditional Fijian food overlooking the harbour. Packed full of vegies and super tasty our kids loved this place as well.
For a casual family dinner, the restaurant at the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club was a great pick. Serving simple pub style food this place is very relaxing for dining with kids as they can run about on the soft grass to stretch their legs when not eating.
For a good lunch option, we liked the Pantry which is located inside the Sheraton resort next door and just a short 5 minute walk away. The Pantry served deli style café food and was tasty and fresh.
Transport around Denarau The Bula Bus is the Denarau island mode of public transport and makes regular stops at the Radisson. The bus can transport the family from resort to resort in Denarau so you can check out other places and finishes at the Denarau Marina. A great spot to grab a bite to eat at any of the restaurants or cafes, board a vessel out to the islands or stock up on some supplies at the village supermarket.
For getting to and from the airport the Radisson offers a transfer service. Alternately you can organise yourself a private transfer with child restraints. Just make sure you check that the seats are properly fitted before leaving the airport as ours had not been tethered correctly by the driver.
For those travelling with prams there is a footpath that travels the length of Denarau island connecting all of the resorts and Denarau Marina. It is very easy to get about with young kids and a stroll back to your hotel after dinner is always very pleasant.
If you prefer to walk along the beach you should be pre-warned. Denarau is not your typical sandy Fijian beach location. The beach provides some beautiful sunset opportunities but not the best for swimming or beach walking with more of a brown sand.
Summary If you are after a resort holiday where you can simply arrive, kick off your shoes and have a super relaxing break from everyday life then the Radisson Blu Fiji is a fantastic option. With so many great facilities, really lovely pool areas, and fun, stimulating entertainment for kids this place ticks all the boxes.
If you want to experience some more authentic Fijian culture then it is definitely worth considering some day trips to other parts of the main island, Viti Levu or out to the neighbouring islands. If you want some amazing snorkelling and pristine white sandy beaches then you also really need to head to the islands however Denarau is the perfect base point for excellent accommodation and facilities to further explore the beauty of Fiji.
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Want to know what other fabulous resorts are perfect for families in Fiji. Read the next article on all the best resorts in Fiji.
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