Welcome to this edition of our own Fiji island Tours Bula Sheet

Through this newsletter we aim to not just keep you informed of what is happening in Fiji, but also to keep just a little bit of that Fiji feeling alive! It’s always sad when your holiday comes to an end and it's a long time until your next Fiji sojourn, so when you receive this take a few minutes to slip into "Fiji Time" and imagine that you can hear the coconut palms swaying in the breeze, the water gently lapping onto the shore, the excited laughter of children enjoying the pool, or the sheer bliss of peace and quiet broken occasionally by the infectious giggle of a Fijian!

Within this newsletter you will often hear reports by members of our team who have had trips to various resorts to keep abreast of what is on offer - so that we, having experienced places first hand, can speak to you honestly about which resorts meet your holiday requirements. Sadly though we can't be there all the time (oh we wish we could!). For this reason occasionally within this newsletter we will have a guest contributor, usually one of our clients who has recently returned from their own unique Fiji holiday. This month, Roland Bleyer, who works with Fiji Island Tours in designing our wonderful web sites - www.fijiislands.com.au and www.fijinet.com and this newsletter, has written about his and his wife Annika's recent honeymoon in Fiji.

"Once again, we would like to thank the Fiji Island Tours staff for putting together the perfect Honeymoon.

We started off with a night in Nadi before cruising off to Octopus Resort on Waya Island in the Yasawa group. We stayed in a private Fijian Bure which was great. The first time we went snorkelling off the beach was incredible. The reef was so beautiful and there was fish everywhere. We had been to Fiji a number of times before but Octopus delivered the best snorkelling we had to date and right out the front of the resort! Food was included in our accommodation and we were never hungry. The people that go to Octopus where really nice. The whole environment was very relaxed and recommended.

From Octopus we were back at Nadi, then off for a Captain Cook cruise and overnight Tivua Island stay. With Captain Cook we sailed on a tall ship to Tivua. We stayed overnight on the island, where accommodation is limited to 2 couples. Our own private Fiji island :)

We arrived back from our cruise, then had a private car waiting for us, to take us down to the Coral Coast and our next destination, Crusoe's Retreat. Arriving at Crusoe's Retreat was entering into a new paradise. The landscaping and gardens were so beautiful, the people friendly and we had a large Bure right near the private beach. Our day started with a buffet breakfast, fruits, juices, cereals, breads, tea, coffee, all you could need. But also on top of this, included in our accommodation was a choice of a range of cooked breakfasts. It was a great start to the day. We stayed at Crusoe's for 5 nights and found it to be very relaxing and peaceful, set away from the rest of the world - the perfect retreat. We had decided before our trip to pay the meal plan and include lunch and dinner. We were not disappointed; there was a wide selection of a la carte dining with dinner being a 3 course meal. The food, service, location and accommodation were excellent. They had good daily activities including boat
snorkelling trips and a village tour that was the best we had been on in Fiji. We had a great time and recommend this resort to all our friends.

From Crusoe's it was off to Outrigger on the Lagoon. A five star resort with all the trimmings. It was a contrast from our previous accommodation in true hotel style. It was like we didn't want to leave our suite. A taste of modern conveniences in a tropical island paradise setting. It was the only resort on the trip that had cable TV and a fully air-conditioned room. Our days started with breakfast, then a trip down to the large pool where activities continued all day. There are a range of different restaurants and bars to dine in as well as 24 hour room service. Outrigger was well laid out and easy to get around. It had a range of shops directly in the resort as well as Fijians selling a range of goods at different places in the resort. From horse riding on the beach to water polo and kayaking, Outrigger was able to deliver a broad range of services to cater to the needs of many visitors.

From Outrigger, it was back home to Sydney and a sad goodbye to our tropical island paradise. This was our third time organised by Fiji Island Tours and again a perfect holiday. You listened to what we wanted and planned a truly unforgettable Honeymoon. Once again thank you!!"

Roland and Annika Bleyer


Following is a brief round up of just some of the Resort and general news.
For more details please contact us by email, phone or fax.

General News
Fiji's world golfing great Vijay Singh made a one-day visit to the country to inspect the development of an 18-hole golf course he has designed at Natadola Beach, part of a major new tourism development that will also be home to a new Intercontinental Hotel with the initial two projects expected to be completed in 2007.	The second annual Beachcomber Fiji Swim will be held on Saturday, August 6, 2005. The 2.8 kilometre race from nearby Nukuasiga sand bar to Beachcomber will include world famous Olympic swimmers, John Konrads and Shane Gould. The race is open to all male and female swimmers in Fiji and from around the world.

Resort News
Tokoriki has announced that all renovations are complete including pool and landscaping - surely a great time to take a look at this wonderful resort.	Outrigger on the Lagoon has announced that two young chefs from the resort have taken first and second place in the recent "Battle of the Chefs" competition in Nadi. Both chefs were praised for their culinary innovation. Outrigger on the Lagoon’s signature, fine dining restaurant Ivi is complemented by three other restaurants within the resort, as well as 24 hour in room dining.	Vomo Island Resort - managed by Sofitel has completed its new swimming pool.
Work has started on all 67 Ocean View Bures at Treasure Island Resort, expected to be completed by the end of the year. Only two bures at a time will be refurbished ensuring that availability of accommodation will be practically as normal.	Naviti Resort will introduce 82 new hotel rooms and 18 bures into the resort mix by early 2006. The new additions will consist of two blocks of three-storey buildings and 18 2-bedroom bures. When completed the resort will offer 240 rooms.

This is a busy month for Fiji Island Tours - Richard and Charmaine are off to Fiji in early June for the annual BFTE conference. Hosted this year at Shangri La’s Fijian the conference is a wonderful opportunity for us to speak to all the resorts and really learn first hand what exciting things are happening there. Charmaine is spending some time before hand exploring the Yasawas, and Richard too will spend some time after the conference at beautiful Vatulele. So, there will be lots for us to pass on to you after the conference. Juliet has also just returned from a family holiday at Castaway and The Fijian and will dedicate next months' newsletter to that trip - looking specifically at family holidays in what will become a regular section of the newsletter - Fiji for Kids.

Moce for now, best wishes from all the team at Fiji Island Tours, and we look forward to talking with you about your upcoming Fiji Holiday - and if you would like to be a guest contributor to the newsletter, please mention it to us when you are discussing your travels!

For full details of anything discussed in this newsletter please contact us as below.

Email. sales@fijiislands.com.au
Tel. (02) 9979 2403
Fax (02) 9979 2407

From all members of the Fiji Islands Team our very best wishes.

And please remember that our other division Islands and Corporate Travel continues to serve our clients with their travel arrangements throughout the World for both Holiday and Corporate Travel.

Richard Miall Director Lamil P/L Fiji Island Tours Island and Corporate Travel

Email: sales@fijiislands.com.au Phone: +61 2 9979 2403 Fax: +61 2 9979 2407