BEDARRA BEACH INN, CORAL COAST
Located on the southern coast
of Viti Levu is the Coral Coast, about a 15-minute taxi ride from Sigatoka, and
about an hour’s drive from the airport in Nadi. Along a stretch of a quiet road
that branches off the main southern route to the resort town of Pacific Harbor
and, further, the capital of Fiji, Suva, we found the Bedarra Beach Inn. We
stay
ed there for the first week of our trip to Fiji.
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| We put it back |
ed there for the first week of our trip to Fiji.
Neat, clean and quiet the
Bedarra was a wonderful introduction to Fiji. The staff were all Fijian and
were friendly and engaging, greeting us by name each time with broad smiles and
a ‘Bula’ and for the first couple of days at the Bedarra there weren’t a lot of
other guests. It was a very sharp contrast to the Outrigger down the road which
was huge in comparison and a tumult of noisome kids. (lol) At our first hour,
with Matteo the bartender sliding our drinks towards us on the amoeba-shaped
wooden altar, we were the only ones there. At the Bedarra either Matteo or
Billy the other bartender announce the happy hour by pounding on a wooden log out
by the pool and shouting “Happy Hour”!
The next day we met some
Australians (oops, he was a Kiwi), while snorkeling in the tide pools that form
when the tide recedes. We had dinner with them in the outdoor Ocean Terrace
Restaurant just steps away from the main building and overlooking the modest
pool, but mostly we were by ourselves, and they left after two days.
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| Bedarra Beach Inn |
Our room at the Bedarra was
large and airy on the ground floor with a little balcony with a table and chairs.
The modest coral-strewn beach was just across the quiet road and there were
chaise lounges and tables on the grass above the beach and in between palm trees
and from there we could watch the waves crashing on the distant coral reefs
that protect the island and watch beautiful sunsets The grounds were immaculate and constantly tended to by several gardeners.
The water teems with life. On
our first walk along the beach in a noble attempt to stay up long enough to adjust
to the time change, we saw a large clam in the shallow water. It was the about
a foot long. Picking it up it sputtered into life and spit water at us! Placing
in the ocean again we watched it propel itself away to safety.
The coral tide pools looked
unforgiving at first glance but revealed their beauty as we donned the mask and
snorkel and reef shoes the Bedarra gave us and explored. Cobalt blue starfish were
everywhere and in water less than two feet deep brightly colored fish darted
around the clumps of coral just beneath the surface. We saw sea anemones and cucumbers
as well, all within a few yards from the water’s edge.
At FJ$208.00 per night, which
at the current rate of USD$.45 per, the Bedarra Beach Inn was a great price. The
quality of the food at the Bedarra’s Ocean Terrace Restaurant was exceptional
and there were different food specials each night, for instance, one night they
had fresh Mahi Mahi at just FJ$27! When the fish in the fish and chips is Wahoo,
and you can either have it battered or grilled, you know there’s something
special about the place. They also had nightly dessert specials, but it was hard
to argue with the massive slices of apple pie!
One complaint though about the
Bedarra. We thought we had paid in full for our week when we booked it in
February, but it turned out it was just a deposit and there were two days more
to be paid for when we settled our bill at the end of our stay, and anytime you
use a credit card they assess a 3% surcharge on the amount. We didn’t have
enough cash at the end, so we had to pay a bit more than expected.
Speaking of tips. They aren’t expected
though greatly appreciated. There is a “Christmas Fund” tip box at the front desk
where you can make a deposit if inclined. We tried to tip Billy, the other
bartender at the Bedarra, and he walked over to the tip box and slipped the
money in where it would be eventually distributed through the staff.
We are so very
fortunate to be here in Fiji! Thank you for letting us share some of our
experiences.
Love Janet and greg
© 2022 by Gregory Dunaj
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