The best Fiji island day trips to add to your itinerary

Castaway for a Fiji day trip to one of these dreamy tropical islands hemmed by pristine sands and glassy reefs.

An archipelago of more than 330 islands, Fiji is bestowed with idyllic white-sand beaches encircling beautiful little cays that seem purpose-made for relaxing. From the Yasawa Islands to the Mamanuca Islands, discover these palm-fringed Fijian isles on easy day trips from Port Denarau. Just a fast catamaran away, you’ll find South Pacific gems, from uninhabited islands to world-class resorts that welcome day visitors. Be it an excursion to swim with manta rays, chill in a poolside cabana or engage with local culture and traditions, these are the best Fiji islands to add to your itinerary.

In short: If you only have time to visit one Fiji island on your next holiday, make it Kuata Island. This uninhabited gem offers the best of Fiji in a single day trip, from extraordinary underwater experiences to a chilled day centre where you can relax by the pool, and rich cultural activities.

1. Malamala Island

Malamala Beach Club from above — Malamala Beach Club is the world’s first beach club on its own private island. (Credit: Escape Video/Tourism Fiji)

Best for: Island time within easy reach

Self-proclaiming to be the world’s first beach club, Malamala Beach Club certainly is a standout of the genre. A circular rise of sand girt by a turquoise reef from which juts a long jetty that welcomes day-trippers, this idyllic spot is only 30 minutes by boat from Port Denarau. Set yourself up for a day sipping cocktails in a cabana and flitting between the infinity-edge pool and the beach. There’s an adults-only area complete with plunge pool, if you prefer a more refined vibe, otherwise, all are welcome in the main area.

2. South Sea Island

South Sea Island in Fiji — Stay overnight in a beachfront bure on the coral-fringed South Sea Island. (Credit: Escape Video/Tourism Fiji)

Best for: Family excursions

Arriving by high-speed catamaran from Port Denarau, you can spend a full day, a half-day or even stay overnight in a beachfront bure on South Sea Island. One of the highlights, particularly for kids, is the semi-submersible submarine that showcases wonders underwater. Once you’ve ricked that off, frolic with the fish by enjoying complimentary use of all non-motorised water equipment. Lunch is an outdoor extravaganza that concludes with a traditional meke performance. For families with young kids, the Finding Nemo day trip gets you to the island early before the full-day trip guests arrive. You’ll have the island mostly to yourself before returning to Port Denarau in time for lunch.

3. Tivua Island

a kava ceremony on Tivua Island, Fiji — The kava ceremony on Tivua Island is a signature cultural highlight of the Captain Cook Cruises day trip. (Credit: Tourism Fiji)

Best for: Feeling like the rich and famous

This private island is just a 45-minute cruise from Denarau Marina, and yet it feels as though you’ve been cast adrift in a hyperbolic paradise. Encircled by impossibly clear waters festooned with 500 acres of coral, Tivua invites you to plunge below either on a dive, snorkel or in a glass-bottomed boat guided by a marine biologist. On land, you can unfurl under a thatched-roof bure, book a massage at the SenakaiDay Spa, take a medicinal plants walk and enjoy a kava ceremony. As part of the island’s sustainability activities, you’re able to participate in planting coral and, if the time is right, you might even glimpse turtle nesting in action.

4. Monuriki Island

a boat arriving at Monuriki Island, Fiji — This uninhabited paradise in the Mamanuca Islands was the filming location for the film *Cast Away*. (Credit: Awesome Adventures)

Best for: Hollywood-style location

A day trip worthy of a movie script, this award-winning Cruisin Fiji full-day excursion to the Mamanuca Islands includes time revelling in the blockbuster beauty of Monuriki Island (sometimes, confusingly, written as ‘Modriki’). The island is best-known for backdropping the Hollywood film Cast Away starring Tom Hanks, but has also made appearances in the US version of Survivor. It’s not a stretch to see why this uninhabited island, with its lush peak rising from the cerulean waters, has been typecast for tropical maroonings. But fear not, you won’t be left to converse with a coconut, instead, relish snorkelling and swimming in the pristine waters and finish your time on the island with a traditional lovo lunch before returning to Port Denarau around 5pm.

5. Kuata Island

Warrior welcome at Kuata Island — A day trip to Kuata Island offers a more rugged alternative to the Mamanuca Islands. (Credit: Brook Sabin/Tourism Fiji)

Best for: Close encounters of the shark variety

On this day trip, you’ll cruise through the Mamanuca Islands and Yasawa Islands to idyllic Kuata Island, where a variety of expeditions await, many of which involve sharks. Book into the Awakening Shark Experience, Reef Shark Discovery Expedition or Snorkelling with Sharks, or for those less inclined to get too close, go for a marine conservation or island cultural experience. Uninhabited Kuata is under the custodianship of traditional landowners and has deep cultural significance. Much care is taken to protect the marine environment encircling the island and keep the reef healthy, ensuring truly enriching underwater discoveries. On the island, there’s a purpose-built day cruise centre, where you can relax by the pool and enjoy lunch and cocktails.

6. Manta Ray Island

Best for: Swimming with manta rays

Between May and October, cruise to Manta Ray Island for the chance to glimpse these majestic and rhythmic creatures. Departing at 8.45am, it’s a three-hour cruise from Port Denarau through the Mamanucaand Yasawa Islands to Mantaray Island Resort, but once here, you’ll have the rare chance to swim among these gentle beauties. Should the rays not be forthcoming that day, you’ll be well consoled by one of the region’s most spectacular reefs, teeming with reef sharks, octopuses, starfish and butterfly fish. You’ll also be able to book a return trip to try your luck again at a reduced rate of FJ$85.

7. Beachcomber Island Resort

yachts at Beachcomber Island Resort, Fiji — Yachts anchor in the deep blue waters just outside the island’s protected marine sanctuary. (Credit: Tourism Fiji)

Best for: Exploring Fijian culture

Departing at 10am daily from Port Denarau Marina, this seven-hour day trip to Beachcomber Island Resort is an easy way to experience Fijian culture without drifting too far from the mainland. Spending the day here, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the resort facilities and participate in a range of activities, such as cooking the traditional Fijian dish of kokoda (fish marinated in citrus and coconut), feeding turtles and fish, basket-weaving, snorkelling and paddleboarding. Included is a barbecue lunch, local beers, house wine and soft drinks, and boat transfers. Kids under two years old are free.

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8. Malolo Island Resort

Best for: Colonial cottages and beachfront chilling

Taking you to one of Fiji’s best resorts, this day trip departs Port Denarau at 9.30am and returns by 6pm – giving you five hours to bask in this island beauty. The resort facilities are at your disposal, from the lagoon-like pool to the waterside bures, and you’ll also enjoy lunch and one complimentary drink at The Terrace Restaurant.

9. Mana Island Resort

kids playing on Mana Island, Fiji — Spend laid-back afternoons splashing in the warm waters. (Credit: Tourism Fiji)

Best for: Lazy days

Spend six hours plunging into the lagoon, North Beach and Sunset Beach when you cruise to Mana Island Resort from Port Denarau. With full use of the resort, choose to be as lazy or as active as you like, opting to lounge poolside or dip into those glassy waters. A full buffet lunch is included for both half- and full-day tours and you’ll return to Port Denarau by 6pm.

10. Champagne Beach Club

Best for: Luxe lounging

Set within Paradise Cove Resort in the Yasawa Islands, the name of this beach club suggests a certain kind of relaxation. So settle into a shaded pool- or beachside cabana and order a bottle of bubbles as you let the day unravel in a procession of enlivening dips in the serene waters. You are also welcome to join the resort’s daily activities and tuck into lunch at one of the two restaurants, Black Rock or Donu. Onsite you’ll find a day spa and a PADI dive shop, and if you’re visiting between May and October, you may just be lucky enough to snorkel with giant manta rays. It’s a full 7-hour day of chill time, returning you to Naisoso Marina by 6pm.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.