Island Hoppers Fiji leaps to new destinations

Island Hoppers Fiji has released plans to expand its operations this year, adding three new destinations to its services and two new fixed wing aircraft to its fleet of helicopters.

Commencing 30 July this year, the carrier said it will utilise its two brand new XSTOL 750 aero planes on daily services to Savusavu and Taveuni as well as a four times weekly service to Kadavu.

Island Hoppers Fiji, Director of Operations Craig Keighley has cited increased demand in the region for additional services for the ever increasing tourism and resort industry.

Serving Fijian travellers over the past 34 years, the carrier has assured that new services and new aircraft would continue to offer passengers the high standards Island Hoppers is known for. 

The aircraft has high visibility passenger windows, allows for full international baggage allowance and the ability to take oversized cargo such as surfboards, fishing rods and dive gear.  

The plane is also air-conditioned with leather seating, ensuring a first class cabin and service.

As part of the airline’s service all passengers are greeted upon arrival at Nadi airport, whether domestic or international and are also delivered to Island Hopper Fiji’s private lounge for check-in and boarding before dispatch.

Industry rate prices are expected to start at US$190 one way to Savusavu, US$215 one way to Taveuni and US$175 to Kadavu (all pricing inclusive of VAT)

Bookings are now open.

Fiji Diving in Paradise: Fiji feels like paradise - The Boston Globe

Rising from the sea in a wall of densely forested mountains, Kadavu, the fourth largest of Fiji’s 333 islands, is surrounded by Great Astrolabe, the world’s fourth largest barrier reef. Eight years ago, after sailing through Fiji’s Yasawa archipelago, I came here on a whim and ended up pledging to provide medical supplies for one of the villages. Now I was returning to fulfill that promise and explore the closest place to paradise I had ever been.

For my 10-day stay the thunderous reef breaks and empty gold and white beaches seemed to belong to only a few visitors. Of course, they do not. Kadavu is home to 75 small villages where smartphones and tradition coexist to a surprising degree. Seemingly poor, they are rich with natural resources that still sustain them. A growing number of eco-resorts help preserve their environment and way of life.

When I met Adrian Watt, Richard Akhtar, and Jeanie Mailliard on my first trip, they had just left high-powered jobs to become the owners of Matava Resort on Kadavu’s southeast coast. Recently joined by co-owner Stuart Gow, they set a gold standard on the island for blending with the local ethos while building a full-service adventure outfit.

Almost invisible from the water, nine grass-and-wood “bures,’’ or bungalows, keep alive a natural construction method that Fijians are forsaking for concrete. Solar-powered hot showers and ocean breezes for air conditioning make guests feel virtuously green. One of Akhtar’s first acts on arriving was to negotiate a no-take agreement with his Kadavu Koro village neighbors who own the fishing rights in the area. The result is a flourishing marine preserve around little Waya Island, a short swim from the resort’s dock.

Mailliard’s first project was an organic garden that supplies her gourmet menu, considered the island’s best. Dinners under the tall, open-air “bure-levu,’’ communal meeting space, bring guests together at lantern-lighted tables where the highlight could be a coconut-infused curry, or Fijian “kakoda,’’ citrus-cooked raw fish, made with your own deep sea catch of the day.

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