WAIDROKA BAY RESORT – Fiji
Story and Photography by Greg Christenson
Waidroika Bay Resort – Fiji
Nailed It! From our initial contact with the resort managers to the week-long stay, to the perfect swell hitting Fiji, to the return flight & finally to the drive home from LAX to San Diego… we nailed it. A perfect trip to a perfect surf destination. No hassles, no surprises… nothing but an awesome week surfing some of the finest breaks in Fiji! My son Jay Christenson had scored the trip after winning the overall Men’s Pro Am Championship of the Revolt Summer Surf Series. He being the best son ever, brought me along on the trip as his ‘Plus one’ – Thanks to Waidroka Bay Resort, Revolt In Style and The Revolt Summer Surf Series for providing the Grand Prize that made all this possible.
We communicated via e-mail with (awesome individual) Boris the resort manager a couple months ahead of our trip to lock in dates and get the general idea of what to expect (since neither of us had travelled to this island previously). Boris was always friendly and accommodating & we worked back and forth a couple times to secure dates for both our stay and our flights (that coincided perfectly) He provided available dates with an eight day window and we found coordinated flights that hit the dates dead-on. BOOM! We also discussed fee’s and taxes so we were prepared for everything, up to and including the shuttle that was waiting for us at the airport upon arrival… Bula James!
Upon arrival to LAX for our flight to Fiji we were greeted and treated like kings, no hassles with our bookings or our excess baggage! Surfboards are often a hit and miss as to whether they do or don’t dig through them to count boards or any other hassle surfers bump into… but Fjij Airlines was awesome. The direct flight was key, as we left late in our evening and arrived perfectly early in their morning… Great nap!
Greeted with a resounding “Bula!!” the Fijian all purpose greeting and salutation much like the Hawaiian ‘Aloha’. Our shuttle driver James was all smiles and ready for our hour-plus drive (depending on the amount of traffic) We were lucky, as it was 6 am…
We stopped a couple times on the way for coffee and to check out the local artists & souvenirs. On the flight over we had heard of the legendary weaponry from the native culture, and as expected, the creations were astounding works of art. I had to buy one. (don’t even think of bashing anyone with my artistically designed human skull smasher)
We arrived at the resort shortly after most of the current visitors had left on their daily excursions. Most partake in the daily surfing & diving activities but there is also an option to visit the local schools to spend the day with some of the local students. The kids share their cultural arts and games as a heartfelt and heartwarming experience. The resort offers this amazing activity & has done so for some years now – it has a huge impact on the local kids who participate as well as the resort guests.
We were warmly greeted and welcomed by resort staff who treated us like brothers and sons from the onset. They took our group on an initial tour of the grounds to familiarize us with the amenities, and then got us squared away with our amazing suites.
It didn’t matter which room they gave us as all the dwellings on the property had amazing views, awesome landscaping and aroma’s of the huge abundance of plant-life we were blessed to be living in for the next week.
The suite options at Waidroka Bay are amazing. We stayed in a row of suites positioned high above the main building (at sea level) About 50 steps higher! A bit of a jaunt after some local beers, but not too unruly… That allowed us to enjoy a spectacular view of the entire resort as well as a perfect ocean view. The suite had all necessary amenities, including ceiling fans for cool sleep & powerful water pressure for hot showers. A mini-fridge to keep our brews cold for Happy Hour and of course the entire place is a stylish island-style decor, so we all knew we weren’t at home.
Other suite options included the stand-alone ‘Bures’ or small cottages situated around the resort. They are similarly styled & furnished so you feel a part of the island culture.
All of the dwellings surround the spectacular main building. A central location that had all the fixings for food, drink and socializing, including a beautifully maintained swimming pool. A pool that we took advantage of on many occasions while we were there – a luxurious cool break from the hot Fijian sun…
Each morning we woke to an awesome breakfast from a wide variety of choices, followed by a quick packout of food (lunch) and gear and just a short boat shuttles to any of the 5-7 local surf spots. All on world-class reef-break waves.
Our first day surfing was at ‘Pipe’. Not the Hawaiian’ Pipe, but a real close second. Barrels abound! Too heavy for my skill-set… but Jay was ripping. I stayed busy onshore taking photos, videos and throwing the occasional lure out to see if the fish were around. They were. They just waited until Jay threw at them before they bit! He inherited my luck.
We were fortunate to get waves almost every day of the stay, and even more fortunate with the waves at Frigates Pass. Although it was a 30 minute shuttle from our resort, it broke 3 out of the 7 days we were there. The crew of surfers we stayed with was into the bigger surf so… one big happy crew.
We met up with a really cool group of Hawaiian guys, also here for the surf & diving and an all around great time. We bonded with them instantly and it seemed like we had known each other for years. A really special group of guys who we will never forget. Too many stories in a short window of vacation… Good times boyz!
We had one flat day in the mix. Jay and I took a 30 minute taxi ride to one of the sickest golf course ever cut out of a jungle! Top notch landscaping and tough holes. Quite an adventure, and not for the golfer who likes it easy… it was not!
Every meal on the trip was better than the previous and as amazing as either of us have ever experienced. We have both travelled extensively. Jay’s surfing career and my trade show business have allowed us to experience a bit more than the average Joe. I can honestly tell you, every single dish they served us was Five-Star. Now, you may think I’m referring to just our dinners, but to have every meal prepared like this… was truly a treat. They even took the fish that we caught that day, prepared it for us with the ‘finest’ locally sourced ingredients, and served it up to us that night. Delicious! Just amazing!
We were treated like part of their family at every turn. We absolutely enjoyed the kindness and company of the entire staff. The staff is made up of a mix of multiple generations of local families with as well as some seasonal staffers from Australia and New Zealand. The single goal of the entire staff at the resort was to make sure that we wanted for nothing, and they excelled at every opportunity. From the day we woke-up with a ‘slight’ hangover and they scaled the towering palms, quickly delivered hydrating and ‘fresh from the tree’ coconuts for us to drink – to the Kava Ceremony where we were serenaded late into the night by the local talent (as well as one of the crew from Hawaii, laying down a song or two of his own). Just amazing.
The overall experience was beyond our expectations and made even more special by the great friendships we made during our stay. If life grants it, we will return to this awesome location in the future…
Bula Fiji & Bula Waidroika Resort!
Greg & Jay Christenson
Pacific Beach CA
