Suva

Introduction

Clock Tower, Suva

© phileas

Suva is Fiji's capital and commercial centre, and the largest urban area in the South Pacific outside of Australia and New Zealand. The city's wet weather shouldn't deter you from visiting the grand colonial buildings, parks and broad avenues. A population of Indians, Fijians, Chinese, Polynesians and people from all parts of the world make this a fascinating multi-cultural melting pot.

Sights and Activities

• Suva City Library, built in 1909
• The Fiji Museum, founded in 1904, houses an extensive collection of Fijian artifacts.
• Thurston Gardens has flora from throughout the South Pacific.
• Parliament of Fiji

Events and Festivals

• One of several popular city festivals, the Hibiscus Festival is held in Suva each year around August. The event is held in several areas around Fiji in the month of August and has recently spread to other Pacific Islands nations. The Miss Hibiscus title is a coveted part of the event, drawing thousands of entrants from across the Fiji islands. In addition, local arts, crafts, sports, music, food, dance, and songs are exhibited throughout the festival.
• World Music Festival - Fiji is the heart of the Pacific music culture. Each year in June, the World Music Festival packs the city of Suva. Bands from across the world and some local come to the city to showcase their exciting musical talents. Reggae is popular during this time, as is traditional Fiji music. It only started in 2006, but has grown considerably since then.
• Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day is celebrated every year on the last Monday of May. It commemorates Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, a hero in the First World War, who was honored with France’s highest military award. He is considered the father of modern Fiji.
• Christmas in the tropics is an experience in itself. Visit one of the Christmas Eve carol services to enjoy some fine Fijian singing.
• Honoring the Founder of Modern Fiji Festival - The last Monday in May is a commemoration to the Father of Modern Fiji, Ratu Sir Lala Sakuna. The festivities last for an entire week, with many different towns and cities celebrating in their own way. The event concludes with a presidential speech relating to Fijian unity, and the statue of Ratu Sir Lala Sakuna is polished by locals.
• Diwali Festival - Due to Fiji’s large Indian population, the Diwali Festival is one of the main events held on the islands. Celebrated in the month of October, Diwali (which is also known as the Festival of Lights) is characterized by fantastic light shows, traditional firecracker displays, and plenty of night-time fun. It isn’t just the Indian population that gets into the swing of things, as all cultures love any excuse to party.

Weather

Suva is noted for its wet weather. Still, it enjoys a mild tropical climate with year-round temperatures around 25 °C with a generally high humidity. May to October is the dry season, also known as the "Fiji Winter". The weather is slightly cooler and less rainfall and humidity make it a good time of the year to visit.

Getting There

By Plane

Nausori International Airport (SUV) is 23 kilometres northeast of central Suva. Fiji Airways and Air Fiji offer flights to other airports in Fiji and the South Pacific, including flights to Auckland, Sydney, Tonga and Tuvalu, as well as domestic flights.

Most international flights to Fiji land at Nadi International Airport (NAN) on the other side of the island.

By Boat

• From Suva, Consort Shipping travels three times a week to Savusavu ($80/50 for cabin/seat), departing Suva at 6:00pm on Monday and Friday and noon on Wednesday. It takes 12 hours to reach Savusavu. On Wednesday and Friday it continues (8 hours more) on to Taveuni ($90/55 from Suva for cabin/seat). On the way back it departs Taveuni around noon on Friday and Sunday, arriving in Savusavu at around 5:00pm.
• Beachcomber Cruises runs three times a week between Suva and Savusavu ($45/65 for economy/1st class). The journey takes 11 hours and departs Suva at 10:00am on Tuesday, noon on Thursday and 6:00pm on Saturday, returning from Savusavu at 8:00pm on Wednesday and Friday and 7:00pm on Sunday. The boat also travels between Savusavu and Taveuni ($25/45 for economy/1st class), departing Savusavu at 1:00am on Wednesday and Friday, returning from Taveuni at noon on Wednesday and Friday. This journey takes five hours.
• On the Suva - Natovi - Nabouwalu - Labasa route, Patterson Brothers Shipping travels ($45 one way) on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday ($45 one way). It starts with a bus ride (1.5 hours) from Suva, a ferry trip (4.5 hours) and another bus to Labasa (4 hours). Buses depart the Suva office at 4.30am.
• On the Suva-Natovi-Buresala-Levuka, Patterson Brothers Shipping operates a daily service ($24 one way), which again includes first a bus ride (1.5 hours) from Suva to Natovi Landing, the a ferry to Buresala Landing (1 hour) and a bus to Levuka (1 hour). Buses depart Suva at 2:00pm and Labasa at 5:00am.
• There are ferries from Suva to Leleuvia via Bau Landing ($30 one way) and from Leleuvia to Levuka ($20 one way).
• From Suva to Kadavu, Kadavu Shipping has passenger services on the MV Bulou-ni-Ceva ($45 one way).
• From Suva to the Lau islands, Saliabasaga Shipping has trips once every two weeks aboard the MV Tunatuki to Lakeba, Nayau, Cicia, Tuvuca, Vanua Balavu and sometimes also to Moce and Oneata. The one way fare to Vanua Balavu is $90/120 for deck/cabin and this includes all meals.
• Kabua Development Corporation operates sailing every two weeks aboard the Taikabara to the southern Lau Group. It travels to Lakeba, Vanuavatu, Komo, Kabara, Moce, Fulaga, Namuka, Vatoa, Ogea Levu and Ono-i-Lau (deck/cabin including meals $75/85 one way). Vatoa and Ono-i-Lau in the far south are $10 more and be aware that it can take up to a week to get to the most distant outer islands.
• Khans Shipping travels to the southern Lau islands about once a month, taking about 10 hours and costing $80 each way.
• From Suva, Suva-Moala group Khans Shipping has trips once a month to Moala, Matuke and Totoya in the Moala group. The journey takes about eight hours and a one-way fare is $80.
• From Suva to Rotuma, Western Shipping operates the Cagi Mai Ba to Rotuma (deck/cabin $130/150) and the total trips takes 36 hours.

Getting Around

Tourists and residents often use taxis as they are affordable, plentiful and easy to access. People can also take a bus to travel around Suva and to major cities and towns for an even more affordable price.

Eat

The Indian influence from the significant population in Suva is evident in the food. The Indian food in town is authentic, tasty, and good value.

For something upscale, try a restaurant inside one of the fancier Suva hotels, such as the Tanoa Plaza, the Southern Cross, or the Holiday Inn. For a quick economical meal in pleasant surroundings, go to the food court upstairs at the Harbour Centre and choose from a great variety of local and Chinese dishes (and you get to look before you buy) and sit and enjoy the view, or get a sack of fish and chips and sit by the waterfront or at the botanical garden.

Many international fast food outlets are found in the city including McDonald's and Nando's.

Drink

• Fr or Fringing Reef, Queen Elizabeth Drive (Just down from Suva Grammar School). This bar and coffee shop is situated literally on the water and has a view that matches its location. Sometimes fish & chips and other food is available from the kitchen. The location is also accessible by walking along the sea-wall path.

Sleep

• Holiday Inn Suva, Victoria Parade, ☎ +679 330 1600, fax: +679 330 0251. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Approx. $FJ 340.
• Raintree Lodge, Princes Road, ☎ +679 332 0562, fax: +679 332 0113, e-mail: [email protected].
• Tanoa Plaza Suva Hotel (Tanoa Plaza Suva), ☎ +679 331 2300, fax: +679 330 1300, e-mail: [email protected]. Check-in: 1:00pm, check-out: 11:00am. Doubles: $FJ 210.
• Colonial Lodge, fax: +679 330 1300. Big dorm room, but very enjoyable/familiar atmosphere and also some long-term guests. Breakfast included and dinner possible. Definitely a nice place to stay longer and socialize.
• Princes Hotel, 5 Prince Road (At the beginning of Princes road on the left hand side), ☎ +679 3381575. In a landmark building. Garden Cottage set in tropical gardens or in a Deluxe Room located in the historical building. All cottages and rooms are airconditioned and fitted with executive style furniture and internet access. Great food, dining on the open air veranda.
• Grand Pacific Hotel, 5 Prince Road, ☎ +679 3222000. The grand old lady of hotels in Fiji, built in 1914 as a luxury hotel for passengers on steamships crossing the Pacific. Although it was closed down in 1992 and stood decaying and abandoned for over 20 years, it has since undergone much needed renovations and been restored to its former glory, re-opening in time for its 100th anniversary in 2014.

Keep Connected

Internet

Internet cafes are available in cities and towns and popular tourist areas and more and more places have (free) wifi nowadays. Sometimes you need to pay a fee or usage is for a limited amount of time or customers only.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The international phone code for Fiji is 679. Emergency numbers include 917 for the police and 911 for ambulance and fire department.

You will find payphones in all post office branches as well as in the booths situated on streets throughout the country. They only accept Fiji Telecom phone cards which can be purchased in post offices and many shops and come in denominations up to F$50. A digital display will tell you how much money you have left on your card at all times. You can also use a TeleCard which is a pre-paid calling card that can be used from any telephone in Fiji, not just pay phones.

Calling is done by calling the card's issue center, entering the code (found on the card) and entering the destination number. To call outside Fiji, dial 05 first, then the country code and phone number. Foreign calls start at about F$0.50 a minute, but are usually around F$1 or more for European destinations for example.

Avoid high roamaing charges with your phone and turn your data services for outside your home country off at all times. Instead buy a local SIM card (you have to have an unlocked phone of course). There are a few mobile phone companies operating on the island (Vodafone, Digicel). A sim-card is inexpensive, but you need to register your sim to keep it active and to get access to data. Buying a sim-card gives access to cheap data-packages for easy internet access using your phone as a hot-spot.

Post

Post Fiji offers services in the country and to other countries. It's fairly reliable, not expensive, but it can take a while for letters or postcards to arrive at your destination. All major towns have post offices which are operated by Fiji Post. There is also a branch at Nadj International Airport. Connections are pretty quick, particularly with North America, but if you use surface mail, your letter could take over two months to reach its destination. Post offices are open between 8.00and 4.00pm from Monday to Friday. For sending packages overseas, you might better use international courier companies like DHL, TNT, UPS or FedEx, as they offer fast, competitively priced and reliable services.

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