A Winter Escape to Fiji

Somehow we live in a world where Adam has to go to Fiji for work. Yes Fiji. For work. I was not about to let him go to a tropical island without me, so his work trip quickly turned into a last minute family vacation. Well, as last minute as a trip can be when a passport is involved. 

 

Oh and it happened to be our wedding anniversary. Coincidence? I think not. Our newlywed days seem so long ago now...

 

 

It's been an eventful 4 years to say the least. I could take a trip down memory lane, but for now I'll stick to the trip at hand. I've written about Fiji before so I won't bore you with the details of warm ocean breezes and overpriced cocktails. It was Maggie's first trip though and she fit right in.

 

Hazel, of course, had a ball.

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Besides a water slide, our hotel also came with a 10-year old babysitter. Technically just a girl Hazel met at the pool, but she made it clear she was adopting Hazel for the duration of her stay and played with her for hours in the pool each day. We didn't mind.

 

Fiji really is so incredibly family friendly. I've never seen a culture embrace children they way the Fijians do. And it's not just the women, I'm talking grown men fawning over babies and children. It's quite remarkable and makes spending time there that much more enjoyable.

 

 

Most resorts have toddler pools, a playground, kids club, and babysitters available ($8 FJD/$5.5 NZD/$3.75 US an hour!) I'm all about taking a few hours of adult time to recharge the battery and remind ourselves of the old days. There might have been photographic evidence of said alone time if we hadn't both fallen asleep in the hammock. Fun in the sun makes everyone sleepy though.

 

 

A good friend of mine was staying at a neighboring hotel so it worked out perfectly. Hazel was happy to have her bff Harry around.

 

 

And we appreciated the extra entertainment provided by Harry's big sister on the plane.

 

 

Speaking of flying, I've become such a nervous nellie the past few years. Problem is I love to travel, turns out I just don't like to fly. Ahhh, but the romance of travel gets me every time.

 

 

Maggie proved to be a great little flyer.

 

 

It was a lovely trip and Fiji comes as close to a real vacation as you can get when kids are involved. Here's a few more pics from our time in paradise.

 

 

I mean what kid doesn't love the beach?

 

 

The great thing about this age is they don't move, so she pretty much did this most of the time.

 

 

If anyone has any tips on how to get a toddler to actually smile for the camera, I'd love to know. 

 

 

This one had no trouble relaxing.

 

 

It was a short, but sweet getaway. On the drive home from the airport Hazel spent the first five minutes of the car ride screaming, "I want to go back to Fiji."

 

 

Exactly child, exactly.