Talai Rock

Having not really connected with the Barefoot Manta Resort, I was looking forward to going to Waya Island, home of the Octopus Resort. Since it's a sister resort of the Blue Lagoon Resort I was previously, it meant 5-course dinners, activities, nice dorms and a pool were back on the cards.

My first impression of the island and the resort was: "this looks really nice". The beach was long and wide (it actually had two beaches, with the other beach having no buildings and was lined with lush palm trees).

In what has now become tradition, once I checked in, I grabbed a snorkel and went straight into the water to check out the spots there. While not as pretty as on Drawaqa Island, the snorkeling was beautiful and at some point I was surrounded by hundreds of sardines. Definitely a good start! I did not do much for the rest of the day, but simply read my book in a hammock on the beach, watched a beautiful sunset and then enjoyed my 5-course dinner.

The next day and after a hearty breakfast, I went snorkeling again (another spot this time) and was, again, happy with the beauty of the underwater world. At around midday, the group of girls I traveled with to the previous two islands arrived and we had a delicious lunch together before lounging by the pool and on the beach for the rest of the day. Drinks with a beautiful sunset as the backdrop kicked off a slightly wild night.

I also learned something else very important: When I had talked to the girl group previously about what they do in New Zealand, they had told me they worked in 'Hospitality'. However, when we talked during the sunset, they told me that in fact all of them were strippers! Heaven on earth ;-). However, I was not sure to believe them. But the club in which they work has an instagram profile and you could identify them in the videos by their tattoos. Some stories I simply cannot make up.

Anyway, that evening, the resort hosted a quiz night and we already started with the bottles of wine at dinner and simply dragged the little party to the quiz and I to the night. Unfortunately, we did not win the quiz, but we were for sure the most lively - and definitely the loudest - group out there. It was great fun and the employees joined our little craziness and made this a memorable evening.

With luckily only a small hangover the next morning, we just relaxed by the pool. That said, as soon as the sun was in the perfect spot, I grabbed my tripod and walked to the empty beach next to the resort and did a little photoshoot. The light and tide were perfect and I got some cool shots.

That day was one of the girls' birthday and the alcohol among the girls were flowing early on (I was only half-heartedly joining in) and by the time dinner arrived, the birthday girl was quite fucked (did not eat a bite and went to bed rather early). I guess the day before and the day drinking took it out of her. As a result, it was a quiet night and once the girls went to bed, I simply joined three other travelers I met in my dorm and at the bar during sunset, played cards and went to the beach together to look at the stars on a crystal clear night.

The following morning, one of the travelers I had played card with the night before and I went for one last snorkel before it was time to say goodbye to the island and to the group of girls, i.e. the strippers.

To summarise my time on the island, I had a really great stay. I could have easily stayed a few more days here to enjoy the beautiful beaches, the great facilities, the awesome/crazy company and the lively atmosphere. At this point, I was asked which island had been my favorite and they all are good for something. The Octopus Resort to me has the best beaches and the best facilities among the islands that I had been to in Fiji so far.Read more