In Reply to: Bali or..... posted by canuck_in_us on Wednesday, 1. June 2005 at 02:47 Bali Time:
I've been to both,and to many other "island" destinations, although only once to Fiji. I agree, as some of the other posters say, they're totally different experiences. Bali, to me, is more "exotic" and diverse culturally and offers more in terms of easily accessible food & shopping choices. That said, I stayed in a small resort on the coral coast in Fiji, hired a car and did quite a bit of travelling around and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, it appears that whilst the most popular & numerous is "resort" type accommodation, there are large & small resorts with varying degrees of comfort & amenities. One I saw, for example, was a cluster of small houses on a couple of acres just next to the Outrigger (?) which were self-contained and self-catering, which would possibly suit someone wanting a longer, less "resort" oriented stay.
At the other end of the $ scale, there are some very luxurious villas.
If you like sailing /diving (and I do!) it's a great place to island hop & enjoy the beautiful waters.
I guess, as an Australian, Fiji more closely resembles, say Far North Qld or Darwin, in that the British ties are still very evident, everyone speaks English (or at least everyone I came into contact with did) and is less "different & exotic" than Bali. Would I return to either? Yes, both, for different reasons. I'm not a "Baliholic" (for want of a better word) who has/would not go anywhere else but I'm keen to explore many of the aspects & places in Bali I haven't been - to learn some of the language so that I can communicate better with the locals, and have a good idea of where I'll go next trip. I'll go back to Fiji to visit friends, sail & just "go with the flow" when I get there.
Whichever you choose, I hope you have a great time - and maybe go to the "other" next trip!