Fiji

Fiji is some 330 islands scattered across the South Pacific, about a third of them inhabited, where Melanesian and Polynesian cultures meet. The two largest are Viti Levu, home to Nadi, the international gateway, and the capital, Suva, and Vanua Levu to the north. Off Nadi, the Mamanuca and Yasawa island chains offer white-sand islets and calm lagoons, reached by boat, seaplane or helicopter. Vanua Levu and neighbouring Taveuni flank the Somosomo Strait and the Rainbow Reef, the heart of what divers call the soft coral capital of the world, while Kadavu and the Great Astrolabe Reef are known for diving with manta rays.

Fijian hospitality is legendary, and a warm “Bula!” greets you everywhere. Visit a village, join a kava ceremony, share a lovo feast cooked in an earth oven and watch the meke dances. Many resorts have a private island to themselves; plenty are all-inclusive, and most are either adults-only or very family-friendly.

Seaplanes, helicopters, short domestic flights and boats link the islands, and many travellers combine a Mamanuca island with Vanua Levu or Kadavu. It is warm all year: the drier, cooler season runs roughly from May to October, the warmer, wetter one — also cyclone season — roughly from November to April. Fiji suits honeymooners and couples, divers and families alike.