Weekend in Qamea
This is our last month on Taveuni and we're trying to do and see as much as possible. The first few months flew by so now we're trying to make every second count! We spent this past weekend on the nearby island of Qamea.
We stayed at Maqai Beach Eco Resort. The resort offers a dormitory as well as private tent-like bures on the beach. The room cost ranges from $30 FJD/night to $180 FJD/night. A meal plan is mandatory as there are no shops or restaurants on the island and that runs an additional $85 FJD/night. The trip was a bit of a splurge for us, but ended up being totally worth it!
Breakfast was continental and featured a range of fresh fruits and muesli. The lunches were amazing and our favorites. On Saturday, we had pumpkin soup, cassava, and charred eggplant in coconut milk with peppers and onions. On Sunday we had dahl soup, poori and vegetable curry.
In between meals, Jack prepped coconut for us. We had both fresh coconut and coconut cooked in the sand.
The surroundings were beautiful- a pristine beach that catches beautiful sunsets on, and a tropical rainforest behind it. There are parrots, doves, wild pigeons and other winged beauties flying around.
We spent the days surfing, kayaking, paddle-boarding, snorkeling, and doing handstands on the beach. They offer surf lesson and I would have definitely taken one had we had more time. Jack gave me a quick lesson instead; I didn't manage to stand up but I had alot of fun trying! Jack caught some nice waves. Jack also taught me to skim board on a paddle-board which was awesome.
Snorkeling gear and kayaks can be borrowed free of charge, so we went out for both a few times. We don't have a beach at Paradise Taveuni, so it was exciting to spend the weekend running around in the sand. It was a trade-off though, as the snorkeling is much better at Paradise, where you jump right into a tropical aquarium.
On Saturday night, we sat around the kava basin, and enjoyed some Qamea yaqona (kava). We really enjoyed sitting with the staff and the other guests. Una, Bale and Vili were fantastic hosts and they made our stay extra special. Jack and Vili drank from a giant bilo that could hold 5 regular bilos. While having the mix, we also enjoyed music- they shared some original songs which were beautiful to hear.
Overall, we can't say enough good things about Qamea and Maqai Beach, so we'll add this to our list of places to come back to!