Island paradise

With 333 islands to choose from, Fiji’s welcoming Bula, beautiful beaches, coral waters and slow pace of life are a welcome distraction for weary travellers. Pól Ó Conghaile reports.

FOR one stolen moment picture yourself in a recession-free zone. You’re floating through a great blue ocean. There are carpets of coral reef below, bubbles squirting from your snorkel above. Rays of sunlight are everywhere, and you’re surrounded by the cast of Finding Nemo.

Swimming into the shallows, you stand up, whip off your fins, and plunge a wet foot into hot, white, floury sands. You scamper for the shade of a palm tree, dodging the coconut husks below it. A waiter with a garland around his neck moseys towards you, bearing a fruit cocktail on a tray.