Tenders and shuttle to the beach (USD $15 per person) ran efficiently. Snorkelling conditions were good while we were there, with good visibility, reef and fish. Definitely take your own gear, if you’re planning on snorkelling in more than one port. You can take towels from the pool deck ashore. If you want your passport stamped, take it with you ($1 per person).

We did our own thing and walked around town. Went to the markets (10-15 minute walk from the visitor centre) and did a bit of shopping. There’s free wifi in various locations around town. On reflection, we should have done a tour for this stop. Upstairs at the visitors centre there’s another opportunity to stamp your passport (different stamp to Mare).

I loved Mystery Island. Beautiful beach and vegetation. Tenders worked really efficiently. Took photos of the boys in the Cannibal pot. I’d really looked forward to snorkelling here, as others have said it’s fantastic – unfortunately conditions weren’t great, poor visibility, waves and a really strong current. After 15 minutes, we got out, walked almost to the end of the island and caught the current back to our gear on the beach (this might not be great for young kids, as the current was strong). We then tried the other side of the island, which wasn’t much better. Had we assessed the conditions beforehand, we would have taken a snorkelling tour off a boat.

We did our own thing. Got off the boat and started walking. The locals will attach themselves to you and guide you to their shop in town. We’d hoped for free wifi, but couldn’t find any. We bought cheap data SIMS from Digicel and all was good! I loved the fresh fruit and vege market – the colours and smells were amazing, and the locals so friendly. Suva has big supermarkets, and you can stock up on personal items. If you’re after postcard Fijian beaches, take a tour (they’re about an hour out of town).