Back on November 13, 2013…
Ah, a sunny day, the first we’d had since getting to Suva. It was a good day to be looking at weather windows for a New Zealand passage, and it looked like we had a possibility coming up over the weekend. Exciting, but this meant we had to keep the pedal to the metal on getting things accomplished.
We already had one big plan for the day. Rich had lost a crown and was worried he had an infection in the area. It needed to be looked at before we went out to sea, and after looking into a couple of dentists, we got lucky with one we found recommended in the Soggy Paws Compendium (our main source of information for cruising Fiji). We called the previous day and a dentist at Stewart Street Dental could fit Rich in this afternoon.
That gave us the morning free, and with the nice weather we decided to check out an area called Lami about a 10-minute drive away. There were two reasons to visit Lami. The main one was to check out the Yacht Shop, a very nice marine store that would likely have stuff we needed. The second was to check out the anchorage there as it was a well-known alternative to anchoring off the yacht club when in Suva. Some cruisers preferred it; so we figured we should at least look at it.
We took a cab to look at the anchorage; then we planned to do the 20-minute walk back to the Yacht Shop. Below, a map of Lami and its anchorage in Lami Bay.
We already knew a few things about the anchorage at Lami. First, it was just outside a shoreside hotel, the Novotel Suva Lami Bay resort. It had the advantage of being very well protected by small islands and reefs in the area and was rumored to have good holding. It also had a few moorings that were free of charge if you could find one available.
It sounded wonderful, but it had some disadvantages that we didn’t consider trivial. The biggest issue was that it was 4 miles from downtown Suva, too far to walk so that meant taking a bus or a cab to go there. The actual downtown of Lami was just a mile away, but its markets were small and there were no appealing eateries. The only reason for us to go to downtown Lami was to visit the Yacht Shop.
Another disadvantage would be having to use the run-down police dock to park our dinghy. Plus, we’d miss having the goodies that came with the yacht club like laundry service, showers, and a yachtie bar and restaurant. (Yes, the Novotel hotel had a bar but it didn’t feel like an inviting place for yachties, and the restaurant had resort prices, also discouraging for yachties.)
Below, a couple of pictures from the drive to Lami. It’s a nice car ride but not very good for walking.
Just walking into the Novotel resort I was really taken with the area. Like other Suva hotels it was long and low, 2 stories for the room wings and a single-story lobby with an open-air view of the bay and its islands. There was no beach here; instead the resort and deck sat perched over a stone wall. Since this bay was so well protected, there were no waves.
From the deck we could see the boats moored and anchored off to the left. Two small islands provided protection for the boats, while another sat off the hotel and gave it a protected feeling. The skies had become cloudy and the breeze was cool. It was all really very pretty, and while we wouldn’t have time this season, I was so taken with this area I hoped to come anchor here next time we came to Fiji.
Below, a few photos of the Novotel resort and Lami Bay (You can click to enlarge and scroll through any of the photos in this post).
Full Disclosure: Because it had become quite cloudy, my bay photos from that visit were terrible; so I’ve borrowed a couple from our current season. The last photo was actually taken from our boat. While it wasn’t one of our viewpoints that day, I do think it gives a feel for the place. The mountainous backdrop, the prevailing color of green from the dense vegetation and murky water, the sense of enclosure from two protective peninsulas and four small islands in the bay, the frequently cloudy skies (a gift from the inland mountains) and the still water all added up to a calm, peaceful feeling.
After seeing Lami Bay, we headed to the Yacht Shop. It was small but clean, organized and well-stocked. This was the kind of store that could cater to sailing yachts of all sizes and power boats, probably the best marine store in Fiji. Rich spent a good half hour milling around while I had a seat and enjoyed the air conditioning. –Cyndi
