A Tennessee Girl in Oz: Fun in Fiji: snorkeling, swimming, and sleeping

Our first full day in Nukubati was just as amazing and the night before had made us think it would be. We took advantage of being on vacation and did vacation-y things like sleeping until the birds and sun woke us up, took a nap during the a afternoon rain shower, and ordered fun cocktails from the bar.

The days on Nukubati go like this: you wake up when you want. When you're ready for breakky you can go to the main building and let them know what you'd like to eat. While you're eating breakfast, one of the hosts will show you that day's lunch options, and you decide what and where you'd like to eat - pretty much anywhere on the island is fair game.

Then you can entertain yourself with whatever you'd like until you are ready for lunch. The rest of the day goes like the first, except that the hosts will come find you around 5:30 to deliver champagne and canapés. And then when you're ready, you can make your way to your chosen dinner spot for your evening meal. At any point during the day, saunter up to the bar to find someone to make you a cocktail or pour a drink. Basically, it's about as laid back as you can imagine!

Our first day flowed along pretty naturally: we had a lovely breakky of omelette and tropical fruit. Then we decided to head out for a snorkel off the main landing area. There is a reef that circles the island, so it was prime for snorkeling around at low tide.

We also took out some glass-bottomed open kayaks. They were great for cruising over the coral and checking out the fish and starfish underneath the waves. And we also encountered a sea snake: he swam around us for a while and then dove down once he was tired of our company.

Post-lunch on the island got a little lazy. It was pretty hot and humid, and a storm was rolling in. This made it perfect for sitting on our giant porch. Naps, reading, and watching the weather roll by ensured.

By the time the weather had passed, we were ready to tackle something else. So we headed out on a trail that climbs to the top of the hill on the island. The trail seemed pretty quiet, except for the giant mosquitoes that seemed pretty happy to see us! At the top of the hill, we could look out and see the mainland and a few other islands nearby.