September 9, 2025 • 48 mins
As the temperatures drop and the days get shorter, many people dream of escaping the winter chill for the warmth and beauty of the tropics. In this episode, Tom dive's into why fall and winter are the ideal seasons to book your tropical vacation. From lower travel costs to quieter destinations, Tom explores the benefits of choosing a tropical getaway during the cooler months and how to make the most of your time in paradise.
In This Episode:
Why Fall & Winter Are Ideal for a Tropical Getaway
During the cold weather months, go south of the equator! Tom shares his experiences from his trips to Matangi Private Island Resort in Fiji and explains what to look for even if Fiji is not on your list of places to visit.
Lower Travel Costs
Learn how traveling during the off-peak seasons (fall and winter) can lead to more affordable flights and accommodations.
Less Crowds, More Relaxation
Say goodbye to crowded beaches and overbooked resorts. We discuss how fall and winter vacations tend to be quieter, offering a more peaceful and private tropical experience.
Activities to Enjoy in the Tropics
Whether it’s snorkeling in warm waters, enjoying cultural visits and events, or hiking in amazing tropical scenery, Tom talks about what you can do on Matangi Island and what to look for wherever you decide to go.
Support the Show:
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing on YouTube, leaving a review, and sharing it with your fellow travel enthusiasts. Your support helps us create more exciting content for you!
Links mentioned in the show!
Matangi's Resort Website (it's beautiful!)
Tropical Design At Home: Learn how to create your own personal tropical escape!
Follow us on Facebook and on Instagram!
Contact Tom at podcast@ceruleanbay.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:11):
Hey everyone, Tom here, Therulean Bay, and welcome
back to Tropical Escapes atHome.
And it is a beautiful sunny dayhere in Houston.
That fall weather is starting toset in, and it starts to remind
me of the weather back home inSan Diego, where it's nice and
warm outside and there's almostno humidity.
(00:32):
It is absolutely beautiful.
And it always gets me thinkingthis time of year because this
is when my wife and I startthinking about when are we going
to celebrate our anniversary?
Because our anniversary is thismonth and 31 years now.
And it's actually a great timeto go and travel, whether it's
locally here in Texas, or we godown to Florida, or even if
(00:54):
we're going to get on a planeand go overseas somewhere,
because the kids are back inschool, summer vacation's over.
This is when you can reallystart to get some great rates at
hotels depending on where yougo.
So yeah, I really recommendSeptember, October, before the
holidays set in, you know, youstart getting into that
Thanksgiving period.
I would have any travel wrappedup before then.
(01:14):
But that September, October timeframe, great time to travel.
And I mention that becausethere's just a lot of people we
know who don't really get out awhole lot over the summertime.
They're busy with kids.
And I mentioned that becauseit's a great time for the adults
to get out there and take abreak.
When those kids are back inschool, maybe you can get away
(01:35):
for a little bit.
You know, you've got relativesthat can come over and do some
babysitting or watch the kids,or if your kids are older, they
can watch the house.
They're busy getting themselvesto and from school.
Once school started, we knewthey would be busy and they had
their little after-school jobsand things, but they would watch
the house and me and Edna, wewould go ahead and get away.
And yeah, great time of year totravel.
(01:57):
And yet it's also a time of yearwhen I just already start
thinking about next year andwhat might be happening in the
spring.
I personally start getting readyfor the colder seasons that set
in, and yeah, there's a lot ofpeople who will say, yeah,
Houston doesn't have a winter.
Well, we do.
It is short-lived.
It is very hit or miss here, asI've mentioned before.
(02:19):
Some winters are more mild thanothers, but for me, anytime the
weather goes into the 50s orbelow, that's just too cold.
Day or night, that's too cold.
It is good to get out and dosome yard work and things like
that, and I will do that when itgets colder.
It helps to get my mind off ofit.
But I start doing other littlethings too, like just repotting
plants around the house, gettingthem ready so that they can grow
(02:40):
some more and just kind of helpcontribute even more and more to
that tropical sense.
You know, when you have plantsthat have been hanging out in
their pots for a long time andthey're not really doing
anything and they don't reallyseem to be growing, sometimes
they just need to be repotted,and then when you do that, they
just take off.
I've noticed this is a greattime of year to do that too.
(03:00):
And then depending on the amountof light that the plant gets
during the fall and winter time,you can really have some plants
just start to take off, and itjust really helps again to
buffer that winter effect, andyou've got all this new tropical
growth growing in your homeoffice or your living room or
wherever your plants might be.
And speaking of that, I'veactually got two mango seeds
(03:20):
that I was able to sprout.
I found a little video onYouTube where they show you what
to do when you have a mango, andin the middle you have this big
pit that you need to clean upand then break into, and then
inside of that is the actualseed.
And after cleaning that, thenthere's a very simple thing that
you can do.
Um, just a quick side note here.
(03:40):
You clean that husk really,really good, get some kitchen
shears, snip off the top of it,peel it open, and inside there's
an actual seed, and you can tellit looks like a big seed.
And you just kind of rinse thatoff, pat it dry, and then get a
paper towel and wet it, wring itout so that it's just damp and
it's not dripping wet.
And you wrap the seed in there,put it in a little plastic bag,
(04:03):
and then put it away just in awarm spot, seal that bag, and
then you leave it for about twoweeks, and you'll get a little
sprout on one end.
And I just checked mine today,and they both have a little
sprout.
So then you stick those seedsupright in a pot of dirt, and
you just leave the little greenpart exposed that just started
growing, and you will get amango tree.
(04:24):
And I think mango trees arevery, very cool to grow as house
plants.
I've seen them before, I'venever had one.
This will be the first time thatI do it myself because I wanted
to grow it on my own.
A lot of potted plants are justexpensive.
So I thought, you know what?
I'm just gonna grow my own andhave my own little mango trees.
They'll probably never fruitbecause you can only grow them
(04:45):
so big in a house, and here inHouston, they won't survive the
winter.
So but my wife and I, we will goup to Restaurant Depot and we
have a membership there.
And seasonally they'll havethese boxes of mangoes.
I think you get like six, andthis year they were about$7 for
six big, beautiful mangoes, andthey were so juicy and wonderful
and sweet, and we just lovemangoes.
(05:06):
But yeah, I thought, you knowwhat?
After working at Ethan Allen wayback ago, like 20 years ago,
where they had very high qualityfake plants in the store, I
remember selling a mango treethat was like$195.
It was big, it was probablyabout six feet tall, and God
knows what they're going forthese days.
But I thought,$195 for a fakeplant, I said one day I'm gonna
grow one, and here we are 20years later, I'm finally
(05:29):
starting a little mango tree.
But I digress with that.
Today I wanted to get intosomething I mentioned just when
we kicked off the show abouttraveling, and with this time of
year being such a good time totravel, if you are in the
position where you can get away,maybe get some vacation time,
you don't have to worry aboutsmall kids at home, this could
(05:52):
actually be a great time of yearto travel to certain places.
Um, I am going to mention Fiji.
It is a place I talk about quitea bit on the show, and we are
gonna start getting into someother places as well, but I
wanted to mention just about theadventure.
I find myself kind of missingthis because it's been a few
years since my wife and I havebeen able to travel post-COVID.
(06:13):
You know, we had to relaunch thebusiness.
There was a lot of stuff thatneeded some retooling.
I had to go to work outside, butI think it's important to
mention that a lot of people,maybe it's just out of habit,
I'm not sure, think that reallythe summertime is the only time
you can travel.
And even when your kids aregrowing and maybe they're not
interested in taking thosefamily vacations, they start
(06:34):
getting into their later teenageyears or whatever, they have
their little jobs or they'revery busy with school.
There's just other times of theyear, especially when you go
south of the equator, it'ssummertime there.
So that particular year that wewent to Fiji back in late 2017,
early 2018, it was cold here.
We had had a number of freezesalready, and but we were lucky
(06:56):
because our boys were alreadyolder, you know, they were 17,
18, 19.
They could easily take care ofthe house and wrap the pipes and
do those kinds of things.
We were able to score a veryreasonable seven-day,
all-inclusive trip to Fiji.
And the cost of that whole weekwas probably about$5,200 just
for the seven days at theresort.
(07:17):
And you might be thinking that'slike super expensive.
It's actually not when youcompare it to a lot of other
places.
When you are looking at Tahiti,Tahiti tends to be more
expensive.
I'm not exactly sure why.
And then there's other places inthe world you can go where it's
just more expensive to go.
But Fiji, from the research thatI've done, it just seems to be
(07:38):
more middle of the road.
I mean, yeah, you can go downthere and spend a ton of money
too, but you don't have to.
There are more reasonable placesthat you can go.
And I wanted to mention thisbecause it's been a few years
since my wife and I have beenable to get down there, and we
really would love to get back toMatangi Island.
And I thought, you know, thiswould be a great topic for the
show because it's a place thatwe've been before and it's worth
(08:00):
going back to.
There are several other resortsthat we would love to try in
Fiji.
And maybe when the business getsmore off the ground and we're
able to travel a little bitmore, we'll be able to do that.
But for right now, I thought itwould just be really worth it to
tell you guys about why we wouldgo back there again, even
though, like I said, there areother resorts to go there.
(08:22):
I've got a blog post about themon ceruleambay.com at that time
that I did the blog post.
This was last year.
These were the top five resorts.
Many of them are award-winning.
But regarding Matangi PrivateIsland Resort, my wife's only
been there once.
I was there twice.
The second time I went back wasto meet with a wood carver, and
I was only there for two nights,and then I went into the main
(08:43):
towns where I could meet someother artists too.
So it really was not a vacation.
I was on the go pretty much thetwo weeks I was there, did not
set foot on a beach, and did notset foot in a pool.
So really I was running aroundquite a bit.
But getting back to Matangi, mywife and I were ready for a
break.
And you don't have to be aCostco member to book a trip to
Matangi, but we found it just tobe a lot easier to use them
(09:08):
because they were so good andwe've used them on a couple
other trips too.
They're just on point.
I don't know.
Costco has its travel agencything together.
When you go on their website, ifyou go to Costco Travel and you
look at the different packagesthat they have, I think they
have some negotiated dealsactually, which are cheaper than
if you go to an actual resortwebsite directly and you look at
(09:31):
the costs.
They tend to be more expensive.
And at least with Matangi, wewere saving quite a bit of money
going through Costco Travel.
Plus, they handle everything.
You can have them book yourflights too out of the U.S.
to get down to Fiji, but we didfind it was cheaper for us to
book our own travel and justhave Costco handle everything
(09:52):
upon arrival in Nandi, which isthe main city on Vitilevu, which
is the main island out of thewhole Fiji Island group.
So it is something that'sworthwhile to look into.
You could do some costcomparison there and see what
you can get on your own, haveCostco travel book the flight.
But from Houston at the time,you had to fly to LA, and then
there was a six-hour layover atLAX, and my wife and I, we were
(10:16):
able to sample probably everywine bar that was there because
a six-hour layover is a longone.
And getting to LAX, we flewAmerican Airlines because they
code share with Fiji.
And then at LAX you pick up yournonstop flight to Fiji with Fiji
Airways.
But now Fiji Airways does flydirectly to Dallas, which is a
good thing.
And for us here in Houston, nowwe just only have to buzz up to
(10:37):
Dallas.
Very, very quick flight.
I'm not sure what the layoverthere is, but if there is one,
we'll find the wine bars becausethat's what we do.
And then you can board yournonstop flight to Fiji.
What's really cool with CostcoTravel is they work with a
company called Rosie Holidays,and they are like the top travel
service company in Fiji.
And they do all kinds of thingsfrom meet and greet services and
(11:00):
providing ground transportation.
They arrange day tours andexcursions, and they help check
in on your bookings to make surethat everything is booked
correctly.
The service is phenomenal.
The people who work there arejust so nice.
But when you land in Nandi andafter you clear customs, they'll
have a representative from Rosiewaiting, and she's got the
little cool towel that you cankind of freshen up with.
(11:23):
And she handed a little shellnecklace to my wife and I, and
they show you where to gobecause when you are flying to
Matangi at that time, and Idon't have the current flight
schedules now, the layover inNandi was very, very short.
You only had an hour.
So just as kind of a side note,if you are going for seven days
or less, I would just recommendnot taking any check bags.
(11:46):
I would just do the carry-onthing because when you land,
customs is kind of hit or miss.
Sometimes customs just kind ofpretty much clears everything
very quickly.
The second time that I went, Idid bring an empty suitcase
because I did want to buy somesample pieces and bring them
back.
And even though the suitcase wasempty, they decided to have all
the luggage from that incomingflight go through customs, and I
(12:07):
ended up missing my littleconnection.
Whereas when my wife and I flewthe first time, we just did the
carry-on luggage, and so therewas no customs clearance.
The flight from LA would arrivevery early.
It would arrive like at 6 a.m.
in Fiji, and at 7 a.m.
you would connect to your littleFiji Link flight, and it's a
little turboprop.
I'm not sure what the name ofthe actual aircraft is.
(12:29):
I think it's called a DeHaviland, if I'm not mistaken.
It's a tiny little airplane.
Again, I'm 6'5 and I cannotstand up in it.
I mean, it works if you are justof smaller stature, so I'm all
hunched over in there trying toget to my seat.
But at 7 a.m., that littleturboprop departs, and it's such
a beautiful flight because theyfly pretty much at a low
(12:51):
altitude, and you're just outover the water, and the scenery
is like a dream.
It is absolutely stunning.
And I actually do recommend themorning flight because with the
weather you tend to have lessthunderstorm activity.
The flight's not going to be asbumpy because when you're in one
of those little planes and it'sbumpy, if you're prone to air
(13:11):
sickness or whatever, it's notgoing to be a pleasant flight.
Me, I'm okay.
I don't have a problem flying.
But when I went back the secondtime and I missed my flight with
the empty suitcase, I had towait hours at the airport.
The next flight wasn't until 2p.m.
And let me tell you, the mainairport in Nandi, when there are
no flights going on, it's prettydead.
There's no activity.
(13:32):
You can hang out at a littlecoffee shop there and get to
know the staff very well becauseyou're going to be there for
hours.
And then when I took the twoo'clock flight, it was bumpy.
I was like, wow, this is notcool.
And it's a 90-minute flight.
So let me just tell you aboutthat.
When you do catch your flight,preferably again, the one that
was leaving at 7 a.m., it willfly you to the island of
(13:54):
Taviuni, where they have alittle airstrip on the very
northern tip.
I think they pronounce it Matai.
It's M-A-T-E-I.
If you Google map it, it isliterally at the tip, the
northern tip of Taviuni, alittle tiny airstrip.
And this little turboprop you'llland there and the little
airport.
It's just like a little outdoorbus station, is what it reminded
(14:16):
me of.
And what was just so neat isMatangi Island will have one of
their reps waiting there foryou.
And they have the polo shirtwith the little Matangi Island
resort embroidery thing onthere, so you know it's them.
And the guy who picked up mywife and I, he picked us up in a
Toyota tundra.
And so they'll throw yourluggage into the back and
(14:36):
they'll cover it if it'sraining.
But then what you do is now youare on a 20-minute drive on a
dirt road, which can be prettybumpy, and it was just really
cool.
I mean, you feel like they'rejust driving you off into the
bush.
You really don't know whereyou're going.
It kind of parallels the coast.
Where they're taking you is tothe quote unquote boat dock.
And these are the kind ofadventures that I love because
(14:58):
there were no pictures of theboat dock.
I just add this mental image ofliterally a little pier or a
little dock that you step onto aboat.
It is not bad at all.
After this 20-minute bumpylittle dirt road ride, he made a
left turn through some bushes,and then there's this kind of
outcropping of rocks, andthere's a little metal boat with
a canopy on it, and there's twoguys from the resort in the
(15:20):
boat, and they will come andthey get your luggage, and you
have your little carry-ons, theyhelp you step over the rocks,
and you climb into the boat, andmaybe there could be a local
resident or two that's in theboat as well, and they're just
hitching a ride to get over toMatangi, because Matangi is
literally a five-minute boatride from Kamea Island, where
there are little villages wherepeople live.
(15:42):
And many of the people who workat Matangi Island live on Kamea
Island.
You do have the option to go andvisit one of the little villages
there, Tongo Village, which wasjust an amazing experience.
But, anyways, you get into thislittle boat, and now you're on a
20-minute boat ride, ahigh-speed boat ride to Matangi
Island, and it is justwonderful.
(16:03):
I mean, it just gives megoosebumps remembering it.
I want to do it again so much.
I love being out on the water onthose kind of boat trips.
I'm not a fisherman.
I don't go do the deep seafishing type of thing.
I like being out on the water,going fast, you know, more of
the recreational type thing.
And it just the smell, the sprayof the water, the scenery down
(16:25):
there is just incredible.
I always equate it to likesomething out of a Jurassic Park
movie, which was filmed inHawaii.
And there are places in Fijithat look a lot like the
Hawaiian Islands.
But yes, it it just iswonderful.
So again, just as a quick recap,to get to Matangi, you're flying
from wherever you're departingfrom in the U.S., you get down
to Nandi, connect to your little90-minute turboprop.
(16:47):
So after 90 minutes, you land atMatai Airport, then the resort
truck will pick you up.
It's a 20-minute ride on a bumpydirt road, and then you get into
the little boat, and it's a20-minute ride out to the
island.
So just so you can connect thedots with that little adventure.
And as you're pulling up to theisland, you see it off in the
distance there, and there yousee people gathering on the
(17:11):
beach, and they have theirlittle local version of the
guitar.
I'm not a musician, but it'slike a little simple guitar, and
they're there singing andclapping, and you see somebody
there, you know, they're holdinga couple drinks for you, and the
boat pulls up and they sing youthis welcome song, and they're
just clapping, and it's such anamazing experience.
(17:32):
I I just we just have to goback.
And the boat just kind of turnsaround and backs in a little
bit, and you have to get out inthe water.
It's, you know, kind of kneedeep.
So you have to, you're notwearing shoes, you've got your
flip-flops and your shorts on,and you get out into the water,
and then you walk up on thebeach.
They take care of all of yourluggage.
They're going to take it to yourberet, which is your private
(17:53):
room, which is five-star andamazing and wonderful.
And then you they will take youto the main dining room and
they've got like a littlewelcome area, and they seat you
there and they hand you thecoconut drinks that they have,
and it's just coconuts with thestraw in there and the nice
little flower and the coconutwater inside.
And, you know, you're tired.
It's been a long trip to getdown there.
(18:16):
And, you know, you're you'rekind of it's almost like you're
in a dream state because, youknow, depending on how well you
sleep on a plane, it's anovernight flight out of LA or
San Francisco, and I'm sure withDallas, it's probably the same
thing.
So you're landing there veryearly in the morning, and you
know, if you're like me, Ireally don't sleep on a plane
very well.
And being 10 feet tall, I don'treally fit in the seats.
(18:38):
And, you know, that's where, ifwe can afford it, that's where
we'll fly business class.
Because just as a side tip, FijiAirways does not have a true
first class on the flight, buttheir business class is first
class quality compared to otherairlines.
So it's expensive.
And the first time I went downwith my wife, we did fly
economy, and these newer planes,I'm telling you, uh, I just
(18:59):
don't fit.
It's just uncomfortable.
And the older you get, theharder it is to do that.
When I was able to go back thesecond time, Fiji Airways
actually had a sale, not todigress here, but I was able to
get a business class ticket forsuper cheap out of LAX, and then
I was able to get another returnflight back to LA, so I lucked
out twice with that.
But it is something to planahead and consider, especially
(19:20):
if you're tall like me.
So, you know, after an overnightflight, you're tired if you
don't sleep well on the plane,but they lead you to your beret
and they bring your luggage in,and then you're on your own.
And it is just like steppinginto paradise.
It is quiet, you don't hear anynoise, there are no phones,
there are no TVs in the beret,there is no internet service in
(19:44):
the rooms.
If you want internet, you go outby the pool or they have
internet service in the maindining room.
They will give you a Wi-Fipassword.
But Matangi Private Island, it'sreally a place you go to escape.
You go to relax.
They don't have any of the noisywater sports there.
There's no jet skiing oranything like that.
(20:06):
There's no parasailing.
It's all the quiet stuff.
It is an 18 and older resort, sothere's no kids.
It was a maximum of 30 guests.
And the absolute beauty of thisis you are never all in the same
place at the same time.
So, for example, in therestaurant, when you go for
breakfast, there's a windowwhere you can go and have
(20:28):
breakfast.
And I don't remember exactlywhat the hours are, but say it's
just like from 7 until 11.
While you're at breakfast, theywill bring you the menu for
lunch and for dinner so you canpre-order your next two big
meals of the day.
And that way when you show upduring the lunch window and then
the dinner window, you can relaxwith a glass of wine, have a
(20:49):
cocktail.
You've already ordered.
Doing it that way helps thempre-plan for the kitchen.
And again, because all of thefood has to be brought in, they
do grow most, if not all, oftheir produce, vegetables, and
fruit on the island.
And then the island of Taviunionly being 20 minutes away.
I do believe that's where theyget all of the other food needed
for the restaurant, but it helpsthem plan their pantry.
(21:11):
So that system really works forus, but because the dining
windows are so open, you show upwhenever you want.
Not everybody shows up together.
It's a beautiful open-airrestaurant, and the tables are
spread far apart, so you canjust have a nice, quiet,
intimate dinner, and there maybewill be three or four other
couples in there having dinnerat the same time.
(21:33):
Same thing with breakfast.
If you're an early riser versusa late riser, again, you're
never gonna all be in there atthe same time.
During the day, there may be acouple people out by the pool,
there might be a couple peoplehanging out in the dining room
on one of the swinging day bedsor the little outdoor living
room area.
People are talking, maybereading a book, or you're just
(21:56):
hanging out by the pool.
They do offer scuba diving, theyhave snorkeling.
There are a few other watersports like that, deep sea
fishing, I believe that theyhave.
So they have those kinds ofthings, excursions that you can
go and book.
They do have a trip to Taviuniwhere you can go see the Pearl
Farm.
They have a hike through thejungle where you end up at a
(22:17):
waterfall, which we did not do,but we want to go do next time.
So there are things that breakup the guests, and you're never
again in the same place at thesame time.
There's also the little optionalvillage trips where you can go
and the little boat ride over toTongo Village.
There was only one other couplein the boat with us when we
went.
One of the guides from theresort then meets up with one of
(22:42):
the residents of the village,and together they gave us a tour
of the village, and they showyou the local school, and you
know, the kids are out playingby the water, and you can
partake in a kava ceremony.
And for those of you who don'tknow, with kava, it is a tea
that is made from the root of apepper plant, and it is a very
(23:03):
earthy, muddy looking thing thatthey mix together with some
water repeatedly using a clothor like a cheesecloth, and you
gather it together and yousqueeze it repeatedly to make
the kava in a beautiful woodtonoa or kava bowl, which we do
have some for sale in our littleonline store at
ceruleandbay.com.
They do this in a in a beautifultonoa there, and then there's a
(23:28):
little ceremony that they teachyou about how to receive the
kava and how it's passed amongthe guests of this little kava
ceremony, which is really whatit is.
I'm actually going to post alink to the review that I did
that's on our website forMatengi Private Island, and in
there you can read about how theKava ceremony works, but it is
(23:48):
just it was just wonderful.
In Fiji as a whole, theChristian religion is the
predominant religion there.
It is more on the conservativeside when it in terms of
behavior and dress.
So just for awareness, when yougo off into a local village or
you're invited to a kavaceremony, it is recommended that
(24:09):
you don't show up in swimsuits.
Women are expected to at leastcover their shoulders, cover
their knees.
There are sarongs available fromthe resort that you can wrap
around yourself and go, and bothmen and women wear them over
there.
Um for guys, they recommend toothat your knees aren't showing.
Now it is hot.
And when we went, it was the endof December.
(24:29):
We actually flew out of Houstonon Christmas Day.
We celebrated Christmas with thekids before leaving.
But again, you're flying downthere into their summer, so it
was hot and humid.
And with me being six foot five,wearing shorts, my knees are
gonna show.
It doesn't matter what kind ofshorts, my knees are gonna show.
So, but they get that.
They they were fine with that.
But I wore a very lightbutton-down shirt and Tommy
(24:51):
Bahama type of thing.
Um, you know, I didn't wear at-shirt.
I just wanted to be veryrespectful of the village rules,
and they appreciate that.
If you try, they see that, andthen that's good enough.
But we did take part in theKaaba ceremony, and then they
invited us into their littlecommunity center there where
they had a lot of handicrafts ondisplay.
If you've been to our websiteand you've read the journey
(25:14):
story that we have in our AboutUs section, I do give a
description of what it is likein the community center there
and just the things that theyhave for sale, beautiful wood
carvings, Tappa bark cloth,which is made from the bark of a
mulberry tree.
It's a very thick, paper-y typeof product that they end up
with, which then they paintusing different colors and
(25:35):
different cultural designs, andTappa has its own myriad of uses
from artwork to clothing andsuch, but I've got some
beautiful pieces I brought back,which then we framed.
And the things that we saw inthere were really a big, huge
part of the inspiration behindCerulean Bay.
When I was there, that's whatreally got us started.
And when you know local artistsare producing these beautiful
(25:58):
pieces of art that you justcan't find anywhere else.
If you go on Amazon or you go oneBay or you go wherever, you'll
find random pieces here andthere that people have procured
somehow.
Either they went down there andgot them or they ordered them
from somebody that they knowdown there, and now they're
offering them for resale.
But we thought, you know, thiswould be really cool if we were
(26:18):
able to buy in some quantity andresell here in the U.S.
and provide a story.
At the time I didn't know Iwould be doing a podcast or
YouTube videos, but I justthought it was really worth
showcasing these pieces of artbecause not a lot of people know
Fiji and what it's about.
I mean, a lot of people haveheard of it, a lot of people
have been there, they go hangout at the resorts, but then
(26:40):
they come home after, you know,just kind of your standard trip.
It's like going to Europe or,you know, visiting somewhere
else in Asia or maybe going toSouth America.
It's like anything else.
You go, you book a trip, youhang out at the resort, see some
of the touristy stuff, buy somesouvenirs, and come home.
We really felt that what we sawwas so inspiring and just so
wonderful, and the people arejust some of the nicest people
(27:02):
you will ever meet in yourentire life.
We wanted to do more with that,but not to go down that whole
road of the inspiration behindCerulean Bay because we did
cover that in a differentepisode.
But that's just one of thethings you can do over on Tongo
Village, is you can buy some ofthe handicrafts there.
And then after spending the bitof time there, the boat takes
you back to the island and thenyou're on your way.
(27:23):
And some of the other things youcan do on the island when you're
on Matangi Island, they don'thave an on-site gym, but you can
take a beautiful nature walk.
They have two versions of it.
There's the easier one, and thenthere's the harder one, which is
a literal hike up into thevolcanic cliffs because Matangi
Island, it's kind of horseshoeshaped, and it's part of a
(27:46):
collapsed volcano from agazillion years ago.
But there are some very steep,rugged areas to the island, and
there is a hiking trail throughthere.
My wife and I took the easierone, which was still uphill
quite a bit of the way, and whenit's hot, it's hot.
And they do give you a goodwalking stick because it does
make it easier.
But the walk was just beautiful.
(28:07):
And the pictures that you cantake of the ocean down below and
of the coconut palms and justthe scenery, you're not going to
get scenery like that inHouston.
You're not going to get scenerylike that in Florida.
It's it's just breathtaking whenyou go.
So, you know, you go do a hikelike that, come back down, you
can change into your swimsuit,rinse off in the little outdoor
(28:28):
shower they have by the pool,and then get in the pool.
It's so refreshing.
The cocktails that they make atthe bar are very good.
They're a little on the strongside, but I love that.
I love a good cocktail with agood kick.
And at the time they had awonderful drink called the
Hurricane Flora, which was, Iguess, a Fijian version of a Mai
Thai or something.
Fruity drink, wonderful rum init, but yeah, it'll kick you.
(28:51):
It'll kick you in the rear.
It's a good one.
And just so you know with thename Flora in that cocktail, the
island is privately owned.
It is an Australian familythat's owned it for generations,
I believe.
And at the time that we werethere, Noel and Flora Douglas
were the owners, and theirdaughter, Christine, who is just
one of the nicest, loveliestpeople you could ever meet, she
(29:14):
is the general manager of theisland.
When I went back the second timeby myself, she was the one who
introduced me to the woodcarverwho helped get our whole
business started.
And I was able to visit withChristine and her dad and just
the history of the island andhow they came to be at Matangi
Island and you know what ittakes to run the place and the
people they encounter.
(29:34):
Just fascinating to listen tothe story.
It really was an eye-opener, andI really felt like I was just so
fortunate to be able to havethis experience, which then I
could use to turn into abusiness back home, and it's
become something that I justlove to do.
And beyond Matangi, we want togo and experience other resorts.
(29:55):
And as I've mentioned before,there are people that we've
talked to, there are people thatwe know that.
Have been to other resorts thatwe haven't been to, but they're
very trusted sources.
They're very reliable.
I do very, very thoroughresearch online for any resort
and read the reviews and, youknow, be on trip advisor.
I there's other places to reviewas well.
And then if there's anybody thatwe know that's been, we talk to
(30:18):
them just so that I can do agood review online.
So any of the resorts that youfind at ceruleanbay.com under
our travel section.
I really do spend some time, youknow, just to make sure that
you're getting the real dealwhen you're reading this
information.
But I wanted to share that aboutMatangi and actually a couple
other things too.
I mean, just so you guys areaware, they really do have a
(30:40):
great on-site spa with a fullsuite of spa services.
Really, really great massagesthere, and they have the
different kinds of treatmentsthat you can get.
They also have the honeymoonpackage, which does cost a bit
extra, but it is totally worthit because Matangi Private
Island is home to Horseshoe Bay,and it is rated as one of the
(31:01):
thousand places on earth youhave to see before you die, and
it is absolutely breathtakingwhen you go.
We did the honeymoon package,even though we had been married
so many years, because for us itwas the honeymoon, it was the
real honeymoon we never had.
And the little boat takes youaround into the horseshoe part.
They drop you off there.
You can choose the morning orthe afternoon period because
(31:25):
there are only two.
So you can have the morning orthe afternoon to yourself.
You're there for four hours.
And in either one of those, theywill drop off a picnic lunch for
you with a bottle of champagneif you want, and you can just
hang out.
They have an outdoor beret therewith a swinging day bed and a
place that you can just relaxfor the day.
They've got some lounge chairsout on the beach, they've got
(31:47):
some equipment in the beret todo things like paddle boarding,
and I believe they even had akayak there so you can kayak in
the bay.
We recommend going in themorning because we noticed as we
were there, the tide starts tocome in.
So for the afternoon couplethat's going to arrive, you
don't really have much of abeach anymore because the tide's
already in, which is fine.
(32:09):
You can be up in the beret andyou can still paddleboard and do
things like that.
But my wife and I, we like tolay out on the beach and to have
a beach to go walk on.
So we do recommend the morningperiod, that morning block of
time.
And then when your four hours isup at Horseshoe Bay, the boat
will come and pick you up andthey take you back to the
resort.
And then that evening is whenyou can have a wonderful private
(32:33):
dinner over the water.
They do have a wonderful overthe water deck, which is covered
with a thatched roof, andthey've got everything set up
there with flowers scatteredabout and little candles set up,
and it's off the main path.
So even if people are walkingby, they're not walking directly
by your table.
You're just out over the water,and it's just dreamy and
(32:53):
wonderful and romantic.
So yeah, we really do recommendthat honeymoon package.
It's really something special.
Even if you've been married fora long time, like we have, or
you know, you're celebratingyour anniversary, even if it's
your birthday or just a specialevent, get the honeymoon
package.
It is totally worth it.
When it comes to theaccommodations, you know, in the
berets, they have the beach viewberets, they have the beach
(33:16):
front, which are closer to theactual water.
They have the tree houses.
Since I was there, they've donesome remodeling.
They were doing some when I wasthere because some of the berets
had their own little coveredporch out front with a covered
seating area, which isbeautifully done.
Some of them had that, some ofthem didn't.
The one my wife and I had justhad a very nice palapa thatched
(33:41):
roof umbrella type ofarrangement with two nice chairs
underneath it.
It was perfectly fine for ussitting out there just looking
at the water.
But I do think since then,according to their website, it
looks like they've remodeled allof those, so they might all have
porches now, covered porches inthe front.
But hopefully this littleoverview of Matangi Private
Island has been valuable.
(34:02):
We highly encourage people togo.
As I mentioned, it is adultsonly, so 18 and older, and it's
very quiet.
It's for people who want to goand detach and relax.
Again, there are activities thatyou can go and do.
You don't have to do any ofthem.
They do also have localmusicians come and play, and
then they've got culturaldancing as well.
(34:23):
There is an evening where theisland staff will come.
If you're not by the pool or inthe dining room, they will come
to your buret.
They'll politely knock on thedoor to let you know that the
cultural event is going on, andthey invite you to come and they
encourage you to attend.
And it really is a beautifulthing to do because these people
want to meet the guests.
They want to see who have takenthe time to travel halfway
(34:47):
across the world to come downthere.
They're just very interested tosee who's coming to the island,
and they just want to meetpeople, and we love that.
My wife and I just absolutelylove that kind of thing.
So, yeah, that is your big tipfor the day as we travel and as
we meet others who have traveledto review worthy resorts that
(35:09):
focus on authenticity.
Those are the kinds of placesthen that I will bring to the
show because those are theplaces that we really encourage
people to visit.
Fiji is one of these places thathas resorts that span the
spectrum in terms of pricerange.
There are very inexpensiveplaces you can go to, such as
the youth hostels and thingslike this on the main island,
(35:31):
which are very close to theairport.
They have the mid-range hotels,which are on Denero Island,
which is probably about a20-minute drive from the main
airport in Nandi at Denaro.
You'll find the Marriott's andthe Sheratons and a lot of the
big global hotel chains are overthere.
Then you have places likeMatanki Private Island, which
are a journey to get to.
(35:52):
There are other resorts like theTokoriki resort.
There's the Yasawa Islands,which have their resorts, which
tend to be more higher end, moreupscale.
But again, there's a journey toget to them.
There's a boat ride.
Some of them it's you're using aseaplane.
A Tokoriki actually has ahelicopter that you can charter
as well to get to the island.
With Matangi, they have the boatthat picks you up.
(36:15):
So it's up to you.
When you're booking a tropicalvacation, what I really advise
is consider what is it that youwant out of the experience.
Because this is what I have tosay, just to help you save some
money.
If you're going just to go andhang out on a beach or you want
to go do some snorkeling or somediving, or just activities that
(36:36):
you can largely do anywhere at ahotel that's on the water at a
decent beach, I personally wouldnot spend the money or the time
to go that far because out ofLA, to get down to Fiji, it's a
10 and a half hour flight.
That's long.
And so you're having to comeback 10 and a half hours too and
then connect, unless you livewherever Fiji Airways is
landing, San Francisco, LA,Dallas, you know, if you've got
(36:59):
to connect onward, you'relooking at more flight time.
I would go someplace cheaper.
I mean, you can do those thingsin Florida, you can do those
things in Hawaii.
You just don't have to travel asfar.
I think if you're going to go toa place like Fiji or any of the
other places that we reallypromote here on the show, like
Bali, the Philippines, Thailand,if you're going to go down to
(37:20):
the Indian Ocean, you're goingto go to the Seychelles,
Mauritius, or you're going to goto the Maldives, don't stay at a
big global chain.
It's like, why?
You can see that anywhere.
Find an off-the-beaten pathresort.
I know it's very easy that aftera long trip, when you land in
the country, you just want toget to the hotel, take a nap, or
get to the hotel and get in thepool, grab a drink.
(37:42):
It is worth the extra littleconnection, the little extra car
ride, the extra little boat rideto go to a place that is going
to be off the beaten path.
It's going to be away from thetouristy areas.
It's going to be quiet.
Some of these resorts do havethe more active water sports.
I mean, you can go jet skiingand parasailing and do all of
(38:02):
these things at some of theseresorts.
So, you know, if that's whatyou're into, these are available
there.
But what I'm saying is when yougo to Fiji, I don't recommend
going to Denero.
I've been there, I toured it, Iwent and visited a lot of the
hotels.
I didn't stay there, but I spenttwo days checking out hotel
properties so I could see it formyself.
I did not feel like I was inFiji.
I stayed at a Ramada Inn for acouple nights when I went back
(38:25):
to visit some artists close tothe airport.
It was okay.
The beaches in Nandi are notpretty.
The beach at the Ramada was kindof a muddy, sandy color.
The water was not blue at all.
The hotel was nice and it had awonderful rooftop restaurant,
great atmosphere, wonderfulfood.
You can easily hire a cab and gointo town and do some shopping
(38:47):
and things like this.
But if you're looking for thebeauty of the South Pacific,
whether it's Fiji or Tahiti orwherever you're going to go, I
recommend going off the beatenpath so that you can see those
white sand beaches, that crystalclear turquoise, cerulean water.
Those kinds of things, you'regoing to experience the
(39:07):
authenticity of the people thatwork there.
It's just such a culturalexperience.
And just one last note, while wewere at Matangi, my wife and I,
there was a couple that we metand they were there with their
teenagers, and they had comefrom another resort.
I think they were staying at theLiku Liku.
We have not been there, but theyhave a lot of the activities.
It's a lot busier.
(39:28):
I think they have more of asocial scene, all the water
activities and things like that.
They had spent some time there,and then I don't remember the
reason why they chose to come toMatangi after, but I do remember
when we were talking with them,I asked, which do you prefer?
They preferred Matangi handsdown.
They, I think they had somemoney, so they travel every year
(39:48):
and they go to different places.
And in Fiji, they said Matangiwas the most authentic resort
that they had seen, and they hadstayed at several.
So they've been around, theykind of do this every year,
every other year.
I found that that meant so muchto my wife and I because we
didn't know.
We had never been to Fiji whenwe were going to go originally
with some friends of ours thathad a timeshare there, and then
(40:11):
they couldn't go.
We were stuck with plane ticketsthat we couldn't get a refund
on, and we couldn't even get aflight credit with.
So we said we're gonna go, butwe were adamant that we were
gonna stay in a non-touristyarea and that we wanted to
really experience Fiji as muchas possible.
And it was within our pricerange, and it was life-changing.
(40:32):
This year is seven years ago.
My wife and I were there, andI'm still here talking about it.
I started a business because ofthat place.
I'm in touch with artistsbecause of that place.
I'm getting to know the SouthPacific as I meet other people
from other islands.
When I went back the secondtime, I was able to go to Tonga
and I spent a week in Tonga, metsome wonderful people there.
(40:54):
It was harder to import frombecause the artists that I met
were not full-time artists.
The things that they createdwere things that they did when
they had time.
They worked in the touristindustry there, they worked at
the hotels or they were in thefishing industry or whatever it
was.
So to get things on a regularbasis was a lot harder.
And I didn't have time to reallyestablish that personal
(41:16):
connection with people like Idid over in Fiji.
But Tonga is also worth visitingas well for those off-the-beaten
path kind of places.
I think in Tonga, it's actuallyeasier to find more inexpensive
places to go.
They'll have places where you'reactually roughing it a little
bit more on some of these outerislands, kind of like the eco
(41:38):
lodge type of places.
It's a bit of a differentexperience than what I saw in
Fiji.
But Matangi gave me theopportunity to do what I'm doing
today.
So while being mindful of yourtime, I just wanted to share
that with you today.
And I want to be able to do thiswith some other resorts.
I am encouraging you to get outthere and travel.
And if it's not to Fiji, gosomewhere.
(41:59):
It is just so worth it this timeof year, September, October,
November, even if you can getaway during the holidays, and
you want that warm, wonderfultropical weather, and you don't
want the hectic crowds of SouthFlorida in December, January,
where everything is double andtriple the price and it's just
super crowded.
(42:20):
And we love South Florida, but Iwill not go there in the winter.
I have friends that live downthere, and we hear what it's
like, and it's just not a placeto go in the winter.
You get all the snowbirds thatgo down there.
Find a foreign country.
Go south of the equator.
It's summertime down there, andyou're just going to have a
life-changing experience.
(42:40):
So that's my tip for you fortoday is to just get online,
check some places out, go tomatangi island.com.
They are actually running somelow season specials right now.
I am checking out their website.
And yes, low season isdefinitely cheaper.
And just so you know, low seasonfor Matangi is November 1st
(43:03):
through March 31st.
So it is a good time.
Just one quick note about that,though, even though it is summer
down there, it is the rainyseason in these islands.
And Fiji's rainy season is fromNovember to April.
Now, having said that, when mywife and I went, we left on
Christmas Day, we were downthere for two weeks.
It rained once on the islandduring the day.
(43:26):
There was one night where itrained, and we were in our
beret, and you just hear therain on your thatched roof, and
you just hear it in all thetropical plants outside, and
it's just dreamworthy.
It's absolutely wonderful.
But it only rained one daythere.
We did hear stories from thestaff about other guests that
have come, and it rained thewhole time.
That's very upsetting for somepeople.
(43:47):
Other people take it in stride.
It is part of the tropics, andwhether you're going to Fiji or
not, always remember the staffhave no control over the
weather.
Be nice to these people becausethey are just some of the most
beautiful people you will evermeet.
And like I said, they have nocontrol over the weather.
So if you go to Fiji, you go toMatangi and it's raining, enjoy
(44:08):
it anyway.
When I went back in March, itwas the end of March to go meet
the wood carvers.
I was there for two days, itrained the whole time.
I get over to the main island,it didn't rain at all.
So you just never know.
But go ahead and check it out,and I am going to post a link to
Matangi Private Island Resort inthe show notes.
And I'm also going to go aheadand put a link in there to the
(44:28):
Cabana Lounge newsletter.
It is now a monthly newsletter.
Due to some time constraints,I'm just not able to do it on a
weekly basis and have it be atop quality product that I want
to share with you.
So I am moving the Cabana Loungeto a monthly publication.
When you sign up, you will getaccess to the issue that's
(44:48):
currently available.
But I just want it to be a veryhigh-quality publication that I
share with you for free.
So sign up for the CabanaLounge.
I've also got the onlineTropical Interior Design Program
available for those of you thatwant to create your own Tropical
Escape at home, but you're justnot sure how to start or where
to go for that.
And, you know, if you're gettingonline and you're digging
(45:09):
around, there's a lot of verygeneric information available
about colors.
And, you know, they're going togive you, well, use blues and
use greens and use this and dothat and do this.
I get into a lot more detailabout how to keep things
authentic.
I have the TropicalSelf-Discovery Assessment, which
is available for you where youcan really learn what it is you
love about the tropics, theindividual things that inspire
(45:31):
you about the tropics, so youcan focus on those things,
eliminate everything else, anduse those things to create your
tropical escape at home,recreating those things,
bringing in their influences andsuch.
So yeah, check out the TropicalSelf-Discovery Assessment.
And then there's the hometransformation guide, which is
literally a step-by-step processto take you through everything
(45:54):
from A to Z about how to do yourown interior decor and styling.
I do get into interior designthere as well, especially for
the do-it-yourself crowd that'sout there.
You will be able to see whatyour limitations are in terms of
how handy you are, depending onthe extent of the project that
you're looking at.
If there are things that you'regoing to do that you're going to
(46:16):
need to hire professional helpin, I give you the guidelines
about when that should happen.
When do you need to bring in theoutside help?
Because now you're looking at alot of money to bring in the
pros, whether it's actualinterior designers, contractors,
what have you, I go ahead andhelp you narrow down exactly
what it is you can do, what itis you can't do, when you should
(46:37):
hire the pros.
Because again, you want to keepthe vision yours.
And when you start bringing inthe pros, sometimes they'll
start bringing in their opinionsabout things and they can divert
you down a path that reallydoesn't belong to you.
You don't want to end up havingsomebody else's vision in your
space.
So work with them, make surethat you know what it is that
(47:00):
you like.
And the program that I providehelps you to put those
guardrails up.
It helps you to understandexactly what it is you want to
see, and then you stick to thatand you can create your tropical
escape at home.
So check out Tropical Design athome.
I have a link to that in theshow notes as well.
And with that, let me know whatinspires you.
Let me know what subjects youmight want me to talk about on
(47:23):
the show.
I'm very open to feedback.
I want to know what's working,what's not working, what
interests you, what do you findboring?
What am I doing?
What should I stop doing?
So drop me a note at podcast atceruleambay.com.
Let me know your thoughts.
All of your information staysconfidential.
I don't sell any email addressesor other info, but I will
(47:44):
respond back.
There's our YouTube channel.
You can check me out there aswell.
Tropical Escapes at Home onYouTube.
Feel free to like, subscribeover there.
I would love it.
So until we meet again, I wishyou a lot of health and
happiness, a lot of tropicalinspiration.
That inspiration can come at anytime of year.
Doesn't matter, hot or coldoutside, find that inspiration.
(48:06):
But for now, enjoy that fallweather wherever you happen to
be living, just as the seasonsare starting to change here and
at your house.
And let's just meet up againnext week.
Thanks so much for tuning in,everyone.
You guys are awesome.
Have a great one.
Bye bye.
Hey everyone, Tom here, Therulean Bay, and welcome
back to Tropical Escapes atHome.
And it is a beautiful sunny dayhere in Houston.
That fall weather is starting toset in, and it starts to remind
me of the weather back home inSan Diego, where it's nice and
warm outside and there's almostno humidity.
(00:32):
It is absolutely beautiful.
And it always gets me thinkingthis time of year because this
is when my wife and I startthinking about when are we going
to celebrate our anniversary?
Because our anniversary is thismonth and 31 years now.
And it's actually a great timeto go and travel, whether it's
locally here in Texas, or we godown to Florida, or even if
(00:54):
we're going to get on a planeand go overseas somewhere,
because the kids are back inschool, summer vacation's over.
This is when you can reallystart to get some great rates at
hotels depending on where yougo.
So yeah, I really recommendSeptember, October, before the
holidays set in, you know, youstart getting into that
Thanksgiving period.
I would have any travel wrappedup before then.
(01:14):
But that September, October timeframe, great time to travel.
And I mention that becausethere's just a lot of people we
know who don't really get out awhole lot over the summertime.
They're busy with kids.
And I mentioned that becauseit's a great time for the adults
to get out there and take abreak.
When those kids are back inschool, maybe you can get away
(01:35):
for a little bit.
You know, you've got relativesthat can come over and do some
babysitting or watch the kids,or if your kids are older, they
can watch the house.
They're busy getting themselvesto and from school.
Once school started, we knewthey would be busy and they had
their little after-school jobsand things, but they would watch
the house and me and Edna, wewould go ahead and get away.
And yeah, great time of year totravel.
(01:57):
And yet it's also a time of yearwhen I just already start
thinking about next year andwhat might be happening in the
spring.
I personally start getting readyfor the colder seasons that set
in, and yeah, there's a lot ofpeople who will say, yeah,
Houston doesn't have a winter.
Well, we do.
It is short-lived.
It is very hit or miss here, asI've mentioned before.
(02:19):
Some winters are more mild thanothers, but for me, anytime the
weather goes into the 50s orbelow, that's just too cold.
Day or night, that's too cold.
It is good to get out and dosome yard work and things like
that, and I will do that when itgets colder.
It helps to get my mind off ofit.
But I start doing other littlethings too, like just repotting
plants around the house, gettingthem ready so that they can grow
(02:40):
some more and just kind of helpcontribute even more and more to
that tropical sense.
You know, when you have plantsthat have been hanging out in
their pots for a long time andthey're not really doing
anything and they don't reallyseem to be growing, sometimes
they just need to be repotted,and then when you do that, they
just take off.
I've noticed this is a greattime of year to do that too.
(03:00):
And then depending on the amountof light that the plant gets
during the fall and winter time,you can really have some plants
just start to take off, and itjust really helps again to
buffer that winter effect, andyou've got all this new tropical
growth growing in your homeoffice or your living room or
wherever your plants might be.
And speaking of that, I'veactually got two mango seeds
(03:20):
that I was able to sprout.
I found a little video onYouTube where they show you what
to do when you have a mango, andin the middle you have this big
pit that you need to clean upand then break into, and then
inside of that is the actualseed.
And after cleaning that, thenthere's a very simple thing that
you can do.
Um, just a quick side note here.
(03:40):
You clean that husk really,really good, get some kitchen
shears, snip off the top of it,peel it open, and inside there's
an actual seed, and you can tellit looks like a big seed.
And you just kind of rinse thatoff, pat it dry, and then get a
paper towel and wet it, wring itout so that it's just damp and
it's not dripping wet.
And you wrap the seed in there,put it in a little plastic bag,
(04:03):
and then put it away just in awarm spot, seal that bag, and
then you leave it for about twoweeks, and you'll get a little
sprout on one end.
And I just checked mine today,and they both have a little
sprout.
So then you stick those seedsupright in a pot of dirt, and
you just leave the little greenpart exposed that just started
growing, and you will get amango tree.
(04:24):
And I think mango trees arevery, very cool to grow as house
plants.
I've seen them before, I'venever had one.
This will be the first time thatI do it myself because I wanted
to grow it on my own.
A lot of potted plants are justexpensive.
So I thought, you know what?
I'm just gonna grow my own andhave my own little mango trees.
They'll probably never fruitbecause you can only grow them
(04:45):
so big in a house, and here inHouston, they won't survive the
winter.
So but my wife and I, we will goup to Restaurant Depot and we
have a membership there.
And seasonally they'll havethese boxes of mangoes.
I think you get like six, andthis year they were about$7 for
six big, beautiful mangoes, andthey were so juicy and wonderful
and sweet, and we just lovemangoes.
(05:06):
But yeah, I thought, you knowwhat?
After working at Ethan Allen wayback ago, like 20 years ago,
where they had very high qualityfake plants in the store, I
remember selling a mango treethat was like$195.
It was big, it was probablyabout six feet tall, and God
knows what they're going forthese days.
But I thought,$195 for a fakeplant, I said one day I'm gonna
grow one, and here we are 20years later, I'm finally
(05:29):
starting a little mango tree.
But I digress with that.
Today I wanted to get intosomething I mentioned just when
we kicked off the show abouttraveling, and with this time of
year being such a good time totravel, if you are in the
position where you can get away,maybe get some vacation time,
you don't have to worry aboutsmall kids at home, this could
(05:52):
actually be a great time of yearto travel to certain places.
Um, I am going to mention Fiji.
It is a place I talk about quitea bit on the show, and we are
gonna start getting into someother places as well, but I
wanted to mention just about theadventure.
I find myself kind of missingthis because it's been a few
years since my wife and I havebeen able to travel post-COVID.
(06:13):
You know, we had to relaunch thebusiness.
There was a lot of stuff thatneeded some retooling.
I had to go to work outside, butI think it's important to
mention that a lot of people,maybe it's just out of habit,
I'm not sure, think that reallythe summertime is the only time
you can travel.
And even when your kids aregrowing and maybe they're not
interested in taking thosefamily vacations, they start
(06:34):
getting into their later teenageyears or whatever, they have
their little jobs or they'revery busy with school.
There's just other times of theyear, especially when you go
south of the equator, it'ssummertime there.
So that particular year that wewent to Fiji back in late 2017,
early 2018, it was cold here.
We had had a number of freezesalready, and but we were lucky
(06:56):
because our boys were alreadyolder, you know, they were 17,
18, 19.
They could easily take care ofthe house and wrap the pipes and
do those kinds of things.
We were able to score a veryreasonable seven-day,
all-inclusive trip to Fiji.
And the cost of that whole weekwas probably about$5,200 just
for the seven days at theresort.
(07:17):
And you might be thinking that'slike super expensive.
It's actually not when youcompare it to a lot of other
places.
When you are looking at Tahiti,Tahiti tends to be more
expensive.
I'm not exactly sure why.
And then there's other places inthe world you can go where it's
just more expensive to go.
But Fiji, from the research thatI've done, it just seems to be
(07:38):
more middle of the road.
I mean, yeah, you can go downthere and spend a ton of money
too, but you don't have to.
There are more reasonable placesthat you can go.
And I wanted to mention thisbecause it's been a few years
since my wife and I have beenable to get down there, and we
really would love to get back toMatangi Island.
And I thought, you know, thiswould be a great topic for the
show because it's a place thatwe've been before and it's worth
(08:00):
going back to.
There are several other resortsthat we would love to try in
Fiji.
And maybe when the business getsmore off the ground and we're
able to travel a little bitmore, we'll be able to do that.
But for right now, I thought itwould just be really worth it to
tell you guys about why we wouldgo back there again, even
though, like I said, there areother resorts to go there.
(08:22):
I've got a blog post about themon ceruleambay.com at that time
that I did the blog post.
This was last year.
These were the top five resorts.
Many of them are award-winning.
But regarding Matangi PrivateIsland Resort, my wife's only
been there once.
I was there twice.
The second time I went back wasto meet with a wood carver, and
I was only there for two nights,and then I went into the main
(08:43):
towns where I could meet someother artists too.
So it really was not a vacation.
I was on the go pretty much thetwo weeks I was there, did not
set foot on a beach, and did notset foot in a pool.
So really I was running aroundquite a bit.
But getting back to Matangi, mywife and I were ready for a
break.
And you don't have to be aCostco member to book a trip to
Matangi, but we found it just tobe a lot easier to use them
(09:08):
because they were so good andwe've used them on a couple
other trips too.
They're just on point.
I don't know.
Costco has its travel agencything together.
When you go on their website, ifyou go to Costco Travel and you
look at the different packagesthat they have, I think they
have some negotiated dealsactually, which are cheaper than
if you go to an actual resortwebsite directly and you look at
(09:31):
the costs.
They tend to be more expensive.
And at least with Matangi, wewere saving quite a bit of money
going through Costco Travel.
Plus, they handle everything.
You can have them book yourflights too out of the U.S.
to get down to Fiji, but we didfind it was cheaper for us to
book our own travel and justhave Costco handle everything
(09:52):
upon arrival in Nandi, which isthe main city on Vitilevu, which
is the main island out of thewhole Fiji Island group.
So it is something that'sworthwhile to look into.
You could do some costcomparison there and see what
you can get on your own, haveCostco travel book the flight.
But from Houston at the time,you had to fly to LA, and then
there was a six-hour layover atLAX, and my wife and I, we were
(10:16):
able to sample probably everywine bar that was there because
a six-hour layover is a longone.
And getting to LAX, we flewAmerican Airlines because they
code share with Fiji.
And then at LAX you pick up yournonstop flight to Fiji with Fiji
Airways.
But now Fiji Airways does flydirectly to Dallas, which is a
good thing.
And for us here in Houston, nowwe just only have to buzz up to
(10:37):
Dallas.
Very, very quick flight.
I'm not sure what the layoverthere is, but if there is one,
we'll find the wine bars becausethat's what we do.
And then you can board yournonstop flight to Fiji.
What's really cool with CostcoTravel is they work with a
company called Rosie Holidays,and they are like the top travel
service company in Fiji.
And they do all kinds of thingsfrom meet and greet services and
(11:00):
providing ground transportation.
They arrange day tours andexcursions, and they help check
in on your bookings to make surethat everything is booked
correctly.
The service is phenomenal.
The people who work there arejust so nice.
But when you land in Nandi andafter you clear customs, they'll
have a representative from Rosiewaiting, and she's got the
little cool towel that you cankind of freshen up with.
(11:23):
And she handed a little shellnecklace to my wife and I, and
they show you where to gobecause when you are flying to
Matangi at that time, and Idon't have the current flight
schedules now, the layover inNandi was very, very short.
You only had an hour.
So just as kind of a side note,if you are going for seven days
or less, I would just recommendnot taking any check bags.
(11:46):
I would just do the carry-onthing because when you land,
customs is kind of hit or miss.
Sometimes customs just kind ofpretty much clears everything
very quickly.
The second time that I went, Idid bring an empty suitcase
because I did want to buy somesample pieces and bring them
back.
And even though the suitcase wasempty, they decided to have all
the luggage from that incomingflight go through customs, and I
(12:07):
ended up missing my littleconnection.
Whereas when my wife and I flewthe first time, we just did the
carry-on luggage, and so therewas no customs clearance.
The flight from LA would arrivevery early.
It would arrive like at 6 a.m.
in Fiji, and at 7 a.m.
you would connect to your littleFiji Link flight, and it's a
little turboprop.
I'm not sure what the name ofthe actual aircraft is.
(12:29):
I think it's called a DeHaviland, if I'm not mistaken.
It's a tiny little airplane.
Again, I'm 6'5 and I cannotstand up in it.
I mean, it works if you are justof smaller stature, so I'm all
hunched over in there trying toget to my seat.
But at 7 a.m., that littleturboprop departs, and it's such
a beautiful flight because theyfly pretty much at a low
(12:51):
altitude, and you're just outover the water, and the scenery
is like a dream.
It is absolutely stunning.
And I actually do recommend themorning flight because with the
weather you tend to have lessthunderstorm activity.
The flight's not going to be asbumpy because when you're in one
of those little planes and it'sbumpy, if you're prone to air
(13:11):
sickness or whatever, it's notgoing to be a pleasant flight.
Me, I'm okay.
I don't have a problem flying.
But when I went back the secondtime and I missed my flight with
the empty suitcase, I had towait hours at the airport.
The next flight wasn't until 2p.m.
And let me tell you, the mainairport in Nandi, when there are
no flights going on, it's prettydead.
There's no activity.
(13:32):
You can hang out at a littlecoffee shop there and get to
know the staff very well becauseyou're going to be there for
hours.
And then when I took the twoo'clock flight, it was bumpy.
I was like, wow, this is notcool.
And it's a 90-minute flight.
So let me just tell you aboutthat.
When you do catch your flight,preferably again, the one that
was leaving at 7 a.m., it willfly you to the island of
(13:54):
Taviuni, where they have alittle airstrip on the very
northern tip.
I think they pronounce it Matai.
It's M-A-T-E-I.
If you Google map it, it isliterally at the tip, the
northern tip of Taviuni, alittle tiny airstrip.
And this little turboprop you'llland there and the little
airport.
It's just like a little outdoorbus station, is what it reminded
(14:16):
me of.
And what was just so neat isMatangi Island will have one of
their reps waiting there foryou.
And they have the polo shirtwith the little Matangi Island
resort embroidery thing onthere, so you know it's them.
And the guy who picked up mywife and I, he picked us up in a
Toyota tundra.
And so they'll throw yourluggage into the back and
(14:36):
they'll cover it if it'sraining.
But then what you do is now youare on a 20-minute drive on a
dirt road, which can be prettybumpy, and it was just really
cool.
I mean, you feel like they'rejust driving you off into the
bush.
You really don't know whereyou're going.
It kind of parallels the coast.
Where they're taking you is tothe quote unquote boat dock.
And these are the kind ofadventures that I love because
(14:58):
there were no pictures of theboat dock.
I just add this mental image ofliterally a little pier or a
little dock that you step onto aboat.
It is not bad at all.
After this 20-minute bumpylittle dirt road ride, he made a
left turn through some bushes,and then there's this kind of
outcropping of rocks, andthere's a little metal boat with
a canopy on it, and there's twoguys from the resort in the
(15:20):
boat, and they will come andthey get your luggage, and you
have your little carry-ons, theyhelp you step over the rocks,
and you climb into the boat, andmaybe there could be a local
resident or two that's in theboat as well, and they're just
hitching a ride to get over toMatangi, because Matangi is
literally a five-minute boatride from Kamea Island, where
there are little villages wherepeople live.
(15:42):
And many of the people who workat Matangi Island live on Kamea
Island.
You do have the option to go andvisit one of the little villages
there, Tongo Village, which wasjust an amazing experience.
But, anyways, you get into thislittle boat, and now you're on a
20-minute boat ride, ahigh-speed boat ride to Matangi
Island, and it is justwonderful.
(16:03):
I mean, it just gives megoosebumps remembering it.
I want to do it again so much.
I love being out on the water onthose kind of boat trips.
I'm not a fisherman.
I don't go do the deep seafishing type of thing.
I like being out on the water,going fast, you know, more of
the recreational type thing.
And it just the smell, the sprayof the water, the scenery down
(16:25):
there is just incredible.
I always equate it to likesomething out of a Jurassic Park
movie, which was filmed inHawaii.
And there are places in Fijithat look a lot like the
Hawaiian Islands.
But yes, it it just iswonderful.
So again, just as a quick recap,to get to Matangi, you're flying
from wherever you're departingfrom in the U.S., you get down
to Nandi, connect to your little90-minute turboprop.
(16:47):
So after 90 minutes, you land atMatai Airport, then the resort
truck will pick you up.
It's a 20-minute ride on a bumpydirt road, and then you get into
the little boat, and it's a20-minute ride out to the
island.
So just so you can connect thedots with that little adventure.
And as you're pulling up to theisland, you see it off in the
distance there, and there yousee people gathering on the
(17:11):
beach, and they have theirlittle local version of the
guitar.
I'm not a musician, but it'slike a little simple guitar, and
they're there singing andclapping, and you see somebody
there, you know, they're holdinga couple drinks for you, and the
boat pulls up and they sing youthis welcome song, and they're
just clapping, and it's such anamazing experience.
(17:32):
I I just we just have to goback.
And the boat just kind of turnsaround and backs in a little
bit, and you have to get out inthe water.
It's, you know, kind of kneedeep.
So you have to, you're notwearing shoes, you've got your
flip-flops and your shorts on,and you get out into the water,
and then you walk up on thebeach.
They take care of all of yourluggage.
They're going to take it to yourberet, which is your private
(17:53):
room, which is five-star andamazing and wonderful.
And then you they will take youto the main dining room and
they've got like a littlewelcome area, and they seat you
there and they hand you thecoconut drinks that they have,
and it's just coconuts with thestraw in there and the nice
little flower and the coconutwater inside.
And, you know, you're tired.
It's been a long trip to getdown there.
(18:16):
And, you know, you're you'rekind of it's almost like you're
in a dream state because, youknow, depending on how well you
sleep on a plane, it's anovernight flight out of LA or
San Francisco, and I'm sure withDallas, it's probably the same
thing.
So you're landing there veryearly in the morning, and you
know, if you're like me, Ireally don't sleep on a plane
very well.
And being 10 feet tall, I don'treally fit in the seats.
(18:38):
And, you know, that's where, ifwe can afford it, that's where
we'll fly business class.
Because just as a side tip, FijiAirways does not have a true
first class on the flight, buttheir business class is first
class quality compared to otherairlines.
So it's expensive.
And the first time I went downwith my wife, we did fly
economy, and these newer planes,I'm telling you, uh, I just
(18:59):
don't fit.
It's just uncomfortable.
And the older you get, theharder it is to do that.
When I was able to go back thesecond time, Fiji Airways
actually had a sale, not todigress here, but I was able to
get a business class ticket forsuper cheap out of LAX, and then
I was able to get another returnflight back to LA, so I lucked
out twice with that.
But it is something to planahead and consider, especially
(19:20):
if you're tall like me.
So, you know, after an overnightflight, you're tired if you
don't sleep well on the plane,but they lead you to your beret
and they bring your luggage in,and then you're on your own.
And it is just like steppinginto paradise.
It is quiet, you don't hear anynoise, there are no phones,
there are no TVs in the beret,there is no internet service in
(19:44):
the rooms.
If you want internet, you go outby the pool or they have
internet service in the maindining room.
They will give you a Wi-Fipassword.
But Matangi Private Island, it'sreally a place you go to escape.
You go to relax.
They don't have any of the noisywater sports there.
There's no jet skiing oranything like that.
(20:06):
There's no parasailing.
It's all the quiet stuff.
It is an 18 and older resort, sothere's no kids.
It was a maximum of 30 guests.
And the absolute beauty of thisis you are never all in the same
place at the same time.
So, for example, in therestaurant, when you go for
breakfast, there's a windowwhere you can go and have
(20:28):
breakfast.
And I don't remember exactlywhat the hours are, but say it's
just like from 7 until 11.
While you're at breakfast, theywill bring you the menu for
lunch and for dinner so you canpre-order your next two big
meals of the day.
And that way when you show upduring the lunch window and then
the dinner window, you can relaxwith a glass of wine, have a
(20:49):
cocktail.
You've already ordered.
Doing it that way helps thempre-plan for the kitchen.
And again, because all of thefood has to be brought in, they
do grow most, if not all, oftheir produce, vegetables, and
fruit on the island.
And then the island of Taviunionly being 20 minutes away.
I do believe that's where theyget all of the other food needed
for the restaurant, but it helpsthem plan their pantry.
(21:11):
So that system really works forus, but because the dining
windows are so open, you show upwhenever you want.
Not everybody shows up together.
It's a beautiful open-airrestaurant, and the tables are
spread far apart, so you canjust have a nice, quiet,
intimate dinner, and there maybewill be three or four other
couples in there having dinnerat the same time.
(21:33):
Same thing with breakfast.
If you're an early riser versusa late riser, again, you're
never gonna all be in there atthe same time.
During the day, there may be acouple people out by the pool,
there might be a couple peoplehanging out in the dining room
on one of the swinging day bedsor the little outdoor living
room area.
People are talking, maybereading a book, or you're just
(21:56):
hanging out by the pool.
They do offer scuba diving, theyhave snorkeling.
There are a few other watersports like that, deep sea
fishing, I believe that theyhave.
So they have those kinds ofthings, excursions that you can
go and book.
They do have a trip to Taviuniwhere you can go see the Pearl
Farm.
They have a hike through thejungle where you end up at a
(22:17):
waterfall, which we did not do,but we want to go do next time.
So there are things that breakup the guests, and you're never
again in the same place at thesame time.
There's also the little optionalvillage trips where you can go
and the little boat ride over toTongo Village.
There was only one other couplein the boat with us when we
went.
One of the guides from theresort then meets up with one of
(22:42):
the residents of the village,and together they gave us a tour
of the village, and they showyou the local school, and you
know, the kids are out playingby the water, and you can
partake in a kava ceremony.
And for those of you who don'tknow, with kava, it is a tea
that is made from the root of apepper plant, and it is a very
(23:03):
earthy, muddy looking thing thatthey mix together with some
water repeatedly using a clothor like a cheesecloth, and you
gather it together and yousqueeze it repeatedly to make
the kava in a beautiful woodtonoa or kava bowl, which we do
have some for sale in our littleonline store at
ceruleandbay.com.
They do this in a in a beautifultonoa there, and then there's a
(23:28):
little ceremony that they teachyou about how to receive the
kava and how it's passed amongthe guests of this little kava
ceremony, which is really whatit is.
I'm actually going to post alink to the review that I did
that's on our website forMatengi Private Island, and in
there you can read about how theKava ceremony works, but it is
(23:48):
just it was just wonderful.
In Fiji as a whole, theChristian religion is the
predominant religion there.
It is more on the conservativeside when it in terms of
behavior and dress.
So just for awareness, when yougo off into a local village or
you're invited to a kavaceremony, it is recommended that
(24:09):
you don't show up in swimsuits.
Women are expected to at leastcover their shoulders, cover
their knees.
There are sarongs available fromthe resort that you can wrap
around yourself and go, and bothmen and women wear them over
there.
Um for guys, they recommend toothat your knees aren't showing.
Now it is hot.
And when we went, it was the endof December.
(24:29):
We actually flew out of Houstonon Christmas Day.
We celebrated Christmas with thekids before leaving.
But again, you're flying downthere into their summer, so it
was hot and humid.
And with me being six foot five,wearing shorts, my knees are
gonna show.
It doesn't matter what kind ofshorts, my knees are gonna show.
So, but they get that.
They they were fine with that.
But I wore a very lightbutton-down shirt and Tommy
(24:51):
Bahama type of thing.
Um, you know, I didn't wear at-shirt.
I just wanted to be veryrespectful of the village rules,
and they appreciate that.
If you try, they see that, andthen that's good enough.
But we did take part in theKaaba ceremony, and then they
invited us into their littlecommunity center there where
they had a lot of handicrafts ondisplay.
If you've been to our websiteand you've read the journey
(25:14):
story that we have in our AboutUs section, I do give a
description of what it is likein the community center there
and just the things that theyhave for sale, beautiful wood
carvings, Tappa bark cloth,which is made from the bark of a
mulberry tree.
It's a very thick, paper-y typeof product that they end up
with, which then they paintusing different colors and
(25:35):
different cultural designs, andTappa has its own myriad of uses
from artwork to clothing andsuch, but I've got some
beautiful pieces I brought back,which then we framed.
And the things that we saw inthere were really a big, huge
part of the inspiration behindCerulean Bay.
When I was there, that's whatreally got us started.
And when you know local artistsare producing these beautiful
(25:58):
pieces of art that you justcan't find anywhere else.
If you go on Amazon or you go oneBay or you go wherever, you'll
find random pieces here andthere that people have procured
somehow.
Either they went down there andgot them or they ordered them
from somebody that they knowdown there, and now they're
offering them for resale.
But we thought, you know, thiswould be really cool if we were
(26:18):
able to buy in some quantity andresell here in the U.S.
and provide a story.
At the time I didn't know Iwould be doing a podcast or
YouTube videos, but I justthought it was really worth
showcasing these pieces of artbecause not a lot of people know
Fiji and what it's about.
I mean, a lot of people haveheard of it, a lot of people
have been there, they go hangout at the resorts, but then
(26:40):
they come home after, you know,just kind of your standard trip.
It's like going to Europe or,you know, visiting somewhere
else in Asia or maybe going toSouth America.
It's like anything else.
You go, you book a trip, youhang out at the resort, see some
of the touristy stuff, buy somesouvenirs, and come home.
We really felt that what we sawwas so inspiring and just so
wonderful, and the people arejust some of the nicest people
(27:02):
you will ever meet in yourentire life.
We wanted to do more with that,but not to go down that whole
road of the inspiration behindCerulean Bay because we did
cover that in a differentepisode.
But that's just one of thethings you can do over on Tongo
Village, is you can buy some ofthe handicrafts there.
And then after spending the bitof time there, the boat takes
you back to the island and thenyou're on your way.
(27:23):
And some of the other things youcan do on the island when you're
on Matangi Island, they don'thave an on-site gym, but you can
take a beautiful nature walk.
They have two versions of it.
There's the easier one, and thenthere's the harder one, which is
a literal hike up into thevolcanic cliffs because Matangi
Island, it's kind of horseshoeshaped, and it's part of a
(27:46):
collapsed volcano from agazillion years ago.
But there are some very steep,rugged areas to the island, and
there is a hiking trail throughthere.
My wife and I took the easierone, which was still uphill
quite a bit of the way, and whenit's hot, it's hot.
And they do give you a goodwalking stick because it does
make it easier.
But the walk was just beautiful.
(28:07):
And the pictures that you cantake of the ocean down below and
of the coconut palms and justthe scenery, you're not going to
get scenery like that inHouston.
You're not going to get scenerylike that in Florida.
It's it's just breathtaking whenyou go.
So, you know, you go do a hikelike that, come back down, you
can change into your swimsuit,rinse off in the little outdoor
(28:28):
shower they have by the pool,and then get in the pool.
It's so refreshing.
The cocktails that they make atthe bar are very good.
They're a little on the strongside, but I love that.
I love a good cocktail with agood kick.
And at the time they had awonderful drink called the
Hurricane Flora, which was, Iguess, a Fijian version of a Mai
Thai or something.
Fruity drink, wonderful rum init, but yeah, it'll kick you.
(28:51):
It'll kick you in the rear.
It's a good one.
And just so you know with thename Flora in that cocktail, the
island is privately owned.
It is an Australian familythat's owned it for generations,
I believe.
And at the time that we werethere, Noel and Flora Douglas
were the owners, and theirdaughter, Christine, who is just
one of the nicest, loveliestpeople you could ever meet, she
(29:14):
is the general manager of theisland.
When I went back the second timeby myself, she was the one who
introduced me to the woodcarverwho helped get our whole
business started.
And I was able to visit withChristine and her dad and just
the history of the island andhow they came to be at Matangi
Island and you know what ittakes to run the place and the
people they encounter.
(29:34):
Just fascinating to listen tothe story.
It really was an eye-opener, andI really felt like I was just so
fortunate to be able to havethis experience, which then I
could use to turn into abusiness back home, and it's
become something that I justlove to do.
And beyond Matangi, we want togo and experience other resorts.
(29:55):
And as I've mentioned before,there are people that we've
talked to, there are people thatwe know that.
Have been to other resorts thatwe haven't been to, but they're
very trusted sources.
They're very reliable.
I do very, very thoroughresearch online for any resort
and read the reviews and, youknow, be on trip advisor.
I there's other places to reviewas well.
And then if there's anybody thatwe know that's been, we talk to
(30:18):
them just so that I can do agood review online.
So any of the resorts that youfind at ceruleanbay.com under
our travel section.
I really do spend some time, youknow, just to make sure that
you're getting the real dealwhen you're reading this
information.
But I wanted to share that aboutMatangi and actually a couple
other things too.
I mean, just so you guys areaware, they really do have a
(30:40):
great on-site spa with a fullsuite of spa services.
Really, really great massagesthere, and they have the
different kinds of treatmentsthat you can get.
They also have the honeymoonpackage, which does cost a bit
extra, but it is totally worthit because Matangi Private
Island is home to Horseshoe Bay,and it is rated as one of the
(31:01):
thousand places on earth youhave to see before you die, and
it is absolutely breathtakingwhen you go.
We did the honeymoon package,even though we had been married
so many years, because for us itwas the honeymoon, it was the
real honeymoon we never had.
And the little boat takes youaround into the horseshoe part.
They drop you off there.
You can choose the morning orthe afternoon period because
(31:25):
there are only two.
So you can have the morning orthe afternoon to yourself.
You're there for four hours.
And in either one of those, theywill drop off a picnic lunch for
you with a bottle of champagneif you want, and you can just
hang out.
They have an outdoor beret therewith a swinging day bed and a
place that you can just relaxfor the day.
They've got some lounge chairsout on the beach, they've got
(31:47):
some equipment in the beret todo things like paddle boarding,
and I believe they even had akayak there so you can kayak in
the bay.
We recommend going in themorning because we noticed as we
were there, the tide starts tocome in.
So for the afternoon couplethat's going to arrive, you
don't really have much of abeach anymore because the tide's
already in, which is fine.
(32:09):
You can be up in the beret andyou can still paddleboard and do
things like that.
But my wife and I, we like tolay out on the beach and to have
a beach to go walk on.
So we do recommend the morningperiod, that morning block of
time.
And then when your four hours isup at Horseshoe Bay, the boat
will come and pick you up andthey take you back to the
resort.
And then that evening is whenyou can have a wonderful private
(32:33):
dinner over the water.
They do have a wonderful overthe water deck, which is covered
with a thatched roof, andthey've got everything set up
there with flowers scatteredabout and little candles set up,
and it's off the main path.
So even if people are walkingby, they're not walking directly
by your table.
You're just out over the water,and it's just dreamy and
(32:53):
wonderful and romantic.
So yeah, we really do recommendthat honeymoon package.
It's really something special.
Even if you've been married fora long time, like we have, or
you know, you're celebratingyour anniversary, even if it's
your birthday or just a specialevent, get the honeymoon
package.
It is totally worth it.
When it comes to theaccommodations, you know, in the
berets, they have the beach viewberets, they have the beach
(33:16):
front, which are closer to theactual water.
They have the tree houses.
Since I was there, they've donesome remodeling.
They were doing some when I wasthere because some of the berets
had their own little coveredporch out front with a covered
seating area, which isbeautifully done.
Some of them had that, some ofthem didn't.
The one my wife and I had justhad a very nice palapa thatched
(33:41):
roof umbrella type ofarrangement with two nice chairs
underneath it.
It was perfectly fine for ussitting out there just looking
at the water.
But I do think since then,according to their website, it
looks like they've remodeled allof those, so they might all have
porches now, covered porches inthe front.
But hopefully this littleoverview of Matangi Private
Island has been valuable.
(34:02):
We highly encourage people togo.
As I mentioned, it is adultsonly, so 18 and older, and it's
very quiet.
It's for people who want to goand detach and relax.
Again, there are activities thatyou can go and do.
You don't have to do any ofthem.
They do also have localmusicians come and play, and
then they've got culturaldancing as well.
(34:23):
There is an evening where theisland staff will come.
If you're not by the pool or inthe dining room, they will come
to your buret.
They'll politely knock on thedoor to let you know that the
cultural event is going on, andthey invite you to come and they
encourage you to attend.
And it really is a beautifulthing to do because these people
want to meet the guests.
They want to see who have takenthe time to travel halfway
(34:47):
across the world to come downthere.
They're just very interested tosee who's coming to the island,
and they just want to meetpeople, and we love that.
My wife and I just absolutelylove that kind of thing.
So, yeah, that is your big tipfor the day as we travel and as
we meet others who have traveledto review worthy resorts that
(35:09):
focus on authenticity.
Those are the kinds of placesthen that I will bring to the
show because those are theplaces that we really encourage
people to visit.
Fiji is one of these places thathas resorts that span the
spectrum in terms of pricerange.
There are very inexpensiveplaces you can go to, such as
the youth hostels and thingslike this on the main island,
(35:31):
which are very close to theairport.
They have the mid-range hotels,which are on Denero Island,
which is probably about a20-minute drive from the main
airport in Nandi at Denaro.
You'll find the Marriott's andthe Sheratons and a lot of the
big global hotel chains are overthere.
Then you have places likeMatanki Private Island, which
are a journey to get to.
(35:52):
There are other resorts like theTokoriki resort.
There's the Yasawa Islands,which have their resorts, which
tend to be more higher end, moreupscale.
But again, there's a journey toget to them.
There's a boat ride.
Some of them it's you're using aseaplane.
A Tokoriki actually has ahelicopter that you can charter
as well to get to the island.
With Matangi, they have the boatthat picks you up.
(36:15):
So it's up to you.
When you're booking a tropicalvacation, what I really advise
is consider what is it that youwant out of the experience.
Because this is what I have tosay, just to help you save some
money.
If you're going just to go andhang out on a beach or you want
to go do some snorkeling or somediving, or just activities that
(36:36):
you can largely do anywhere at ahotel that's on the water at a
decent beach, I personally wouldnot spend the money or the time
to go that far because out ofLA, to get down to Fiji, it's a
10 and a half hour flight.
That's long.
And so you're having to comeback 10 and a half hours too and
then connect, unless you livewherever Fiji Airways is
landing, San Francisco, LA,Dallas, you know, if you've got
(36:59):
to connect onward, you'relooking at more flight time.
I would go someplace cheaper.
I mean, you can do those thingsin Florida, you can do those
things in Hawaii.
You just don't have to travel asfar.
I think if you're going to go toa place like Fiji or any of the
other places that we reallypromote here on the show, like
Bali, the Philippines, Thailand,if you're going to go down to
(37:20):
the Indian Ocean, you're goingto go to the Seychelles,
Mauritius, or you're going to goto the Maldives, don't stay at a
big global chain.
It's like, why?
You can see that anywhere.
Find an off-the-beaten pathresort.
I know it's very easy that aftera long trip, when you land in
the country, you just want toget to the hotel, take a nap, or
get to the hotel and get in thepool, grab a drink.
(37:42):
It is worth the extra littleconnection, the little extra car
ride, the extra little boat rideto go to a place that is going
to be off the beaten path.
It's going to be away from thetouristy areas.
It's going to be quiet.
Some of these resorts do havethe more active water sports.
I mean, you can go jet skiingand parasailing and do all of
(38:02):
these things at some of theseresorts.
So, you know, if that's whatyou're into, these are available
there.
But what I'm saying is when yougo to Fiji, I don't recommend
going to Denero.
I've been there, I toured it, Iwent and visited a lot of the
hotels.
I didn't stay there, but I spenttwo days checking out hotel
properties so I could see it formyself.
I did not feel like I was inFiji.
I stayed at a Ramada Inn for acouple nights when I went back
(38:25):
to visit some artists close tothe airport.
It was okay.
The beaches in Nandi are notpretty.
The beach at the Ramada was kindof a muddy, sandy color.
The water was not blue at all.
The hotel was nice and it had awonderful rooftop restaurant,
great atmosphere, wonderfulfood.
You can easily hire a cab and gointo town and do some shopping
(38:47):
and things like this.
But if you're looking for thebeauty of the South Pacific,
whether it's Fiji or Tahiti orwherever you're going to go, I
recommend going off the beatenpath so that you can see those
white sand beaches, that crystalclear turquoise, cerulean water.
Those kinds of things, you'regoing to experience the
(39:07):
authenticity of the people thatwork there.
It's just such a culturalexperience.
And just one last note, while wewere at Matangi, my wife and I,
there was a couple that we metand they were there with their
teenagers, and they had comefrom another resort.
I think they were staying at theLiku Liku.
We have not been there, but theyhave a lot of the activities.
It's a lot busier.
(39:28):
I think they have more of asocial scene, all the water
activities and things like that.
They had spent some time there,and then I don't remember the
reason why they chose to come toMatangi after, but I do remember
when we were talking with them,I asked, which do you prefer?
They preferred Matangi handsdown.
They, I think they had somemoney, so they travel every year
(39:48):
and they go to different places.
And in Fiji, they said Matangiwas the most authentic resort
that they had seen, and they hadstayed at several.
So they've been around, theykind of do this every year,
every other year.
I found that that meant so muchto my wife and I because we
didn't know.
We had never been to Fiji whenwe were going to go originally
with some friends of ours thathad a timeshare there, and then
(40:11):
they couldn't go.
We were stuck with plane ticketsthat we couldn't get a refund
on, and we couldn't even get aflight credit with.
So we said we're gonna go, butwe were adamant that we were
gonna stay in a non-touristyarea and that we wanted to
really experience Fiji as muchas possible.
And it was within our pricerange, and it was life-changing.
(40:32):
This year is seven years ago.
My wife and I were there, andI'm still here talking about it.
I started a business because ofthat place.
I'm in touch with artistsbecause of that place.
I'm getting to know the SouthPacific as I meet other people
from other islands.
When I went back the secondtime, I was able to go to Tonga
and I spent a week in Tonga, metsome wonderful people there.
(40:54):
It was harder to import frombecause the artists that I met
were not full-time artists.
The things that they createdwere things that they did when
they had time.
They worked in the touristindustry there, they worked at
the hotels or they were in thefishing industry or whatever it
was.
So to get things on a regularbasis was a lot harder.
And I didn't have time to reallyestablish that personal
(41:16):
connection with people like Idid over in Fiji.
But Tonga is also worth visitingas well for those off-the-beaten
path kind of places.
I think in Tonga, it's actuallyeasier to find more inexpensive
places to go.
They'll have places where you'reactually roughing it a little
bit more on some of these outerislands, kind of like the eco
(41:38):
lodge type of places.
It's a bit of a differentexperience than what I saw in
Fiji.
But Matangi gave me theopportunity to do what I'm doing
today.
So while being mindful of yourtime, I just wanted to share
that with you today.
And I want to be able to do thiswith some other resorts.
I am encouraging you to get outthere and travel.
And if it's not to Fiji, gosomewhere.
(41:59):
It is just so worth it this timeof year, September, October,
November, even if you can getaway during the holidays, and
you want that warm, wonderfultropical weather, and you don't
want the hectic crowds of SouthFlorida in December, January,
where everything is double andtriple the price and it's just
super crowded.
(42:20):
And we love South Florida, but Iwill not go there in the winter.
I have friends that live downthere, and we hear what it's
like, and it's just not a placeto go in the winter.
You get all the snowbirds thatgo down there.
Find a foreign country.
Go south of the equator.
It's summertime down there, andyou're just going to have a
life-changing experience.
(42:40):
So that's my tip for you fortoday is to just get online,
check some places out, go tomatangi island.com.
They are actually running somelow season specials right now.
I am checking out their website.
And yes, low season isdefinitely cheaper.
And just so you know, low seasonfor Matangi is November 1st
(43:03):
through March 31st.
So it is a good time.
Just one quick note about that,though, even though it is summer
down there, it is the rainyseason in these islands.
And Fiji's rainy season is fromNovember to April.
Now, having said that, when mywife and I went, we left on
Christmas Day, we were downthere for two weeks.
It rained once on the islandduring the day.
(43:26):
There was one night where itrained, and we were in our
beret, and you just hear therain on your thatched roof, and
you just hear it in all thetropical plants outside, and
it's just dreamworthy.
It's absolutely wonderful.
But it only rained one daythere.
We did hear stories from thestaff about other guests that
have come, and it rained thewhole time.
That's very upsetting for somepeople.
(43:47):
Other people take it in stride.
It is part of the tropics, andwhether you're going to Fiji or
not, always remember the staffhave no control over the
weather.
Be nice to these people becausethey are just some of the most
beautiful people you will evermeet.
And like I said, they have nocontrol over the weather.
So if you go to Fiji, you go toMatangi and it's raining, enjoy
(44:08):
it anyway.
When I went back in March, itwas the end of March to go meet
the wood carvers.
I was there for two days, itrained the whole time.
I get over to the main island,it didn't rain at all.
So you just never know.
But go ahead and check it out,and I am going to post a link to
Matangi Private Island Resort inthe show notes.
And I'm also going to go aheadand put a link in there to the
(44:28):
Cabana Lounge newsletter.
It is now a monthly newsletter.
Due to some time constraints,I'm just not able to do it on a
weekly basis and have it be atop quality product that I want
to share with you.
So I am moving the Cabana Loungeto a monthly publication.
When you sign up, you will getaccess to the issue that's
(44:48):
currently available.
But I just want it to be a veryhigh-quality publication that I
share with you for free.
So sign up for the CabanaLounge.
I've also got the onlineTropical Interior Design Program
available for those of you thatwant to create your own Tropical
Escape at home, but you're justnot sure how to start or where
to go for that.
And, you know, if you're gettingonline and you're digging
(45:09):
around, there's a lot of verygeneric information available
about colors.
And, you know, they're going togive you, well, use blues and
use greens and use this and dothat and do this.
I get into a lot more detailabout how to keep things
authentic.
I have the TropicalSelf-Discovery Assessment, which
is available for you where youcan really learn what it is you
love about the tropics, theindividual things that inspire
(45:31):
you about the tropics, so youcan focus on those things,
eliminate everything else, anduse those things to create your
tropical escape at home,recreating those things,
bringing in their influences andsuch.
So yeah, check out the TropicalSelf-Discovery Assessment.
And then there's the hometransformation guide, which is
literally a step-by-step processto take you through everything
(45:54):
from A to Z about how to do yourown interior decor and styling.
I do get into interior designthere as well, especially for
the do-it-yourself crowd that'sout there.
You will be able to see whatyour limitations are in terms of
how handy you are, depending onthe extent of the project that
you're looking at.
If there are things that you'regoing to do that you're going to
(46:16):
need to hire professional helpin, I give you the guidelines
about when that should happen.
When do you need to bring in theoutside help?
Because now you're looking at alot of money to bring in the
pros, whether it's actualinterior designers, contractors,
what have you, I go ahead andhelp you narrow down exactly
what it is you can do, what itis you can't do, when you should
(46:37):
hire the pros.
Because again, you want to keepthe vision yours.
And when you start bringing inthe pros, sometimes they'll
start bringing in their opinionsabout things and they can divert
you down a path that reallydoesn't belong to you.
You don't want to end up havingsomebody else's vision in your
space.
So work with them, make surethat you know what it is that
(47:00):
you like.
And the program that I providehelps you to put those
guardrails up.
It helps you to understandexactly what it is you want to
see, and then you stick to thatand you can create your tropical
escape at home.
So check out Tropical Design athome.
I have a link to that in theshow notes as well.
And with that, let me know whatinspires you.
Let me know what subjects youmight want me to talk about on
(47:23):
the show.
I'm very open to feedback.
I want to know what's working,what's not working, what
interests you, what do you findboring?
What am I doing?
What should I stop doing?
So drop me a note at podcast atceruleambay.com.
Let me know your thoughts.
All of your information staysconfidential.
I don't sell any email addressesor other info, but I will
(47:44):
respond back.
There's our YouTube channel.
You can check me out there aswell.
Tropical Escapes at Home onYouTube.
Feel free to like, subscribeover there.
I would love it.
So until we meet again, I wishyou a lot of health and
happiness, a lot of tropicalinspiration.
That inspiration can come at anytime of year.
Doesn't matter, hot or coldoutside, find that inspiration.
(48:06):
But for now, enjoy that fallweather wherever you happen to
be living, just as the seasonsare starting to change here and
at your house.
And let's just meet up againnext week.
Thanks so much for tuning in,everyone.
You guys are awesome.
Have a great one.
Bye bye.
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