Travel Review: New Zealand Honeymoon Plus Fiji

Review by traveler

Alex R.

2.3.2010

General Info

Traveler Review

Which Country (Countries) did you visit on this trip?

Fiji

New Zealand

Your overall comments on the trip and the travel company:

Overall, I was very pleased with both the trip and the travel agency. I'd also say that Zicasso is a really great service that solves a real market need. I've told a bunch of my friends about it. This travel agency did a great job of incorporating our interests into a tailored experience. Our accommodations and activities fit our taste quite well and I attribute that to the counseling DUE provided in our trip planning. The attention we received from Rosie Holidays in Fiji was less personalized which was a little disappointing and not the ideal way to start a honeymoon. Nevertheless, on the whole we were very satisfied.

What were the most enjoyable or memorable parts of your trip?

The two greatest highlights of our trip included biking around the Marlborough region of New Zealand and tasting delicious wines, and staying at the Azur Lodge in Queenstown in a beautiful villa overlooking water and the mountains. We spent a day and a half in Blenheim and it was wonderful. The weather was great and the wineries were welcoming. Both the wine and the food were exceptional. The Azur Lodge was a special experience that we particularly enjoyed. One day we were almost happy that it rained because it gave us an excuse to stay in the villa. The lodge is beautifully apointed, the views are spectacular, and the staff is extremely attentive and friendly. We would also strongly recommend dining at Hopgoods in Nelson, New Zealand. In a relatively unassuming establishment, the food was tremendous.

If you could take your trip again, what would you do differently?

If we had to do it all over again perhaps we would have skipped Fiji and opted for a beach in New Zealand. Fiji is gorgeous, but there really is very little to do on those remote islands. By day 3 we were getting a little restless. In New Zealand, I probably would have spent a day less in Nelson and skipped our afternoon trip to Founders Park, which is a cheesy tourist trap. I would have either tried to stop by another city in the South Island or spent a day touring the Central Otago wine region.