Staying At A Cheap Airbnb In Nadi, Fiji 🇫🇯: Experience
- Konrad Tillman
- Jun 19
- 4 min read
Intro
When most people visit Fiji, they tend to pack 3 luggage full of bikinis and flip flops, while heading out to some luxury resort on some island that costs 800$ per night. No hate, as I love that as well (Seychelles as an example), but what if I told you that there is a culturally richer, and a much cheaper way to do it.
Booking
During my 2-night stay in Nadi, I decided to try and do this island as cheaply as possible. Looking online, I came across a few different options in terms of Airbnbs, all around 40$ per night near downtown. Considering this is where the nightclubs were, and it was about a 30-minute walk to town, I decided to book it.
I am not an affiliate (is that even the word 😅) (nor do I care to ever be one), but if you are looking to book, here is the link.
Uma's Place
From living in a tent in South Sudan to sleeping in a bomb shelter in Ukraine, I am not one to ever complain about having a bed. However, for those used to luxury, keep in mind that 40$ per night gets you a room in Nadi, not a villa with a private pool. It's expensive here, and keep your expectations in check. 😅
Arriving at the house/room, Uma was an absolute sweetheart and messaged me the codes to be let in (3 hours early). It's a protected area, with gates around the outside, even though I found Nadi to be a very safe city.
For the luxury go-getters, this might not be a place that tickles your fancy. Pictured above and below, you can see that Uma and her family live in the main house, but rents a room off to the side.
However, this room comes with your own set of keys, as well as a private entrance. Uma is a lovely host who will never intrude on your space, and perhaps if you are nice, will offer you a cup of coffee in the mornings 🙂.
Moral of the story: be kind in life ❤️.
Once inside, I was pleased to see that this place has everything you need for an extended period of time. It's not going to win any awards, but it ticks all of the boxes with the following:
Air conditioning
Free wifi
A small kitchenette
Utensils for eating
A comfortable queen-sized bed
A small television
A kettle for tea and instant coffee
A mini fridge to store beer (I mean soda, of course 😒)
A bathroom featuring
A toilet
A sink
A shower (with hot water, even if Fiji is hot 😅)
Overall, I was extremely impressed by this place for my 2 night stay. It doesn't offer that luxury hotel on a beach, which is promoted online, but that isn't what it is geared towards.
Also, Uma offers airport transfers for 15$ OW.
There are three sides to Fiji as a traveler:
This one, where you stay in the main parts of town in a small room somewhere and get to know and love the Fijians. You run into them in the morning in the neighbourhood on the way to town, and everyone says hello
The touristy side, which is filled with sitting at some luxury resort and posting one too many pictures on instagram of your 21$ pina colada with fake rum 😅 (as someone who loves luxury hotels and flight, no hate, but they have a lot of fake alcohol in this region (or watered down))
Lastly, you have the other part of Fiji, which are the more remote areas where few tourists go. These are islands where tribes live and eat the fish they catch every day. This is the side I want to see when I go back to Fiji, and I have been invited to see it.
Final Thoughts
If you are someone who is either on a budget or wants to see more of a real side to Fiji, I highly recommend renting out a room in downtown Nadi for a few nights or longer. While not a beachfront villa somewhere on an island, it shows you a very authentic side to Fiji. I loved my time here, truly loved it, and I would come back again in a heartbeat and stay here.
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