Sunday, February 3, 2013

Goodbye Malolo :(

Today was the day......the day we had to leave Malolo Island.....so sad!  We made such wonderful memories and had an even better time than we ever could have imagined while there.  The day started out beautiful, but it eventually turned into a rainy day.  Fortunately, every day we were there, we had gorgeous weather, so I couldn't complain that it wasn't a nice day on the day we left.  Plus, it made it a little easier to leave! ;)  The kids wanted to wear their shirts they painted for the ride home.  They did a great job!  We said our goodbyes and eventually headed on down the dock to our boat to take us back to the main land.  It was almost like leaving family.  The Fijians are the nicest people and we really want to go back again some day!  Seriously, BEST VACATION EVER!!!!


 one last view from our house
 dancing in the rain while getting ready to leave

 here comes our luggage!  Down the beach!
 saying goodbye to one of the Kid's Club workers.  So sweet and loved the kids so much (you can tell they loved her, too!)
 waving goodbye to everyone
 leaving on the boat
 goodbye Malolo, hope to see you again one day!

Day 7 - More massages!

Josh and I had talked the day before, and decided it would be fun to surprise the kids with massages!  They were only $15 and we thought that would be a fun treat to do - I mean, really, how many times do you get to have a massage in Fiji???  We didn't tell them anything, except that we had a surprise for them and they didn't figure it out until we walked up to the Spa.  They were SO EXCITED!!  However, they asked if I would go in with them, which I, of course, did!  I was cracking up the whole time and taking pictures......hmmm....not sure how relaxing that was for them! Ha! Actually, they definitely enjoyed it!  Lance didn't want to get up and Grace asked if she could have another one when it was over!  I guess it was a success!  We relaxed the rest of our afternoon and then got ready for dinner.  It was our last night in Fiji (tear, tear) so they had a special presentation for us after dinner.  The kids received certificates for participating in Kid's Club.  What an amazing end to the best week ever!!

 washing their hands and faces before the massage with cool cloths.
 ready for the massage!!
 cutest thing I ever saw!!
 they look relaxed to me!


 receiving their certificates

Day 7 - Sailing, Dolphin Safari, and island hopping

Our last full day of Fiji and we made the most of it!  We took the kids out on the Hobie to sail, as we loved it and were now comfortable enough to take them with us.  They really enjoyed it and it was so fun to be out in the ocean, just the four of us, on our own little "boat! ;)  We then had signed up to go on the Dolphin Safari, so we sailed back to shore and then hopped on the boat for our safari.  It ended up being a lot more than we expected!  So amazing!  We got to see quite a few dolphins, but because it was a bit choppy, they weren't doing as many tricks as usual.  He then took us to this amazing place where there is a shallow sand bar right in the middle of the ocean!  It was one of the most breathtaking, amazing things I've ever seen.  The water was so beautiful and felt like bath water.  I was amazed!!  We all got out, played in the water and on the sand bar, and snorkeled.  The snorkeling was even more amazing out there!  It was also really fun to do it together as a family.  Ahhh....I want to go back!
He dropped us off at another resort, Plantation Island, to walk around and then he met us back on the other side.  It was interesting to see a different resort, but we MUCH preferred Malolo.  We stayed at the best resort - FOR SURE!  We hopped back on the boat and made it back to Malolo in time for lunch.  Yes, we did all of that in the morning!!
 ready to sail!

 On the boat, ready for our safari!  Lance with his new friend, Luca

 some of the dolphins

 Our first glimpse of the sand bar - incredible!



 a sign up at their dining area (they call them swimming costumes in Australia, not swim suits!)
 walking along Plantation Island
 a runway - so small and "local"!  I thought the sign was funny!
 Crazy how the trees were growing like this
some of the houses on Plantation Island

Day 6 - Relaxation and Massages

We woke up to a beautiful day this morning.  The kids went right to Kid's Club to make shell bracelets and Lance painted.  Josh and I went out sailing on one of the Hobies and then went snorkeling right off of the dock.  The reef and fish were beautiful.  We relaxed on the beach and then picked the kids up for lunch.  Josh and the kids jumped and swam in the ocean while I went to the Spa for an outdoor back massage!  It was so INCREDIBLE that I signed Josh up for one after I was finished with mine to surprise him.  He enjoyed it, too!  The kids wanted to do one more thing in Kid's Club that afternoon, so they went back for an hour and made some beautiful lei's.  We went back to our house and got ready for dinner.  What a fun and relaxing day! 

 picture of our pool

 Hobies for sailing
 Grace with her friend, Jessica, that she met at Kid's Club relaxing in the hammock
 Lance and daddy with some "Fiji" water!
 Outside the Spa
 Some pictures before dinner

 another beautiful sunset