'Gift from the heavens': Why Fiji is the best place in the world to holiday with a young baby

Before taking our first overseas holiday, when my son Alistair was five months old, I was filled with anxiety.

I've always dreamed of being the kind of mum who travels with her kids, showing them the world - but there's a lot of planning and preparation involved in making it all go smoothly.

We headed to Fiji for a week, and I'm now convinced that it's the best place in the world to travel with a young baby. Here's why.

READ MORE: Everything I wish I'd known before travelling with a five-month-old baby

Fijians love kids

Seriously. Before we went to Fiji, everyone told us "oh, they love kids there," but it was on a whole other level than we expected.

Any time we sat down for a drink, a meal, or just to lie by the pool, a resort worker would come over and offer to hold our son for a bit. 

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And as a mum who's had to spend the last six months eating food one-handed, or stagger dinnertime with my partner, it was a gift from the heavens. 

Alistair was picked up and carried around like a little prince - at one point, I looked around to see that he was happily sitting in on a staff meeting being held in the corner of the restaurant. 

I've always worried about being treated as an annoyance or inconvenience when travelling with a baby, but in Fiji, it was totally the opposite.

You can do as much or as little as you want

I never used to be a fan of a stop and flop holiday - I used to pack our itinerary with hikes, day trips, snorkelling excursions, you name it.

But after having a baby, I quickly learned that he's now the one who makes all the calls, especially while he's this young. 

The great thing about Fiji is that you can stay at resorts where everything you need is right there. I did a lot of research before choosing to stay at the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, and we ended up not leaving the property once during the seven nights we were there. 

The resort is situated on the best beach on the island, so we didn't even have to schlep anywhere to swim in amazing, crystal clear water, snorkel with fish, or just take a stroll along the sand. 

During the days, my partner played golf, I went to the spa, we swam in the pools, lounged in the shade, and never once felt like we were missing out. 

Twice, we hired a nanny so we could enjoy cocktail hour and dinner while baby Al slept peacefully in our room, with no idea we'd even left.

Resorts are tailored to families

With the exception of a few adults-only resorts, every accommodation option in Fiji is really family-oriented. 

My favourite thing about the Intercontinental was the little shaded hut beds along the shoreline where we could park up as a family. Alistair napped in the shade, and we could use a QR code to order drinks and food - an absolute dream.

Also, we were able to stay in a room with a private plunge pool - an essential considering that Alistair has three naps a day. While he snored away in the travel cot that the resort provided, we were able to lounge by the pool and actually feel like we were on holiday. 

If we were in a smaller room, we'd have had to take turns sitting by his bed in silence while he napped. 

It's a really easy place to visit

This was our first overseas trip with a baby, so I wanted it to be as easy as possible. My criteria were:

• Direct flight
• Less than four hours' flight
• English widely spoken
• Able to pre-book airport transfers
• Lots of advice online to read before we went
• Warm and sunny

Fiji ticked all those boxes, so it was a no-brainer. A perfect destination for our first foray into the chaotic world of travelling with kids in tow, this Fiji trip has given us the confidence to take more trips in the coming months. 

The writer travelled at her own expense but received a room upgrade from InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa an IHG Resort.

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