Fiji conjures up images of white sandy beaches fringed with coconut trees, romantic moonlit walks along the shore, and the beaming smiles of locals as you join in their fireside songs.

For years Fiji has epitomised South Pacific island charm. Verdant green islands giving way to golden sandy beaches lapped by crystalline waters – Fiji really is paradise on earth. If movies are the stuff of dreams then it is clear why Brooke Shields frolicked in her birthday suit here in ‘Blue Lagoon’, why Tom Hanks was a castaway on a Fijian island and even why Jodie Foster, when she went to heaven in ‘Contact’, met her re-born father on a Fijian beach.

Whether old or young, active or in need of relaxation, Fiji has that magic allure that many destinations claim but few can really deliver. There are giant waterfalls, huge volcanic craters, remote villages, lush rainforests and coastal views one can normally only dream of. For the diving enthusiast there is not only the abundance of fabulous dive sites, including the world’s second largest barrier reef, and the colour schemes that earn the country the title of “The World’s Soft Coral Capital”, but also arguably the world’s best shark diving.