Viti Levu, the largest island, is where most visitors spend their time. It is divided into three basic areas: around the city of Suva (on the east, the wettest and most humid side); near Nadi (west, the driest); and the Coral Coast (on the dry southwest side).
Two main roadways on the island connect Suva and Nadi. On the south, the paved Queen's Road follows the Coral Coast, winding past reefs, lagoons, ordinary island life and Pacific Harbour, a real-estate development that is home to an excellent golf course and the Arts Village cultural center. Nadi is Fiji's tourist hub, but the Coral Coast has a collection of modern resorts. There is a converted sugar train that runs from the Coral Coast to Natadola Beach, the best of Viti Levu, for a day trip of picnics and swimming. Several large resorts are under construction at Natadola as part of a huge tourism development project that will continue until 2017.
The more rugged—although it's mostly paved—King's Road runs along the northern coast and passes through Ba (sugar plantations), Tavua (a good marketplace) and Naiserelagi (beautiful frescoes in the village's Church of St. Xavier). In wet weather, avoid driving on the winding unpaved section along the Wainibuka River—it can be dangerous. If you don't have a car, you can easily travel from Lautoka to Suva in a day by public bus, passing Rakiraki, where a charming colonial-era hotel has modern motel rooms in the back, should you decide to stop.