I loved this resort! Keep in mind this is an eco-resort, if you expect the same generic rooms and service that you get from any hotel or resort then this is not for you. But if you love adventure with more than enough luxury to satisfy anyone's basic needs then this is the place for you. The bures are clean and private. The staff are fun and colorful and very willing to help you with whatever you would like to do for the day. You can enjoy your day diving, hiking, fishing, visiting a native village, kava drinking, or just hanging out in the common area, the patio, or your private bure. The meals are shared in the common area with some of the staff and the other guests. Every night was different and interesting getting to meet new people and learning about different cultures. The diving is excellent and the dive masters plan the day according to the weather and dive experience. All in all this place is fantastic. I came with a friend and we had a great time, but this place would be excellent for couples as well. There was a variety of different people staying there while we were there.

We have just returned after ten days, 8 days diving, at Matava. We had a great time, the staff are excellent and interact with the guests as much as possible. The food is very good and there is plenty even for big eaters like us. The diving was great, Manta Reef we absolutely loved even though the manta were not present, the reef and fish there is breathtaking. There were also a lot of non-divers at the resort and they were having a great time as well with the village walks etc that you did not have to dig deep in your pockets for unlike a lot of other places that we have been.

The only tips we have is to take something warm in the winter for the nights and on the boat when you are out of the water, and, have a guide with you for the waterfall at the village. Overall we highly recommend the resort to divers and non-divers especially if you would like some peace and quiet with no television, phones, internet and a small number of guests.

I stayed at Matava for 5 days on a diving trip specifically to see the Manta Rays and wasn't disappointed at all having seen at least five swimming with us for nearly the whole hour we were underwater. Yes, some of the dives were average but I have done average diving all over the world. The dive equipment at the resort is rather average though and they don't rent computers so you may want to rent elsewhere.

I enjoyed staying at Matava as well as all guests tend to eat and socialise in the main bure for meals and we had a great group of people and great service from Maggie and crew. The location isn't for everyone and so if you need more comforts then this place isn't for you as it is a bit remote and I think can't always compensate for that. But this is the true fiji and away from it all. It was a great experience.

Our trip consisted of 5 nights at the Matava Eco Resort on Kadavu, three nights at the Pearl South Pacific, Pacific Harbour, Nadi and six nights at Paradise Tavenui on Tavenui.

The three islands each offered a different experience, which combined to make a wonderful trip.

On arrival in Kadavu, we were met by a member of the Matava staff and driven to a small harbour for the start of a 45 minute boat trip to the resort. We were warned that that the trip would be a wet one, so duly donned the wet weather gear provided. Whilst it did prove to be a wet journey, we enjoyed every minute as we anticipated our arrival at Matava. We weren’t disappointed. We were met by Maggie with the offer of a hot or cold drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and lunch. After a few formalities, Maggie escorted us to our Bure. With its wooden deck overlooking the ocean, it was the perfect setting.

The Bure was simply furnished. The dominant feature being the queen sized bed. It was clean and well-maintained.

In the evening (using Oil Lamps to light the way) we met the other guests and began to get to know them and the staff over a few drinks and our excellent dinner.

The following morning, after a simple, but more than adequate breakfast, we went out on our first dive trip.

The boat was suited to around 6-8 divers. It had an awning to provide shade and protection from the rain (which we experienced quite a bit of throughout our stay in Fiji), but no facilities for cameras. That said this didn’t prove a problem.

We undertook 10 dives in total. The only site which we dived twice was Manta Point, which was on our final day’s diving. On our first dive of the morning we were privileged to witness a solitary Manta, which spent around 20 minutes in the area. The dive site, with or without mantas, was the best we experienced on this bit of our trip. The corals were in excellent condition and the fish life was abundant. We’ve never seen so many anemone fish together in a single area. It was very special. This sentence really describes Matava for us. We loved the fact that it was out of the way, that you had to make an effort to get there. We liked the simplicity. The staff were great. They were helpful, courteous, friendly and fun to be with. They genuinely wanted their guests to have the best possible time that they could.

It is certainly on our list of places to go back to.