Where do I start? We spent 10 days at Naigani last March. Our good diving friends from New Zealand booked there and we joined them. (They got a great timeshare rate through RCI but we paid retail.) For most of the trip we were the only Americans on the island - most were Aussies, Kiwis (New Zealand), and there was one couple from Germany. By the time we left we were good friends with most of them, with offers to stay with them if in their countries.
Getting to the island was a challenge. After an all-night flight from LA and a morning connecting flight from Nadi to Suva, we spent 4-5 hours in the tiny Suva airport waiting for the Naigani van. (Our travel agent had been there before but they picked him up right away!) When it finally arrived, we embarked on a 1-1.5 hour trip, much of it on unpaved, rutted roads and going over scary little wooden bridges to get to a tiny pier. Then you board the resort's boat and travel a half hour to Naigani.
The "resort" is not fancy - it is reminiscent of going to camp for adults. Power is run by a generator which goes off every afternoon from 2-5 to recharge. It is very low key - no one wears makeup or even gets dressed in more than shorts and a top, even for dinner. There are about 18 units and the only other inhabitants of the island live in a village on the other side of the island - I think 13 families representing 4 Christian religions. They hold services in the living rooms of their tiny shacks on Sunday and resort guests are welcome.
The rooms and resort are not air conditioned, but there are ceiling fans. Our bed was very soft, but our friends had a better bed. Each unit had a kitchenette but you need to bring any food as the gift shop had almost nothing to buy. Not even postcards, bug spray, aspirin, etc. There are screens on the windows but mosquitoes are plentiful in Fiji 24 hours a day. I found Bug-n-Sun from Coppertone prevented both sunburn and bites at the same time. Mozzies will find any spot you miss - they're voracious.
We bought the meal plan - servings were huge, though sometimes unusual, but we never went hungry. Homemade bread was great at breakfast, plus eggs cooked to order, fruit, etc. There were 3-4 dishes available for lunch and 5-6 dishes available for dinner but you had to pre-order lunch and dinner at breakfast. If you had special dietary requirements, they would do their best to accommodate you with what they had on hand, but we didn't see a green salad the entire time we were there.
Nearly every evening in the bar the locals played Fijian music and shared a large Kava bowl with the guests. You could also buy beer, cocktails, etc., though they were often out of certain beers, mixers, etc. (Remember, they are on a tiny island with no store.)
The diving was absolutely fabulous - the BEST - tons of gorgeous fish, beautiful hard and soft corals. Also saw several blue ribbon eels and lots of scorpion fish, lion fish, etc. Fabulous! Only saw one small shark but no turtles. We never saw another dive boat at any dive site the entire time we were there, and we dove every day. We would go again, just for the fabulous diving.
If you don't dive, there is a nice clean pool with a slide, free kayaks to go around the island (takes about an hour), a "barefoot" golf course - I think 3 holes, deep sea fishing, fabulous snorkeling right oin front of the resort, hiking, etc. It is extremely quiet and low key.
The staff was wonderful - very friendly - and so were the other guests. By the end of your stay you will know the other guests by name as well as the staff. This is not upscale, but is a fun place to visit if you like peace and quiet. It's very safe, other than watching out for falling coconuts as you walk under the palms. And if you dive, this place is definitely worth a visit - Not fancy accommodations but truly 5-star diving! (But bring your own gear - their rental stuff is scary!)
