The Wakaya Club. Okay, how do I begin? First, I think this property is probably the BEST facility in all of Fiji. It is welcoming and private and intimate. There are only nine casitas and the caliber of the guests is top notch and respectful of others' privacy. As a result, some of the most wealthy, influential and famous people in America, even the world, will most likely be there during your stay. While we were there, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher arrived.
We thoroughly enjoyed the facilities and the breadth of activities available. We dove twice every day, and the staff met our timetable. The dive staff was very accommodating in this regard, and the diving was some of the best we've done. BEAUTIFUL! Also, they afford two private reserved beaches complete with gourmet picnics. These are totally secluded, private beaches where you can be assued of absolutely NO interruptions. We took full advantage of this privacy. The spa facility is also impressive and newly updated. Mrs. Gilmore, the owner, has spared no expense at making the spa expiernce absolutely perfect!
Before I give you my impression of the "issues" with this property, I want to comment in defense of some of the other comments I have read by other posters. The casitas, to me, were in tip-top shape and well appointed. The bathrooms were in very nice condition and more than ample for my needs. I enjoyed the surround sound music throughout the building, including the lanai. And, we really liked the outdoor shower.
My concern with this property, however, is that small details in service are neglected. For instance on one of our picnics we specifically asked for two bags of ice and we were told they were in the ice box, but upon investigation when we finally got to the picnic beach we found that there weren't any bags of ice to be found. On another occassion, we asked for champagne and cheese to be delivered to our casita at a specific time, but the staff failed to perform. Similarly, we were never given updated and fresh soap or shampoo without having to specifically ask for more. And when we told the wait staff that we didn't want specific items on our plate when placing our orders at dinner or lunch, those items showed up on the plates anyway -- as if to defy our requests. These are only a few examples of the many we experienced. While these may seem like puny, little concerns they mean a lot when the management and property-owner tout the facility as one of the best in the world.
While this property has many, many amenities that put it in the upper echelon, we have to say that the lack of attention and follow-through with minute details makes all the difference. Until its staff learns how to cater to this level of patron, we must request that it be denied the status of "top". It is shameful, because there is really no excuse for the lack of attention to these types of details.
When one is on vacation and spending the type of dollar that this property commands, the last thing any patron wants to do is to have to worry about the details. Unfortunatley, at this property, you can't count on your requests being put into practice exactly as you have requested them to be. We'd still recommend this property to anyone wanting to visit Fiji, but we'd warn you to second guess the staff.
