We stayed at Wakaya as part of our round the world trip. We have also stayed at many 5* hotels and this is definately one of the best. Food was delicous, even if you did not fancy something on the menu nothing was too much trouble for the chef/kitchen staff. Very peaceful and relaxing. We had the best time anyone could wish for. This is one resort everyone should visit.

The Wakaya Club had a beautiful website, promised 5 star treatment, so we booked a week there for our honeymoon this upcoming September. However, they botched everything so badly with reservations and billing that we decided that larger problems must be on the horizon, and decided to cancel with them and switch to another resort in FIji.

Here is the final email I sent to The Wakaya Club, I think it shows a general indifference and lack of organization that I did not expect from a luxury destination:

Hi there,

We are due a payment of the remaining balance back immediately. It is just perfect that you would charge my card early for $10,000, but then only refund me $7,000. Unbelievable bad, and believe me when I say I will try to spread the word about how TERRIBLE your customer service behaves. Before we've even arrived, might I say!

To recap:
1) We were submitted a formal quote and paid a 50% deposit through AMEX Fine Resorts and Hotels.
2) The following month when we called to extend our trip you said that you had made a billing error and in fact we owed you much more.
3) AMEX Fine Resorts and Hotels tried to straighten it out on our behalf, but you were unapologetic over the error.
4) I was faxed a balance payment authorization form for our balance payment due JUL 7th. I signed and returned it to you.
5) Upon receipt of the fax, you immediately charged me the balance $10,000 payment on May 4th, a full TWO months early from the contracted date.
6) AMEX Fine Resorts and Hotels again intervened on my behalf and requested that The Wakaya Club refund the early payment.
7) I received an email from The Wakaya Club stating they would refund $7,000 to me, because they had undercharged us before.
8) To that I said forget it, this is not worth $1900 per night to fight with the management of a supposed "five star" hotel in Fiji. Your organization has shown a general lack of regard for customer service and I believe the problems we've experienced are indicative of larger problems.

In short, please refund IMMEDIATELY the remaining $7,592.09 that we've paid. If this is not completed by end of day today I will proceed through fraud protection at AMEX.

Thanks!

Well, that's my summary of dealing with them. Awful. We rescheduled with a nearby luxury resort for about half the nightly rate, and they've been punctual and professional over the phone. Much appreciated after the above.

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.

Hello, I went to this hotel just before they were going to change bathrooms because they were too old...
I dont know if they made a really big, big change on everything but when I went that is what the hotel needed.
We paid a 800$ for the plane from Fiji airport to the island. The small and old plane where my wife and me, and another couple had to hold our luggage with our legs, a plane full of insects...
We arrived to a nice island and we were taken to our villa.
I've stayed at many hotels with better furniture for the tenth of the money, and what to say about the bathroom...when we asked how could the have that they said they were going to change them...(good but we were paying before the change...)
Food was very good.
Picnic in a private beach were great.
Service wasnt what you should expect.
Not worth the money at all.