I escaped to Matanivusi from Suva for a weekend of relaxing and what a spot to relax! Brian and Donna and all the local staff are wonderful! There are a heap of activities to choose from including surfing, snorkelling, kayaking, stand up paddle boarding to name a few. The resort is small and hidden, which really makes you feel you are in the middle of beautiful nowhere. I highly recommend this spot for people looking for a home away from home style resort.

Matanivusi is a wonderfully designed small resort that respects the environment where it has been built. You can bearly see it from the sea.
The owners make you feel at home. The rooms/bures are big, comfortable and relaxing, with king size beds, yet you can go solo and only pay for yourself.
The beach is not for swimmimg, since there are rocks and seaweed but the lagoon is stunning and perfect for water sports, so you do not even miss that, you can just enjoy walking under the palm trees along the bay.
Only 10 rooms ensure relaxation and pacefulness.
The food is included in the price and could be the only thing they could improve, both quality and quantity.

We were a family of Mum/Dad and 3 young children (ages 5,4,1). We don’t surf but were tipped off by a friend who lives in Suva to stay here and we loved it. It didn’t matter we didn’t surf and we didn’t feel differentiated to any of the other guests because of this. We loved the low key atmosphere of the place, the pool, paddle boards, boat trips, kayaks, fishing, lazy beach time, afternoon sleeps, champagne sunsets. The design of the bures and overall resort has been very well thought through and really respects the environment. Loved the connecting doors between the bures – this allowed us to sleep the children in connecting bure and us to have a room. The staff are just beautiful and extremely accomodating. Nothing is a problem – they really do go out of there way to help but aren’t intrusive at all – you certainly feel relaxed and are given space for privacy ! The food is great and the kitchen staff were so lovely organising baby meals for me. I can’t really find any faults, only one annoyance and that was it seems they have resident dogs who really were a nuisance for us _ maybe this was because we had small children that I found this irritating….unfortunately it just took the edge of things for me. But really this place is 10 out of 10 in every way. A really really lovely holiday, worth every cent. definetly recommend.

My wife and I stayed at Matanivusi for six nights in May 2012 with our 19 month old daughter. The resort is great combination of luxury and activities - especially surfing - and it should definitely appease the partner of the serious surfer. Accommodation comprises well designed and immaculate bungalows a few feet from the lagoon beach. These are set in forest with boardwalks to the common restaurant and pool area.

The only other caveat I would add is that the resort’s design is not hugely toddler friendly with large drops of the sides of the unfenced desk and boardwalks. The upside though was being able to put our daughter down to sleep and go to diner without her every night (our bungalow was only 20 foot away). For anybody else sans toddler I highly recommend the resort.

The food at the resort was absolutely excellent and the staff were very good too (adept at amusing my daughter as well). I really liked the fact that the local Fijians that work at Matanivusi seem to enjoy engaging with the guests and taking them to visit their village. It’s not forced or cheesy unlike some of the big so called “5 star” resorts.

Lunch and dinner is communal eating, which I liked, but it may not appeal to everybody. The owner Donna is a great lady (unfortunately her husband was away we when we stayed) and has plenty of good stories to regale the guests with.

There are a number of activities on offer or lazing by the pool for the more sedentary. The resort is situated on a tidal lagoon, so some water activities such as snorkelling or stand up paddle boarding need the high tide (and accessing surf breaks such as Frigates in the bigger boat also needs the high tide). There are some sandy little beaches in the lagoon though.

The surf gods didn’t really come to the party the week I was there but I still managed to surf every day in 1-3 foot waves, which were the remnants of the prior week bigger swell. There was next to no crowd (I surfed Frigates Passage at 2-3 foot with only three others in the water) and another couple of breaks I surfed closer to the resort were fun. So no complaints.

I would love to get back there again some time soon!