We were a group of 10 friends/5 couples staying at Yasawa in early May. We were warmly welcomed from Maggie's help at the airport getting us all together ready for our flight over on the caravan, to pick up from the runway, and welcome song at the reception area. The bures were huge and stunning, all located on the beachfront. The food at the restaurant was delicious and there was a good variety every day, with plenty of fresh seafood and options for the vegetarian and gluten free among us. There were activities to suit everyone every day, including snorkeling, diving, cave and village trips, volleyball, cava ceremony, private beach picnics, beach dinners, chilling by the pool, massages and spa treatments and every staff member we interacted with was friendly, warm and helpful, going above and beyond. The island itself is absolute paradise - clear turquoise waters, sandy beaches, cliffs, greenery... you'll never want to leave. Most importantly, the Yasawa team made it such a special experience. A huge thanks to Kerry, Mark, Aku, Marley, Onny and the Spa team, all the kitchen and bar staff, reception, and everyone else - too many to name! Vinaka vaka levu for an unforgettable holiday. You truly accommodated us a group whilst also looking after all of your other guests as couples, making it work for everyone. We had a brilliant time and would come back again every year if we could! Peace, smiles and dilo trees… sota tale…
We loved being with the family there, & electing to pay for everything inclusive, but the hotel lacks any refinement. She is a tired old girl. Our rooms were so shabby, & as for the villas tucked away beside the hotel, they were awful. Curtains hanging off, dirty cushions, we were surprised they were even being used. Family members were bitten alive by mosquitoes 🦟 too. Orders for food and drinks poolside were often forgotten or muddled up. Such lovely waiters, but totally struggled. The restaurants were lovely, & the food fantastic. Did Covid testing really well. Lovely ladies.
Upon arrival, the Staff was very warm and welcoming. This feeling continued throughout our stay. Whether while dining, swimming chatting, etc., the staff were the nicest people we have ever met! They are very willing and pleased to help whenever they can. We began to feel a part of the Yasawa family and not just guests. The room (Bure) was outstanding with all the amenities. In all of our travels, we have never seen and experienced such a beautiful place. Cannot think of anything we didn't like. We found that the sincere and contagious joy and happiness of the staff was incredible. We are definitely going back!!
We booked the Honeymoon Burre, the only one with a private pool on its own private beach. This was AMAZING! It had a huge patio, infinity pool, outdoor shower, outdoor dining area, hammock, separate indoor living room, and a private beach surrounded by lava rock formations and mountains. It was a little slice of heaven. The resort provides pick up and drop off from this Burre to the rest of the resort by request due to its remote location. But the spa is a 15 minute beachfront walk if you prefer. Make sure to take advantage of the blue lagoon cave tour, the snorkeling trip as well as snorkeling off the beach which is amazing. You can also schedule a private beach picnic (they drop you off by boat on your own private beach and provide your food & drinks) as well as a private ocean front dinner. Finally, don’t miss the trip to the village! Sala, Lela, Joe and Adi at reception went above and beyond to make our stay wonderful! We saw Kerry, the new general manager, every day. She was always two steps ahead ensuring we were taken care of. Sita and Jerry in the restaurant greeted us with smiles every single day! They were genuinely warm and friendly. Smiga was a hoot! We loved having him as our tour guide for the village and blue lagoon cave. Last but definitely not least Neomi and Liz, our masseuses, were phenomenal!! They were key in our relaxation! We had an amazing time from the beauty of the land & sea surrounding us, to the food, and most importantly the staff who are native to Fiji and made us feel like family. They shared their stories, culture, and their village with us. It was a very sad goodbye when we left and we will not hesitate to return!…
The resort is looking extremely tired and as our fellow guests pointed out, needs a lot of work. It has a beautiful location, but the grounds need attention and furnishings in the foyer and restaurant are dark and dated, lacking that tropical feel. The paths to the bures are potholed and dirty and very slimy in the wet. Our bure itself was large and spacious, but the water pressure was abysmal, making hair washing difficult and there was a leak in the toilet floor every time it rained. The thatch on the roof had broken down, exposing the white corrugated iron underneath, which looked pretty awful and the timber on the deck was grey and weathered. Because the resort is small, facilities are limited. There is only one pool, and one place to eat. There were only four other couples there during our stay, so we got to know each other well which was really nice. The owner of the Resort was there at the time of our stay but several of the guests expressed disappointment that he hadn’t come over during “Management Cocktail Hour” to say hello. Fortunately the rest of the staff at the Resort were very friendly and helpful and the meals were pretty good, although we were surprised that the Resort didn’t catch fresh seafood and the fruit was pretty sparse. Generally though we enjoyed our meals, which were all inclusive. (Alcohol is extra) Overall this resort did not live up the expectation of luxury. For such an expensive stay, I could not recommend. …
My wife and I have just spent the most amazing time away at Yasawa Island. The accommodation was really nice and spacious. The food is out of this world. We both met 2 of the Chef's who gave us cooking demonstrations on 2 seperate day's. The food is cooked fresh and they use mostly local ingredients. We both have travelled to Fiji around 8 times but this holiday was out of this world. The staff who mostly come from the local village really made our experience amazing. The spa treatments we had every day from Mariah and her staff were so amazing. All the staff get to know your name and make your holiday a experience you will never forget. Marley and Smiga from the boating and Kava drinking ceremony's are both real charters and made our holiday something we will never forget.
First of all, the poor rating is not a reflection on the staff from the local Yasawa villages who were gracious hosts in their slice of paradise they call home. They are the ones that would always bring smiles to our faces during our stay. The management of the resort however, lack communication skills and do not try to help their guests when things go wrong. Weather issues forced us to delay our arrival by one day into the island. Lack of communication from management and staff in Nadi regarding this forced us to stay a night in Nadi - at our expense. This then caused several couples to all be affected the following day to get in and out of the island. Understand that you cannot control the weather, especially during the wet season, but the non existence of a Plan B, Plan C or even Plan D made this situation a nightmare. After getting written confirmation that it would all be sorted whilst in the island for management, this was not the case. The constant shrugging of responsibility from the General Manager at the resort affected the ability of the 5+ couples who were all affected by the "free transfers" into the island to truly relax and unwind at the resort. Whenever pressed for answers about if we were going to pay for transport that was included in our all inclusive stay, the answer we kept getting was "it will be sorted" "relax, you are in Fiji" "don't worry, it will all be taken care off" Nothing truly was taken care off as now we are all back home, battling with insurance companies to receive partial refunds for this additional costs. For example, two couples on the same helicopter flight got quoted two completely different costs. One got to travel for free, while the other couple have had to pay $FJ1900 for exactly the same service. Having said all, the food was good, the mocktails were excellent. The local staff do make you feel part of their family, and they succeed. The management of this resort have a lot of work to do, and for that reason I would not recommend staying here. I'm sure that the majority of guest during our stay while at the resort are of the same opinion.…
It’s with a heavy heart that I write this review. On one hand Yasawa Island resort will live in my memories forever as my partner and I got engaged during our stay, which was absolutely magical. On the other, the management of this venue is its downfall, and completely overshadowed the enjoyment of our visit. My partner and I booked via booking.com an all inclusive stay, which much to our surprise also included transfers to and from Nadi airport. When we arrived at the airport for our scheduled time we were greeted by Maggie, who had been communicating with us for transfer arrangements. We were told that the flight had been cancelled as the airstrip on Yasawa was waterlogged, but a helicopter had been organized. We were none the wiser, it seemed like standard process, and we started boarding procedures, and met a couple who we would be sharing the helicopter with. We were then advised of an additional cost, but we explained that flight transfers were included, but we were dismissed and told “we will sort it out with Andrew (General Manager) when you get there” When we arrived we were greeted with a lovely welcome song from the local staff, who were genuinely excited to have tourists at their island. Nothing was mentioned about the helicopter, and additional costs, so we began our stay, and explored this piece of paradise. As the days progressed the feeling with many groups was the inconsistent message about the flight transfers, and confrontations that exiting guests were receiving with additional costs of up to $1,500 placed onto their bills, even though they also had included flight transfers. Our whole stay was consumed by not knowing how we were going to leave, and there was next to no communication about this. When we requested more information, we were dismissed and told “its a constantly moving target”, and we would know on the morning of departure. We were charged additional for our flights when we checked out, but advised that we should follow up a claim through our insurance. It seems this resort relies on travelers to cover the cost of their incompetence, and false advertisement. Every couple / group who stayed at the same time as us were charged for their “free flights”. I have since read many reviews where previous customers have had similar situations. The owner clearly takes zero responsibility for offering a service that will not be fulfilled in wet season, so this truly is a buyers beware scenario. Food was great Accommodation was great Housekeeping was fantastic Activities staff were fantastic Location was outstanding Management was terrible.…
Pricey, but You Pay for what you get, my wife, 1 year old daughter and I went during there once a year family time all inclusive in Dec- jan 2020 and we were impressed. Once our chartered flight with island hoppers landed we were transported through the jungle in a mini van hot and sweaty to the resort, it was like something you would watch on discovery chanel travelling up and down this dirt road mountain for 20 minutes to be brought to 5 star result resort that in the end you didn’t want to leave. Staff, service, bungalows, breakfast, lunch, dinner, deserts and resort itself was everything you would expect from 5 star resort yet Ridiculously remote, everyday we had a beach to ourselves, some days we thought we were the only ones there. New Years celebrations were impressive for an island. We strongly recommend putting this one on your list. We Look forward to our next time there again. …
The stay at Yasawa Island Resort was phenomenal, the staff were so friendly and accommodating, food was delicious with such great choice and variety each day. We stayed in a beachfront bure and the view was so worth it! We enjoyed the day trips to the caves and the beach picnic. We just wish we stayed longer to enjoy the resort more.
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