fiji suggestions

Hi, I know that there is already a lot of information about Fiji on this board, but I have some questions that I had not yet seen addressed. I was wondering if some resorts I had heard about would be suitable for a trip I am planning with my wife, who is also a diver. She has multiple sclerosis (MS), and is not able to walk up and down too many stairs (10-15 are okay), or over uneven terrain, or over long distances. It is fine if the resort is on a hillside or is spread out, provided that some of the lodging is at sea level and close to the restaurant and boat pier (and bar). Incidentally, she can do fine in the water and is a strong swimmer and diver; the walking problem is a question of balance, and that is not a factor in the water (one of the reasons that we love diving). Luxurious and expensive is fine. So is rustic and inexpensive.

I have received a few suggestions and am curious as to whether anyone has been to them, and can comment on the experience, and how suitable they are for our circumstances. Also, we would prefer that the boat rides to the dive sites not be too long (say less than half an hour on average).

The suggestions that have come up are (1) Matangi Island Resort, (2) Beqa Lagoon Resort, and (3) Vatulele Island Resort. Any feedback is appreciated. If any others come to mind, that would be great, too. Thanks,

Erwin

I probably won't be of much help as I've only done one trip to Fiji---so far. Last January our group did a week at the Pearl South Pacific on Vite Levu and the second week at the Garden Island Resort on Taveuni.

Being a slightly older fellow I really liked the atmosphere an closenes of things at the Garden Island Resort. It isn't plush or anything even close to plush. What it is is just like a two story motel along the road with greenery separating it from the road. 30 rooms in all with 15 up and 15 down. Did I say closeness? The whole resort isn't more than 100 yards long which includes the dive shop area. Walk out your sliding door and be only 25' from the water.

The staff is as friendly as anywhere I've been to date. From day one the know and address you by first name. The food was good, ordered from a menu and freshly cooked. No buffet here. Drinks were not part of our AI package except for water, iced tea and coffee. Breakfast was continental unless you wanted to order. We wanted to dive so food was not a priority.

The place and people are really laid back. I am slightly handicapped myself with a bad back so don't look for much nightlife. There are some excursions you can book. I can't help with this as I was too busy just laying back in a hammock being away from the hustle and bustle of home.

The diving included 2 tanks a day from their fast boats. Boats aren't small, just fast. The DM's were as helpful and attentive as any I've ever seen, in the water and out. They showed their appreciation at all times. There were six divers in our group and four DM's. Talk about cool. In fact we were the only ones at the resort.

Our surface interval was done on a distant island (really cool) and the staff did not really set much of a time limit. Most were around 1 to 1 1/2 hours. During that time we could chill out in the shade, snorkel with some native children or whatever we wanted. They always provided us with some sort of snack which included home made cookies and drinks. Did I mention "laid back"?

Once we arrived we never had to touch our gear except to don and doff it. It is rinsed daily even including our wetsuits. Then placed in the dive shop overnight. There is shore diving, but tanks are only available during shop hours which closes at 5:00.

All in all, it depends on what you are looking for. The diving as excellent and then there was the relaxation period afterward. If you want night life or excitement this is not the place. If you want some world class diving in a relaxed atmosphere it may be what you are looking for. Would I go back? In a minute. I'm just salivating thinking about it.

Hi Erwin,

I've been to Fiji many times and highly recommend it for the diving and friendly atmosphere.

Unfortunately I have only stayed at one of the locations you are inquiring about.

I stayed at Matangi Island Resort about 3 or 4 years ago. I think the resort would be good for most of your concerns. The resort is fairly flat with dirt pathways and you could book one of the bures close to the restaurant and dive shop. I think I remember boarding their boats from the sand (no dock) so check with them if thats an issue.

There is a lot of travel time involved. Once you get to Nadi you still have the plane to get to Taveuni with multiple stops, van from the airport to the beach and a boat to the island.

If you do decide to go there I'm sure they will make you stay as comfortable as posable.

Have a great trip,

Todd

My wife and I have stayed at both Matagi (the original spelling - they added the "n" so people from the US could figure out how to say the name) and Vatulele multiple times.

Matagi is nice - the Douglas family run it both as a resort and their home, so everything is well looked after and the service remains of a high quality. The resort area is flat, but the island itself has areas with hiking trails that are quite steep & lengthy (purely optional). The diving is good, and they are now offering to arrange longer trips to Somosomo (full day trips). They are one of the few left that will dive Noel's Wall (named after Noel Douglas, now commonly known as Purple Wall) which is well beyond the old Forbes resort. This dive (at the right time w/the currents) is as good as almost anything in the Somosomo.

The only caution I would give is the traveling to get there. As mentioned previously, you fly into Nadi (usually arriving at night). Then you take a smaller plane (which will have steps up to the cabin) to Taveuni (with a stop first at Savusavu). From the Taveuni airport (really just a large shack) you take a short van ride (somewhat bumpy) to either an old dock or the beach for a 20 min boat ride to Matagi. One at least one end of this part of the trip you will likely have to wade into the water to get/in of the boat.

Vatulele is a 5+ star boutique resort that sits on it's own island south of Viti Levu. Because it is really the top of an underwater rock formation it (suprisingly) has several areas with nice walls, and each of the very small (like tiny) islands just away from Vatulele each provide some interesting formations to dive.

The diving here is actually very (very) good. We've seen many more pelagics here than at Matagi (including yearly sightings of very large 10ft+ Guitarfish lying in the sand). You also can see many more sharks here than in the north (but they are small, usually white tips and maybe a few Grey reefies). There are also more turtles, and you do get more of the critters you find elsewhere in Fiji (like scorpion leaf fish, etc.). What you don't get here is the volume of soft corals that you would see at Matagi (although smaller outcroppings exist).

From a diving perspective, neither Matagi nor Vatulele will compare to Namenalala or what you would see on the Nai'a (liveaboard) but I don't think either of these options would be great for your wife (Namenalala is a beautiful island w/amazing diving, but there's not a flat consecutive 3 ft on the island (except for the 7 secluded beaches), and there are over 100 stairs to/from the dock)

The reason to dive Vatulele is that you can do anything you want. The resort is set up to pamper to the wishes of the guests (because of the price you pay ~1Kk/night). Your wife would be extremely well taken care of here (essentially dive where you want, when you want for the most part). We've had the dive boat to ourselves on many days...

The food is outstanding (and you can order anything, on or off the menu), the wine cellar is the largest in Fiji, and the overall "experience" is what they are known for - you will not have a bad time here. This used to be the highest rated resort in Fiji, but over the last several years places like Wakaya (another place you should look into) have taken the lead (by being a little more over the top in what they offer honeymoon guests, which is the majority of the guests these types of resorts draw).

Only 1 warning: Vatulele gets a very mixed international (and somewhat well off crowd). This was always part of the appeal for us (liked meeting new people, for example Australia's #1 Elvis impersonator - he's made $M's from this - go figure). You will likely meet some folks that are a little "different" - everyone here has money, and they come to Vatulele because they don't want to think about anything for a week or two. Because dinner is served primarily at the long communal table you will spend time w/these folks (at least once a day) and some of these characters will likely emerge... it's one of the charms of the place (and one the things that the original owners tried to foster...it always felt like a very serious party was threatening to break out after each dinner). The resort is now run by the same folks who run Soneva Fushi (which we've also visited in the Maldives). This likely means there is a little more focus on privacy and "calmness" - but I don't know...

I have been to Beqa and Garden Island. Beqa is flat but spread out. However there are bures that are close to the restaurant and boats. There is no dock. One must take a small boat to the dive boat.

Regards,

Thanks very much for all of the helpful responses. Incidentally, getting onto small planes is not a problem; we do that all of the time. We just take it slow, and it is no problem. Resorts that have lots of steps that have to be navigated repeatedly are the problem. All three resorts sound good, and I will keep looking, too. After we have tried a liveaboard closer to home, we will also see about one in Fiji, if it seems like something we would like to repeat (my guess is that we will).

Erwin

Hi Erwin - just to add to Matt's (oneyellowtang) comprehensive information above, we just returned from Namenalala on our honeymoon in Fiji and ended up leaving the island earlier than planned. The other islands we visited (Navutu Stars and Taveuni) were superb and we loved them. The diving at Namenalala certainly had huge potential and the Nai'a was diving the same sites we were diving from the island. Unfortunately Cyclone Gene ripped through Fiji while we were there and the water was really murky. However, the soft corals and marine life were superb. We saw turtles and sharks and had some great experiences, but the particulate matter in the water and the currents, which were topsy turvy as a result of the storm, made photography a challenge.

Another point worth mentioning is that for honeymooner's, Namenalala probably isn't the most private experience you can have. The bures are certainly well separated from one another (by several hundred metres), but for meals, there are immutable scheduled meal times and the owners eat with you on the same table . Now I enjoy a chatting to people and resort owners as much as anyone, but on your honeymoon, sometimes it is nice to have a little quiet romance. We ended up requesting some romantic dinners alone and I think they thought we were wierd, but at least they obliged. We still had breakfast and lunch with the owners each day, but I would probably have preferred not to watch as bits of food escaped from their mouths while they talked with their mouths full...but maybe I'm a bit sensitive...

On a lighter note - we found Navutu Stars in the Yasawa's to be a fantastic place. The italian owners ran a resort with superb service, beautiful rooms and a friendly relaxed atmosphere. Meal times were flexible, there was no obligation to eat with the owners and they treated their staff with respect. The diving probably isn't up to Namenalala standards, but there are other considerations...

We also loved Taveuni Island Resort - not as rustic as Matangi, but amazing bures consisting of several rooms and beautiful views.

I'm sure Vatulele would be wonderful too if you can afford it.

Good luck with your decision. Feel free to PM if you need more info.

but I would probably have preferred not to watch as bits of food escaped from their mouths while they talked with their mouths full...but maybe I'm a bit sensitive...

With a remark like that, I take it that you were not recruited to help promote the resort?

With a remark like that, I take it that you were not recruited to help promote the resort?

Suspect I'm probably off the recruitment list now...

You might consider the Matei Point area of Taveuni. We stayed at Maravu and there are several places to stay in that area. Karin's Place has almost no walking but no restaurant and you must like dogs as theirs runs around a lot.

There is diving and restuarants close by. The main benefit to you is all can be had with taxi service and 18 months ago, taxi service was about $1.50/trip (not per person) so while all is too far to walk, all is easy to reach. The taxi ride is 2-3 minutes more or less. You will want to contact Maravu to make certain they can have you stay very close to the main bldg.

Maravu has dining but is quite pricey. We had breakfast included with the room and dined out the rest of the time. Food in the area was reasonable.

Diving the SomoSomo strait was a kick. No big one's but many many smaller fish. I loved it.

I dove Swiss Fiji Divers which I hear has gone under. They had the best boats by far so you might want to see if another dive business bought their boats.

Just one thought to consider.