Yasawa Island Resort

BULA VINAKA! Our family (ages 48-16; 6 of us, 3 separate bures) just returned from Yasawa Island Resort. Yasawa Island Resort exceeded our expectations on every level. From the moment we arrived we were welcomed as family, and made instant connections with the staff and guests. The resort has 18 bures, with a maximum occupancy of less than 40 guests, which made for the most authentic, intimate and most amazing experience we could’ve ever dreamed of. I am a travel agent and have been fortunate to travel to many amazing places the last 25 years. (It is worth mentioning that I was not paid, nor encouraged to write this review, and in fact I paid for our stay, it was not comped, so please don't think I am being biased on my review). Fiji, specifically Yasawa, has become my new favorite destination. What makes Fiji so special is their people and their genuine happiness. I have never met such amazingly beautiful people as I have in the islands. Yasawa Island Resort is authentic, rustic, and a true Fijian experience. They are not the Four Seasons, nor should they be, nor should other people on here be comparing them to chain resorts. If that is what you are looking for, don't stay here, you are not the right fit to experience this magical place. They are a small family run resort that employs people from the surrounding villages. Prior to Yasawa, our family stayed at a resort in the Coral Coast...it was massive, had great accommodations, yet tons of people, and felt like we were at a mega resort in a typical destination like Hawaii. Once we arrived to Yasawa it truly felt like we were in Fiji...finally! The resort is on a remote island in the middle of the south Pacific that feels like you may be the only people staying at the resort. The bures are large, clean and comfortable, and just steps away from the beach. I will suggest booking or upgrading to the deluxe beachfront bure if you can. The bure suite category was great, but the deluxe is even better and worth the splurge. The a/c in all bures works well, but you are in the tropics, and it is hot and humid so don't expect it to be something impossible to achieve. We ran the fans and also requested an additional fan, which helped. There are geckos and a spider or two in the bures...they don't bother you if you don't bother them. If these critters, or lack of a blasting a/c unit are going to ruin your trip, I suggest not going to a tropical destination. Bring mosquito spray and use it. We were there after big rain storms and the mosquitos were prevalent. Definitely didn't damper our experience, but it's worth mentioning. The staff at Yasawa are AMAZING! I could go on and on about the connections we made with each person. The meals were great, we never had a bad meal. The seafood platter was incredible. The cappuccinos at breakfast were dreamy. Manasa and his wife (I could cry) worked tirelessly to make sure our family of 6 was taken care morning to night. We have a pic

We stayed here for 3 nights on our 7 night Fiji holiday. The resort itself is set along the beach with each Bure having direct beach front access. The beach is great although you need to be selective where you swim as most areas have strong waves and rips. The location is remote but beautiful. Access is by small single or twin engine 8-10 seater planes assuming the grass air***** is not too wet or muddy. The return plane trip was my favorite part of the stay! The room we had was large and spacious, except the tiny single toilet, clearly the designer forgot this and it went in as an afterthought. The room was clean tidy and nicely decorated. Daily cleaning and turndown service very good. Indoor and outdoor showers a nice touch. The rooms do not have internet, and 3g barely works either. For internet you need to be near the pool or restaurant. This is meant to be a selling point so you disconnect! The rooms are hot, the wind Dora’s not help there is one small air on unit in the room which is way too small to cool the massive room (70+ SQM). This meant 3 sleepless nights just sweating. The other main issue is the food. The selection is poor 2 starters and 2 deserts and 3 mains. Plus traditional long table Fiji night on a Tuesday which had the best tasting food of our stay. The limited menu is all you have as this is a full service catered resort there are no other options. Local staff are pleasant but forgetful. So the price charged is excessive and the service especially food is poor.

Luxurious resort . Amazing location. Warm waters wonderful snorkeling and water sports. Bure accommodation you couldn’t fault. Food and staff tremendous. A treasure highly recommend. We went at monsoon time but still found that we could do most things but I’m sure it would be even better during the high season.

I love Fiji!!! This was my 7th trip to Fiji and each time I like to visit a different island and am never disappointed. We had been wanting to get to the Yasawa Islands for a few years and it was well worth the wait. To fly over this tropical paradise and arrive at a remote island set the scene with the very unique air*****. We were greeted with the usual infectious smiles, cool towel and flowers as we were driven to the resort. Here it felt like the entire team came out and welcomed us which was lovely. The setting is a visual delight and the resort is relaxed and intimate with such low numbers of guests. We loved our bure which was so spacious, surrounded by Frangipani trees (my favorite) and views of the ocean. We instantly felt relaxed and wasted no time exploring our home for the next week. I cannot fault anything about this gorgeous resort. The food was delicious and so much at each meal with the freshest seafood. There were enough activities to keep us busy, from stunning private beach picnics, a Blue Lagoon excursion, spa treatments, snorkeling, village visits, walks to look outs, volleyball etc. but you could do as much or as little as you liked. It took a cyclone to slow us down as it approached the island and we loved this. The Yasawa Island resort team took every safety precaution and were incredibly professional in their approach to this weather event and we never felt worried. This is their home and they have lived through this many times and know what they are doing. They still managed a high level of service during this time. It was wonderful to meet all the team and have a chat about the history of the resort especially Manasa and Wati and what they created. Even meeting the current owner and the management made our stay feel even more personal with a real connection. This fabulous holiday just didn't seem long enough as I wanted this dream state I was in to continue but we were happy with the 9 nights we were lucky enough to enjoy. It was then time to say goodbye and as the team at Yasawa Island resort gathered to sing Isa Lei I cried at the beauty of their voices and the longing for this incredibly happy feeling to continue. I loved this wonderful resort and all the awesome people we met. Thank you thank you thank you Vinaka Vakulevu and we hope one day to return to your beautiful Island.

Yasawa Island Resort is remote and offers all of the luxury you would expect on a beach vacation, we don't normally stay at all-inclusive resorts, but this resort is truly an exception, the meals were very good, the seafood platter is out of this world and the private beach get-a-ways were the highlight of our trip! The staff cannot be more accommodating to your needs! The open air spa is a real treat, ask about their entire stay special for daily services at fixed price. The Bula's are very spacious and both my wife and I loved the outdoor shower! This is not the Ritz or Four Seasons, but if you want to really unplug and enjoy the beauty of Fiji and its people than this resort should be your choice.

What can you say about this place....one wod, Perfect. Treated so well from the time we arrived until we left. Staff are so friendly and helpful, dining and drinking was top notch. Byres really good as well, albeit no internet or tv in them - that means you have to turn off and relax. Can not fault this place, will be back.

Welcome to Paradise. We arrived to this remote island and we were just flashed by the beautiful beaches, very charming hotel but primarily we were impressed by the extremly friendly staff. The resort just slows you done very quickly and you just can enjoy. You can stay by yourself or you can participate to the activities (Picnics, divings, snorkelling, cave visits and many more. The staff is very helpful and does the job with a smile. They are all in our hearts. We definetly felt to be part of a family. Vinaka vaka levu for the wonderful week at your home.

Wow, what to say. A lot of positives, a few minor negatives that I’ll mention last. The resort staff is amazingly friendly and accommodating. They mean it when they say you’re part of the family. Went out of their way to make sure everything was going well and you were enjoying you’re time. Limited people, so you’re not fighting for dinner seats or pool chairs. The Burre was fantastic. Spacious, a large sitting area and the bed room and bed was large and comfortable. Spacious bathroom, two sinks so plenty of counter space for the ladies. Double shower, as well as an outdoor shower. The AC is not going to freeze you out, but once you figure the most effective way to use the small AC, ceiling fans and widows the room is very comfortable. The AC unit is situated to blow across the bed, so it and a single sheet and you’re fine at night. The Burre is quiet, and all have a beach Burre if you want to sit and watch the waves. The meals were exceptional. Delicious, plenty of variety thru the week and the Chef takes great pride in plating. All dinners were three course (scrumptious appetizers, main course and some amazing deserts). The food was always a visual treat, as well as a treat for the palate. One warning, we’ve eaten crab legs all over, but we have never encountered crab shells as tough to break as Fiji. They say it's the water and heat. But the seafood platter they offer is excellent despite the extra work.

We had a very nice time. However, this is not a 5-star resort. The biggest issue is the claim of air-conditioned bures. There are no windows, just screens with wood louvers that are old and don't work well. The A/C is a small unit near the bed, which cools just enough that you can be comfortable if you sleep with just a sheet (polyester/cotton). But the waterproof mattress sleeps hot and any movement is transmitted to your partner. The result is less than ideal sleep, which is disappointing on any vacation. The lack of Wi-Fi in the rooms was not a problem for us. However, they ask guest not to use electronic devices while dining, which is the only area there is Wi-Fi. It's a bit awkward. The pool is salt water, and not the kind used for generating chlorine. It is full-on ocean salt water, although well sanitized. Beach towels are scarce, there are none by the pool, best to bring them from your room. Pool furniture is tired, and although they have pads and nice terry covers, they only put the covers out on one of the days of our stay. We probably could have asked but didn't bother. Food was good overall, and service was attentive, but it is inconvenient to get bar beverages. Apparently they are forbidden from drinking by their village Chief. Thus the bar tenders are inexperienced and the cocktails are hit and miss. Because they charge for drinks, they should be better. We felt that every cocktail was a mocktail. Excursions can only be scheduled the evening before. This system pits guests against each other for available slots and times, although they worked hard to accommodate every request, even on checkout days. They took us on the cave tour the morning of our checkout day which worked well. Snorkeling at Yasawa is magnificent, as are the beaches. There are no difficult currents, so venturing out a bit was easy and relaxing. It's the best snorkeling we have ever seen off of a beach. We loved the beach and snorkeling, and will likely return to Yasawa for that reason. We just hope we can sleep a little better next time.