Yasawa Island Resort & Spa

A wonderful unique experience in a tropical secluded resort like no other! Where we got to have our own secluded white sand miles of beach for the day, with snorkeling where giant squid and clams were spotted along with all the amazing colorful corals and aquarium fish! Back by the resorts boat to enjoy the excellent messages side by side on our bungalows deck! And then off to enjoy an awesome cuisine with friendly staff attending and watch the sun set! Then to retire to one of only 18 beautiful bungalows tucked along the sea front. An awesome experience we would recommend for those looking for a tropical escape in a luxury resort!

My wife and I just enjoyed a one-week stay at the Yasawa Island Resort. Our experience was entirely favorable from start to finish. The first thing I will say is that I am in complete disbelief that there are reviews here that complain about the food and the service. Our experience with the food and the service was stellar in every way. The food was excellent without exception, with three meals per day provided at this all-inclusive resort. The breakfast was standard fare, eggs, omelets, avocado toast, oatmeal, yogurt, and sides such as bacon or hash browns or smoked salmon. There were numerous menu choices and a daily breakfast special available. Lunch was a two course meal with a main and a dessert. The menu only had three items for the main course and two items for the dessert, but the menu changed daily so that there was always something new to try and never any repeats on the menus throughout the week. The mains always included a seafood dish, a different protein dish - either beef or chicken or pork, or a vegetarian dish. The dessert choices were always delicious. Dinner was a three course meal with two choices for appetizer, three choices for the main, and two choices for dessert. Again, the menu rotated every day so we never had the same offerings twice. The presentation and plating of the meals was very impressive, what one might expect in a very upscale restaurant. The food was delicious and we found ourselves often trading plates halfway through in order to enjoy the other meal option. We can't make enough positive comments about the food. The service at the restaurant was leisurely paced. Some might say slow but I would disagree. It was a leisurely pace that allowed us to enjoy every bite and totally enjoy the surroundings and the view. The service was most outstanding. This is a small resort with only about 18 rooms, and the staff made every effort to learn our names and call us by name. Whether it was the servers for the meals, the activities coordinators, the support staff, the front desk staff, the housekeeping staff, the groundskeepers or the baristas, we always had a warm hello and often a delightful conversation with the staff taking personal interest in us and our family back home. We have enjoyed the hospitality at many other resorts in the past, but the hospitality at the Yasawa Island Resort was clearly second to none. We even had nearly daily visits with the General Manager, who circulated during meal times and relax-by-the-pool times and happy hour, and she was always attentive and always asked if there was anything we needed in our room or otherwise. She was never intrusive, however, and a delight to talk with. The pool, by the way, was beautiful and the pool furniture was updated and well-kept. The activities were great and the activities staff was always helpful and kind and attentive, and genuinely concerned about our experience and our safety. We had several beach picnics with the whole beach to ourselves, a lovely snorkeling activity with access by boat to a wonderful coral setting, several visits to local villages, church at a village on Sunday (which was very uplifting), a nice hike through the tropical foliage, and a visit to a cave which is partially under water and which made for interesting swimming. We also had several very impressive areas of coral right off the beaches at the resort. There was no end to the available activities each day. Access to the resort from the Nadi International Airport is by a small 10 person (including pilot and second in command and up to 8 passengers) single engine turboprop aircraft and the landing strip on the island was a grass strip. Very unique way to get to and from the resort. Our trip was in May, and the weather was great. Warm and humid as expected, but not much rain. The rainy season is from October to April, so be aware that weather is more likely to affect travel and activities during those months. The accommodations were pleasant and spacious. Our room was very well-kept and the furniture was in great shape. These are wooden structures in an area of moisture and humidity, so you won't be staying at the Waldorf-Astoria, but the room was exactly what we would expect in a resort that is so secluded and far from city life. No complaints at all with the room. The housekeeping staff did a wonderful job with our room care and we always found it freshened and tidy, with two housekeeping visits per day. The housekeepers were also very personable and we enjoyed talking to them when we happened to see them Be aware that you might find bugs in your room, and maybe a lizard or two, but this is Fiji. There were a few hornets that came in through open doors but just explored and then left. They were never a bother or aggressive toward us -- just tooling around in their environment. The room had a plug-in insect repellent device, spray on insect repellent and also a can of Raid. There were a few bugs here and there but we never had to use any of the bug sprays. We did use the plug-in repellent device and it worked well. The water is clean and drinkable right out of the tap. There was an outdoor foot wash station for sandy feet and an outdoor shower to rinse off the ocean water. The indoor shower was immaculate and spacious. Back to the beginning of this post, we can't make enough positive comments about this resort. It was awesome without exception. We will definitely be going back. We arrived with a couple who were there for their fourth visit. Seemed strange to us when the said that. Then, within two days we totally understood why they had visited so many times. Definitely worth a repeat visit. Once again, you will be in Fiji in the tropics, so there may be a few bugs here and their and some weather wear on the structures, but that is to be expected in a place like this. Don't let that keep you from giving this resort a try. We were uniformly pleased, dare I even say thrilled, with our visit. We'll take this place over a crowded touristy city resort any time.

Yasawa Island Resort is by far a piece of heaven. From the moment you arrive you are treated like family and that will last your entire stay. The accommodations are without comparison with spacious rooms and very nice furnishings. Great deck for relaxing and listening to the ocean. Food is typical South Pacific fare with seafood, pork and chicken and all was excellent. Definitely try the seafood meal on the beach which consists of lobster, crab and other goodies. The staff are some of the happiest most caring people you could ever want. They definitely make this a dream destination. You can snorkle or visit the Blue Lagoon Cave w/o Brooke Shields. I highly recommend doing the private beach lunch if you don't mind being totally secluded from the rest of the world. There is very limited wifi and no tv. It is the ultimate place to go to get your head screwed back on right. Yes there are critters, all harmless and entertaining. No snakes. The only bad experience we had was we had to leave!

If you want a 5 Star beach holiday, go to Hawaii or the Riviera and stay in a swanky hotel with marble and crystal everywhere, glamour, a formal dining room and all the luxury trimmings. If you want a real beach holiday with real atmosphere and island culture, go to Fiji. In particular, go to Yasawa Island Resort. It is beautiful. It is Fijian and it is authentic. Some of the bures are right on the beach and some are back further from the beach with only grass and vegetation between the Bure and the beach. The bures themselves are all mostly the same. They are spacious with a sitting area, up a few steps to a large bedroom and then through to a big bathroom and dressing room. There is also a lovely private outdoor shower. A wooden deck stretches across the front. The view is beautiful - taking in the beach from 7 of the 15 bures and grass, greenery, palm trees and ocean from the others. Whilst modern, spacious and comfortable inside, the thatched roofs and unmanicured gardens give a glorious, rustic, Fijian feel to the whole place. The food is delicious, but not over elaborate and fancy. If your holiday requires really gourmet food, go elsewhere. The resort is set on a long beach which is ideal for people who like walking along the beach each day. The water is crystal clear and blue and a lovely, inviting temperature. You can go by motorboat to several lovely beaches along the coast with a delicious picnic lunch to enjoy on your own. Only one couple can be on any beach at one time. There are plenty of places to snorkel and there is also scuba-diving available. There is a spa for those who wish to be pampered and a lovely big swimming pool for those who do not wish to swim on the beach. Every single staff member looking after us was absolutely delightful. They were friendly, warm and always willing to help. I cannot recommend this resort highly enough. We will most certainly be going back, probably several more times!

My husband and I stayed here for 4 nights as our second stop in Fiji. We picked this resort as the island itself is true rustic paradise. If you want quiet, serene, and a feeling of remoteness this is it. The food/service/and excursions were great. I really think to get the most out of your experience you need to do the excursions. We did the blue lagoon caves and 2 of the private picnics at paradise cove 2 and the sandbar, both of which had great snorkeling right off the beach and the views are just stunning. The hotel’s beach also had good snorkeling. We stayed in a beachfront bure it was very spacious and nicely decorated. Note that it was an obstructed ocean view and not a direct view of the ocean. There is a short walk to the beach where each bure has their own hut, lounge chairs, and hammock which were nice to lounge in. This is because although the room had a balcony it was always dirty from all the leaves and other things dropping on it so we didn’t utilize it as much. The room was a little dated though. I expected the bugs and such as this an island, but the towels were stained, torn and dingy, one of the sinks had a crack and the shower was a little run down too. They offered robes but having slippers would’ve been a nice touch. There was also an outdoor shower but the water pressure wasn’t very good but ok for just rinsing off and it also was always dirty from things blowing everywhere so it wasn’t really inviting to use. The room only had one ac unit by the bed and even if you open all the windows the room was never cool enough fortunately it was ok for sleeping. But I would be trying to get ready in the bathroom and be sweating bullets and had to keep running back to the ac to cool off. The manager did offer us a standing fan but I think it would’ve just pushed hot air around. A room that large needs another ac unit. We did get the deep tissue massages which were nice. They came to our room since the new spa is still under construction. The staff hosted a cocktail hour one evening which was nice and the manager arranged for us to have private anniversary dinner which was lovely. The poolside also has a great view but we noticed some of the pool tiles were chipped and should probably be fixed so nobody gets cut on them. Overall the service, food, excursions, beaches were great. The facilities could use some updating. The small plane ride to/from the island is a neat experience with great views. I enjoyed the stay overall but would say it is more of a 4 star resort not 5. Hope this helps for those researching. Bula Vinaka!