Yasawa Island Resort & Spa

Everything about our trip has been exactly as promised. Relaxing, lovely staff and excellent service. Food and dining experience is outstanding and the Bure a lovely stay right on the beachfront. If it’s a relaxing recharge you are looking for then this is the resort for you.

My wife and I were looking for a honeymoon getaway via Costco Travel. Considering how far from home it is and the cost, we were a little hesitant about choosing Yasawa Island Resort. However, after 7 days of pure bliss, we now have a core memory of a place we previously only thought existed in dreams. Located in the heart of Fiji's archipelago, Yasawa Island Resort is nestled away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland. Arriving at the resort by charter plane was an experience on its own. On the way, you get to see how clear the turquoise waters are. How gorgeous the beach sands are. And just how many islands Fiji has to offer. A breathtaking backdrop that feels almost surreal. Prior to landing, we were already greeted by the stunning and lush greenery, inviting us to trust in nature. Even the airstrip itself is green. As soon as we landed, we were welcomed by song and Salusalu (Fijian Lei). After a bumpy but short van ride, we arrived at the resort itself. Once again, welcomed by song, but this time, to include the entire staff! All the while being handed a fresh coconut to drink and a vibe to soak in. This was the commitment stage. The promise to fully immerse ourselves in this. The promise to disconnect from our technology driven society and embrace the experience the resort has so carefully preserved and curated for the guests. The exceptional service provided by the staff is what truly sets Yasawa Island Resort apart. Every day, we felt genuine warmth and hospitality. The staff's attention to detail and commitment to ensuring our stay was perfect was evident in every interaction. Whether it was organizing a special excursion (daily private beach picnics), accommodating dietary preferences, or simply offering a friendly smile, the team at Yasawa Island Resort went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. And it was. We stayed in the Deluxe Beachfront Bure. To us, it was perfect. A beautiful living room, a comfortable bed, and an outside shower that’s simply to die for. Since there are no TVs or wifi in the rooms (the purpose is to disconnect from technology, remember?), we were falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean waves gracefully crashing onto the shore every night. We were fortunate enough to have a full moon one night, so we walked the beach, and it was breathtaking. The moonlight lit up everything around us and with the ocean right there, everything was a shade of blue. A sight I will never forget. We saw a few people in the reviews complaining about the food, so we didn’t know what to expect. Glad we didn’t listen. The food was incredible!!! You have breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast, you have a bunch of choices, with every day having a new ‘breakfast special’. For lunch and dinner, the chef gives you two options to choose from. Suffice to say, me thinking I was going to lose weight while on vacation was a complete pipe dream. Especially with that dessert always doing what it was supposed to do. The activities are endless. We highly recommend taking advantage of the daily picnics. We had to reschedule so we only got to do it once. The only regret we have about Yasawa is not having a few more. Especially since there are 7 beaches to choose from. The Baravi Spa has many different options in enhancing that relaxing experience. We definitely recommend getting the Spa Package. It allows you to do one every day. My wife got a facial, a pedicure, two dilo massages, and we even got a couple’s massage. My body melted right after. It was incredible. There are plenty of other activities (ranging from snorkeling, exploring the blue lagoon cave, to a village visit and choir service) that are scheduled by day and are signed up for the night before at the bar, right before dinner is served. This subtlety pushes guests to interact with each other and conversate. Which we did. For us, this trip was all about relationships. The relationships you make with the staff and the other guests is what makes this place so special. The connections forged through simply getting to know one another. A true 1-of-1. You will never experience service like this. By the time we left, we couldn’t help but feel a bit sad. Because it truly felt like we were leaving our family. With all of that considered, we wanted to make sure we said thank you. Firstly, we want to thank the other guests we met, whom we now call friends. Thank you, Annette, Steve, Mark, Eileen, Paul, Mandy, Tami, Sean, Gabi, Penni, Neal, Katie, Sharon, Louise, Craig, Sally, Justin, Alyssa, and a lovely Polish couple whose names are escaping us now. Sorry if we spelled any names wrong! But it was a pleasure meeting each and every one of you. Now, to the staff. Thank you to Seba, who made that initial bumpy van ride much more bearable with his jokes and infectious laugh. Thank you to Sanjay for driving us everywhere and ensuring said bumps weren’t taking us out. Thank you to Sema, for welcoming us with open arms and sending us off with farewell hugs. Thank you to Kara and Sammi for always asking how our day was going when seeing you two at mealtimes. Thank you to Sai for wearing about juggling about 20 different tasks yet making it look so easy. Thank you to Giorgina for being like our other mom, always taking care of us, and even teaching us a bit about Fiji history. Thank you to Pedro for setting up our activities, constantly making us die of laughter, and giving me the honor of being Chief at the kava ceremony. Thank you to Jon for being my representative at the kava ceremony and always blessing the guests with your incredible musical talents (that man got a voice!). Thank you to Smiga and Waqa for watching over me, making sure I didn’t drown when we were visiting the Blue Lagoon caves. Thank you to the lovely ladies at the Spa who are masterful at what they do. Thank you to Manasa and Wati, because without you two, none of this would be possible (we HIGHLY recommend everyone visit the library and learn about the history of Yasawa island resort). Thank you to Erin, Kaydee, and Isikeli. Your leadership plays such a huge role in the experience for guests, and we couldn’t speak more highly about you three. Especially taking care of my wife when she had a bit of heat exhaustion. You went above and beyond to make sure she was recovering well. We are forever grateful. And to anyone else we missed, thank you!!! My wife said this review is too long and she’s probably right. Know that the length is a testimony to how impactful our trip was. How lasting an impression Yasawa Island Resort and the staff has left upon us. Vanaka! And a million times more. Until we meet again.

Yasawa Resort = Heaven. Yasawa is the true Fiji. The people of the villages on this beautiful island where you are truly on the ‘edge of the world’ exude happiness and bring this joy to the resort with them. Their ‘Bula’ wishes are authentic; you’ll feel it. You’ll also be surrounded by amazing scuba/snorkeling that is simply “knock your socks off.” The nearby cave is phenomenal (bring some $ for some neat souvenirs the village ladies make). The massages at the spa (especially Naomi!) are to die for! Simply heaven. Highly recommend the spa package to receive one treatment each day. The staff look after you on all of these adventures with big smiles and treat you like family. They’ll let you stay late if you can’t stop snorkeling on the most amazing reef you ever saw or take you back early. Big thanks to Pedro for all your care in helping me learn to dive and Dan for looking after our son (who is a much better diver) so I needn’t worry! The journey is beyond worth it and while my family has been blessed with more opportunities to travel than most, this has been our most favorite vacation that will live in our hearts forever! I mean that. (Note the special weeks for family and adults-only. This resort is worth your while whoever your traveling compadres are.) We had the unfortunate experience of flooding in Nadi that grounded all flights and high seas stopping the ferry. Kaydee contacted us and we ended up staying on the mainland due to the record flooding with her recommendation. What rain! The management, especially Kaydee, listened to our concerns and did everything they could to make up for it. She encouraged us to extend our stay and although we had something booked, we soon realized we needed to stay here. Because we extended, we saw Polynesian fire dancing and ate a beautiful seafood dinner for New Years. We got to scuba dive and see the remarkable village. (Highly suggest bringing sports equipment and school materials to see the delight on the children’s faces in the village)! The food was delicious with several appetizer, entree, and dessert options each night. Our bure exceeded our expectations with gorgeous outdoor and indoor shower, huge footprint, your own private cabana and beach out front, and turn-down service at night. We felt beyond safe and the staff are so friendly. Yes, there are geckos. It’s the tropics. They eat the mosquitoes and are more than welcome in my burre;0) Beautiful tropical jungle surrounds each bure. The love and care that went into the building of this place is apparent with one of its founders working in the restaurant. There’s a book in the library showing how they carefully cleared the land by hand to preserve the native flora and fauna. Wow! Tip: Consider scheduling a helicopter flight in. It’s not very expensive, and you’ll be flying over reef and South Pacific islands with your mouth open wide. Book it. You won’t regret it.

We are truly disappointed at our experience at Yasawa Resort & Spa in late December 2024. To start with, I would like to caution anyone to think twice before booking this resort (which is at the furthest outer island) during raining season due to the uncertainty of transportation to the resort from the main island. While it should be an easy 30-45 minutes flight, it turned out to be a 6-7 hours ordeal via ferry/boat on a rough sea for us in late Dec. What's more disappointing is how the senior hotel management dealt with this: first of all, we weren’t offered any option to take aferry beforehand when the weather forecast was obviously bad with a high chance of flight cancellation. Instead, we had to wait at the airport for almost half a day and then were told that all flights were canceled. As a result, we had to pay for additional accommodation at the main island while getting no refund or discount for our rooms at Yasawa on the day we missed (these are very expensive rooms!). When we did get to the resort via the long boat ride on the next day, the resort general manager blaimed everything to the bad weather while making no efforts to make up for the day we missed (no discount, no extra service, or other little things that can improve customer experience). We came to Yasawa Resort & Spa (a five-star resort!) with high expectations, but unfortunately, our experience is truly disappointing, especially toward senior management's indifference toward customer satisfaction.

When we decided to go to Fiji, we had a specific experience in mind: we did not want the sterile, crowded, large resort that might as well have been in Mexico or someplace else. While we did want comfort and luxury, we also wanted value, beauty, authenticity, and a distinctive character. We did extensive research and It all pointed to Yasawa Island Resort. We were not disappointed with what we found during our stay. Our bure was large and comfortable and right on the beach. It was well-maintained and very clean. Housekeeping came every day and even left fresh flowers. We had turn down service every night. Sure, there was the occasional lizard and a few ants but they were never a bother. YIR is a beautiful, unspoiled, place—the resort has purposely disturbed the environs to the smallest amount possible to accommodate the bures and other facilities. This means that you are surrounded by lush plants and flowers. If a lizard or a few ants are the result of that, it’s a trade that I’m willing to make. The staff are unbelievably attentive, kind, and dedicated to your happiness while on their island. They treat you like honored guests or family and you quickly develop one-on-one relationships with each of them. The staff learn your names and remember facts about you. They are proud to share their home and their culture with you. Each staff member exudes joy and it is infectious. It rained frequently during our visit (we knew it would be the rainy season when we booked), which made some of the planned activities difficult, but Pedro, Smiga, Dan and all of the staff worked hard and still made sure that we got to do the things that we wanted to do. It was a significant logistical challenge but they did it and remained unfailingly cheerful throughout it all. The food was delicious and abundant and the restaurant seevice, friendly and attentive. The massages and other spa treatments were excellent and having the services done overlooking the ocean was magical and relaxing. Get the Ultimate Spa package for a spa service every day—it is very much worth it. On Christmas Eve, the children from the local villages came and shared Christmas with us by singing carols. They had been practicing for weeks. Afterward, each of them shook the hand of each guest—a touching show of friendliness and respect. The children also came caroling on Christmas morning and stopped at each bure to share a song just for us. These children included many children of staff members and you could see their pride as they watched and took pictures and videos of their children like any proud parent. To have been able to share in their Christmas—to have them share their Christmas with us, total strangers—was so special and hospitable and unforgettable. Before heading to Yasawa Island, we spent a couple of days at another resort on the main island of Viti Levu. More than once, when we told the Fijian staff at that resort or at various places in and around Nadi that our next stop was Yasawa Island Resort, they answered with the same exact phrase: “that’s the real Fiji.” After leaving, I can honestly say that we felt like we did experience the real Fiji—the unspoiled beauty, the smiles, the warm hospitality, the culture of an expanded notion of family (and yes, some rain and bugs and muddy roads, too). If you’re looking for a large, sterile, crowded, fully air-conditioned, buffet dinner kind of resort like you’d find in Cancun or Hawaii or basically anywhere else, Yasawa Island Resort (although very luxurious) won’t be for you. But if you’re looking for authenticity and character—the real Fiji—while still enjoying luxurious treatment, accommodations, and food, then this will be heaven for you, too. We are already planning our return.