I do have a few cons if you will about my stay. There were 4 restaurants there, one was a fine dining that didn't allow kids so that was out, another was just like appetizers and kinda weird ones at that so we only ate there once, the other was a buffet which was wayyyy too expensive $50USD and was a little too different for us and the last which we ate at almost every day for lunch and dinner had normal food like chicken and pasta and french fries. But after eating at the same place for 5 days in a row it get's old.
Another thing was that we stayed on the property the entire time due to safety and that we didn't have a car. As much as I love lounging by the pool that can get old too. We did do local excursions but only one a day to stretch them out. There were excursions on other parts of the island but it would be hours upon hours of traveling and with a baby and 7 year old that just wasn't doable. And they were expensive, almost $100USD. We wish there was either more to do on the property.
Those are really the only two issues we had while there. The property is beautiful, the rooms clean and staff friendly and accommodating. If I were to come back I would stay for a shorter amount of time maybe 4 days which is plenty of time if you are just sticking around the resort.
WHERE TO EAT
As mentioned there were 4 restaurants on the resort: fine dining, a patio bar, bar and grille and a buffet.
For breakfast the buffet had tons of options from am omelet bar to pastries, Asian cuisine as well as
American and traditional breakfast items. I don't remember how much it cost, I wanna say $25USD per day. I ordered off the a la carte menu, a coffee and apple juice and during my stay I ordered the waffles, pancakes and an omelet and they came with a little fruit plate. All three were really good and cost me around $10USD but the waffles were my favorite.
For lunch we either ate poolside or at the bar and grille which was 20 feet from the pool. When eating poolside we ordered the pizza, nachos and one other thing which I forgot. The food was really good and the perfect poolside food. I ordered one of the tropical cocktails and it definitely hit the spot while I was laying out in the little cabana thing. It was the perfect afternoon, the beautiful sun, the pool and a tropical drink in hand. What could be better?
The bar and grille had good food too and that's where we ate dinner almost every night. To be honest I ordered off the kids menu because A) I'm not a big eater and couldn't justify ordering the regular meals and wasting them and B) they were pretty pricey $20USD or more and I was on a budget and the kids meals were only $6USD.... The food was just as good and filled me up so it was a win-win. I did order the shrimp alfredo pasta and it was sooooooo yummy. Some of the best I've had. I also had these like eggroll type things which were out of this world good too. I definitely recommend those two items as well as the pizza and nachos from the pool.
I wish there was more restaurant options but overall it wasn't too bad. The food was delicious and not too pricey. You can definitely get a good meal for your dollar!
WHAT TO DO
Spa
Would you believe that I had never gotten a massage up until Fiji? I knew that while I was there I wanted to get a massage and treat myself to a spa day. The second day we were there it was rainy/dreary out so it was the perfect day to spend a few hours at the spa relaxing. There was five "steps" to our spa day. The first was to put away our stuff and get dressed in robes and slippers. Next was the relaxation room where we had lemon water and could relax before our massage. After was the "prep" room where we showered, sat in the sauna (amazing), the hot tub (I could have lived there) and then finished with an ice shower. Once we did all that it was time for our massage. I got just a basic coconut oil massage which ran me $90USD. It was an hour long and absolutely dreamy. So wonderful I fell asleep like 10 minutes in. After we headed back to the "prep" room to shower, sauna and sit in the hot tub for a bit. After we got dressed and headed back to the room. It was such a great experience and I can't wait to get another one!
Kayaking
On the property the resort had a water excursions hut where you could rent scuba and snorkel equipment, paddleboards and kayaks. I love kayaking so I rented one I think it was $18USD for an hour and went out kayaking in the gorgeous waters. It was so peaceful to paddle out and watch the fish swim under me and see the reefs.
Pool
The resort had two pools, an adult only (above) and a family (below). We primarily hung out at the family pool but I did lay out at the adult only pool on my last day. It was so nice and relaxing and had a beautiful view of the ocean. It was paradise!
The family pool was really nice too. It was super big and had little waterfall things in the middle the kids could swim under. They had umbrellas and loungers everywhere and if you were some of the lucky ones you could grab these little private-ish cabanas which was soooooooooo nice to lounge in. They also had poolside eats and drinks (see the food section) above which was amazing. I mean what's better than eating pizza poolisde?
The Beach
The resort backed right up to the beach and ocean so we had direct access to it. Our room was about 20 feet from the beach and we could walk out directly to it which was so nice when you had a stroller and lots of beach bags. The beach itself was filled with seashells and pieces of coral which was so fun to walk and look for cool shells but it was not nice on your feet. We had to wear flip flops when we walked on it or else our feet would have been tore up. Since it was so shell-y you couldn't really lay out on the beach :( But that's okay cause we had the little cabana things at the pool. The water was sooo warm and just felt amazing. It wasn't very deep at all and I could wade out to the reefs and still touch (I'm 5'1" for reference). Since there was reefs there was marine life and I went and free snorkeled (see the snorkel section).
Village Tour
Most of the employees at the resort lived in the local village just a few miles away. Fiji is a third world country and many of it's citizens are very poor. I had never been to a third world country but I wanted to see and experience how these people live. The resort offered guided tours that lasted a few hours and took us to the village and showed us around their community. It was $15USD per person for the afternoon. The guide was an employee of the resort and who lived in the village who walked with us to the village, a couple miles from the resort. Once we got to the village a community member was our tour guide and showed us around. It moved me to the point of tears seeing how these people live. In filthy conditions for shacks for homes and a handful of possessions. But they were so happy. Not a single person we passed wasn't smiling or saying "bula" (hello in Fijian). The kids were so happy following us around and waving. At the end they took us to their community hall and we had kava, a traditional Fijian drink and the community leaders led us in song and dance. It was one of the most profound experiences of my life and one that I will never forget. It reminded me that we have it so well here in the States and we should be immensely grateful for all we have. It was a nice reality check if you will. If you ever go to Fiji I highly recommend taking a village tour.
Fire Show
During our stay in the evenings on some nights there would be a fire show/dance performance that show cased Fijian dance. It was a short program about a half an hour that took place on the outside patio. It was so cool to see the fire twirlers and dancers and they even got members of the audience involved! A fun evening for sure!
Horseback Riding