Royal Davui Island Resort

We just returned from a surprise visit my husband planned for our 30th wedding anniversary. The right amount of sun, relaxation and opportunity to take on as much as you want to do for water activities, visit the community or go zip lining, etc. we chose more of the relaxation time and the management team, the staff were top knotch and just flat out.. excellent. This location was our second stop and our first stop was awesome, this one was as well, but in a different way. More secluded villas, great hills to walk (get some exercise), super spa treatment and the meals were superior! Excellent banana pancakes, fish options at every meal and Banana bread in your room. We even attended a cooking class to learn how to make kokonda and my husband participated in a kava tasting. Geckos became our villa guards and the splash pool in our villa was spectacular. It's a long way to get there but the staff, the music and most of all the huge hearts that each person that you came in contact with had, as they were genuinely concerned that you were enjoying your vacation, We'all definitely be back and look forward to seeing our new friends when we return. The farewell song will be a forever memory.. Vinaka from Florida to Royal Davui,

What a joy & privilege to write this review ! We have just returned from 5 fabulous nights on Davui and had the most wonderful stay . Arriving by helicopter is spectacular & the warm greeting given by all the staff who line up to sing your arrival is a real treat . All the Villas are most private & most spectacular !, the view from ours was beautiful especially from your own plunge pool . We dined in , dined out , snorkelled , swam , kayaked ,private dined , had a sand quay picnic, particpated in Fiji Day , ate more absolutely delicious food ( I am a real foodie so this was delightful for me !) gymed , & had the most amazingly relaxing holiday ! Thanks Team Davui - we loved you ! ( especially the Pina Colada icecream !!)

Positives. There are many. A laid back couples only resort. Beautiful and sedate. It was great having no TV or radio in the villa. Each villa is spacious with separate living and sleeping quarters, a large spa bath, separate shower. Well-appointed but not opulent. At the resort there are plenty of water activities, a pool with a waterfall big enough to swim laps or just cool off. Wonderful snorkeling on a reef just past the jetty. And optional tours and diving lessons, if desired. We needed total relaxation and a little pampering. Mission accomplished! With very minor exceptions noted below, service standards are very high. Care and attention levels are excellent. The chefs are very good about adapting meals to address for allergies. A chef meet with us most days after breakfast to discuss what he would make for us lunch and dinner, when the menu itself did not accommodate. Even soy milk hotcakes were made up specially at breakfast; - lovely given my dairy allergy! A few staff deserve particular mention. Georgi the chef can cook 5-star meals adapting to any food allergy, and the food was outstanding. Make sure you try his seared tuna! Papa Joe in the dining room took care of everything. Sela can fit any size person accurately the first go for fins and snorkeling gear. Api was great snorkeling guide. A shout out to Margaret and Tom, who oversee it all! Areas to improve. A selling point is that each villa has a heated private plunge pool, but it is necessary to call to have the heater turned back on. It then takes two days to heat up. And then it goes off, requiring the whole process to be repeated. Thus, the "heated" plunge pool was only warm enough to use on three days of a one week stay. The technology plainly needs addressing. Despite Sparky the electrician's best efforts, with the thermostat set to rise to 38-40C, it stuck at 32C. In the cool overcast weather (one and a half sunny days the whole week) we experienced in September this was an unexpected deficit. And often, reception does not answer the telephone; so, it was sometimes necessary to wait a while and try again. The resort should stock decaf coffee beans, so that decaf cappuccino can be offered as well as caffeinated. Finally, the owners really need to rethink the wash basins, which have no sink (funky but impractical styling) and so one cannot easily wash one's face or shave. Room tip. We were at first given villa 1, on the sunset side, which is not at all private, but it is right over the jetty. We were moved after one night to villa 13, which is slightly smaller, on the sunrise side, but villa 13 is superior as it has a beautiful view across the lagoon towards Naceva island, and is quite private and quiet. Conclusion Money permitting (It is expensive) we will be back!

Bula! This resort is amazing! It is exotic and high end and the level of personal attention is unlike anything I've ever experienced at a resort property. We stayed here to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and it was the perfect! Thought I would summarize the whole experience for people thinking of staying... Location: Completely private and isolated yet luxurious in just about every way. Luxurious Swiss Family Robinson feel is how I would describe it. Transfers: I think the helicopter would be the best way to get there, but we opted for the plane/boat transfer on the way in and a car transfer on the way back out. The car transfer is nice if you are going to be waiting hours at Nadi anyway. We were able to really see the Fijian countryside, shop and stretch our legs. Plane transfers leave on a scheduled basis so there's a good chance you'll be waiting around Nadi on your way in and out for a few hours. Resort: The bar/restaurant has a charm and South Pacific beauty about it. I could have spent near the whole trip just sitting there sipping drinks. Also, it is kept immaculate. Resort staff are tirelessly cleaning in between meals. Beaches are nice but have a lot of coral. Wear reef shoes. If you are looking for a fine sand beach you will find a small strand of it on the beach in front of Villas 8 and 9. The pool is nice and refreshing, basic but you don't need much more when there's only a couple dozen guests there with you. It is a bit of a hike to get just about anywhere on the island so if you struggle with mobility and stairs this might not be the resort for you. The dive shop at the resort is full of knowledgeable staff. We didn't scuba dive but others said they did a fabulous job of this. They give you everything you need to snorkel right off. They also do a fabulous job helping you off with kayaks, hobie cats, etc. The reef is very nice. I'm a novice snorkeler and I was amazed by the variety of fish just off the jetty and around the edges of the island reef. I heard that the snorkeling excursion to an outer reef provided a bit more of a reef diversity but I enjoyed everything I saw at the resort. The thing that impressed me the most about the resort was that they thought of just about everything. Umbrella? - yeah its in your room. Flashlight....in your room. Beach bag? No problem its there. It felt like the resort was one step ahead of me....which is awesome Rooms: I am sure the upgraded villas are phenomenal but we stayed in the entry level villas (13 and then 9 for the last day) and honestly I never wanted for anything extra. The views....gosh views for miles. Clean, understated luxury. Pure Fiji amenities made my wife happy. The A/C was very efficient in the bedroom. Ours didn't have a mosquito net and we never felt like we needed one. Were there a few bugs in our room over the week we stayed? yes...as well as a couple small gecko lizards. Was it a problem or did we ever feel uneasy? No. Very small number of bugs on this island compared to a lot of other tropical resorts we've been to. The resort does an excellent job keeping critters to a minimum in my opinion. The villas also had a switch to open the roof above the shower so you could look at the sky while showering. Very cool. The heated plunge pool was awesome. Also, speaking for Villa 13 it is completely private. There is no angle where you can even see another Villa from your deck. Wifi was a bit spotty and stopped working a couple times and the cordless phone needed to be within a few feet of the base to work but other then those minor issues the room was perfect! Food: Wow, wow and wow. Phenomenal job by the chef at this resort. We love high-end food and this place impressed us nearly daily. The specialty coffee drinks were good and strong. There was so much food...we were never hungry. I don't know who eats a three course lunch and four course dinner plus whatever you want for breakfast but we did for a week and it was amazing! The star for me was the banana bread - I got it every morning. Its heavenly! Excursions and things to do: Lots of options here. We visited Naceva village on Beqa island for a church service. It was great to experience the culture of a small traditional village and see how faith shapes their culture. We also did a 2hr fishing trip. Our captain, Ben, was great and did most of the hard stuff setting up. We just reeled in our dinner! The Sand Cay is what everyone talks about - and its not hard to see why. Literally the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. You cannot go here and not do that! We also did the Terra Trek and zip line experiences. Both excursions were great and well coordinated by the resort. One word of caution though; it can be a bit difficult to book an excursion on the main island if the resort is slow because their transport to the main island is dependent on couples arriving and departing the resort via the resort boat. So if you want to zipline on Monday but there are no couples checking in or out of the resort that day, you may have a hard time scheduling your excursion. To the resort's credit, Ron did a great job accomodating our schedule while we were there and after a little back and forth we were able to do the excursions we set out to do. Staff: Without question the star of this amazing property. Fijians are well known as one of the friendliest cultures in the world and that is certainly true here. The staff have a way of being so genuine. I have been to high-end locals before where pretentiousness permeates the guests and even the staff serving you. Never have I felt so at home and comfortable. Big shout outs to La, Ben, Meli and Mere! We loved the staff as much as we loved the Royal Davui.

We spent a week here and it was unforgettable! The Fijian people are so wonderful and welcoming. The suits are beautiful, impeccable and very tropical - there are only 16 suites on the whole island so it makes for a very cozy stay. There are a lot of activities to do and they will transport you by boat to the main island if you need to go there. Definitely request to have the picnic on the sandbar when it's low tide - it's surreal!