Yasawa Island Resort & Spa

The setting is beautiful, the people are lovely, and the food is fresh and nicely executed. The villa and service, however, are very far from ideal for a resort of this standing. We stayed in the honeymoon villa, the most secluded accommodation at the resort, and the location is truly beautiful. The beach is a joy to explore from one end to the other, with its ever-changing landscape, fascinating shells, and little crabs going about their business. The staff, 96% of whom come from the nearby village, are wonderfully warm, friendly, and endearing. Their hospitality is one of the resort’s greatest assets. The food was very good, and we particularly loved the Fijian dishes. Everything tasted fresh, and the chef did his best to accommodate our dietary restrictions. However our honeymoon villa was terribly outdated. The electrical system seemed to belong to another era, and even something as simple as switching off the bedside lamps required getting out of bed, as the lamps could not be operated independently. The dressing area, bathroom fittings, and other fixtures were also of poor quality for a resort in this price category. The service: “island time” taken too literally! We appreciate a relaxed atmosphere and genuinely enjoy being around people who are not constantly watching the clock. However, at Yasawa, the concept of “Fiji time” reaches a level that tests the patience of even the most relaxed guest. We repeatedly found ourselves having to remind staff about things that should have happened without prompting: bringing the food we had ordered, remembering that we eat with cutlery, not our hands, taking our food intolerances into account, and providing basic items needed in the villa. Even the spa washroom was missing soap for 4 days (in the end we even suggested to buy the soap ourselves from the hotel shop and to bring it over). . In short, the service is a disaster. And while a relaxed attitude is part of the charm of island life, having to chase the team for one thing after another eventually becomes tiring. And Yasawa has achieved something quite remarkable: it is the first hotel we have encountered at around US$2,000 per night that was unable to provide cotton buds or slippers or air conditioning that cooled the whole room. The impression is that the team is missing a clear leader who coordinates things and ensures that guests’ needs are taken care of. Everyone seems to operate according to their own timetable, which may work perfectly well for island life, but is definitely not ideal for running a resort at this price level. Would we recommend it? Definitely, no. My advice, fellow travellers, is: if you are looking for a beautiful, secluded tropical escape, there are many excellent alternatives in Southeast Asia and the Maldives where you can enjoy equally stunning surroundings, outstanding architecture and design, and service that lives up to the price. Just to mention three examples: Soneva Kiri in Thailand, The Datai on Langkawi Island in Malaysia, and COMO Maalifushi in the Maldives. And the list could go on.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week-long stay at Yasawa Resort & Spa. It was truly a relaxing vacation and exactly what we needed. The property and grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and very well maintained, and our room was beautifully decorated and comfortable. The food at the restaurant was good, and we especially appreciated the wonderful service. The staff were very genuine, which made us feel very welcomed throughout our stay. Their warmth and attention to detail made our experience truly special. There were daily activities offered, so there was always something to do. We especially enjoyed the private picnics and visiting the local village, which gave us a chance to experience more of the area and culture. The beachfront has lots of coral, so it is an excellent spot for anyone who enjoys snorkeling. Overall, we had a wonderful and memorable stay. The beautiful surroundings, relaxing atmosphere, and genuine hospitality made our vacation truly special. We will definitely return.

We found this resort fantastic- small uncrowded, filtered desalinated sea water, turn down service, activities, food and service was amazing. The staff were so friendly and down to earth true Fijian villagers who are staffing the resort. We stayed for 4 nights and on 3 occasions I witnessed the lady owner act disrespectful and rude to the staff. The worst was at the goodbye ceremony. The leaving guests were in the lobby about 4 couples. Some of the staff and the owner were standing facing us and she started her speech thanking us- then stopped abruptly and turned around and shouted "I AM TALKING! THANK YOU!" apparently staff were whispering behind her. Then she turned to us (the guests) with a red angry face and suddenly realized she lost her temper and then suddenly smiled from ear to ear and continued and they finished off by signing. Very disturbing and unprofessional. Other than her the resort is in a great location and wonderful.

A must visit - there are many islands and so choose which island to stay or you can island hop. We paid extra for the Captain's Lounge on the ferry - a great experience with unlimited drinks and snacks.

This was my honeymoon and a huge splurge. Sadly, it wasn't worth it. The good: the location is fantastic, the food was good, the rooms are big, and the staff were mostly very friendly and accommodating. The bad: The hot water was unreliable for most of the stay and eventually went out entirely. I asked multiple times to shower in another room before management finally agreed. My husband got sick—as did several other guests—and while the resort blamed a seasonal virus, they kept the pool open and took no steps to quarantine sick guests or increase sanitation. Our room was poorly sealed, with cracking drywall, lizards in the rafters at night, and enough millipedes that we started wearing shoes indoors. I also had to remind the dining staff multiple times about my nut allergy. The front desk here treated basic requests like extra hangers as impositions. Through private conversations, we got the sense that the current owners of the resort are not supporting their employees and the local villages in the way the original owners did. For comparison, during the first part of the trip I stayed at another remote, all-inclusive resort on the same trip for less than half the price. The room was more basic, but it had extremely attentive staff, attentive manager, zero hot water issues, and no bugs in the room. EDIT: After a protracted back and forth with my travel agent and the resort, we were granted a refund for one of our give nights (we had requested two).