Royal Davui Island Resort

The experience started as soon as we got to the airport in Fiji. We were greeted by friendly staff with water and moist towels upon our arrival. On the boat ride there the staff was very concerned and accommodating while me and another rider vomited profusely on the trip. Upon our arrival we were greeted with a friendly song and a lot of island hospitality which at first seemed like it was just a formality. As the trip went on I realized very quickly how kind and genuine the staff at Royal Davui really is. Everyone there treated you like family, was kind and warm, and was eager to share their culture with you. I went expecting a quiet intimate getaway with my wife, but found myself so swept away by the experience that we ended up making friends both with the staff and with other guests. Every time we went to the dining area for food the staff greeted us with pure joy and friendliness, and every bit of it felt completely genuine, and sharing kava with them at the end of the night became a ritual that we all looked forward to. You can tell the workers there are proud of where they come from and that they take pride in their work. They treated us like royalty the entire time, and it was like nothing else I've ever experienced in my life. The island itself is small, the first night we were there we were one of four couples. At it's busiest there was about 9 of 16 villas occupied. If we had wanted to we could have very easily had a very private and intimate honeymoon with virtually no socializing (which was what I had planned for). The rooms are VERY private, the balcony with private plunge pool is on the water with nobody in site, so if you're the kind of person that wants to be naked outside you will have that kind of privacy. Our room was very nice. The bed was very comfortable, the pillows were the comfiest I've ever used, the bath tub was nice and spacious, everything about it was perfect. The excursions were a lot of fun and many of them are included with the price, there's also a bunch of free activities to enjoy (lawn games, water sports, pool). I'm not a well travelled person, but a friend I had made on the island had told me that as far as value for your money that he's never been anywhere that comes even remotely close to Royal Davui. I would book another trip here without a second thought. Huge thank you to the entire Royal Davui family, this was a first class experience from start to finish.

Awesome getaway, private, quiet, great food, amazing hosts! We snorkeled, hiked, kayaked, picnic'd, sat around and enjoyed the views... Made Royal Davui our wedding locale, all arrangements were taken care of by the resort, made for a memorable day! Loved the place, we will be back!

Despite a miserable start to our trip to Royal Davui due to weather problems and am unfortunate delay to our arrival time…And despite some poor communication skills from management, in my opinion, this resort is simply overwhelming. Meaning in the best possible way of that words definition. The islands beauty is stunning. The food provided was outstanding. The activities on offer were sublime. The public facilities like the pool, restaurant, and relaxation areas were all five star. However, for us, the Fijian staff were the most overwhelming element to our stay. Their kindness, smiles and truly sincere wishes to make our vacation the best possible experience has once again shown us how incomparable Fiji is as a a culture, and how amazing its people are to visitors. Bula, Vinaka, and Bravo to La, Mela, Vincent, Paul, Joe, Sparky, Ben, Pex, Tom, Su, and the rest of the entire staff. Thank you for your love, and attention, “Chief Dan and Aunti Laura”. We hope it’s sooner than 13 years before we visit again.

My wife and I visited Royal Davui in mid-March, 2025 for our 25th wedding anniversary. We loved the island, the activities, the food, and the pace of the place. While it was a very laid-back resort, the quality of the staff, the accommodation, and food was outstanding. They even managed to surprise us on our anniversary, which was a really nice touch! Service: We can’t say enough about the friendly Fijian staff and their genuine hospitality. When you arrive, they welcome you to their family and they really do mean it unlike other places, that say the same, but don’t follow up with deeds and action. For example, I don’t know how they did it, but they seemed to know and recall my wife and my name within 5 minutes of our arrival! I am sure we missed a few people, but those that really stood out to us with their charm and enthusiasm were: • Dining/Bar: Paul and David kept us entertained with drinks while La, Mele, Lydia, Ben, and Ivamere were always ready in the dining area with smiles and suggestions. • Guest Relations/Mgmt: Vincent, Nimi, and Grant were always helpful and checked in periodically to ensure we had everything we needed for a memorable vacation. • Waterfront: We took advantage of paddleboards, kayaks, the Hobie cat, and reef snorkel trips as well as a breakfast at Sandy Cay. Su, Bex, and Juanny were terrific—attentive and helpful. We know there were many others in the kitchen, cleaning the rooms, and maintaining the grounds, that go unrecognized but are essential to such a well-run operation. We know from reading prior reviews that the staff has been here for many years. Keeping great people who are so focused on their visitors is a credit to the entire group. The Villa: We stayed in the Sunset plunge pool villa (#5). This is an amazing villa with spectacular view and comfortable, private accommodations. There was no reason to leave! I am sure though that all of the villas have their own unique perspective and you can always catch the sunset at the bar, which is a 3 minute walk from anywhere. Weather: We were worried about the weather since we saw rain in the forecast every day and most days we did have some rain. However, it really didn’t impact us in the least as they amounted to passing storms that were short in duration and only added to the experience. Who doesn’t like to sit outside under cover reading a book or eating homemade cookies with warm temperatures, a brief downpour, and thunder/lightning! Even out at Sandy Cay, we had a 15-minute deluge and kept cover under a large umbrella that was provided. The sun came out soon after and within 45 minutes, everything was dry. One piece of feedback and awareness: When paying for incidentals with a credit card, the resort charges a 3.5% bank fee. We didn't find this clearly stated on the website/FAQ so it was a surprise. More surprising, we were not offered an alternative of paying by bank transfer and even US dollars had to be pristine as they told us banks don't accept used US dollars. We don't like to pay these surcharges to banks and we always plan ahead to not do so and to be surprised at the end of our trip wasn't great. We had stayed at Matangi Private Island and thoroughly enjoyed it but when a very well-traveled couple recommended Royal Davui to us it was a no brainer to visit. This was a great recommendation, and we would love to return!

Yes, it's beautiful. But the negatives substantially make it not worth the effort to get there. The first thing upon arrival is a lengthy registration process, which is the last thing you want after traveling halfway around the world to get there. Making choices about meals days away (for the picnic which we elected to not do @ 7am), and signing waivers for all activities that we may or may not do in the future, etc. It's crazy. Just get me to my villa and pool please. Then every morning, before I've had a chance to have my first cup of coffee, I had to make lunch and dinner meal selections for the day. The transfer from Nadi airport was OK. The 8 passengers 30 minute flight to Pacific Harbor was fine. The 30 minute boat ride to the Island was rough and not pleasant. Our villa showed signs of needing maintenance. The bedroom has AC, but the rest of the villa doesn't, which means its too hot during the day, and too many mosquitos at night to let in the fresh air with open windows and doors. The staff was friendly. The food was average to good. Management was not accommodating at all. We booked a private dinner one night and it was brightly lit, and bug infested so we returned to the main dining area. We were told that there would be music some evenings, and none was provided We booked the picnic on Sandy Cay months in advance, but upon arrival we were told that the only one we could do was at 7am (who does a picnic at dawn?). Others got a later time. So we didn't take this unique side trip. On our last day we elected to not do the full breakfast, just opting for a smoothie (which was included with the included full breakfast). But since we didn't order the full free breakfast, we were charged for the smoothie. How crazy is that? Appeals on this surcharge were denied "thats the rule" Overall, not a 5 star, maybe 3.5 star with an attitude.