Taveuni: Paradise vs. Taveuni Dive Resort vs. Nakia

[forthecookies]

We are planning to head to Taveuni, Fiji next year and are quite torn between these three options. Price-wise, they'll all end up being similar for a week of diving for two people.

The main pro I see for Paradise Taveuni is that they have a house reef that allows for a shore dive in the afternoon in addition to the two-tank boat dives in the morning. The other two ops are further north (so closer to Rainbow Reef), but don't have a house reef to explore, so we'll be limited to just boat dives. On the other hand, Trip Report - Paradise Taveuni-March/April 2024 concerns me as a recent negative review.

If you made a choice between these three options, I would love to understand your reasons!

 

[staggsSevin]

Taveuni Dive Resort doesn’t have air conditioning if I recall. So if you want AC I don’t believe they have it.

My wife and I had a great time in 22 at paradise. We also ran into boat issues with them as well. Their big boat was down, so their normal second boat became the boat for the big group that was there then they had hired a tiny boat for the rest of us and there was zero room.

We also were supposed to have an ocean front room but didn’t get one (11 day trip).

We were fine the entire trip and would do it again under the same circumstances. We didn’t complain as we never do when there are any issues. I just keep in mind how remote these places are and it is what it is.

But I believe I ruled out Taveuni Dive Resort because they didn’t offer a third dive, and no AC’s.

We are returning to Fiji in 2025 to stay at volivoli for a couple weeks.

 

[Landau]

Just returned from Taveuni Dive Resort. Our group of 16 booked the entire resort and did 3 dives daily and an additional night dive one evening.

Accommodations were great, but I can confirm no Air Conditioning - which was fine for the week we were there in Fijian Winter.

We had 8 divers and 2 guides per boat. The guides were great at finding small things: nudis, shrimp, pipefish, Pygmy seahorses etc.

 

[forthecookies]

Taveuni Dive Resort doesn’t have air conditioning if I recall. So if you want AC I don’t believe they have it.

My wife and I had a great time in 22 at paradise. We also ran into boat issues with them as well. Their big boat was down, so their normal second boat became the boat for the big group that was there then they had hired a tiny boat for the rest of us and there was zero room.

We also were supposed to have an ocean front room but didn’t get one (11 day trip).

We were fine the entire trip and would do it again under the same circumstances. We didn’t complain as we never do when there are any issues. I just keep in mind how remote these places are and it is what it is.

But I believe I ruled out Taveuni Dive Resort because they didn’t offer a third dive, and no AC’s.

We are returning to Fiji in 2025 to stay at volivoli for a couple weeks.

Thank you. Did Paradise impose dive time limits? If yes, what were they?

 

[TostitoBandito]

Been to Taveuni Dive resort in both the winter and summer and it was great. In the winter air conditioning isn't necessary IMO, as it gets downright cold down well into the 60's at night and early in the morning. In the summer it's 5-10 degrees warmer so yeah it'll be warm at night but I didn't really have any major issues sleeping (and I'm a person who likes it quite cold when I sleep). The rooms are massive and well-ventilated from all sides with adjustable slat windows, plus a fan over the bed, so you can get solid airflow going. Plus there's usually a breeze.

I mainly chose TDR over Paradise though because it has fewer rooms (8) and I prefer a smaller and less crowded setting. Also shorter boat rides. The owners Carl and Muriel are almost always on site and are also great if you need anything. We went there twice in an 18 month span, and are eager to go back again at some point even though there's other new places we'd like to go. It's just a great spot and operation IMO.

I also just saw that Paradise is for sale, FWIW. Not sure what's going on there, but I guess not shocking considering the recent trip reports I've read. Seems like it might be declining and needs new owners. I know back a few years ago when I was first looking into Taveuni it still had more or less great reviews on par with the best resorts in the area.

Dive Resort for Sale in South Taveuni Road, Taveuni Island, Fiji

19 bedroom, 16 bathroom resort for sale by owner for 12,000,000 USD, features include furniture, appliances, pet friendly, laundry room, pool, ocean view, mountain view and ocean waterfront.

www.viviun.com

 

[TostitoBandito]

But I believe I ruled out Taveuni Dive Resort because they didn’t offer a third dive, and no AC’s.

TDR absolutely offers afternoon dives. I think as long as at least 2 people want to and weather is ok they'll take you after lunch. We did afternoon dives more than half the days we were there, plus a night dive one evening. I think we did 33 dives over a 14 night trip (13 days of diving) but also skipped a couple for sightseeing things like waterfalls and whatnot. And some afternoons we just wanted to chill at the bar.

 

[forthecookies]

Thanks for all the replies, folks. We will be going with Taveuni Dive Resort. I confirmed that they offer afternoon dives as long as at least 2 people are interested (so this is definitely viable as long as you aren't a solo traveler) and we were able to set up a 10-night package with 3 boat dives per day. What tipped me over the edge is that I have found literally zero negative sentiment about TDR online, whereas Paradise does have several iffy reviews (especially of late).

 

[living4experiences]

Been to Taveuni Dive resort in both the winter and summer and it was great. In the winter air conditioning isn't necessary IMO, as it gets downright cold down well into the 60's at night and early in the morning. In the summer it's 5-10 degrees warmer so yeah it'll be warm at night but I didn't really have any major issues sleeping (and I'm a person who likes it quite cold when I sleep). The rooms are massive and well-ventilated from all sides with adjustable slat windows, plus a fan over the bed, so you can get solid airflow going. Plus there's usually a breeze.

I mainly chose TDR over Paradise though because it has fewer rooms (8) and I prefer a smaller and less crowded setting. Also shorter boat rides. The owners Carl and Muriel are almost always on site and are also great if you need anything. We went there twice in an 18 month span, and are eager to go back again at some point even though there's other new places we'd like to go. It's just a great spot and operation IMO.

I also just saw that Paradise is for sale, FWIW. Not sure what's going on there, but I guess not shocking considering the recent trip reports I've read. Seems like it might be declining and needs new owners. I know back a few years ago when I was first looking into Taveuni it still had more or less great reviews on par with the best resorts in the area.

Dive Resort for Sale in South Taveuni Road, Taveuni Island, Fiji

19 bedroom, 16 bathroom resort for sale by owner for 12,000,000 USD, features include furniture, appliances, pet friendly, laundry room, pool, ocean view, mountain view and ocean waterfront.

www.viviun.com

I'm not surprised to see it for sale. The owners, Terri and Allan, are getting divorced. They are from Australia. When I was there in March & April, the nondive staff seemed stressed, sometimes just going through the motions of their job. For the most part, the men had dive shop jobs, and the ladies worked in the restaurant and around the resort. Another guest told me that she saw the ladies being verbally mistreated.

An interesting note about the real estate ad...the property was not built in 2016. It was rebuilt in 2016 after Cyclone Winston leveled the property.

 

[living4experiences]

We are planning to head to Taveuni, Fiji next year and are quite torn between these three options. Price-wise, they'll all end up being similar for a week of diving for two people.

The main pro I see for Paradise Taveuni is that they have a house reef that allows for a shore dive in the afternoon in addition to the two-tank boat dives in the morning. The other two ops are further north (so closer to Rainbow Reef), but don't have a house reef to explore, so we'll be limited to just boat dives. On the other hand, Trip Report - Paradise Taveuni-March/April 2024 concerns me as a recent negative review.

If you made a choice between these three options, I would love to understand your reasons!

I'm glad you found my trip report useful. If you're sensitive to mosquitoes, bring lots of repellant if you choose a resort without A/C.

 

[TostitoBandito]

Mosquitos were barely noticeable at TDR during the winter (dry season), but were certainly a bit more present during the summer (wet season), but not terrible or anything. There were always a bunch of cans of repellant sitting by the bar/pool for anyone to use, and the staff often place and light coils when people are hanging out there. I only really bothered putting any on if I was gonna be hanging out outside all afternoon, or going hiking/walking for multiple hours or something. But I tend to not get bit as much as others, so who knows.

That said, it wasn't anywhere near as bad as when I was at Lighthouse Reef in Belize last year where you couldn't walk outside at all without being completely swarmed. That's the worst I've ever seen. You literally had 10+ on your back biting you while walking less than 150 feet to the boat dock.