scubasaurus94
Contributor
Hi everybody! I just got back yesterday from a week of vacationing at Matava Resort in Fiji with my mother, and what an excellent vacation it was.
The trip there - We started off in Chicago, and flew to Los Angeles, where we waited for 4 hours. The time finally came to board the Air Pacific flight to Nadi, Fiji, and I was flabbergasted by the sheer number of people that they can fit on those planes! The flight was fine, but it was a bit chilly, and the seat-back tv screen wasn't working. Fortunately, I was exhausted and slept almost the whole flight. We arrived in Nadi and were greeted by a small group of Fijian men playing guitars and welcoming us. We then sat in the Nadi airport for over 6 hours waiting for our connecting flight to Kadavu. We took the little airplane to the tiny airport in Kadavu, and were picked up by a truck that took us to a dock, where we got on a tiny boat for the ride to Matava. It was a nice ride, but we got drenched, and we had to stop at a village along the way for more fuel! While there, we met the chief and saw the villagers drying kava root. On the boat ride we became friendly with 4 other people who were coming to Matava, including one person who is from Chicago (imagine going to the other side of the world and meeting someone who lives so close by!). Once we finally made it to the resort, we were greeted by the wonderful staff, which brings me to the next part of this trip report...
The resort staff- Never in my life have a met a group of such wonderful, attentive, caring people. The fearless leader of this team and the host/hostess (you know what I mean if you've ever been there
) Maggie told us everything we needed to know about the resort and the island. Maggie is downright hilarious, and his descriptions of the meals are priceless. He's like the captain of the ship, keeping everything running smoothly and everyone in line. The rest of the staff is also just as friendly, and they quickly learned our names and our preferences for meals and other things.
Accommodations and food- We stayed in an Oceanview bure that was just past the dive shop. It had a nice deck and a sturdy clothesline for drying towels and other small items. Inside there were two beds, some tables and nightstands, and two chairs. The bure was quite roomy and we never felt cramped. The bathroom was also very nice - one of the nicest I've seen out of all the dive destinations (and there was hot water!). The beds were very comfy, and sleeping under mosquito nets posed no problems and was actually quite charming. I thought that I would come home covered in bug bites, but I only have a few bites on my feet (they still itch like hell though). We also thought that having no electricity except for a few overhead lights would be burdensome, but it was actually freeing, and I was either out diving or spending time in the main bure anyway. The food at the resort was really tasty, and you could tell that the resort was very proud to grow a lot of their own fruits and vegetables, which were incredibly fresh. I was worried about not having a choice in what to eat for any meal since there aren't menus, but this was not a concern (they can cater to dietary restrictions, and they asked all the new guests right away about such concerns). To top it all off, Maggie always served our food with a smile and a wisecrack, and he taught me to embrace "fish that tastes like chicken" and "Mexican food and tastes like Italian".
Special events - We went to Matava over the Thanksgiving holiday, and the staff pulled out all the stops to make it great, even for the Brits and Aussies that were staying there too. We had a lovely Thanksgiving day barbecue lunch of lamb chops, sausage, and salad at a nearby beach. Later that day, a large group of Fijians from a nearby village came to perform traditional dances and songs. The people and the songs were absolutely beautiful. The performance was followed by a buffet-style dinner complete with a turkey flown in especially for the evening, which apparently cost $120 per pound to ship! Now that's dedication to the customer! On another night we had a kava ceremony, where the kava was mixed in the traditional way from the actual roots, not from a powder. Apparently Kadavu has the best kava in Fiji. It still kind of tasted like dirt and water to me, but at least it was the best dirt and water out there, and it had a numbing affect on my tongue - cool ! We also had food cooked in a lovo, which is kind of like an in-ground pit used for cooking. We got to watch the entire process, including the building of the lovo and the preparation of the food.
Last but not least, the diving - I haven't been to that many places around the world, especially not in the Pacific, but I bet that the diving is some of the best anywhere. We did a total of 21 dives (despite the unexpectedly chilly water and somewhat overcast weather), and saw really cool stuff on every dive. The coral is in pristine condition, and nobody I talked to saw any signs of damage or bleaching. The reef stretches on as far as the eye can see. There are tons of little fish to see, and bigger critters too. On one dive we saw about 20 sharks all at once. We also went on the famous manta dive and saw about 12 mantas, including a mammoth one that had to have had the wingspan equal to the length of a small car. We also saw four sea snakes, a few eels, and some mackerel. Making all of this possible was the fabulous dive staff, who are some of the best in the business. It is obvious that they grew up in Fiji and know the waters well, because they all were very good at pointing things out. I really appreciated their dive briefings, which were always accurate, especially about max depth, time, and currents. They took excellent care of our gear, and I trusted them completely when it came to rinsing and assembling it. All the rental gear looked nice too, and they had plenty of extra wetsuits for people who didn't expect it to be so chilly. They run the dive shop like clockwork, making sure that no one is "on Fiji time" too much, while still giving people the chance to relax. Besides being trustworthy and knowledgeable guides, they were also very personable. I got to know all three of the guides (Joe, Te, and Mas) and learned about their pasts and how they came to work at Matava. They were very interested in learning about the guests, and took the time to chat with us during surface intervals over cookies/leftover desserts and a nice cup of hot tea, which is probably the greatest idea on Earth. You can tell that they love diving as much as the guests do.
The trip home (always the worst part) - I was so sad to leave Matava. The entire resort staff came out to see us leave, and I got all choked up. We rode back to the Kadavu airport on the dive boat, so we didn't get soaked. Joe did an excellent job of parking the boat close to the dock, but we did have to wade through a bit of water to reach dry land (the adventure never ended!). We ended up waiting in the Kadavu airport for almost 5 hours because the outer bands of a cyclone were causing some bad weather. We finally made it back to Nadi, where we got some dinner and bought some souvenirs. While in the check-in line, a fire alarm went off in the airport, so that was exciting. We finally boarded the giant plane, and we were able to sit in a row with an empty seat because something was dripping from the overhead compartment. I got a little bit wet, but it was worth it to be able to put my feet up on the seat! We arrived at LAX, went through customs, and flew back to Chicago, where we were greeted by some lovely 24 degree Fahrenheit weather. It's nice to be home in some respects, but I miss the warm smiles and warm weather in Fiji.
I would recommend Matava Resort to anyone looking for great diving, wonderful service, and a bit of an adventure. It definitely isn't the place for people who need pampering and exquisite luxury 24/7, but it's a great place to get away from the craziness of everyday life and enjoy nature and the company of other people. It's a good place for non-divers too, including fishermen and honeymooners. Sorry that this post is so long, but I cannot say enough great things about this resort, and I really hope that I can make it back there someday!
The trip there - We started off in Chicago, and flew to Los Angeles, where we waited for 4 hours. The time finally came to board the Air Pacific flight to Nadi, Fiji, and I was flabbergasted by the sheer number of people that they can fit on those planes! The flight was fine, but it was a bit chilly, and the seat-back tv screen wasn't working. Fortunately, I was exhausted and slept almost the whole flight. We arrived in Nadi and were greeted by a small group of Fijian men playing guitars and welcoming us. We then sat in the Nadi airport for over 6 hours waiting for our connecting flight to Kadavu. We took the little airplane to the tiny airport in Kadavu, and were picked up by a truck that took us to a dock, where we got on a tiny boat for the ride to Matava. It was a nice ride, but we got drenched, and we had to stop at a village along the way for more fuel! While there, we met the chief and saw the villagers drying kava root. On the boat ride we became friendly with 4 other people who were coming to Matava, including one person who is from Chicago (imagine going to the other side of the world and meeting someone who lives so close by!). Once we finally made it to the resort, we were greeted by the wonderful staff, which brings me to the next part of this trip report...
The resort staff- Never in my life have a met a group of such wonderful, attentive, caring people. The fearless leader of this team and the host/hostess (you know what I mean if you've ever been there
) Maggie told us everything we needed to know about the resort and the island. Maggie is downright hilarious, and his descriptions of the meals are priceless. He's like the captain of the ship, keeping everything running smoothly and everyone in line. The rest of the staff is also just as friendly, and they quickly learned our names and our preferences for meals and other things.Accommodations and food- We stayed in an Oceanview bure that was just past the dive shop. It had a nice deck and a sturdy clothesline for drying towels and other small items. Inside there were two beds, some tables and nightstands, and two chairs. The bure was quite roomy and we never felt cramped. The bathroom was also very nice - one of the nicest I've seen out of all the dive destinations (and there was hot water!). The beds were very comfy, and sleeping under mosquito nets posed no problems and was actually quite charming. I thought that I would come home covered in bug bites, but I only have a few bites on my feet (they still itch like hell though). We also thought that having no electricity except for a few overhead lights would be burdensome, but it was actually freeing, and I was either out diving or spending time in the main bure anyway. The food at the resort was really tasty, and you could tell that the resort was very proud to grow a lot of their own fruits and vegetables, which were incredibly fresh. I was worried about not having a choice in what to eat for any meal since there aren't menus, but this was not a concern (they can cater to dietary restrictions, and they asked all the new guests right away about such concerns). To top it all off, Maggie always served our food with a smile and a wisecrack, and he taught me to embrace "fish that tastes like chicken" and "Mexican food and tastes like Italian".
Special events - We went to Matava over the Thanksgiving holiday, and the staff pulled out all the stops to make it great, even for the Brits and Aussies that were staying there too. We had a lovely Thanksgiving day barbecue lunch of lamb chops, sausage, and salad at a nearby beach. Later that day, a large group of Fijians from a nearby village came to perform traditional dances and songs. The people and the songs were absolutely beautiful. The performance was followed by a buffet-style dinner complete with a turkey flown in especially for the evening, which apparently cost $120 per pound to ship! Now that's dedication to the customer! On another night we had a kava ceremony, where the kava was mixed in the traditional way from the actual roots, not from a powder. Apparently Kadavu has the best kava in Fiji. It still kind of tasted like dirt and water to me, but at least it was the best dirt and water out there, and it had a numbing affect on my tongue - cool
! We also had food cooked in a lovo, which is kind of like an in-ground pit used for cooking. We got to watch the entire process, including the building of the lovo and the preparation of the food. Last but not least, the diving - I haven't been to that many places around the world, especially not in the Pacific, but I bet that the diving is some of the best anywhere. We did a total of 21 dives (despite the unexpectedly chilly water and somewhat overcast weather), and saw really cool stuff on every dive. The coral is in pristine condition, and nobody I talked to saw any signs of damage or bleaching. The reef stretches on as far as the eye can see. There are tons of little fish to see, and bigger critters too. On one dive we saw about 20 sharks all at once. We also went on the famous manta dive and saw about 12 mantas, including a mammoth one that had to have had the wingspan equal to the length of a small car. We also saw four sea snakes, a few eels, and some mackerel. Making all of this possible was the fabulous dive staff, who are some of the best in the business. It is obvious that they grew up in Fiji and know the waters well, because they all were very good at pointing things out. I really appreciated their dive briefings, which were always accurate, especially about max depth, time, and currents. They took excellent care of our gear, and I trusted them completely when it came to rinsing and assembling it. All the rental gear looked nice too, and they had plenty of extra wetsuits for people who didn't expect it to be so chilly. They run the dive shop like clockwork, making sure that no one is "on Fiji time" too much, while still giving people the chance to relax. Besides being trustworthy and knowledgeable guides, they were also very personable. I got to know all three of the guides (Joe, Te, and Mas) and learned about their pasts and how they came to work at Matava. They were very interested in learning about the guests, and took the time to chat with us during surface intervals over cookies/leftover desserts and a nice cup of hot tea, which is probably the greatest idea on Earth. You can tell that they love diving as much as the guests do.
The trip home (always the worst part) - I was so sad to leave Matava. The entire resort staff came out to see us leave, and I got all choked up. We rode back to the Kadavu airport on the dive boat, so we didn't get soaked. Joe did an excellent job of parking the boat close to the dock, but we did have to wade through a bit of water to reach dry land (the adventure never ended!). We ended up waiting in the Kadavu airport for almost 5 hours because the outer bands of a cyclone were causing some bad weather. We finally made it back to Nadi, where we got some dinner and bought some souvenirs. While in the check-in line, a fire alarm went off in the airport, so that was exciting. We finally boarded the giant plane, and we were able to sit in a row with an empty seat because something was dripping from the overhead compartment. I got a little bit wet, but it was worth it to be able to put my feet up on the seat! We arrived at LAX, went through customs, and flew back to Chicago, where we were greeted by some lovely 24 degree Fahrenheit weather. It's nice to be home in some respects, but I miss the warm smiles and warm weather in Fiji.
I would recommend Matava Resort to anyone looking for great diving, wonderful service, and a bit of an adventure. It definitely isn't the place for people who need pampering and exquisite luxury 24/7, but it's a great place to get away from the craziness of everyday life and enjoy nature and the company of other people. It's a good place for non-divers too, including fishermen and honeymooners. Sorry that this post is so long, but I cannot say enough great things about this resort, and I really hope that I can make it back there someday!
