Travelnsj
Contributor
Great Report...I am going to Fiji Next year coming back from the Solomons...Trying to decide between Beqa or Raki Raki...thanks for the info.
Who's been to Fiji? Advice needed
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@ Luko: Thank you for your nice report!
Air One
Contributor
Tssssss...
Et tout ça pour pour faire des photo foirées rien que pour nous montrer la supériorité du RAW...
Very nice report anyway....auge à truie...
Et tout ça pour pour faire des photo foirées rien que pour nous montrer la supériorité du RAW...
Very nice report anyway....auge à truie...
Well, this is my first post on scubaboard. But it's time to give back from all the great advice and knowledge I've gained from it. And I really want Matana to get the credit it's due. Sorry if it's too long! I'm not a surfer so can only tell you that 4 Aussie's came to Matana from one of the other resorts near Kadavu's volcano (Western side) to dive because waves were to high to surf.
Anyway, I absolutely loved this place!!! And we really lucked out. I was definitely a little skittish committing as I had seen some mixed reviews on scubaboard. So we only booked a 5 night package in advance, thinking we might decide to move on and leaving the option to stay open.
I'm sure it would have been nice to visit some Northern spots in Fiji but we ended up spent all 9 nights at Matana on Kadavu island. We got comfortable and attached very quickly. There were only one or two other people besides myself, my nephew & a friend staying at Matana the whole time we were there. So we practically had a private dive boat and guides every day. There was a group of 23 we had luckily missed the week before.
Matana/Kadavu not the place to go if you're looking for luxury or ANYTHING touristy. There are no stores, nothing to buy, no pool, TVs, pool tables or vending machines. And no roads! There's not a lot to do except dive, hike, kayak, swim, relax, eat and have a REAL Fijian experience. The beach at Matana is outstanding as are many nearby. The bungalows are much bigger AND cleaner than I expected. Screens do a great job of keeping bugs out while letting the outside in. Going to sleep to rain is one of my favorite things and it happened a lot while we were there. We had spotty weather. My nephew was getting a lot of mosquito bites and loading up on spray but neither for me (go figure) Note: while the lights and fans in the bungalows work 24/7, outlets for devices only work from 7:30-9:30am and 5:30-9:30pm. They let me setup my battery charger in the office for overnight charging.
The owners, Rena & Bob were only there for 2 days before leaving for 1 month back in Australia, where they're from. Rena is a HOOT!!!! Not sure how old, maybe 70s (sorry if you're reading & I'm wrong!), but warm, outspoken and funny as hell. Bob, more soft spoken, often takes the brunt of her jokes or gives up a few leg hairs (with a smile). Both are extremely friendly and I was sorry not to spend more time with them.
But no fear, the two managers, Mere & David, made us feel just as welcome. Mere is a Fijian native from a smaller island to the East & David is Australian with a thick accent that I often had trouble understanding but with a great sense of humor. They are husband and wife. Mere just has a wonderful personality! I couldn't help but give her a HUGE hug when leaving.
It was a very warm, personal experience at Matana. We all got to know each other very well, eating three meals a day together. This could potentially be a downside if you like a little privacy or don't care for other guests staying at the resort. The meal table included Mere & David and very often Cava (pronounced "theVA"), the chief of the village next door and the owners when around. The food was very good, with lots of variety and delicious desserts. And at no time was I hungry. You choose your meals at breakfast. Normally you choose between two things each for lunch and dinner. Could be a problem if you're a picky eater. None of us are. I almost always went for the fish. Vegetables are locally grown. You can buy bottled water but I drank the filtered water all week with no problems. Water in the bungalow is not for drinking.
Cava was extremely warm and friendly and never minded answering all my questions about the village or being chief. He has a great sense of humor and came and played guitar a couple of times and sang (usually ending a tune with "shake it baby" or "yeeeehaaa"). He got a chuckle at me saying "it's good to be the chief" a couple of times. He also brought us into the village (you do need an invitation) to the school, where the kids sang for us. I had brought some school supplies for them after reading someone elses suggestion. They do have desks, etc. We had to wear sulus (wraparounds) to enter the village. Mere loaned us a few. No hats allowed.
Cava also organized a Kava ceremony for us on the porch at Matana. I got the feeling that this was not so common and felt very special, especially after Cava made me the chief for that ceremony (the chief drinks before everyone else, each round). I drank 6 coconut cups (high tides) and wanted to keep up and see what it was like. I think you need to drink a lot more to feel much effect. And they said it was stronger than usual. I did feel very mellow, but that's about it. Maybe I should have asked for the Tsunami bowl. It's probably a good thing that dinner was called. But the whole experience, with Cava and the others singing songs in between rounds, was fantastic.
You get to know many of the people from the village as most or all resort employees come from it. The dive staff, cooks, housekeepers, etc. You can also meet many on the beach. You often see them coming or going in their boats. It's definitely interesting to watch.
Diving was also a pleasure. They own the onsite dive shop and the dive boat is steps from your front door. Tell Joeli the DM what you want to see and he goes out and finds it for you. Actually kind of uncanny. He was very good at this. Blue Ribbon Eel, Lionfish, sharks, morays, best soft coral, etc. He tried hard but couldn't find me an octopus though. He and Saula & Sam were a pleasure to dive and be with. We often stopped on a pristine, deserted beach for tea or coffee and biscuits in-between dives. Once we stopped at one of their relative's houses for lunch and met the family. We rented regs and BCDs and all seemed fairly new and well cared for.
On calm days you dive the reef in front of the resort, 5 to 10 minute rides. Lots and lots of little fish and the occasional school of bigger ones passing by. Moreys, turtles, etc, etc. There are some nice swim throughs and lots to see. The coral is beautiful. My favorite site was at "Butterfly". At one point Joeli took the boat along the coast, hunting for a specific leaf to defog my mask. I was skeptical but it worked!! and much better than my Gold Defogger. He very seriously told me not to worry about any itching or swelling while underwater. Then started cracking up. Very funny! If you ever go, ask Joeli about catching a pig out at sea (We were there!).
The Astralobe reef on the other side of the island is STUNNING! Going there is weather dependant and we only got to go once. If it's rough on the Matana side (North) then it's calm on the Astralobe. It's also an all day trip. Load the tanks in a boat, head for the airport, unload into a truck, go over to the other side via a hilly, mud road (ok, the only one). Load to a different dive boat with a different DM (Josepha) and head out. WELL WORTH IT! You do 3 dives when on the other side (charged for 4).
The reef is the nicest & healthiest I've ever seen in my limited, 125 dive history. Seeing a Manta was pretty much at the top of my list and on our second dive we spotted one coming up over a bommie (coral head). He then stayed with us for a good 10-15 minutes, circling and allowing me to get some great video. He was definitely curious. GREAT experience! I would defitely have liked to explore this reef more. It is HUGE and mostly untouched. But one of the other, closer resorts is probably better suited for this. I've heard that Matana is the nicest resort on Kadavu and it certainly isn't luxury. It's a trade off.
The snorkeling at Matana wasn't so wonderful but good for playing around with a new camera (I know, you're not supposed to get one right before a trip) or practicing skills if you shore dive, etc. We only did one. There are a few coral heads nearby but I found them much more interesting at night. But swimming here is glorious. Calm and clear with an all sand bottom.
One small complaint: They had very nice special package rates for April and like I said, we only booked 5 nights. I assumed (yeah, I know) that it would be NO problem to get the next package deal (7 nights) if we stayed longer. I was wrong. Their business office or whoever handles bookings (and well insulated from the actual resort) would NOT allow it. I was very surprised as this seems contradictory to everything else Matana is about. But they were very strict about it. In the end they still gave us good per day/per dive rates but probably could have saved us a few hundred dollars each (at least two of us anyway....long story). Anyway, we were so happy with the trip and the private dives we didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I wanted to leave feeling great and we did (although also quite sad!).
Another note: Nadi sucks!!!! Do not go into town while waiting for flights on the main island. You will regret it!
I don't know if I'll ever go back to Matana, but only because there are so many places I want to see and not enough time or money for it all. But it is certainly worth repeating. I'm still missing it big time.
Anyway, I absolutely loved this place!!! And we really lucked out. I was definitely a little skittish committing as I had seen some mixed reviews on scubaboard. So we only booked a 5 night package in advance, thinking we might decide to move on and leaving the option to stay open.
I'm sure it would have been nice to visit some Northern spots in Fiji but we ended up spent all 9 nights at Matana on Kadavu island. We got comfortable and attached very quickly. There were only one or two other people besides myself, my nephew & a friend staying at Matana the whole time we were there. So we practically had a private dive boat and guides every day. There was a group of 23 we had luckily missed the week before.
Matana/Kadavu not the place to go if you're looking for luxury or ANYTHING touristy. There are no stores, nothing to buy, no pool, TVs, pool tables or vending machines. And no roads! There's not a lot to do except dive, hike, kayak, swim, relax, eat and have a REAL Fijian experience. The beach at Matana is outstanding as are many nearby. The bungalows are much bigger AND cleaner than I expected. Screens do a great job of keeping bugs out while letting the outside in. Going to sleep to rain is one of my favorite things and it happened a lot while we were there. We had spotty weather. My nephew was getting a lot of mosquito bites and loading up on spray but neither for me (go figure) Note: while the lights and fans in the bungalows work 24/7, outlets for devices only work from 7:30-9:30am and 5:30-9:30pm. They let me setup my battery charger in the office for overnight charging.
The owners, Rena & Bob were only there for 2 days before leaving for 1 month back in Australia, where they're from. Rena is a HOOT!!!! Not sure how old, maybe 70s (sorry if you're reading & I'm wrong!), but warm, outspoken and funny as hell. Bob, more soft spoken, often takes the brunt of her jokes or gives up a few leg hairs (with a smile). Both are extremely friendly and I was sorry not to spend more time with them.
But no fear, the two managers, Mere & David, made us feel just as welcome. Mere is a Fijian native from a smaller island to the East & David is Australian with a thick accent that I often had trouble understanding but with a great sense of humor. They are husband and wife. Mere just has a wonderful personality! I couldn't help but give her a HUGE hug when leaving.
It was a very warm, personal experience at Matana. We all got to know each other very well, eating three meals a day together. This could potentially be a downside if you like a little privacy or don't care for other guests staying at the resort. The meal table included Mere & David and very often Cava (pronounced "theVA"), the chief of the village next door and the owners when around. The food was very good, with lots of variety and delicious desserts. And at no time was I hungry. You choose your meals at breakfast. Normally you choose between two things each for lunch and dinner. Could be a problem if you're a picky eater. None of us are. I almost always went for the fish. Vegetables are locally grown. You can buy bottled water but I drank the filtered water all week with no problems. Water in the bungalow is not for drinking.
Cava was extremely warm and friendly and never minded answering all my questions about the village or being chief. He has a great sense of humor and came and played guitar a couple of times and sang (usually ending a tune with "shake it baby" or "yeeeehaaa"). He got a chuckle at me saying "it's good to be the chief" a couple of times. He also brought us into the village (you do need an invitation) to the school, where the kids sang for us. I had brought some school supplies for them after reading someone elses suggestion. They do have desks, etc. We had to wear sulus (wraparounds) to enter the village. Mere loaned us a few. No hats allowed.
Cava also organized a Kava ceremony for us on the porch at Matana. I got the feeling that this was not so common and felt very special, especially after Cava made me the chief for that ceremony (the chief drinks before everyone else, each round). I drank 6 coconut cups (high tides) and wanted to keep up and see what it was like. I think you need to drink a lot more to feel much effect. And they said it was stronger than usual. I did feel very mellow, but that's about it. Maybe I should have asked for the Tsunami bowl. It's probably a good thing that dinner was called. But the whole experience, with Cava and the others singing songs in between rounds, was fantastic.
You get to know many of the people from the village as most or all resort employees come from it. The dive staff, cooks, housekeepers, etc. You can also meet many on the beach. You often see them coming or going in their boats. It's definitely interesting to watch.
Diving was also a pleasure. They own the onsite dive shop and the dive boat is steps from your front door. Tell Joeli the DM what you want to see and he goes out and finds it for you. Actually kind of uncanny. He was very good at this. Blue Ribbon Eel, Lionfish, sharks, morays, best soft coral, etc. He tried hard but couldn't find me an octopus though. He and Saula & Sam were a pleasure to dive and be with. We often stopped on a pristine, deserted beach for tea or coffee and biscuits in-between dives. Once we stopped at one of their relative's houses for lunch and met the family. We rented regs and BCDs and all seemed fairly new and well cared for.
On calm days you dive the reef in front of the resort, 5 to 10 minute rides. Lots and lots of little fish and the occasional school of bigger ones passing by. Moreys, turtles, etc, etc. There are some nice swim throughs and lots to see. The coral is beautiful. My favorite site was at "Butterfly". At one point Joeli took the boat along the coast, hunting for a specific leaf to defog my mask. I was skeptical but it worked!! and much better than my Gold Defogger. He very seriously told me not to worry about any itching or swelling while underwater. Then started cracking up. Very funny! If you ever go, ask Joeli about catching a pig out at sea (We were there!).
The Astralobe reef on the other side of the island is STUNNING! Going there is weather dependant and we only got to go once. If it's rough on the Matana side (North) then it's calm on the Astralobe. It's also an all day trip. Load the tanks in a boat, head for the airport, unload into a truck, go over to the other side via a hilly, mud road (ok, the only one). Load to a different dive boat with a different DM (Josepha) and head out. WELL WORTH IT! You do 3 dives when on the other side (charged for 4).
The reef is the nicest & healthiest I've ever seen in my limited, 125 dive history. Seeing a Manta was pretty much at the top of my list and on our second dive we spotted one coming up over a bommie (coral head). He then stayed with us for a good 10-15 minutes, circling and allowing me to get some great video. He was definitely curious. GREAT experience! I would defitely have liked to explore this reef more. It is HUGE and mostly untouched. But one of the other, closer resorts is probably better suited for this. I've heard that Matana is the nicest resort on Kadavu and it certainly isn't luxury. It's a trade off.
The snorkeling at Matana wasn't so wonderful but good for playing around with a new camera (I know, you're not supposed to get one right before a trip) or practicing skills if you shore dive, etc. We only did one. There are a few coral heads nearby but I found them much more interesting at night. But swimming here is glorious. Calm and clear with an all sand bottom.
One small complaint: They had very nice special package rates for April and like I said, we only booked 5 nights. I assumed (yeah, I know) that it would be NO problem to get the next package deal (7 nights) if we stayed longer. I was wrong. Their business office or whoever handles bookings (and well insulated from the actual resort) would NOT allow it. I was very surprised as this seems contradictory to everything else Matana is about. But they were very strict about it. In the end they still gave us good per day/per dive rates but probably could have saved us a few hundred dollars each (at least two of us anyway....long story). Anyway, we were so happy with the trip and the private dives we didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I wanted to leave feeling great and we did (although also quite sad!).
Another note: Nadi sucks!!!! Do not go into town while waiting for flights on the main island. You will regret it!
I don't know if I'll ever go back to Matana, but only because there are so many places I want to see and not enough time or money for it all. But it is certainly worth repeating. I'm still missing it big time.
caymaniac
Contributor
Great report, I would like to go there some day.
Hi:
I also don't mean to threadjack, but I am also looking for some advice with respect to Fiji.
Timeframe: End of June (6/23 - 6/29)
Length of Stay: 6 nights, 7 days with early morning (5AM) arrival day 1, late (10PM) departure on last night.
Diving Experience: Not so much. PADI AOW with a little under 40 dives within the last 3 years...but both travelers are divers.
Priorities: Good diving, no crowds at accommodations. No megaresorts (although that doesn't seem to be a problem in Fiji). Based on experience level, smaller diving groups would be a plus. Experiencing local culture would be nice, although my wife wouldn't mind some nice amenities. Would love to stay in a beachfront bure somewhere. Don't mind paying for it, but good deals are always a plus. Definitely no liveaboards.
The Challenge: Unfortunately, we have very limited time. 6 nights is probably too short of a timeframe coming from the US, but this is the longest stretch of time we've had in a LONG time, and we wanted to go somewhere a little off the beaten path. Every day of diving counts when we only have 5 potential diving days to work with, so minimization of inter-island flights is probably a plus.
Initially my thought was to go out to Savusavu and stay there the entire time at either the Cousteau resort, Koro Sun resort or Moody's if anything was available...but based on the input in this thread I'm wondering:
Questions:
1. Given the limited timeframe and priorities, am I best off just staying put in one place? If so, then is the best* diving to be found at Savusavu? Beqa? If Kadavu's diving isn't as good, does its charm more than make up for it? Or am I missing another area entirely?
or
2. Would it make sense just to stay on Viti Levu and try to experience two places? Maybe stay somewhere on the island for a day or two and then try to go to another place via ferry or plane.
Apologies for the long winded post, but any input would really be appreciated, and I promise to write a report to help others when we get back!
*I know that the term 'best' is very subjective. We're novice divers and although we are learning to appreciate and spot the smaller stuff, schooling fish and big things are still really impressive. I'd love to see a manta someday. Sharks are neat and all, but we don't have shark fixations. Colorful fish are still really neat...and, although I hate to admit it, I'm not yet at the point where I can get really excited about corals...but I'm willing to learn.
I also don't mean to threadjack, but I am also looking for some advice with respect to Fiji.
Timeframe: End of June (6/23 - 6/29)
Length of Stay: 6 nights, 7 days with early morning (5AM) arrival day 1, late (10PM) departure on last night.
Diving Experience: Not so much. PADI AOW with a little under 40 dives within the last 3 years...but both travelers are divers.
Priorities: Good diving, no crowds at accommodations. No megaresorts (although that doesn't seem to be a problem in Fiji). Based on experience level, smaller diving groups would be a plus. Experiencing local culture would be nice, although my wife wouldn't mind some nice amenities. Would love to stay in a beachfront bure somewhere. Don't mind paying for it, but good deals are always a plus. Definitely no liveaboards.
The Challenge: Unfortunately, we have very limited time. 6 nights is probably too short of a timeframe coming from the US, but this is the longest stretch of time we've had in a LONG time, and we wanted to go somewhere a little off the beaten path. Every day of diving counts when we only have 5 potential diving days to work with, so minimization of inter-island flights is probably a plus.
Initially my thought was to go out to Savusavu and stay there the entire time at either the Cousteau resort, Koro Sun resort or Moody's if anything was available...but based on the input in this thread I'm wondering:
Questions:
1. Given the limited timeframe and priorities, am I best off just staying put in one place? If so, then is the best* diving to be found at Savusavu? Beqa? If Kadavu's diving isn't as good, does its charm more than make up for it? Or am I missing another area entirely?
or
2. Would it make sense just to stay on Viti Levu and try to experience two places? Maybe stay somewhere on the island for a day or two and then try to go to another place via ferry or plane.
Apologies for the long winded post, but any input would really be appreciated, and I promise to write a report to help others when we get back!
*I know that the term 'best' is very subjective. We're novice divers and although we are learning to appreciate and spot the smaller stuff, schooling fish and big things are still really impressive. I'd love to see a manta someday. Sharks are neat and all, but we don't have shark fixations. Colorful fish are still really neat...and, although I hate to admit it, I'm not yet at the point where I can get really excited about corals...but I'm willing to learn.
Stransky
Registered
where are you travelling from??
imo stay in one place you have roughly five days.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/pacific-islands/191391-wananavu-nananu-beach-dive-resort.html
iam biased,wananavu ask for bure on the beach front.
Wananavu Beach Resort Accommodation Fiji
but at the end of the day,everyone has there own personal preference's,above are mine.
there are two dive operators that operate from here.
imo stay in one place you have roughly five days.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/pacific-islands/191391-wananavu-nananu-beach-dive-resort.html
iam biased,wananavu ask for bure on the beach front.
Wananavu Beach Resort Accommodation Fiji
but at the end of the day,everyone has there own personal preference's,above are mine.
there are two dive operators that operate from here.
hammerhead man
Contributor
Went to Fiji in Jul 2007 to Beqa Lagoon Resort and it was fantastic. The resort was very nice, the diving was really good, and the staff were fantastic. If you click on my "view gallery" you will see the pics I took on that trip. Some of them may have a red "x" but if you click on them the pic will be shown. I highly recommend the shark dives, they were great. We saw large bull sharks, lemon sharks, silver tip sharks, nurse sharks, and reef sharks all on one dive. The diving is easy, the corals are magnificent, and the reef fish are the most colorful I've ever seen. We are already planning to return in 2009. Here is a link to trip reports on Beqa Lagoon Resort. Mine is under the name of jamescrew6. The price was very resonable considering the distance we had to travel to get there. If you have any questions, email me at jamescrew6@verizon.net.
Regards,
Bill
Regards,
Bill
ScubaYakker
Guest
I've been to Fiji numerous times - I'm leaving on 22 May for about three weeks in Fiji and 1.5 weeks in Western Australia. If anyone has any special request on properties to check-out, I'll do my best to give a visit to as many as I can.
I have found that the eastern side of the islands usually have the best visibility and best color. I think the water is colder; upwelling from the Tongan Trench.
I have found that the eastern side of the islands usually have the best visibility and best color. I think the water is colder; upwelling from the Tongan Trench.
hammerhead man
Contributor
Hmmm, just realized that I didn't provide the link to the Beqa Lagoon Resort reviews. Here it is: Beqa Island: Beqa Lagoon Resort - Traveler Reviews - As advertised - TripAdvisor. Trip Advisor is a great source for getting reviews on resorts worldwide. As you will see there are both positive and negative reviews but the resort has overwhelming positive reviews compared to the negative reviews.
Regards,
Bill
Regards,
Bill
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