Family Travel Reviews - Naviti Resort Fiji

Andrew
August 2005

My family of two adults and two children aged 6 and 8 have just returned from spending 7 days at the Naviti resort and 7 days at Plantation Island. August is a great time to go as the weather was fine except for only two days of rain. It can get a little windy some afternoons but not enough to cause problems.

To avoid the dreaded midnight flight from Melbourne, we flew domestic to Sydney which I would recommend with kids, due to the cheap one way flights available. It avoids arriving in Fiji in the early hours of the morning. We flew out of Melbourne at 10.00 am which arrived at 11.00 am and then flew out of Sydney at 1.10 pm, arriving in Fiji at around 7.15 pm local time. This was perfect timing as it provided time to check out the duty free in Sydney before the main flight. This also avoids having to collect and re check your bags as they are forwarded on from the domestic flight. Our bags were first of the plane in Fiji which helped.

If you are flying with children make sure that you ring the airline and order children's meals as this makes a big difference. Our travel agent told us that the airline knows how many children's meals to provide by the ages on the tickets. This is not true. There were only 5 or 6 children's meals which had been booked. The rest of the children had to make do with adult meals. It only takes a short phone call to Qantas and it's done.

If you are planning on drinking your duty free whilst on your holiday you can buy it in Fiji at the airport before you go through customs. It was the same price as in Australia but in Fiji dollars, so it works out a little cheaper. We would also recommend the private car transfers with Coral Sun from the airport to the Naviti as it saves a lot of time. Older style but air conditioned Mercedes on both trips. Beware. They are mad drivers. The bus transfers stop at every hotel on the way and take time.

The Naviti resort was fine. The rooms are small but perfectly adequate considering you only sleep in them. The room was cleaned daily and fresh towels provided. They are also air conditioned. Don't take beach towels as they are provided at the resort. The resort has a large room extension and pool under construction. It should be impressive when the new pool is finished. The construction went on from am till around 7 pm but it was not a problem at all.

The meals at the Naviti are fine on a mass produced scale. It is a bit confusing at first but once you work out where and when to eat there is no problem. We were on the all inclusive package which is worth doing. You can eat of the buffet or the al a carte menu, or both if you are hungry. The staff sometimes asked our rooms numbers and sometimes didn't. We were not charged any extra on check out so there slightly unorganised system works fine.

The resort has a children's dinner time which consisted of nuggets, pizza and fried fish with as many chips as they can eat. The children can also eat of the adults menu at any time.

The pool is getting a little old and is fed by a spring which meant it was a little cold. This didn't stop the kids spending hours in there. The snorkelling is a little walk out from the lagoon which fronts the resort but well worth doing. The lagoon is tidal and very murky as the tide goes in and out. Not really worth swimming in unless you go out a bit further. I would recommend doing the resort scuba dive which involved swimming with turtles. Fantastic. If you plan on doing a lot of snorkelling take your own gear as the resorts are a bit tired.

Our daughter had her hair braided at Ma blues across the road from the resort for $35 FJ. On Plantation they charged between $3 and $5 per braid. Our daughter has very fine hair and still had 56 braids done. Get it done on the mainland. They also did a load of washing for $15 FJ compared to the $25 at the resort.

In general we had a great time. You cannot possibly eat all the food that they provide, there is so much of it. They are not shy with the drinks either.

We then spent 7 days at Plantation Island which we loved. We payed for a two bedroom garden bure but were upgraded to a beach front bure which was only 9 steps from the crystal clear water. Fantastic. The bure was huge. They have several fans and a big bar fridge. We did not need air conditioning in August but around Christmas this may be a problem. The Island is also tidal which meant a small walk out into the sea for a swim at low tide. If you are at the airport end of the island you cannot swim out from you room because of the low tide. You only need a short walk up to the resort so its not really a problem. The water is very warm, 25 degrees and perfect for snorkelling. We had clown fish living in shallow water about 10 metres out from the beach. The kids were very impressed.

The food at Plantation was better than the Naviti. It seemed fresher and there was a bit more variety. I would recommend the meal plan for part of your stay. Cooked breakfasts were $16FJ, Lunches around $20 FJ and Dinners $25 plus. This can add up. Check what your meal plan offers. The kids ate free anyway but ours only included a cold breakfast and buffet lunch and buffet dinner. You could also eat of the chefs special menu for dinner but not the al a carte menu. The kids have an early dinner time and a no chips policy. The food for them was much better than at the Naviti. Our children liked to eat early and then go to the kids club. Their choice. We got to eat dinner in peace which was nice. Try and find a table at Plantation that doesn’t wobble. Good luck.

We ate for the last two nights at the restaurant Amanda's which is down away from the resort towards the airport. The meals were excellent and good value. $25 for New Zealand eye fillet and excellent curries. You were able to charge meals and drinks back to your room. We would recommend the meal plan for only part of your stay or just do breakfast and lunch only. There were another two restaurants away from the resort that we didn't have time to try but heard they were good.

There are three pools at Plantation, one new and two older ones. The kids one has a water slide. The water in these pools was a lot warmer than the Naviti. Overall the buildings at the Naviti were nicer but you cant beat a table on the beach next to the water at Plantation.

If you are a beer drinker I would recommend stopping of at a bottle shop in Nadi on your way the airport if you can. The resort does not seem to have a problem with this. I spoke to several people who go to Plantation on a regular basis and they do this without a problem. A slab of Fiji bitter is $35 FJ. Because the fridges in the room are so big you can save a lot of money. Beers, wine and local spirits were $4.50 each. This adds up quickly. Cocktails were $12 to $15 dollars.

Take fly spray and insect repellent as there are a lot of mosquitoes in Fiji.

Overall Fiji is a great place for a family holiday. I would probably stay at Plantation before the Naviti but both resorts have there pluses. We cant wait to go back.

Jason, Tracey and family
July 2005

We just returned from 10 days in Fiji with our 5 yo and 3 yo. It was a fantastic family holiday that I would recommend to any family. Our flight from Sydney was delayed by 1 hr so we arrived late in Nadi and wasn't looking forward to the 1 1/2 hr car trip to the resort with our already tired kids. A representative from the Naviti came up to us and said that the Naviti was over booked and that we had to spend that night at the TokaToka resort in Nadi - this didn't bother us in fact we had booked this resort for our last night in Fiji but was a little disappointing for the people on 4 night packages! As it was their problem and we were on the all inclusive package Naviti picked up the tab for our dinner, drinks and breakfast. The next morning all that were from the Naviti were having trouble organising their transfers but as we had booked a private car we only had to ring Coral sun and one arrived within 10 minutes. Next time we will definitely stay in Nadi on the way as well as the way home. Flights to Sydney are out at 9am from Nadi which means you need to leave Naviti at 5am from the TokaToka we caught a 6.45 shuttle to the airport ( much easier with kids ! ). I suggest that you also look into paying that little bit extra for a private car as it reduced the stress and was quicker than the shuttle bus that picks up & drops off at other resorts. Going back to Nadi our transfer was there at 11am on the dot.

The Naviti is great and the all inclusive is the way to go. The meals are nice but don't expect 5 star restaurant food - keep in mind they are catering for hundreds of people. The drinks being free is a plus. We drank the local spirits and beer which are fine the whisky is nothing like scotch or bourbon but tastes ok , the rum is like rum, and vodka like the vodka at home. A bonus was that all inclusive guests can order cocktails for $5 F. They went down well. Of all the food we enjoyed breakfast and our dinners at night at The Bamboo terrace which is a chinese restaurant in the grounds best. When you go there it feels like you are going out for dinner - they have an all inclusive menu but you can order from their other menu at 25% off if you are all inclusive - I highly recommend the lobster and crab from the menu the lobster was approx 2kg and cost $30A and the crab was huge and about $20 A. In the buffet you can order from the Talei restaurant menu. If you are eating all inclusive menu and want say a dessert or entree from the pay menu you can do that too! At lunch if you don't feel like buffet there is also a snack menu which is all inclusive you can order from. Also at lunch if your kids are like mine and only want chips ( it's their holiday too !! ) you just have to take a plate up to the cook on the grill and they will give you some chips.

During the day the kids mostly swam and we relaxed watching and joining them. There is always something going on and my husband played beach & pool volley ball as did my son. My 3 yo preferred to swim with the other kids. Kids club is great it has sessions 10-12 1-3 & 6.30-9.30 It was so nice to have dinner by ourselves every night as the kids eat at 5.30-6.30 session buffet- their food was very "kiddie" but most kids just eat the chips anyway. As my daughter is 3 we had to arrange for a baby sitter for kids club. You just book with 4 hrs notice for the 1st occasion then arrange with the sitter for the next day. The Fijians are beautiful people and they just love kids and vice versa. My daughter was walking around saying Bula and cuddling them all. The babysitting is $4/hr and you can even arrange for them to take your kids back to your room and put them to bed until you get in. We did this twice until 11pm as we were too tired of a night to stay out much later than that.

As recommended by many on this site we did most of our souvenir shopping at Ma Blues across the road from the main gates - they are a lovely family. my daughter had her hair braided which took 2hrs and only cost $30F there. I also took over a huge bag of washing that cost $20F and was beautifully washed/folded/ironed. A Naviti laundry bag is $15F there or $25F at the resort.

We hired a cab and went to Sigatoka for $40F.The driver stayed and waited for us when we stopped. We also did the School & village tour from the activities bure - that was interesting and the kids enjoyed the school. We enjoyed the Kava ceremony with the chief at the village. The Fijians are incredibly proud of their culture and happy to show you. They have cultural / meke shows at night which are great in the bar. Friends we made did the hot spring tour and said it was fantastic but its a slippery 30 - 40 min walk in jungle that wasn't an option with a 3 & 5 yo. The guys at the activities bure are awesome they are heaps of fun. The activities bure is where you can hire snorkel gear , book tours and get your towels.

Fiji time is something that you will get used to. Nothing happens in a hurry but you feel so relaxed over there that nothing much stresses you anyway. We were away for 10 days and it felt like 3 weeks as the days are long and slow. We recommend Fiji as a great destination for a family holiday and if you want even less stress then go to the Naviti on the all inclusive package.. you won't regret it. We will be going back again in 2 yrs for sure and are hoping to recruit some of our friends with families to come.

Maria, Jan and family
April 2005

Our family of five (including our 17 year old son and daughters aged 7 and a 1/2 and 6 years of age) returned recently from a fabulous week in Fiji - we're already planning our next holiday back to Fiji!! We had holidayed many times before to Queensland, Australia and thought we'd try a holiday where everything was in the one venue. The Naviti offered our family a variety of activities for everyone of all ages. There were a few highs and lows during our travel and stay; all worth mentioning for anyone else considering a holiday at The Naviti.

We arranged private transport to The Naviti and drove from Nadi to The Naviti in one and a half hours. Well worth the extra few dollars to have an air conditioned vehicle to yourself and not stop at several resorts along the way. I was surprised to find no seat belts in the back seats of the vehicle (available for passenger and driver only). The main road, Queen's Road, is not what you'd expect of a main highway, but I was confident with our driver's driving ability and safe overtaking manoeuvers throughout our journey. Our driver kindly offered to drop us off at the supermarket in Sigatoka for supplies as well as various souvenir stops along the way. As we'd left NZ at 4am that morning, we were keen to get to our accommodation. (The two youngest snoozed towards the end of the drive).

We arrived at The Naviti at lunchtime to a very warm welcome (get used to saying "bula" to everyone!) and fruit juice but were unable to check into our room immediately (as check-in is from 2pm onwards). We were ushered into the Nukunuku Restaurant for lunch where we took a quick lesson on how the all inclusive deal works. It seems so confusing at first with an awful lot to take in, but it pays to talk to others to learn how it all works!! The all inclusive deal is great value, but interpreted differently by some staff. Once we didn't pay for bottled local water, another time we did. We also learnt after talking to people on the bus trip to Sigatoka that the Bamboo Terraces Restaurant had an all inclusive dining menu as well - so you could dine there for nothing extra!!! This suited our son one evening as he wasn't looking forward to the seafood buffet on offer at the Wasawasa Restaurant. I suggested he gather a group of friends, book a table for the evening and eat off the all inclusive menu - they enjoyed their Asian cuisine. The Bamboo Terraces Restaurant is situated on the edge of the golf course away from the resort - it did feel like you'd "gone out" for a meal. White linen table cloths with matching napkins, friendly, helpful waiting staff, good table service and pleasant food. (You could also eat off the menu - separate to the all inclusive menu - for 25% discount. We did this on our last evening enjoying the seafood offered on the menu). Between the 3 restaurants open in the evenings for dinner there was plenty of choice, but if you're used to fine dining, the quality of the food may not be what you're used to (remember the resort is catering for a large number of people). At breakfast we enjoyed the eggs cooked any way you wanted by the chef (I thoroughly recommend his omelettes) and the variety of fresh fruit. Another tip: when dining at the Wasawasa Restaurant's nightly buffets (these are a different theme/foods each evening) you can also order anything off the menu from the restaurant next door - The Talei. (One night the buffet desserts on offer didn't tempt us but we felt like something sweet and ordered dessert from the Talei Restaurant). Our two youngest children were happy to eat during the children's buffet from 5:30 - 6:30pm, but it was difficult to steer them away from the chips on offer!!! (even at lunchtime). They thoroughly enjoyed their all-you-can-eat-ice-creams during the day and soon cottoned on to the canned soft drinks too. We enjoyed cocktails towards the end of our stay sitting outside on the deck of the Salusalu Lounge and Bar looking out to sea just before the sun went down. The bar staff were also very generous with their spirits - no such thing as a nip, just a good guess!! We enjoyed their rum and cokes.

There was some illness amongst some of the guests during our stay. Some had tummy bug or weren't quite feeling right; two of our children came down with a high temperature and stayed in bed sleeping for a day. I had packed panadol and liquid panadol and was able to bring their high temperatures down. We arrived after two weeks of heavy rain and flooding in some areas and when I poured a bath the morning after we arrived, the water was brown!! I'd read somewhere the tap water at the resorts was OK to drink, but I'd thoroughly recommend drinking bottled water or boiling water intended for drinking.

We had interconnecting rooms (as requested) on the bottom level of the Nadi Wing. We enjoyed the children being free to come and go from the swimming pool via our ground floor balcony and we were sited directly opposite the children's play area and activities bure. We always knew when the next game of beach or pool volleyball was about to begin!! From the activities bure you could organise tours outside the resort (some at a small cost) - trips to a local village and school, a drive/walk to hotsprings or a waterfall and also book fishing/diving trips. Jan organised a diving lesson in the swimming pool then booked a diving trip through The Warwick and had a great dive near the reef in Korolevu - one on one with an instructor. The kayaks at the resort were great, but the windsurfers were past their prime. The water sports (and the coral viewing from the glass bottomed boat and sunset cruises) on offer here are dictated by the tides. When the tide is out you are able to walk out quite a way towards the reef and explore the small island in front of the resort. (Some restoration work of the sea wall is underway at present). There were several double hammocks along the beach front and plenty of deck chairs to sit/lie in and look out to sea. Also plenty of deck chairs available around the pool.

We did pay extra for a "guaranteed ocean view room" and I'm not convinced we got what we paid for. Our rooms in the Nadi Wing were spacious enough, (and we were fortunate 5 of us were spread across two rooms) but I felt they were dark (particularly the bathroom area) and not adequately lit. In both rooms the tall standing lamp in the lounge area was not working - difficult if you needed good light for reading at night. The state of the rooms could be likened to a much loved and well-read book - the paintwork and rooms were a bit tired and tatty around the edges and in need of a spruce up. The Suva Wing is much closer to the beach and enjoys uninterrupted ocean views and while you could just glimpse the ocean view in the far distance from our rooms, we were unaware of The Naviti's new building and refurbishment programme due to be completed by the end of 2005. Our ocean views were blocked by a building site directly in front of our rooms. Work begun at 7am and went through until 6pm (or sometimes later). We were also led to believe there was television in each room (listed in our travel brochure as standard in each room) , but this was not the case for rooms in the Nadi Wing. (There was TV available in Suva Wing rooms only). Funnily enough there were 100s of TV's stacked up in several areas around the resort and an aerial in our rooms, but they were "about to be installed at the end of April". My partner ended up making his own way to The Warwick to watch a game of rugby he wasn't prepared to miss. TV isn't that important on holiday, but it was an option we believed we were going to get - some guests even arranged to swap rooms just for TV. (By the by, if you were expecting to use the gym facilities here - listed as standard in our brochure - they are temporarily unavailable due to the refurbishment, but you can catch the shuttle to The Warwick and use their gym facilities). The room service is excellent here - daily room service as well as beds turned down at night. Towels changed daily (including bed linen if desired!!) and rooms swept out and cleaned daily. The staff at this resort are hard-working, warm and friendly, and many made the effort to remember your name. One lady in the buffet dining area even knew what sized table we required each day!! We confused her on several occasions by asking for a table for eight - the children wanted to dine with friend's they'd made.

As well as getting used to saying "bula", get used to being told you're on "Fijian time". Most of the time Fijian time was OK, after all you're relaxed and on holiday - why rush?! I was worried however, when we arrived at Nadi airport and the company handling our transfers said they weren't expecting us for another hour! (Our flight did arrive at the intended time of 9:45am and we got through immigration and customs quickly). Fortunately, our driver was available to take us to our destination and picked us up from the airport after a very short wait. Fijian time was not so great on another occasion when we had organised to go on the shopping tour to Sigatoka on the Saturday morning. We all boarded the last of two busses - adults and children crammed in with all the windows wide open with no air conditioning or moving air - expectantly looking forward to our adventure to begin, to be told a couple was still having breakfast and would be joining us shortly!! Needless to say, we were all kept waiting on a hot and stuffy bus - and we were all too polite to say anything when the couple eventually finished breakfast and boarded the bus.

Thank you to everyone who recommended visiting Ma Blues Hut (directly across the road opposite the entrance to the resort). What a lovely family!!! We bought many souvenirs, the girls had their hair braided on our last day, we had our washing laundered ($15 for a large bag - all superbly washed, ironed and folded) and even had our massages here (at $15 a half hour). Most of the girls at the resort (and some boys too) opted to have their hair braided and this is the place to get it done. There is another village on the edge of the resort (just past the activities bure and over a small stream) that offers much the same services including nail painting and horse riding, but we found their prices a lot dearer than Ma Blues. Do check out both places for yourself. I treated myself to a Deep Cleanse Facial at The Joy Spa and was satisfied with the (German) products used and the experience. The brochure we received from our travel agent (in March) listed a free 30 minute massage per room. When I enquired about this at reception I was informed "that the brochure was out of date and the promotion expired". Another guest I spoke to had received the same brochure - and much the same response.

Our two girls weren't all that enthused with the Kids Club during the day, but I'd sign our youngest daughter in most nights whilst we dined. They would happily go if there was an activity they were interested in, but managed to make friends around the pool and occupy themselves. (A photocopied sheet of the daily Adult's and Children's Activities on offer is available from reception). The night time cultural entertainment for the adults was worthwhile (especially the Meke, Kava ceremony and Cultural shows) and I liked the way the children from Kids Club often contributed or took part in an activity in front of the audience in the Salusalu Lounge Bar. (Not so good if you wanted to get away from the children!!).

The Naviti is a very child friendly resort and I felt the children were safe at all times. (The resort has its own security guards that patrol the resort 24 hours a day). I did speak to some couples without children - many enjoyed the facilities but didn't realise the resort was so popular with families. Not so great if you were planning a quiet romantic holiday!!! Or wanting to really let your hair down...

With 140 air-conditioned rooms The Naviti did not feel too crowded and the facilities were adequate for the number of people staying there. The grounds and gardens were lush, colourful and well maintained and the beach and sand areas were raked and groomed daily. I felt comfortable at all times around the resort and enjoyed the relaxed and casual dress code - no pretentiousness here. The Naviti's two storeyed accommodation was linked by covered stair wells and walkways. Numbers definitely swelled over Anzac Weekend (but it didn't put noticeable pressure on the resort and its facilities), and some people were "upgraded" to The Naviti's sister resort - The Warwick - about 5 minutes drive away. We spent one afternoon at The Warwick and after walking around and looking at the facilities we made ourselves at home around the pools. Lovely facilities and beautifully presented, but it seemed much bigger with lots more people (too busy for me). Three storeyed buildings and the resort was more spread out = greater distance to walk between all the facilities. I wonder what The Naviti will be like after the new three storey wing is opened at the beginning of next year (160 rooms) and what new facilities will be added? Will the current rooms be redecorated/refurbished and put into commission? What impact will that have on the resort and its current and new facilities?

I can see now why many families enjoy their stay at The Naviti, recommend the resort to others and return there for future memorable holidays. Vinaka for The Naviti experience.

Julie and Phillip
April 2005

We recently travelled to FIJI in April 2005, we took our two younger girls aged 13 & 10 and my oldest daughter 18 who travelled with a friend also 18. Another family came along with us with their three children 2 girls aged 13 & 11 & one boy 16. Our experience was fantastic, we had a great time, the kids had a ball, the activities staff were brilliant in getting everyone involved in games even the older teenagers and adults especially in volleyball & touch football. The smaller kids came and went as they pleased, they either went to kids club or found other kids to play with which all of them did or utilise the activities on offer, such as the 3 hour horse-riding trip, snorkelling & hobbycats. They all made new friends mainly from Australia and a few from USA, and they are still in contact with each other.

The food was good, can't complain the kids loved the ice-creams & drinks and the variety of food. We only spent time in our rooms to sleep as there was so much to do which included lying by the pool reading a book or sleeping on the banana lounge. We played golf, course isn't the best but hey we were there to have fun not compete in the PGA. Highly recommend the Bamboo Restaurant on the grounds of the Naviti, absolutely beautiful very upmarket chinese cuisine. "TheGirls" spent a couple of nights dancing into the wee hours of the night, the entertainment was great, had a great time met lots of other families and couples.

The bus ride is tiresome but its worth it when you get there, shopping at Sigatoka was okay but Nadi is alot better, if you get a chance head up that way on your way home and stay at a hotel close to the airport before you leave.

The Naviti was very comfortable, clean and staff fantastic, Appy our scuba diving instructor was fantastic and a cute great guy as well !

Reece and Rena
February 2005

My wife and I have just returned from the Naviti Resort along with 3 of our friends (Feb 20th 2005) and we had a fantastic time!

Due to our early arrival into Nadi, we opted to stay at the Capricorn Motel about ten minutes from Nadi airport. The motel was old but clean and air conditioned and the food was surprisingly good with the pool being the big hit on the first day! We took the local bus into town which was an experience (45cents) but Nadi Town was a bit of a let down with people always harassing you in their shops so browsing wasn't really possible. We won't be staying in Nadi next trip just straight down to The Naviti. The trip down to The Naviti was good apart from the terrible driving from the locals.

Now as for The Naviti, definitely excellent value for money. From the spacious tidy rooms to the friendly staff, the wide selection of food and the variety of activities, my wife was sad to come home. We actually regretted (believe it or not) leaving our five kids at home because this place easily caters for couples thru to large families/groups. The guests kids were always entertained at the kids club and never really crossed our paths except at meals. The restaurants were good but we recommend the Asian one set on the golf course for the Lobster. Although you have to pay at this place, you get 30% off the bill which made a 2kg Lobster cost only $25FJD. (about $20AUS) The local seafood restaurant between the Naviti and the Warwick was very overpriced and the food average so don't bother.

The beaches are clean and the water is warm and clear but the marine life is not what you would expect. If this is what you want, stay at an island resort. If you are interested in massages and hair braiding etc, go to the local village hut at the edge of the resort. we had an hour long full body massage for $40 and you can organise horse rides and snorkelling with the locals for small fees as well as local merchandise. We did the 3hour ride/swim/ride and it was very slow as the horses really don't need to be ridden, just sit on them and they will get you there and back. Our advice is to get to know the staff at the Naviti who are from the village next door as they are a huge source of information and are always up for a party after they finish their shifts! If you are after some souvenirs, try Ma Blues across from the front entrance of the Naviti, the pricing there is very good and you can get your whole suitcase full of clothes laundered there for less than the resort charges ($25)for a medium sized plastic bag. We didn't have access to self serve laundry services which might be different in the suites.

Evening drinks and entertainment is supplied at the main hall. The stand-in DJ was good on the first night with some older familiar tunes and karaoke. The band was also good the next night but as the week went on, the same songs were played every night and that was annoying. The regular DJ Zorro was terrible from the start (in between band sets) and he had no idea on how to get people shaking their tushies. This was made known to everyone including Zorro by our group (Mainly because we are all either singer/muso's or DJ's in Melbourne) but we did give him pointers and we are sending him some up to date dance/club mixes. The alcohol by the way is good. We drank the white rum (like bacardi) the dark rum (like bundy) and the regal whiskey (like nothing else) but it was very enjoyable even being a JD drinker! although as our stay progressed we were tending to wipe ourselves out on the cocktails on offer (charged to our rooms).MMM!

The two main things about this place with the all-inclusive package is firstly you will drink yourself silly and you will eat yourself sick. If you are not sleeping you are either eating or drinking or probably both!!! even during activities. We had to stay away from the bacon and eggs and pancakes and pastries etc etc at breakfast and stick to fresh fruit, yoghurt and cereal after the second day as we all wanted to get in a kip at about ten every morning due to being bloated then go back for lunch at midday. Don't forget the cultural shows on in the evenings after dinner. The Meke shouldn't be missed but the Firewalking should be called the warm rock hopping. Not very exciting. This is held behind the Asian restaurant in like an arena and we fortunately had dinner booked there that night for after the show so that was very convenient!

All in all The Naviti is fantastic value and we are going back in September for the school holidays WITH the kids this time. Lastly....KAVA. woohoo! although the effects vary slightly from person to person, my personal experience with kava was this. Taste like crap but was bearable. Tongue went numb after first bowl. Throat went numb by third bowl and by the sixth bowl (Legend!) I felt like I had moulded myself perfectly into the chair where I stayed for hours!!! Now we actually drank kava back at the Capricorn in Nadi on the last night in Fiji. The barmen got the kava bowl out and mixed it up for us from the stuff we purchased at the grog shop down the street. By the time we finished we had four of our group (the fifth still recovering from an all nighter at Naviti), the barmen, the security guard, the off duty security guard, the lady at the front desk and the two off duty policemen (Sergeants) from Suva all drinking this wonderful, wonderful stuff! after hours of course! we ended up getting 2kg between us to take back to Melbourne. What a holiday!

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Naviti Resort, Fiji

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