More about Malolo Island Resort
Malolo Island
by dancinbudgie about Malolo Island Resort
We stayed for 6 nights at malolo Island Resort for our honeymoon and enjoyed every moment. There are enough activities to keep you as busy as you would like, and enough space to have as much privacy as you need. There are 3 restaurants to choose from (see places to eat tips), a spa that gives GREAT massages, a kids club to occupy the small fry, snorkelling right off the beach, an adults only pool, a Padi Dive Centre, and more. All of the accomodation is bure style and they all have ocean views. The rooms are bright, breezy and clean, and are serviced daily. There are no TV's or telephones in the rooms to remind you of the 'real' world. Hammocks are strung out in the shade and there were plenty to go around. There is a laundry service which is $16 fijian per bag (9items).
The staff at this resort are wonderful, really friendly and excellent with the kids.
The only complaint I had was the position of our bure. I had requested one at the far end of the resort, away from the main complex, but ended up in no. 16, which had the kids club behind it and got pretty noisy at times. The bures from no. 26 and up would be much quieter, and also out of the wind, so try to get one of those if you go.
Prices for bures were $566fijian. Deluxe bures $660...I couldn't see the difference between standard and deluxe except that deluxe had a separate bedroom. Two kids under 12 stay free. We were lucky enough to go at a time when all meals were offered free, which made our stay there a really good deal. Their website has new offers coming up all the time, so if you're flexible with your travel dates, keep an eye on it.
Yaro Village Tour
by dancinbudgie
We took the Yaro Village tour from Malolo Island Resort. The village is home to about 20% of the resorts staff, (the remainder come from the mainland), and is the traditional home of the Chief who owns the land that the resort is built upon.
It was an interesting enough trip, if a little touristy. The Kava ceremony was fairly brief, and the portion I was expected to drink was, thankfully, small, ( I am not a fan)! Our guide, Len, didn't seem very interested in enlightening us in regards to life in the village, except to point out how difficult it was. The main objective of the tour appeared to be getting us to buy the handicrafts, something that we were happy to do even though we knew they were a little overpriced. The villagers themselves were very friendly, especially the children.
The tour cost Fijian $31, and took about an hour and a half.
Padi Discover Scuba Course
by dancinbudgie
I did this course on a rainy day at Malolo Island Resort (what else do you do on a tropical island in Fiji on a rainy day?). It consisted of theory work in the morning, along with a pool lesson, and was followed by a reef dive (maximum depth 12metres) in the afternoon.
In the pool I was taught by Owen, who is about as funny a guy as you will come across. He is also a very patient instructor, and if not for him I may have never progressed to the reef dive as I was ready to chuck it in the minute I put my head under water!
On the reef dive my buddy was Bilo, a much more serious (but extremely experienced) diver. He held my hand (literally) for the duration of the dive, and gave me the confidence to stay down there for 37 minutes! (I was absolutely terrified initially). If you're out there Bilo, I hope your hand has recovered!
The reef I was taken to was called Barrell Head, which is near Mana Island. It was just like being in a 'Finding Nemo' movie. The corals were absolutely beautiful. I saw all kinds of fishes (including Nemo), as well as a shark (only little), and a stingray.
The course cost $175 Fijian, and was worth every penny. I highly recomend this course to anyone who has always wanted to try scuba, but was too afraid. I will now move on to do my Open Water Diver Course thanks to the great introduction I got from these guys!
Loved Malolo!
by A TripAdvisor Member
My husband and I stayed on Malolo Island at the end of a 5 week holiday around Aus/NZ for 4 nights
Everything about Malolo was a delight .
We took the daily food package and were not disappointed.
The food was plentiful, fresh and excellent quality.
There were lovely hammocks outside each beach house and never too many people on the beach.
The rooms were of excellent standard and cleaned thoroughly every day with fresh flowers left by the sink & on the bed- a lovely touch. The staff were pleasant at every turn and went out of their way to make our stay enjoyable. Our A/C broke but was fixed with a new unit the next day so we were happy with the service.
It was enjoyable and relaxing and a beautiful island not commercialised but not a lot to do so if sunbathing and relaxation are top of your list you will not be disappointed.
If it werent on the other side of the world I would be planning a return journey very soon. I would highly recommend Malolo
Malolo was fantastic
by TripAdvisor Member willnino
A wedding in Fiji was our aim and Malolo Resort was the location. With 40+ guests on the island for the week, we hoped they would all enjoy their holiday as well as the attractions the island had to offer. We were not disappointed in any aspects. The resort itself is well located, with the surrounding reef, small islands and Castaway Island encircling it. The brand new Likuliku resort being built around the corner was another attraction and should be a very nice resort when it is finished (looks very expensive though). The beach itself is a bit open to the southerly winds that lashed us for a few days and isn't a very user friendly beach at low tide, due to rock and coral. Once on the kayak or out snorkelling though, this isn't a problem. N.B...the end bures 37 and 38 I think, are well protected on a little beach (end of the main beach) that is just around the corner and out of the wind.
Meals and activities are also very good. We utilized the meal plan and were happy with all of the meals we had, the Mongolian bbq was a highlight. Activities happen every night and a lot depends on the audience participation. With our big group, we had a lot of fun with these games and many laughs. Our group contained a number of eager walkers who were keen to walk off the overeating. The walks available are limited but are quite tough with a hill climb facing you at the start, no matter which way you head off. Still enough available path to have an hour walk before breakfast, as well as some wonderful views.
Other free activities included kayaking (a lot of fun but difficult when the wind got up), only one catamaran was working and there is abundant snorkelling close by, or kayak out to the reefs, or down to the old ship wreck. We thought the snorkelling was pretty good till we went to Matamanoa and found that sooooo much better.
The downside of this island and many are the same, is the high cost of other activities. It is very expensive to dive, deep water fish, water ski, etc and I wonder if they wouldn't be better off making the prices more affordable and encourage more people to participate. Malolo also charged $26 for handline fishing and it was really ordinary (not a fish caught and they anchored in very rough water).....whilst at Matamanoa they have a free fishing handline trip each day and we caught plenty of fish.
The staff are extremely friendly (much moreso than Matamanoa) and you soon learn little snippets of the language. I also felt that if you made the effort to speak a few words in Fijian it was much appreciated. Sanga ni Langa.
The Best Hide Away
by TripAdvisor Member Conrot
Well this would have to be the best holiday destination i have come across. Staff was the resort's best asset. Everything about Malolo can not be faulted. Would recommened to anyone.
The food was to die for. The service was even better. And nothing can compare to the staff.
Only drama was from the Sea Plane transfer which we did not end up going on. We had sent email upon email with no reply before we left then when we booked it whilst on our stay at Malolo, they cancelled at the last minute costing us about $200 AUD as we had to the charter a private speed boat back to the marina.
We had the best time of our lives ! ! !
Nice, friendly and locally-run
by TripAdvisor Member Karen43
My mother and I stayed at Malolo in April 2007 for three nights.
The resort itself is nice, and comfortable. The best feature is that it is owned and run by a local Fijian chief and his village, so you will get a far more genuine experience at Malolo than if you stay at one of the major chain hotels in Fiji. This means that the staff are friendly and they adore children, so parents will be able to have some time to themselves. In fact, during our entire stay, one young "handful" was effectively adopted by the locals that we couldn't pinpoint who his parents were. The locals were so friendly, one of the staff invited us to come to their home for a Fijian "lovo" (feast).
The main downside to the resort is the coral and rocks that are exposed in the afternoon at low tide, making swimming right outside your room only viable until around the end of lunchtime. Also, the air conditioner in our room was never really effective, and the weather was hot and sticky.
We had Room 38, which was right at the far end away from the action, so I can't comment on the noise issues near the centre of the resort. However, I would recommend the last 2 rooms (37 and 38) for a bit more privacy.
There is one indoor room for adults, with a TV, DVDs, books and couches. However, it's fairly stuffy and not really where you want to be on a beautiful island unless there's an important football game to watch.
The food was good, but not amazing. We booked the food package, which was OK value, but you could easily get by taking each meal as it comes and not worrying about what is or isn't included in your package.
There is a small boutique, which will easily meet most basic needs, including basic pharmaceuticals like Panadol, as well as catering for chocolate and chip cravings.
The water sports are good - kayaking, snorkelling, jet skiing. There is no para-sailing, for those who are keen.
The only downside with service was "Fiji time" - sometimes you did have to ask for things 2 or 3 times, or wait what appeared to be a while. However, it's best just to accept Fiji time for what it is and go with the flow - it seems the only downside in the locals, who must be unsurpassed in their friendliness.
All in all, I would try somewhere else for my next visit, but would recommend Malolo to others as a good place to experience some genuine Fiji hospitality.
Here for Honeymoon
by TripAdvisor Member RRMNottingham
We arrived on Malolo on New Years Eve for a 9 night stay as part of our Honeymoon.
The welcome from the Malolo staff was excellent and the registration process uncomplicated, however things went a bit downhill from then.
In early November I had emailed requesting a Bure as far as possible from the beach bar and activities, we wanted some peace and quiet as we were on Honeymoon, after reading a review here telling us that Bure 11 is right in the middle of things. Subsequently we were allocated Bure 12!
I went to see reception who, quite nonchanantly, said there was nothing they could do for the next few days as they were full. I explained that I had in fact requested a Bure away from the activity some 6 weeks earlier but was again told that as they were full there was nothing they could do.
Ten minutes later we were advised that we were being moved to Bure 37, which was right at the end of the beach and exactly the sort of thing we had in mind, I think they went and checked their mail and had a change of heart.
From here on in our stay was more or less as expected, very freindly staff who seemed to want to be there, better than average food for a holiday resort and clean basic accomodation.
We went to the Maldives in January 2006 and couldn't help comparing the two, maybe a little unfairly but generally our observations were, the accomodation whilst clean was very old and not a patch on the quality of the Maldives. There is another resort being built which will have over-water bungalows, in this respect Fiji is years behind the Maldives, however the room was good and more or less what we expected.
The food was better than we had expected, many resorts like this have a buffet every night which becomes very tedious, so to have Al A Carte restaurants was very refreshing. On the occasions where there were buffets the quality was also better tha expected.
The general attitude of the staff was very good and they didn't expect a tip for the smallest thing, we were told that if we want to tip then do so at the end of our stay into a genaral staff 'pot' which is then shared out amonst everyone.
The quality of available wine was excellent although it was very expensive, Fiji$62 for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is more or less what I would expect to pay in a medium quality restuarant in the UK, nice to have the choice though.
Finally being there in the middle of the southern hemisphere's summer holiday meant there were loads of kids on the island, again the Maldives offer many adult only resorts, we are not 'anti child' but it seemed that every other couple had a few offspring. However, in fairness this never bothered us and compared to the volume of people on the resort the beaches were never busy.
We were here as part of a trip which included New Zealand, to come solely to Fiji would not make sense to Europeans because of the distance. So if we visited again it would be part of a bigger trip, if we did that I'm not sure we would visit Malolo again, it was OK but for the money we paid I want more than OK.
Photos
Malolo Island Resort
Forum Posts
Honeymoon to Fiji
by millert01
Hello- We would like to visit Fiji for a honeymoon and my aunt as given us use of her time share which is excellent. But we are limited to these five resorts and their locations. 1)Malolo Lailai Lagoon Resort Club in Musket Cove Resort. 2)Malolo Lailai Island, Naigani Island Resort in Naigani Island. 3)The Holiday Club at Fiji Palms in Pacific Harbour Debua. 4)WorldMark Fiji in Denarau Island Nadi. 5)Fiji Palms Hotel in Pacific Harbour Deuba.
The other piece of this is that we are going to be there for 10 days so we are looking to do a mix of a few things. We could even stay at 2 different islands 1 week each. The activities we are looking to do are, snorkling, hiking, some water sports, eating, drinking, and relaxing. Any insight as to what would be best for us would be great. Maybe even a relaxing peaceful island and then one that would cover most everything else. Thanks for any help that is ou there.
RE: Honeymoon to Fiji
by millert01
Also we are going the 5 through the 15th of September if that makes a difference in where we should go. Thanks
Fiji in May
by MStars
Hello,
Was hoping to plan a week vacation mid-May . . . can't find much info online and not sure if it is accurate about the weather . . . is this a good time to go, especially in light of all the flooding that went on earlier this month and future rain?
Thanks for any input
Re: Fiji in May
by ricky52
Trying to predict the weather can be difficult because of local on the day variations.
This information should be used as a guide only.
Here is the average weather for Fiji for this time of year.
Enjoy your holiday
May.
High 82f / 28c
Low 70f / 21c
Rain 5.60in / 142.0mm
Rain days 16
Hours of sun 6
Daylight hours 11
UV level 8 = Very High
Sea temp 81f / 27c
Re: Fiji in May
by sufr54
Which island are you going to visit ? Viti Levu is the main island and the city of Nadi is the most common destination with the international airport there ?
On Viti Levu, it depends on which side of the island you are on for the rains, unless it is a cyclone.
Re: Fiji in May
by dancinbudgie
We were there in April and early May. First week on the mainland was excellent weather. Second week on Malolo Island rained most afternoons. Hope you have a great time
Where are good swimming beaches?
by Poppy28
We plan a holiday in Fiji in October this year. Where are the best swimming beaches. Any advice welcome.Thank you in advance.
Re: Where are good swimming beaches?
by dancinbudgie
We stayed on the Coral Coast for a week and then the Mamunnuccas on Malolo Island. The beaches on any of the islands would be far better than those on the mainland. What area are you planning on? I would have loved to spend time in the Yasawa's...the beaches there looked fabulous!
You'll have a great time regardless! It's a beautiful country with beautiful people.
Tracey
Re: Where are good swimming beaches?
by Poppy28
Thanks so much...not sure just where yet...have been looking at websites and my Mum suggested the forum.
Re: Where are good swimming beaches?
by wise23girl
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Re: Where are good swimming beaches?
by Kakapo2
Beachcomber Island would be easy to reach and has beautiful white beaches. I have only been on two major islands (Viti Levu and Vanua Levu). The problem with the Coral Coast is that the coral is destroyed, and they are now making any effort to restore it. Therefore there is a lot of broken coral around which can make walking on the beach rather difficult. Wherever you go, always take swimming shoes with you.
Re: Where are good swimming beaches?
by craftyweasel
I just back from Fiji after spending time at a village homestay...on the first day we went snorkling by ourselves and saw what we thought was great fish but at the dinner table that night our host suggested we get a guide from the village to take us snorkling, $10Fijian dollars, so we did and BOOM what a difference local knowledge makes. Get someone to guide you on the first day and then you will be right for the rest of your holiday check out www.fijihomestays.com this is where we stayed.
Re: Where are good swimming beaches?
by Poppy28
Just back from Fiji and loved it. Thanks everyone.
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