Castaway Island

Castaway Island was excellent...

by pickypaws

Castaway Island was excellent for getting away from it all. Bures on the beach, wonderful staff, I would love to go back someday. The restaurant was illuminated by torch light. The tradewinds were magic - or was it the cava?

Best Backpacker Island Paradise

by C_L_T about Beachcomber Island

This island is absolute paradise. The staff are so friendly and will do anything for you. You'll be marooned on your own piece of paradise and wont want to leave!
The island is really small but I never felt trapped in any kind of way, there's a very nice community feel to the place....everyone eats breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and the evening entertainment is varied and gets everyone involved....alternatively there are areas where you can escape to if you so wish so you can join in as little or as much as you'd like to.
The accomodation is a mix of bunk rooms for 4-10 people with shared washrooms and more expensive private bures with private facilites...on separate sides of the island so a private bure stays pretty much private!!
The island offers activites for you to partake in such as half and full day sailing trips to surrounding islands (well worth it and includes a trip to an island school and Castaway Island), dive courses, kayak trips and snorkelling (look out for turtles, reef sharks and an amazing variety of fish)...or there are always the hammocks!! No pool but then you dont need one with the fabulous Pacific Ocean all around you (it takes less than 5mins to stroll around the edge of the island!), outdoor hot-tub, great local food and drink (cava!!)

Castaway Isalnd Resort

by lauriegab about Resort

We were at the Castaway Island Report for a week in March of 2006 for my Mom's wedding. She and my Stepdad had been there several times and since it was a second marriage for both of them, they opted for a "getaway" wedding. The resort is the only facility on the island. They have an all-inclusive plan that includes all meals (in the off season the prices are better) which worked out well for the 30 of us in attendance. Although the burres (huts) did not have air conditioning at the time we were there, A/C has since been added to most of the burres, which makes it a lot easier to sleep at night. Although they "smoke" the grounds twice a day to keep the mosquito population at bay, we still had bites. Best bet is to take extra doses of vitamin B complex for about 1 month prior to and during your stay and then use a good mosquito repellant. The snorkeling at nearby Honeymoon Island was some of the best ever. Unfortunately, it was recently purchased by a private party and you can no longer snorkel there. Not to worry, though. It is Fiji after all and there is plenty of snorkeling to be done elsewhere. The folks at Castaway were so friendly. They have all sorts of activities available - try the high speed boat trip to the neighboring islands & wild dolphin area. My sister did the parasailing. I liked the kayaking. You can walk all the way around the island at low tide. They do have a swimming pool and childrens activiites. There is no TV and no radio. There are no phones in the rooms. The only internet access is in their office. Castaway is a relaxed and informal island resort where bare feet and sulus are the norm throughout the day and evening. You really feel like you are "away from it all".

If you want to help improve the image of the "Ugly American", bring school supplies and/or anything else you think children might find useful/beneficial in a school setting as donations for the nearby school. The school does a good job with what they have, but they can always use more. Instead of gifts, for my Mom's wedding, each of the guests brought a box of school supplies, soccer balls/air pumps, flip/flops in various colors, arts/crafts supplies etc. The smiles on the faces of the children made the extra effort worthwhile. My Mom and Stepdad have gone back every year on their anniversary and plan on doing so for as long as they can. (Mom turns 70 next year!) When they go back now, they say it's like visiting family - the people are so warm and welcoming. I'll be going back next year myself! The pictures say it all!

Go to Castaway Island. I was...

by pickypaws

Go to Castaway Island. I was reef walking one day and found two blue starfish, a sea cucumber, and something in a shell that hopped off my hand. I love beachcombing. The beautiful scenery and friendly staff at Castaway.

Looking Forward to going again!

by TripAdvisor Member FAM/FOUR/SYD

What a wonderful holiday we had. We recently had 6 nights on Castaway Island. If I had of known how wonderful it was when we booked our trip we would have stayed longer. We only had one problem whilst on Castaway Island and that was the weather....the one thing the staff and management could not control, but that can happen anywhere. They had everything else perfect. For a family (7 and 3 year old boys) it had everything we could have wished for and despite the bad weather we still found plenty to do. The beach is great and we even swam with the fish and saw a small reef shark when the water was only up to our knees. The staff are what made a great holiday WONDERFUL!, they make you and the whole family feel so welcome. Our children went to kids club when they wanted to and adored all the staff, our 3 year old cried for the first few days after coming home as he wanted to go back to the island and see Kima. The food was amazing. The bures are very comfortable and a great lay-out. Whilst this was our first trip to Fiji it will not be our last and we will be headed stright back to Castaway. (Tip: they allow guests to borrow: beach towels, boardgames, tennis racquets, kids buckets & spades, snorkels & masks).

Sensational honeymoon

by TripAdvisor Member hay91

what an amazing place! 27 hours or however long it took us to get there, was worth every minute. The island was beautiful, the staff friendly, the bures clean and the food was excellent. I love the kokoda!!!!!

The diving was also sensational and one piece advise i would give to any divers staying on Castaway then going over to the mainland is to make sure they head to the Beqa Lagoon to do the bull shark dive. Utterly amazing!

I would LOVE to go back to Castaway but I guess it'll have to be something pretty special like our 10th wedding anniversary before we decide to trek half way round the world again. I just wish it could be sooner.........!

BRILLIANT!

Impressed With Castaway

by TripAdvisor Member Jessietau

Very impressed with everything. The staff were fantastic, so kind, friendly and accommodating. Our beach bure was beautiful and had been recently refurbished with the most delightful furnishings. It was always immaculately cleaned daily and fresh flowers supplied daily. The food was to die for, very nice, but would be quite expensive if you did not go with the islands meal deal. Drinks were expensive, but given everything has to be shipped in it is expected. It is the type of restort where you can be as lazy and relaxed as you wish or as active as you wish - there are plenty of activities. The restaurants and eating areas as just fantastic with comfortable furnishings (not a plastic chair in sight!) and each meal you are seated in a different area, so you never feel you are in the same dining area! Apparently it was fully accommodated while we were there but it certainly did not feel that way, there are so many places to go and see and you never feel crowded out. I enjoyed a couple of massages while there and they were fantastic. I will definately return, it really is a relaxing holiday and a great chance to get away from the stresses and hassles of everyday life. I particulary loved the lay back dress code. We virtually only took an overnight bag and lived in our swim wear and sarongs. Dress for the evening meals were just as casual!

Absolutely superb!

by TripAdvisor Member casijama

From the moment we stepped off the sea plane and ashore through the crystal clear water we knew we were in the right place.
The people at Castaway are awesome, so friendly, nothing too much trouble and great with kids. Our 2 children (9 and 10) made friends straight away and still talk about what a great time they had..
Our Bure was large and nicely furnished and planned so guest are not on top of eachother. The meal plan was definitely the way to go, with plenty of flexibility and good quality food. We stayed 10 nights and tried different food most nights. Drinks were quite expensive but not unreasonable by any means. Activities for the kids were great. Trip to Honeymoon Island a must, we went twice and the second time went with 2 other families we had met and they sent us with a packed lunch and sent a boat to pick us up a few hours later..
Snorkeling at Honeymoon amazing but nearly as good right off the beach at Castaway. The boat shop staff were so friendly, played soccer with my kids and volleyball when there were no ther kids to play with. Felt very comfortable with children in kids club and also playing with their friends they met on the island - unlike in the States where you feel like you need to watch them all the time!! We are going back again in July 2007 and can't wait!

Castaway Bula Bula!

by TripAdvisor Member Kiwistyles

Without a doubt this is a great little resort and probably the best that I have stayed at in Fiji (or the world) full stop!

We are consistant visitors to this island having been every year for the last five. Over the last few years there seems to have been a change in attitudes by the Fijian people where once there were all smiling faces, now there seems to be a few with a bit of a chip on their shoulders. This is not teh case at Castaway and the service (not the quickest in teh world, but you do adjust) and attitudes here are great.

Food - excellent, with plenty of fresh produce and NZ quality meat. Make sure that you go on the Meal Plan - this is great value and you will go home a few kgs heavier.

Wine - very good Oz and NZ selection, quite expensive though. Pick up a couple of bottles through Duty Free as you can BYO.

(Just a note the Restaurant here is as good as it gets in Fiji, even better than Vomo, only complaint I had was once it was so hot that the waiter actually was sweeting over my drink).

Accomodation - simple, no TV, no AC, but very clean with a traditional feel. Tip - ask for your room to be on teh western side of the island.

Activities
Snorkelling - great house reef, the water is always superb
Diving - Great PADI course run by friendly Aussies. Fiji diving is the best in the world as far as I'm concerned (but off to the Maldives next month so I may change my mind).
Surfing - you can be taken out to some great breaks close to Cloud Break.
Tennis
Pool etc
Plenty to do so you never get bored.

Beach - just beautiful and relaxing. also very amusingly cleaned by hand every day.

This truly is a special part of the world.

Word of warning if you are a couple watch out for NZ and OZ school holidays as this resort is very popular with families due to their great kids programme.

Sailing to and from Modriki (Castaway Island)

by ognini

"Fijian Sunset"

Returning to harbor after a day at play on Modriki (Castaway Island)

"Yachts"

When I win the lottery!