NewZealandAtoZ reviews; Denarau Island Resort, Fiji

The Denarau Resort is on the main island Viti Levu of Fiji. Dispite all the negative press written about Fiji in the past we did not notice anything to show any problems in the country. All the locals we talked to seemed happy and liked the idea of their dollar being devalued by 20% to attract more tourists. 

Denarau Island is about 25 minutes from Nadi airport and is a manmade island built in a mangrove swamp.

It is a tourist area with a number of major hotel chains represented and staffed by the friendly local people. All hotels look about the same from the outside and surround the Denarau Golf Course and Racquets Club. All the Hotels had nice pools and beach fronts.  No one really swum in the sea as the water is not the clear blue pacific Island water that you usually get in Fiji, but it is warm and we did swim in it with no problems. You can hire kayaks, sail boats and jet skis to use.

On your way to Denarau you might consider stopping at a supermarket in Nadi town for supplies, as food and beverages are very expensive in Denarau -including in the Denarau shops outside the resorts. A local Fiji Bitter beer (which is not too bad, we thought it was probably renamed Victorian Bitter from Australia) is about $6.50 in the resorts and $2 at the supermarket.  If you want to drink spirits at your hotel, look at a cocktail.  The locals make great cocktails with generous pours, and happy hours help you get your money's worth. At the hotel we stayed at food started at $29 per person for a buffet and goes up to what ever you want to spend depending on which hotel restaurant you go to. The food was ok, good enough for me to have 3rds.

The Wyndham Resort is managed by WorldMark and they will try and sell you WorldMark timeshares. We visited friends who were staying there and as soon as we set foot on the property we were approched by a representitive and asked if we had heard about WorldMark. Our friends who did stay there did so because they got a cheap deal if the went to a 2 hour seminar. The representitives who approched us were not pushy, which was refreshing.

Ask at the WorldMark website if they are offering anything.

I would go back to Denarau and would not worry to much about what hotel to stay at, as they are all top class (I would look at the Radisson first, as we enjoyed it there). I would look for the best all inclusive deal to make my end decision.

Useful Fact;

Fiji is in the same World time zone as New Zealand, so great for both countries.

Denarau Island Map