Advantages Lovely hotel, good food, great view, convenient location
Disadvantages Bad start, had to pay for internet and the shuttle bus
Detailed Rating
| Value for Money | |
|---|---|
| Quality of Rooms | |
| Standard of Service | |
| Quality of Food & Drink | |
| Cleanliness | |
| Quality of Facilities | |
| Family Friendly |
Fiji Beach Resort – managed by Hilton
A BAD STARTIT GOT WORSE
Throughout this trip we had booked accommodation from the night before our arrival if we were arriving very early in the morning as we had been advised by our travel agent. That way we would have a room waiting for us on our arrival. We went to Reception with our pre paid voucher to check in and were told that we would have to wait as our room was not ready. Well, we questioned that politely and much fussing around and surprisingly a room was found. We then queried the ‘Meet and greet service’ or lack of and requested that someone look into that as we had paid over the odds for this service and had not received it. They said they would look into it for us. Now considering that we had been up since 2.00am and had been so badly treated we were keeping calm but making it known we were not impressed.
He then suggested that we go to the restaurant and have some breakfast while they sorted out a room for us. The breakfast was fantastic and the view wonderful and everyone fussed around bringing us coffee and tea and saying how sorry they were. Finally the receptionist came over and said that her boss had a room to offer us, it was two upgrades better than the one we had booked but it was a garden view as opposed to a sea view. We agreed to go and look at the room which was twice the size of the one we were booked in to as it had a kitchenette and sitting room as well as a bedroom BUT it looked onto a small garden then a fence covering the building taking place behind . We were not prepared to swap lovely sea view and balcony for the extra room so we said no thanks.
So back we got into the golf cart with nice man and receptionist and headed for reception. The other room was going to be another 30 to 40 minutes so we had to wait in reception with a newspaper and a couple of bottles of water while the room was prepared. So much for paying for the extra night! At this stage my husband did say that we would expect a full refund of the night as were clearly not getting a room we had pre-booked.AT LAST A ROOM
Finally we were taken to our room which was lovely with a balcony overlooking the sea through palm trees. Below us were a number of beach umbrellas and sun loungers so it was just beautiful.
The bathroom was not really a proper room but could be made into one should you wish by pulling sliding doors across the two sides. A glass sliding door within the area either covered the toilet or the shower. The sink unit had a big cupboard under it with a sliding bin and room to store the hairdryer, a box of tissues and our wash bags too. Beside the cupboard was a shelf with a tea towel, spongy scrubber and a sachet of dishwashing liquid. As well as the huge shower unit which had shampoo and body wash dispensers on the wall, there was also a fantastic bath which I made good use of to calm my stress the day we arrived.
The toiletries were Crabtree and Evelyn soaps and conditioner and body lotion as well as the dispensers in the large shower. The bath was great but as the plug was in the middle and was one of those that you pressed to go in and pressed again to let out, you had to be careful where you sat otherwise you let the water out by mistake! The shower was good but the grouting between some of the tiles was starting to look a bit stained and considering the resort was only four years old and it was a 5* hotel I didn’t think that was really something I should be seeing.A huge wardrobe opposite the bathroom had a fridge, a kettle and lots of coffee and tea stuff and there was bottled water and two cartons of milk in the fridge too. The water and milk was topped up on a daily basis. There was also a safe in the wardrobe and two bathrobes as well as proper hangers that you could take out of the wardrobe. There was plenty of storage space and the fact that the bathroom was open made the room seem more spacious.
Beside the bed there was a large chair with a rounded cushion as its back, a bit like a chaise lounge only shorter. On the balcony outside there was another longer chaise lounge and a chair with a stool bother with large comfortable cushions so we could sit out and enjoy the view while reading.NUKU
The restaurant where breakfast was served was called NUKU and was apparently one of the best in the area. Breakfasts were certainly quite special. A choice of at least three fruit juices was available and the selection of fruit varied daily and included fresh fruit and various compotes as well as fresh nuts and coconut pieces. There was a great selection of cooked stuff from fish through to sausages, omelettes, stir fried bokchoy, bacon, eggs and hash browns to name a few. The cold selection included hams, cheeses, smoked salmon, quiches and sushi. The pastries and breads were also many and varied and there was separate area for pancakes too. Coffee and tea was brought to your table in mini plungers and tea pots. All this delicious food and we enjoyed in sitting virtually on the beach either looking at the sea or the pool. Some days we were only brought a single cup of coffee or water with a tea bag so it did depend on what they had left I think. Of all the hotels we stayed in this one provided the best breakfast by far, so much choice and all freshly made too. You could even enjoy a bucks fizz if you wanted which has to be worth an extra point!
The a la carte menu is available every day but each night is a special night, one was the sea food BBQ, another night was an India thali which we missed as we were out till late on a boat trip to the Mamanuca islands. Two of the nights we were there they had a steam boat which we didn’t try as we felt this was not authentic; steamboats are from the hill areas of Malaysia. We really did want to try their Indian food as Fiji has a big Indian population but unfortunately this was not to be.
BULA BUSThis resort managed by Hilton hotels is one of a number on this reclaimed ‘island’ of Denarau, next to us was the Sofitel, there was also a Westin and a Sheraton. Our hotel had by far the most uninspired reception area. It was large airy and open with comfortable seats but quite ordinary compared to some of the others we saw as we went round in the ‘Bula’ bus. However according to the ‘Lonely planet’ guide our hotel had the best restaurant in the ‘Nuvu’ and the seafood BBQ was certainly very good.
Each night when we came in the blind was pulled down, the lights switched on and the bed turned down with a chocolate mint for each of us which I rather liked. Once ready for bed we pulled the blind back up so that we could wake to the view of the sunrise over the ocean.POOLS
The Nuvu restaurant was facing the beach with pools either side. The pools were very unusual in the fact that they were quite angular with wooden decks surrounding them. They were sort of elongated rectangles and squares. There were a lot of lovely comfortable sun loungers with brown cushions but there was the age old problem of towel booking of these. You were given a pool towel card and could collect fresh pool towels to use on site or take on trips away from the hotel.
One day this restaurant prepared a Fiji party for the children with crafts, foods and entertainment and they all seemed to be enjoying it when we walked passed.
CHILDRENSUMMARY
After the really bad start this hotel turned out to be a real gem. The food was good and each night they made an effort to do something different in the restaurant on the beach. The shuttle was great, shame it was no longer free but still. The cost of the internet was not good and i still feel it should be free when you pay so much for rooms in hotels today. Everyone we came into contact with was delightful and exchanged the happy hello ‘Bula’. Apart from the bad start I really cannot fault this hotel the room was lovely with a great view and the food was all good. The pools were very different and the seating around the pool varied from sun loungers to mattresses with rounded cushions under roofs which looked very luxurious but we found were not as comfortable as they looked.
Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name.
©catsholiday
The room we finally got in Fiji Beach Resort and Spa Managed by Hilton, Nadi
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Absinthe_Fairy 27/06/2011 22:16
silverstreak 23/01/2011 07:59
frankiecesca 16/12/2010 17:01
Alyson29 22/11/2010 06:38
I'm back with an E as promised x
Alyson29 20/11/2010 12:12
A superb review Sue. I'll be back on Monday with an E x
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Fiji Beach Resort And Spa Managed By Hilton, Denarau Boasting 1.5 kilometres of private beach, the luxurious Fiji Beach Resort offers spacious rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows. It features a day... |
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Shipping: refer to website Availability: Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked |