We really enjoyed this place. It was recommended by friends in Suva and it's already a very popular expat getaway. Book early to make sure you get in, they only sleep about 12 people. The rooms are basic, but charming and fun.

It's in a great location up overlooking the bay with an excellent view of the offshore islands and the mountains in the hinterland. There's a rural feel here quite unlike the resorts. The place is owned by groovy locals, not grasping expats, and the service feels a lot more like actual Melanesian hospitality than some of the stuff we experienced in the Mamanucas.

There's snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, and dolphin watching. The spinner dolphins showed up both times we went out to Moon Reef, and on the second day they jumped for us, right on cue. Brilliant. The guys on the boat were fun, too.

My only suggestion to the owner would be have the dinner earlier so we could see what we were eating. Otherwise, don't change a thing, folks.

Tip: you should allow a full 3 hours to get here from Suva. The road is pretty rough in places.

My partner and I found out about Takalana from a friend of mine who works and lives in Suva. Takalana seems to be a bit of a hidden gem with a lot of the ex-pats in Suva- and for good reason!

Location- Takalana is only two and a half hours by car from Suva in an area of Viti Levu that hasn't become very touristy yet. We hired a car from 'Sharmas' (located in Nadi and Suva) for US $130 for four days to get there and back. The guesthouse is on a small property that runs right down to the ocean. On either side of Takalana are villages. There is also an eco-lodge, owned by the same people, a kilometre down the beach. Takalana is also very close to Levuka, which is the former Fijian capital.

Accommodation: The two guesthouses are located on the top of a hill with uninterrupted views of the sea. The guesthouses are charming in a rustic way and were very clean. When we stayed there, the retreat was still running on a generator which meant limited lighting at night but as of May 2010 they will have electricity.

Activities: The staff are really flexible with the activities on offer. One morning we woke up and asked if horse riding was a possibility and they had two horses brought up from the village for us to ride along the beach. Dolphin watching out at Moon Reef was another highlight with out boat being surrounded by at least 60 dolphins. I was told by the staff that the dolphins are such a phenomenon that two marine biologists stayed at Takalana for three months to study them. Hiking to a waterfall and a nearby mountain vista were also fantastic- particularly as it is likely that you'll have the places to yourself.

Food: We were served three meals a day by a chef who has trained in Australia. The portion sizes were huge and offered a great range of Fijian and international cuisines. On our final night we were served a Fijian lovo which the staff try to do for every guest during their stay.

A stay at Takalana is more like being welcomed into a Fijian family rather than staying at a guesthouse. The staff are so friendly and seem to really love living at Takalana and welcoming travellers from all around the world. This was by far the best place we stayed in Fiji and my friend who has lived in Fiji for a year and has travelled to more than 30 resorts and hotels firmly agrees.

For me this is a very difficult review because Takalana is a lovely place with a great friendly attentive staff and a dinner and breakfast meals that were outstanding. The resorts' isolation is part of its' uniqueness. Based solely on the above it would rate 5 stars. But from the business side Jay has a lot to learn in dealing with non-locals. My difficulties started when the only way to make a deposit was to send a Fiji denominated money order / bank check - this was not a minor effort in the USA. Jay did not even have a PayPal account. Secondly, in doing my planning, I mentioned that I was driving a rented car and the directions I had from the website and Jay were woeful. From the staff, it seems that Jay picks up most of the guests from Suva. I missed the turn in Korovou because it was mismarked and where I should have turned did not look like a main road. So we went north on the King's highway and it is not a very good road. We ask if we were on the correct road twice using our map and both times got incorrect positive responces. Finally we talked to a retired 7th Day Adventist preacher at a bus stop and he got in the car to show us the way across the mountain to the coast road. The road was little more than a rutted path suitable only for 4 wheel drive. Long story short - we arrived at the resort with 15 min. of daylight left. The second issue with directions is the state of the road north of the resort. It is only fit for 4 wheel drive, while the road into Korovou is mostly good gravel. Jay new I was planning to return to Nadi via the north rout and never said I needed 4 wheel drive. So if you are going to drive to Takalana, get directions for the turn in Korovou. I have attached a picture of the sign that messed us up. On balance, the great place was not worth the problems booking and getting there. If they were fixed, my recommendation would change

Location: Remote and hard to get there
View: Breathtaking
Rooms: Cosy with nice details, unfortunately they put rather ugly plastic bunk beds in the 2 rooms, so it ruins quit the atmosphere....
toilet/shower: tiny but ok.
Cleanliness: There were rats around the windows, and probably even in the room. That was a major drawback. Jay promised to close the rat wholes and chase the rats as soon as possible.
food: lots, great lovo on the last evening, for my taste I would have preferred to eat less
Atmosphere: Esp. in the night: Magic with all the oil-lamps
beach: Mystical black, we used the kayaks (was great) and walked up and down. You meet very friendly village people, who use the beach as well as a walking path to get from one place to the other.
Moonreef: Great (rather expensive) snorkeling.
host: Jay was fun, good entertainer, but rather hopeless with advices on our arrival and departure (we missed the ferry). The rest of the staff, was very friendly too
Conclusion: Very nice place, but a bit lack of professionalism.