We chose the South Seas private hotel because of its cheap room rates and convenient location - we were not disappointed. The hotel is located in a quiet, residential area in Suva but is only a 10 - 15 minute walk to the city centre and only a 5 minute walk to the famous Fiji Museum in the botanical gardens.

We stayed in a twin room. The room is very basic and contains two cheap-looking beds with plastic headboards and a few shelves. Unusually enough, there are no plugs in the room. We found this to be quite annoying as we had cameras and MP3 players that needed charging! There is also a ceiling fan in the room which provides some relief from the humid Fiji weather.

Many of the rooms in this hotel are for four or more people, and when we stayed here there was a rugby team also staying. This meant that there was alot of noise during the night and also that we were woken up by the noise again very early in the morning. There is a little window above the door to each room in this hotel so noise travels very easily out of and into other rooms!

There are shared shower and toilet facilities (separate ones for males and females). They are quite shabby, but of an acceptable standard considering the low prices paid for staying here!

The reception desk stocks drinks and certain foods for purchase and there is a lounge area where you can relax in the evening.

The South Seas Hotel should definitely be described as a hostel, rather than a hotel, and would suit backpackers or others looking for cheap accommodation close to Suva city centre. I would stay here again!

In an age where travel is increasingly sanitized and even "backpackers" carry Gold Amex cards, it is refreshing to find that one old South Pacific institution, the South Seas Private Hotel, continues to do what it does best--provide clean basic accommodation at rock-bottom prices with a nice touch of "olde South Pacific" atmosphere. The old wooden floors have been recently polished (nice touch) and the beds are new, but otherwise little has changed in this pioneering establishment that I have visited many time over many decades of travelling the Pacific. I hope they keep it just the way it is, even if the idea of shared bathrooms repels the Gold Amex brigade!