We stayed a week with Peter and Karin as one leg of our round the world trip. Taveuni is beautiful and Karin's Garden is the perfect place to enjoy it.
We stayed in the only bungalow in their grounds; it was a good size, clean, well furnished and had everything that we needed. At the bottom of the garden is a good sized deck from which the ground falls away to the reef below. We spent most evenings there watching the sun set over the Somosomo strait between Taveuni and Vanu Levau, Fifi's second largest island. The 180 degree meridian runs up the strait and we joked about looking at "tomorrow" over the water.
Karin produces excellent dinners on request elegantly served by Peter. Both of them are very friendly and helpful and did much to help us get the most out of our stay.
We travelled by ship to Taveuni from Suva on the main island and went back in a small plane from Taveuni's tiny airport. We can throughly recommend Karin's - it has been one of the high points in our trip through Hong Kong, Adelaide, Auckland and now Rarotonga.

Peter & Carol Searle

We stayed at Karin's Garden for 3 days end-April. Hosts are great and helpful. Since we had just a few days we needed a lot of help in arranging our diving and other activities and we never heard "No". Peter helped us a lot arranging dive shops, taxis, horseback riding. Hosts' dog is so funny, he accompanied us everywhere, so we really felt protected :)

The house is not a palace, but simple and nice. We felt like being at countryside, which is a great feeling. The only minus is that actually the hosts' house is located just in front, so don't expect full privacy. But the great plus is a small staircase that goes down directly to a small beach. It is steep 3 minutes walk down and you have a private sandy beach - a real luxury in Taveuni!

The location of the house is "almost beachfront", i.e. the property has access to the beach, but the house rented is at the upper side of the property, so don't expect seaview from your house - for that you need to walk one minute to the terrace, which will give you a terrific view on the Somosomo straight.

Hosts have served us meals when necessary and it was delicious, The only problem is that they could not get any fish or seafood - but we can understand that due to a bad season.

The only thing we lacked is a place to go in the evening. But the whole Taveuni is very quiet, so that is not a claim, just a fact.

Overall, it is a great getaway for the people who don't expect 5 star comfort, but would like to stay at a clean and nice house.

We were celebrating New Years Eve with our caring hosts Karin and Peter and other guests from Sweden. The view from the deck high above the Fijian waters is stunning. There was not much artificial firework but starting 2009 under the bright stars in the Southern Sky was one of the best things I ever experienced in all my travels throughout our wonderful world
Klaus Holfelder, Germany

It is often very cumbersome to travel around in uneven numbers. Two is perfect, four is fine but three typically seems to be uncomfortable for someone. Not so at Karin's Garden. The lodge has two rooms, each with their own shower, and plenty of space to spread out in either the rooms, the kitchen or the front porch. While the lodge does not host a beachfront view, just a quick walk away and a gorgeous deck awaits you with stunning views of the water below. A short hike down the way and a beautiful, secluded pocket of white sandy beach awaits you. As a dog person, Koda, the resident greeter, guard, tour guide and grounds enthusiast is happy to trot along side you and carry around his coconut husk in anticipation of fun. A big bonus in my book but could potentially be discouraging if not an animal enthusiast.

A three dollar taxi ride from the airport, the location is very nice, quite (as Taveuni tends to be) and the hosts are most accommodating. Very helpful and excellent chefs, they are quick to offer their services if needed but are respectful of privacy and intruding upon their guests. Only recommendation I would give, ask for the meal prices before ordering if your budget is tight. Otherwise, the new little grocery shop (and I do mean little, offering basic goods such as bread, butter, jam and eggs) is right across the street and the kitchen is well stocked to cook for yourself. You even find some games lurking in the drawers too!