We arrived at the airport exhausted after an extremely long series of flights from Chicago, IL USA. I was slightly worried, because of the primative surroundings. BUT... I had nothing to worry about! We were met at the airport and spoiled from then until we left Taveuni two weeks later. It was gorgeous! When we got to the bure it was beautiful and comfortable and simple, but had everything we needed (except soap and shampoo, but we got some at the local market easily enough). We were dead tired and basically dropped our bags and fell on the bed. We slept for several hours (Ngaire checked on us a couple of times). When we finally were rested, Ngaire took us on a tour of the place. By this time is was well past lunch time but not yet time for supper. We were starved and asked where to go. Well, it was the Queens birthday so nothing was open in town. Ngaire brought us cheese, bread, the most delicious tomatos and some tiny bananas (apple bananas) from her own pantry. I have to say it was DELICOUS and most appreciated! The rest of the 2 weeks was wonderful. All of the staff were so friendly and helpful. We enjoyed the lovo and bbq we had there. Anytime we wanted to go anywhere, Dennis was quick to arrange a taxi for us. We also really enjoyed meeting all of the locals. Everyone just makes you feel like you're home. I enjoyed the little store a short walk down the road. We would also highly recommend that if you need a Bula shirt taylor made to talk to the girls there. They will take you across the street to a little lady that sews in a tiny 'shack'. She does a wonderful job. She didn't even measure us and made several shirts for me and my husband, a skirt for me, and shirts for our kids (who weren't even with us). They fit perfectly! We got to know one of the taxi drivers really well too. Paul was very fun to talk to and even took us to meet his wife. When he found out we wanted to go to church, he took us to his son's church at the International Dateline. They had a meal afterwards and wouldn't let us leave until we were stuffed. :) Paul took us back 'home' and wouldn't let us pay him either. We also went on the village tour with Lao. It was very neat to see what all they can use coconut leaves for. They sang for us and I actually started crying, because I didn't want to leave these wonderful people in a couple of days. I have never felt like that from just a short time on vacation! Highly recommended to stay at Aroha!!!

Aroha is the perfect place for your holiday. Taveuni is an amazing, unspoilt paradise and Aroha is the best place to experience it. It is close to everything (shops, food houses, town, churches) and Ngaire and Dennis are flawless in their hospitality and knowledge. We stayed here initially for 5 nights, then transferred to another accommodation only to be disappointed by the new place and returned to our 'home' at Aroha for 4 more nights. Dennis and Ngaire (D&N) were so welcoming and attentive as always with our return. We were however delayed on the island for a few days but they made sure we made the very next available flight out.
The property is so well maintained, the bures are very much home away from home, with kitchen/dining area, large bathrooms and beautiful outside showers with views of the mountains and coconut trees. When making your booking, ask for one of the rooms with a front deck, it is so lovely to sit out and look at the ocean while reading or relaxing. The beach is also just a step away so watching the sunsets is so easy.
Our experience was also made so much more special because we decided to celebrate New Years Eve there with everyone. An amazing BBQ dinner was laid out next to the infinity pool and D&N didnt pull out any stops. A bonfire was made on the beach with marshmallow toasting for the kids, cava drinking, locals playing music and singing songs and the fireworks were really great!
Taveuni is really magic and if you are lucky enough to spend a great deal of time there, then I suggest do it at Aroha. If you want activities also, everything is so easy and can be arranged for you with little fuss. Also, don't forget to ask if Cookie is available for dinner, dont miss out on her amazing cooking and desserts!

Me and my partner Sam just want to extend our huge gratitude to Dennis and Ngaire, and to all the staff at Aroha for making it a truly special experience for us. We will be hoping to return again soon!

Much love from the Sam's!

My family and I stayed at Aroha for 6 nights, and couldn't have asked for a lovelier location, and warmer welcome from owners Denys and Ngaire, and their staff Pam, Jimmy, Cookie and Anil. The bures are nestled in lovely gardens, and right on the beach. They are beautifully appointed, with polished local mahogany floors, tables, and polished mahogany cupboards in the self-contained kitchen, with everything you need if you are in the mood to cook up a storm- or you could just order a lovely meal with Ngaire, and enjoy it on your deck watching the sunset. The deck looked out over the Somosomo straits, and through to the islands of Korolevu, Rabi and Vanua Levu. Just a couple of minutes walk to Wairiki, with some small local stores, the gorgeous old Meridian Cinema, and the historic Wairiki Methodist Mission. The day trips we did out to organic farms, and the stunning Lavena and Bouma Waterfalls, were magnificent, and the snorkelling at the Waitabu Marine Park, protected from fishing from over 10 years, was our best ever in Fiji. We spent New Years Eve around a bonfire with other guests, listening to singing, toasting marshmellows, and watching fireworks- fabulous. Diving was great, and the kids and I had great time exploring the beach. We couldn't recommend it enough for those who are looking for something more than the big resort experience, in a small group (of 5) in a truly beautiful part of the world.

Given our specific circumstances – family of five, with a 6yo, 4yo and 14month baby – the accommodation we looked for was very specific as well. We wanted freedom to explore and engage in the local sights and community, whilst still retaining a comfortable place to return to everyday. We wanted a bit of the resort experience – a pool, advice and support from helpful staff – while not having to live within an isolated resort room/cottage. We wanted to cook for ourselves sometimes (fridge/cooker in room), sometimes go and try local foods or shops (local shops and curry house 5 mins walk, taxi’s were easy to catch and could fit our family) , and sometimes just let someone else do the cooking for us (in-house dinners could be provided). We wanted room for the kids to play, and let our baby cry at night, without us having to worry about neighbours etc. Aroha Taveuni exceeded these requirements tenfold.

I think it is Denis and Ngaire’s experience in hospitality which shows in the way Aroha Taveuni is setup. From what I saw, there is just an understanding of what the needs are for each and every type of traveler who turns up in Taveuni – from Honeymooners, to serious divers, to people who want some downtime, to families like ourselves. Flexibility and great service were everywhere – from the unintrusive daily room cleaning, sampling of local produce (paw paw, pineapple, bananas, fish, lobster, Tucker’s ice-cream), excellent cooking from ‘Cookie’ the laughing local Fijian lady of fine-dining, kids’ dinners served up before their bedtimes, our dinners delivered to us in our bure if we wanted to make sure our kids were sleeping properly, dropping us off at places if we needed to be somewhere, etc etc. Excellent stuff.

Other advice… one of the highlights for us was catching a boat to Koro Levu (a small deserted island, 15 mins by boat) and taking the 6yo and 4yo snorkeling. It’s shallow enough (depending on tide, about waist to shoulder-deep), and the coral is in close enough, for the kids to swim comfortably and for a parent to stand and watch over them. Our kids loved it, and spent hours just watching the schools of fish swimming in the coral. The other highlight was having one of the staff, Jim, drive us around to parts of the island – the waterfalls, the pearl farm etc – and just listen to him tell you stories, pass on his extensive knowledge of Fijian medicines, and regale you with the history of Taveuni. He would know where to stop to take pictures, and what would be the best places for us to take the kids etc.

Lowlights? The mosquitoes were a problem for us, need to bring a powerful insect repellant. The bumpy flight in and out of Taveuni on a twin-prop was a problem for our 6yo, who was sick several times. The pilots were really good, though, and did a great job. The alternative route is a 16 hour ferry-ride which would probably suit others, just not us and our kids.


I could go on and on. Suffice to say, we had a fantastic time and I think Aroha Taveuni reflects the enjoyment of the owners and staff in sharing their island, their home. Kiora Koutou Katoa.