This was our second time visiting Nakia. We considered our first trip two years ago the trip of our lives, but, thanks to the perfect diving and gracious hosts, it was even better the second time. Last visit we stayed for 5 nights and visited Castaways in the Mamanuca island group. This time, as our time at Nakia was simply perfect last time, we elected to stay for 7 nights at Nakia. I could go on and on about the incredible diving, wonderful cooking, and lovely bure... After getting back from Fiji new years day, I had been meaning to write a review, but I had a lot of work to catch up on after coming back Jan 1. But then I saw an absolutely bizarre review "Slightly creepy" by hutuandtutsi . So instead of extolling this incredible slice of paradise, I must comment on the review and the reviewer.

I am quite sure I know who hutuandtutsi is, as I recall several of their unusual (to say the least complaints): "not having croutons" and the hutuandtutsi man's odd comment about Jim obvious joke that people not enjoying themselves at Nakia "would be thrown out. I assumed he was kidding... but obviously he had no sense of humor.

During our stay, there was another couple from North Dakota in addition to hutuandtutsi. The ND couple had been diving around the world for years, and, like us returned as soon as they could to Nakia (I recall that they were at Nakia the previous Christmas). In fact, when we saw them at the Nadi air port (for the flight back to LAX), they told us they were planning to come back in September. So there you have it: two families who absolutely love Nakia and one couple, in spite of being in paradise, had nothing pleasant to say. Incomprehensible, to be in paradise and have the distinct displeasure of having to share our dives and meals with hutuandtutsi. After each dive, they only could comment on how much better the dives in the Maldives (or some other place) were. After each of Robin's perfect home cooked meals, they could only remark on how, after 4 days the food, it was getting boring. We had to spend too much time explaining to our teenage son that some people are never pleased and that having to listen to these depressing people should in no way diminish our vacation --- which of course it didn't; how could it? This is Nakia & Fiji after all.

hutuandtutsi says that they felt "uneasy" with the owners. Truly incomprehensible... THE MAJOR REASON for my family and the North Dakota couple to come back was precisely because of the over-the-top hospitality of Jim, Robin and the gang. Several times when hutuandtutsi were out and about, the ND couple and my family spoke about just how difficult this couple are to be around and just how accommodating to their complaints the owners were! I certainly couldn't have maintained my composure and warmth in the face of such an onslaught on whining. When my son said that hutuandtutsi makes want to scream, I tried to turn that into a teaching moment: what incredible people Jim, Robin, Julie and Aaron are to be able to deal with folks like hutuandtutsi in such a kind way. I certainly couldn't -- but that's why I don't run a family eco resort.

Part of the perfection of Nakia is the sense of community we feel (we talked at length about this with the ND couple). Our Nakia hosts make their guests feel that they are beyond welcome, that they are so glad to be able to share this Shangri-La with them. We could only come to the conclusion that this couple must be very sad.

So, please, anyone who reads this review, please feel free to contact me thru tripadvisor. I adore the Nakia gang and want to dispel hutuandtutsi’s misrepresentation of our favorite vacation place in the world!

This is the first review we have written in TripAdvisor although we always rely on the reports to make vacation decisions. After reading the "Slightly Creepy" review posted on January 24, 2012, we felt compelled to comment on some of their accusations based on our experience and observations of this couple since we were at Nakia during the majority of their stay.

First of all, the owners are Jim and Robin (not Kelly which is their last name). Robin was present at all meals to make sure everything was perfect for their guests. We do not recall that this couple was on any kind of special diet at all. I never heard Robin or any of their staff comment on the croutons in the salad. The croutons were delicious because they were made from homemade bread. We sat at their table on several occasions. We do recall that at several meals they made derogatory comments regarding their steak or chicken. Both of which looked delicious to us. On Christmas Day Jim and Robin provided the guests with a very special dinner very similar to what we would have enjoyed at home. We, along with the other family staying at Nakia, enjoyed this very special meal. However, the negative reviewer and his wife ordered a different meal. We felt this was very disrespectful of all the work Nakia's staff went to on a holiday away from their own families to prepare a delicious dinner for Nakia's guests.

"Slightly Creepy" commented on their sheets not being changed for 7 days. Nakia is an eco resort and pride themselves on doing what is right for the environment. Even the most expensive resorts conserve water and energy by asking guests to reuse towels, etc... It is our recollection that our sheets were changed several times during our 9 days at Nakia. How often do people change their sheets at home?

This was our second trip to Nakia. Both trips were over the Christmas and New Years' holidays (2010 and 2011). On Christmas Day and New Year's Eve Nakia arranged for local entertainment for their guests' enjoyment. The negative reviewers did not seem to appreciate the work, expense, and sacrifice made by the Fijian men, women, and children who came to Nakia to provide us with a special memory of our trip and time spent there over the holidays.

New Year's Eve was our last night at Nakia. The Fijian singers, Nakia staff, Jim, Robin, Julie, and Aaron sang a beautiful Fijian farewell song to us. It brought tears to our eyes because we were made to feel like family since arriving on the first day of our first trip to Nakia in 2010. We will definitely be back not only because Nakia is a special place, but mainly because of the Kelly family, Aaron, and their entire staff (many of their staff have been with them since they opened Nakia several years ago). You can tell a lot about people by the way they treat their staff. The staff at Nakia were treated like family. The staff spoke highly of the entire Kelly family with much affection. One thing that really impressed us -- when the staff that worked dinner completed their work, it was usually around 9 pm and very dark outside. We were staying in the Forest Bure which is near the back of the resort and the road leaving the resort. The Kelly's provided transportation home for their staff to make sure they made it home safely every night in the dark.

Our main reason for going to Nakia was for the world-class diving. We have made 7 trips to Fiji, and Taveuni is by far the best diving we have experienced in Fiji. We have over 500+ dives each and the diving in the Rainbow Reef is amazing and breathtaking. Taveuni Ocean Sports is operated by Jim and Robin's daughter, Julie, and her partner Aaron. You will not find a better dive operation any place. Their attention to safety, imparting their knowledge of marine biology, and making sure all of their clients have great dives is the reason we returned and hope to return in the future.

In conclusion, we felt that "Slightly Creepy" was way off base on their review of Nakia and the Kelly family. No where will you find more gracious, welcoming hosts willing to share their "little piece of heaven" with people who are fortunate enough to travel to Fiji and stay at Nakia.

We stayed here for over a week and while the manicured lawns and local staff were absolutely lovely, we constantly felt uneasy with US owners Jim and Kelly. It would be little things that added up, like asking could we perhaps not have croutons on our daily salad please, as we were on a diet (we were on full board), owner Kelly would exit the kitchen and exclaim: "What? You don´t like OUR CROUTONS? What´s wrong with them?" We were constantly reminded that we were there as their guests and were expected to behave as such, otherwise, as owner Kelly put it, we “…would be thrown out. We throw out anyone we don´t like here.” We ended up being rather afraid of these people, which at 300 pre-paid USD a night for over a week is an awkward situation to say the least. You will be able to get a glimpse of the creepy hectoring tone when the owners reply to this review, as they no doubt will at length, saying what weird guests we were and pointing out this and that about us. But hey - we were the ones who left thousands of dollars with them, not the other way around. Yes, we were afraid of these people and so we didn´t dare ask to please have our sheets changed (which was kind of yucky after seven days), and we felt relieved to get out of there.

We stayed at two other much pricier resorts and Nakia had the best food and service and diving! I can't say enough about this place. Robin treats you like family and has trained her staff to deliver great service and food. I originally booked because of the fact they have a huge garden to grow their own food and it did not disappointed. Robin also knows all the ins and outs of travel in Fiji and was helpful with continually checking on all the guests air travel plans.

We stayed in the Garden bure which was is one of four on the property. All bures are well spread across the property and have good privacy. The grounds are beautiful with hammocks scattered all around which we enjoyed. Great pool as well.

Robin arranged for their driver to take to the coastal walk on the other side of the island which we really enjoyed and recommend.

The best part of the experience for us was the five days of diving on the Somosomo straight. Julie and Aaron are AMAZING!!!! I am a new diver and was very concerned about safety, but I couldn't have felt better about the dive shop. They are very safety conscious and only take 4 divers per group, and can deal with all levels of divers equally well. They also are true marine biologists at heart and point out all the amazing things diving in Fiji offers. They both have great energy and treat you like an old friend. I wish I could dive with them all over the world, but we will be back to dive with them soon. Can not recommend them enough!!!

Bottom line, this place should be on your list if you are going to Fiji. A nearby "fancy" resort paled in comparison.