I spent two weeks at the resort and fell in love with Nakia, it's family and the most delicious food ever. Robin, Jim and family made me feel at home. Very clean, comfortable, beautiful place to stay and the incredible service and food can not be beat any where. I hope to visit again soon.

I have never written a review on Trip Advisor before, but my husband showed me the highly negative review posted by hutuandtutsi. Given the specific criticisms they list, I feel fairly sure they were guests along with our family at Nakia in December 2011 because we all remarked that this couple found nothing positive to say even after going on dives that exceptionally well-traveled divers thought were fabulous. We were stunned by the review because the criticisms are the total opposite of everything we have experienced at Nakia on two separate trips. Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion but I would advise readers to take that review with a large grain of salt.

Here is my review:
We returned to Nakia over Christmas 2011 after being there exactly two years ago, and we loved it just as much the second time. We are a family of three with a son, now 15. You know a place is great when a teenage boy literally begs to go back and a has a fantastic time even though there are no other teens or even young adults there the whole week.

We love Nakia for two reasons. First, the diving. I am relatively new to scuba; I did my checkout dives at Nakia in 2009 after taking the diving class in California. I am still slightly anxious at times, but Aaron and Julie always make me feel completely safe and comfortable. Their obvious passion for diving doesn't interfere with their focus on safety. Where else will you find a ratio of one guide to four divers, a ratio they stick to even though it is less lucrative for them? The diving is simply fantastic! Most of the folks we have dived with there rate it number one or a close second of all places they have dived, and these are people who have dived at most of the top diving destinations in the world.

The second and equally important reason we love Nakia is the people. We feel completely embraced by the owners as well as the staff. The warmth is palpable as is the appreciation of the incredible surroundings. When I was sick for the day, the owner checked up on me several times to make sure I was alright, and -- even though we were on the weekly meal plan -- didn't charge me for meals I missed. When I asked to have my sheets changed after being ill, she had the sheets changed on all three of the beds in the (lovely and spacious) family bure. On both trips we have spent many happy hours just visiting with the family. The staff are lovely and welcoming and friendly. When we leave, we feel as though we are leaving good friends.

This is a perfect place if you want to relax, dive, gaze out at the gorgeous view of the ocean and truly escape from the hectic lives most of us lead. We have made two trips to larger resorts on outlying islands in Fiji, and they don't compare to our experience at Nakia. Our only regret is that it is far away, but I know we, like many other visitors there, will return again for the amazing hospitality.

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.