The diving here is AMAZING. I was completely blown away! The dive team is top notch and the gear is clean and in very good condition. Now you must know, the retreat itself is very basic! The bures are clean however you will get insects and spiders. If you are ok with roughing it a bit then this is your place. You really can't beat the price and the diving is right off the bay. The food is TOP NOTCH. WOW! The dinners were always fun. The owners are very nice and it was such a pleasure dining with them every night! You will love the food, the people and the diving!!!

There are some interesting trails on the island with some amazing views!

Words are not enough to describe this place. My partner and I have stayed in many places all over the world and this is our favorite one.
From the beginning to the end, it was perfect. We were met at the ferry by the dive/transfer boat where the boys greeted us warmly and took us to Dolphin Bay Divers Retreat (15 minute boat ride). When we arrived, Zoey gave us an in depth briefing about everything we needed to know at the resort. We had an adorable bure that was quite comfortable. It ran on solar electricity for the lights and there was no air con (really, there is no need for air con) and it was rustic which is exactly what we wanted...perfect! The best part was the private little patio at the front. They even gave you purified water for your whole stay (a great thing in Fiji as we found out the hard way not to drink the tap water in Fiji).
Food was a delight and definitely plentiful. They always asked you if wanted seconds and had snacks available throughout the day. Drinks were priced well and actually had a nice kick to them.
The diving was absolutely incredible. Perfect visibility (at least 40 meters +), the dive equipment was in good condition. They were very accommodating, asking where we wanted to dive...and with over 30 sites, we had plenty to choose from. The dive master, Wilson, was one of the best professionals I have seen in the business. Wilson was very attentive during the dive, pointed out heaps of cool animals that we might have ordinarily missed, and never lost his cool with other divers. He has the patience of a saint.
Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go on any of the hikes because we were feeling a bit lazy and did a lot of lounging around, but we heard from other guests that the hikes were phenomenal.
Now for the best part- the owners and the staff!!!! The best people in Fiji work all at one resort- dolphin bay! We spent the majority of our time with the staff. What a real Fiji experience! We drank kava with Wilson, Noki (spelling?), and Joe. These guys were some of the nicest people we have met and they have great pride in their jobs (definitely watch Joe dance). They answered all of our cultural questions with honesty. They accepted us like family and we shared many good times together. Zoey and I had great deep conversations about life in general and also went out of her way to ensure everything in our trip went smoothly. The staff behind the kitchen were very kind and always had a smile on their face. Owners- Viola and Roland were very hands on with their resort and always sat down to dinner with the guests. We didn't need a television as watching these two was entertainment enough. They were so funny together and we really enjoyed getting to know them and all the staff. And of course, the dogs and cats! We are both huge animal lovers and couldn't get enough of these furry little friends around the resort. We were walked to our bure every night by Max-a-million (one of the kittens). We always had a cat in our lap and I even tried to get Leka (one of the dogs) in my lap, but being half Doberman and half sausage dog (weird combination), she wasn't much of a lap dog, but great fun to play with. Whoever wrote the review that the animals were abused is completely off their head as it is very obvious that these animals are loved and pampered.
Just on a note about transferring to and from the resort....it is very secluded (part of its appeal), so it's an adventure to get there. We took an overnight ferry from Suva (the Princess, which just started running). It was very uncomfortable (even though we got a cabin), but anyways, we took the ferry from Suva to Tavenui. They picked us up from the ferry dock in Tavenui and transferred us across to Dolphin Bay. At the end of our resort stay, we took the local ferry (a custom made wooden boat, very interesting ride) to a destination where we then grabbed a bus to Savusavu. It was a very long journey. Our advice? Skip the ferries (unless you want a rather adventurous experience) and just fly in and out of Tavenui.
So in conclusion, we had an amazing time. It might not be for everyone, but it's for those that truly want to experience Fiji and have a 'home away from home.' We are very big believers in not traveling to the same place twice, but we know we will be returning back to Dolphin Bay. It's just that good.

First I'd like to comment on the "poor" rating: yes, if you feel bothered by pets, this might not become your favourite spot. They have cats and dogs, which are all between nosy, playful, affectionate and annoying. There are also a turtle and a lion fish that mostly hang out around the boat (not that affectionate though, but a bit like the grumpy old men from the Muppets, watching all the tourists come and go...), a barracuda who always occupies the same spot in the beautiful snorkeling reef (maybe the author literally can't snorkel? or didn't want to go into the water...) and I am sure that one or the other might recognize some of the at least one hundred fish species in the "house reef" from the aquarium at home. By the way, the second dog doesn't bite and isn't treated badly, but it's a guard dog and shouldn't get used to being patted by every person. Made me feel safer.
Yes, I can also imagine that it can get very hot in the bure or tent - just like in my apartment in Suva or your house in summer. The accommodations are all placed underneath and inbetween trees, so under certain weather conditions it can get very humid and in summer in can get hot, but I can't imagine what to change. Not so in August, it was ok. Still, the tents of course keep the warmth inside and even opening all windows doesn't help that much. Your choice of investment.
Hot water was recently installed for the bure and the common shower for the tents. But if it's too hot in the tent, hot water won't be your greatest desire. The toilets are at the main building, far away from the tents. That might be a little inconvenient at night.
Bring a torch, since there is only light at the main building.

Speaking about investment: the accomodations are rather cheap and in a diving package they become even far cheaper. We paid 10 Euro per night for the safari tent. You also pay a certain amount per person (70 FJD? can't remember, but it's written clearly on the website) for food, which includes breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. The place has been optimized for the needs of divers, hence the name. The following features (and I probably didn't notice a lot of what is being done extra) make you feel well cared for:
- Dolphin Bay time. It's congurent with Vanuatu time - one hour later than in Fiji. This way you get to the dive spots one hour earlier than other operators without the feeling of getting up too early. You also make use of the daylight much more this way.
- The 2-tank dives are normally done in the morning, so there is an afternoon programme for activities. At the same time, they don't make you feel bad if you don't participate.
- the breakfast is good, but not heavy. Doesn't drag you down any faster than normal.
- the instructors are always around. You get the full service, if you want to recapture the species you have seen: books and their great knowledge. Sadly not the case in most places.
- individual dive schedules: we actually wanted to dive somewhere else (Tovu Tovu - its diving is closed and noone tells you! Jewel Divers - they lost someone last year and didn't alarm anyone or search for him). So we called on very short notice with lots of demands: going early the next morning, doing the advanced course, going on the second morning and an afternoon dive on the first day to make up for the lost morning dive, local discount...we had a clear picture in mind. They made it all possible for us.
- Gear is in great shape

There is still so much to write...

Very important: the food! They have a gourmet cook. Not only that the menu selection was kind of extravagant, it also came beautifully arranged and perfectly cooked to the point. The portions were accordingly...let's say...medium sized. But you could order more!! Brilliant idea :)

The beach is just breathtaking. Half of it is a colral reef. It's perfect for beach entry dives and snorkeling. You can hike up the mountain behind and obviously see a great part of Vanua Levu. There is no road connection, so it's very calm. You can only get there by boat from Taveuni.

Did I actually write about the diving yet? Someone said, two or three of the 25 dive spots they have are regularly in the top 100. The Great White Wall is top 5. I won't even start describing the extreme wealth in soft corals and fish species. It's overwhelming and all kinds of dives can be done: several drift dives, as mentioned night dive and beach entry, swim-throughs, you name it. Visibility was between 25 and 40 metres, the water was around 26 C (and August is Winter...), these are things you'll have to see for yourself. There are plenty of explanations on the web.

The retreat hosts only up to 14 persons at a time, we were 8. That's extremely comfortable and makes it unsuitable for big ol' dirty parties. Definately a plus!

There is still much more to say, but this should be enough to pursuade everyone to come here (not more than 14 at a time, though ;) ) Oh yes, the staff is extremely nice and funny.

Dolphin Bay Divers is the best place imaginable ! Not only is the best diving in Fiiji only 10 minutes away (Rainbow Reef), the location of the retreat is also on the most beautiful beach you can think of. Awesome snorkling just 10 steps from the restaurant (and as an experienced diver, I am quite picky !) with a resident turtle, baracudas and loads and loads of reef life.
As a budget traveller I stayed in one of the jungle tents and LOVED it ! Not only is it extremely cosy, it also comes with loads of space, comfortable beds and lovely kerosene lamps. (And people; no power available here unless the generator is running, since they are located in a very secluted area -but the generator is running quite a lot)

The food is to DIE for (and plentyful) and the staf is just the loveliest people you can hope to meet. I ended up spending my birthday here, and got pampered like a queen with gifts as well as singing and birthday cake at dinner. It blew me away !

It truely felt like a home away from home. And I was so excited about the place, that I actually decided to come back after only 1 day away. My words can't express the gratitute for making my birthday such a great day and evening, and for the amazing atmosphere they give their guests.

I will recommend them to everyone, both divers and non divers, since they are so much more than a divers retreat. This is a retreat in every sense of the word and I was so sad to finally leave.
I have now been travelling for almost 1 year around the world, and this is actually the first time I have felt the urge to write a review of one of my stays. The reason must be, that I just feel I have to share this with the world.

Thank you Viola, Roland, Zoe, Manasa and everyone else at Dolphin Bay. You have made a huge heart on my travel map.