This is truly a special place - far away from mass tourism and glitzy 5-star resorts - a very remote, more private experience. If lazing by the pool with a cocktail in hand is your idea of a perfect Fijian holiday then this is probably not the place for you. However, if you value unpretentious, warm and genuine hospitality, and get excited about off-the-beaten path travel and discovering hidden gems in unspoilt paradise then you will love Viani Bay Resort! We stayed for 4 nights and found our accommodation to be reasonably comfortable. It’s basic/ nothing fancy but has everything you need. We enjoyed the outdoor bathroom and didn’t mind the “cold” shower - we recognise and like the fact that this is an eco conscious resort so the little inconvenience of not having steaming hot water is a small price to pay for the luxury that is enjoying this remote slice of paradise! The food was the best we’ve had in our 2 weeks in Fiji - Nessi and her team cooked us delicious, authentic Fijian meals. We loved the explanations of the different ingredients that went into the dishes. It’s better than any “Western” food we’ve had anywhere else in Fiji. Note that it’s a set menu so you can’t order off a menu. However they were very accommodating of our dietary restrictions/ preferences and we were able to try foods that perhaps we wouldn’t otherwise have ordered ourselves - and everything was delicious!! As for drinks, the resort operates a ‘bring your own plus corkage’ system which we preferred as it worked out much cheaper than buying drinks from a resort bar. Our driver who picked us up from the airport (organised by Viani Bay Resort) stopped by the local bottle shop so we could buy some beers. We also bought some wine at the duty free shop on the airport as wine selection on Taveuni is extremely limited. We were mainly there for the exceptional diving (which I will write about more in a separate review for Dive Academy Fiji) but also enjoyed snorkelling and SUP’ing in the bay, a marine conservation talk and trip out to Jone’s coral nursery, as well as a boat ride to Rabi Island with a chance to swim with manta rays. Meeting some of the kids from the nearby school and seeing them arrive/ depart by boat was also a highlight and gave us a small glimpse into local village life. All in all we had a wonderful time and enjoyed everything about our stay at Viani Bay Resort - special thanks to Marina, Jone and Vanessa for their hospitality, to Nessi and the kitchen team for the delicious food and to Jonah and all the boatmen for the outstanding diving! We will definitely be back (hopefully soon)!…
Loved our stay at Viani Bay Resort! Food - exceptional. We were treated to three meals a day of delicious local cuisine (accompanied by Jone's delicious salt!), with fresh juice for lunch, as well as tea and cake during our dive break. There is no menu, which we actually really loved, and every single thing we ate was so tasty. Drinks - plenty of coffee and delicious lemongrass tea available, as well as drinking water. Marina and her team were able to source some beer and wine for us to drink while we were there, which was much appreciated (and enjoyed!) Room - everything you need, nothing you don't. We both had a great sleep every night. Plenty of space to dry all our dive gear. Curtains are sheer but that was never a problem and meant we always had a beautiful view of the bay. Bathroom - personally I love an outdoor shower, and the weather was warm enough that we didn't need to use the hot water system! Service - incredible. Marina and her team went out of their way to make sure we didn't want for anything. Nothing was too difficult - all we had to do was ask. Activities - we were mainly there to dive, but we took advantage of the other activities on offer. My partner really enjoyed his massage, we went out to see the coral nursery, took the SUPs for a spin, and spent an unforgettable afternoon with some of the women who live locally, learning about local herbal medicines. Location and getting there - Viani Bay is so, so beautiful. Marina organised a taxi for us from Taveuni airport down to the boat, and Mele took us the 30min on the water to Viani Bay. Same process to get back, Marina organised it all for us! It really did feel like staying with friends - we shared meals and had sundowners with Marina, Jone and Vanessa - and had the pleasure of sharing some drinks with a few of their friends who popped in. We loved getting involved with the activities on offer but also being able to choose to spend the afternoon lying in the hammock with a book. The vibe is laid-back and unpretentious (but still organised when it matters - i.e. mealtimes, diving, airport transfers), with a strong focus on being eco-friendly and community-minded. We loved it - we'll be back! Thank you to the whole team for a wonderful stay.…
I really like this business, and really hope that it does will now and in the future. It had a great ethic and involves almost completely local staff. It has great programs related to sustainability and marine regeneration and local education. This is all great. Now to the review: we stayed for a 3 night stay with 4 dives, including a dive specialty certification. We are a little 'split' about the stay. The diving was stunning, a unique experience of almost private diving, from a small boat, in a pretty flexible manner. We enjoyed returning to shore for the surface interval and being treated to beautiful lemongrass tea and cake - if only everywhere could offer this. We were also able to dive the great white wall not only once, but twice - despite it not being the time of the moon cycle that the other companies offer the dive - proximity and access is everything! It was great, and all the dive sites were great. On the flip side, our specialty drift course was only average - we didn't get much discussion of the PADI material with the instructor and he never checked our entries, and tbh given there's a huge amount of drift diving around, we hardly did a proper strong drift dive! A bit disappointed. Also given the low ratio's of divers, they didn't really discuss which dive sites we might like to do - obviously their local knowledge is paramount and the dives were great, but a bit of a discussion of the options etc might have been appreciated. The food - amazing, loved every meal, really unique cuisine cooked lovingly by the friendly and charming team, and a lot this local food is quite difficult to find in the restaurants - one of the strengths of the resort! However the website always describes it as a restaurant, which is it isn't realy. I was always a bit confused about how drinks work, we were never really given a menu to choose from. The kind canadian chap who left before me had brough ta crate of beers that he didn't finish and donated them to me, but my partner doesn't drink beer and was never really offered anything other than water. There may have been wine but we were never told how much or what was available. There didn't seem to be anything else - ?soda or any other drinks, how about some fijian rum and mixers? We appreciated it isn't a full resort restaurant, but some drinks may be useful, especially when there's almost nothing to do after your diving all afternoon - a nice drink in a hammock on the beach with a book is pretty core to what we wanted to get up to! On a similar note, we had checked before booking whether there were things like massages available etc, which they said there were. We never really got told how to arrange this, and when we asked they tried to sort it, initially confirming for 4pm, then after waiting around slightly confused what was happening with it until 1730 were told they couldnt' get the boat from taveuni that day! We certainly didn't realise they'd have to get someone from so far away and that it would require so much logistics. The accomodation - perhaps this was our fault but it was a bit more basic than we were expecting from the website/booking.com . It's certainly an eco resort, completely solar powered. We didn't really expect to need a headlamp in our 600fjd a night room (single solar light didn't really cut it). I unfortunately also found the 'luxury mattress' quite horrible - me and my partner both woke up with painful backs the whole stay - I think it was just a very firm mattress or something. Some slightly more functional storage in the bungalow might also be nice - bedside table? slightly more functional drawers/cupboard. I was pretty boiling hot the first night because we only had a full duvet rather than a sheet, although I didn't find the lack of AC an issue. The room is quite public, curtains are all quite see through and lots of villagers/workers around. Finally the bathroom is functional and fine, but not luxury and we couldn't work out the hot water for the shower (not too much of an issue in fiji). In summary, we did enjoy our stay, but it just wasn't quite what we were expecting. THis might have been our fault - we didn't see photos on tripadvisor first (eg the bathroom etc). We weren't expecting crazy luxury, but we had spent quite a bit extra than previous places on this accomodation and the quality was quite a lot less. That being said, it's a resort with sustainability at it's core, in a uniquely isolated location which has huge benefit - we just didn't find the website particularly transparent regarding some aspects of the accomodation. From the other tripadvisor reviews, it seems that Marina is fantastic and attentive, and unfortunately she wasn't on site during our stay - we get the impression the op might be more tightly run whilst she is there. Nearly all of teh above could be sorted with a slightly more thorough introduction to the site and how things work on arrival (drinks/massage/dive site selection etc). The staff were all friendly and passionate and good fun and I really hope this business does well and develops because it could be really special. special mention for how lovely they were when I stupidly managed to lose a paddle on the reef when SUP'ing (which is lovely). They were patient and understanding, and went the extra mile to find it washed up in the mangroves so I didn't have to pay to replace. This is of course, massively appreciated and shows the kind of people they are. thank you for this.…
We had three lovely nights at Viani Bay Resort, and enjoyed every moment of it! Situated within the most beautiful little bay and with close distance to Rainbow reef, we were able to do a lot of diving while at the same time having time to relax. We went SUP'ing, visited the coral farm, the seaweed farm and enjoyed the best Fijian food we have come across. Thank you so much for making our stay perfectly fitted to our needs, and for your wonderful kindness and hospitality.
The property only has two bungalows, so there is no question that the owner and staff will be focused on your satisfaction during your stay there. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our 4 night stay with Marina and her staff. Marina went well above and beyond the call of duty in accommodating our last minute change of plans to arrange a taxi and boat to get to the resort from Savu Savu. She made sure our dietary preferences were not only fulfilled but well exceeded- she somehow hustle a huge tuna which was the basis for our meals. The I've sites live up to the hype in the Rainbow Reef area. The dive operation was well organized, with Jerry at the captain helm, an DMT candidates Jessie and Vanessa on hand to assist. And Johne to lead guide. It was convenient that the dive sites were generally less than 15 minutes away. Nessie and her crew made fresh and delicious food, even sneaking some chocolate into the desserts! The bungalow was comfortable and simple which is all we were seeking since we spent minimal time in the room beyond sleeping and showering. Big deck to rest and nap and read. It was refreshing to feel like a friend as opposed to just a guest. Highly recommend. …
My partner and I stayed at Viani Bay for a week over the new year period and could not have asked for a better experience to bring in the New Year! Marina and Jone ( and the rest of the team) have truly created a special place here in Fiji. The place is situated in a beautiful bay where the beach is right at your doorstep. It is the perfect place if you love diving or wanting to learn to dive too , with both Marina and Jone being amazing instructors. Being a boutique dive academy , you get a very personalized experience. They have a strong commitment to sustainability and run a local coral farm which you will be able to snorkeling to see their amazing work. You will be spoilt by Nessi's Fijian cooking which is amazing where she uses lots of local produce to make fantastic meals daily. You will get a chance to play with the dogs and try some of Jone's special sea salt which he makes on site too. You truly feel like a part of a family when you are there and we cant recommend this place enough .…
My girlfriend and I spent 3 days/nights at Christmas and we had the best time. Viani bay is absolutely stunning and only accessible by boat. The resort has only 2 bures, which we loved. The staff was wonderful. Nesi served us amazing traditional Fijian food every single meal - by far the best food we had during our 10 days in Fiji. I had an amazing experience diving with Jona, and Marina was a great instructor to my girlfriend during her Open Water course. Cannot recommend enough.
My partner and I stayed 5 nights at Viani Bay before the 2022 new year. Marina and Jone, as well as the team members, took care of us very well and made our stay very comfortable. This place is very quiet and beautiful. It is perfect for those who love the authentic Fijian experience. Also, if you are a diving lover or want to learn diving, this place is perfect for you. Marina is caring and patient and helped me feel comfortable under the water. With her help, I successfully finished Open Water Diving course and had an amazing experience of the local colourful reef. Lastly, PCR test requirements during the Covid period can add complexity to your travel plan. Marina was extremely helpful and the team did the hard work behind the scenes. They made complicated things simple and organised all tests and transportations to meet our test requirements. We successfully got the test done required by home countries in time.…
Incredible place! World class diving. Very accommodating and excellent food (vegan options!) The bungalows are cozy, and the garden and beach stunning. I would have stayed for months if I didn’t have a flight out. Highly recommended 💙
Me and my wife Erica stayed 5 nights at lovely Viani Bay in February 2020. It is a real hidden paradise and we had a fantastic time with Jone and Marinas true hospitality and superb diving. All the best recommendations.
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing