With ocean front views, lush vegetation, ocean breezes and fruit bats buzzing, GIR was a slice of paradise… With an underwater canvas to rival the best diving in the world with hundreds of fish… reef tip sharks playing… diverse/ colorful coral… anemone, eels, rays, cushion sea stars, giant clans, etc to keep you smiling while exploring, GIR provides the comfort, care, concern and genuine kindness to make your stay optimal and exceptional. Shout out to the dive shop (Mela, Pio, Annie, JQ, JR and crew ensure you have a personalized, safe and spectacular time underwater by boat, shore or snorkel,) restaurant staff (Maria, Masai and Aqela) with a chef creating ethnically diverse and scrumptious culinary delights and yummy blended cocktails- Island Dreamer my fav!), front desk and cleaning crew ( Theresa, Josephine, and staff) who welcomed you with open arms, hearts and ensured your stay was top notch, OtOT our dear Abby soul sister doggie and Lemba leading this fantastic group of people who love to share the beauty, tranquility and vibes of this special island. Shout out to Salt divers for letting us crash their snorkel/ dive party—- Tia and Sonny welcomed us to come play! With lovely music nightly, and a glorious song departing that brought tears, GIR creates a loving atmosphere here all are welcome, feel apart of the family and their main focus is ensuring your best experience. This rare and special place was an honor and pleasure to enjoy!…
When we arrived, we were marveling at the beauty of the property. The room is very comfortable, the balcony over the Somo Somo Straight entertains exotic sunsets. The fruit bats waking up at dusk to hunt is awesome to watch. The staff are lovely. All that is good. Unfortunately, the claim that W-Fi and television is available in the rooms was false, at least in our room. Our room, #212, had no TV at all. I mean there is a television, but no service. The first five days I inquired about it, then gave up, no one ever had an answer and I’m sure they were grateful I stopped inquiring. Our neighbor Gina showed us her TV, one channel with video but no sound. The Wi-Fi is nearly non-existent in our room and even in the common areas we regularly get bumped from any app we may try using.) I cannot begin to express the frustration of having zero to do every evening when I’d expected to be able to be productive. I was able to use the town’s hardware store’s wi-fi to book next week’s room, no internet cafes in Somo Somo. The owner lives in Hong Kong and his staff here contends with client complaints daily and I feel this is unfair to them. Ownership needs to either provide the investment in the property infrastructure so these services are available, or the property needs to stop advertising they are available. The food is quite pricey. A main at $F40, add entrée, add dessert, add drinks that’s quite a bill for dinner. Fortunately, there is an alternative usually available next door. The gas station across the street has water and sodas much cheaper. The property is relatively remote from any of the island attractions, taxi or rentals to get to Bouma Falls or Lavena run about $150 US for around four hours. Dive tours are conducted from this resort by Nila. Note: Non-Tipping Nations, please be aware of the extreme hardship these island groups have suffered. They all need a hand. Last note, the island is up to 100% vaccinated.…
Such a wonderful place for a much needed getaway. Stayed here 4 nights and wished I’d stayed longer. Friendly staff, exceptional service, great food, clean and spacious accommodation. Can’t wait to return!!
This is an absolutely wonderful, though small resort. The size only adds to the charm. We were there for a SCUBA trip pf a lifetime and they totally delivered and more. From the welcoming by all to the farewell , it was well planned and organized. The hotel staff were friendly, welcoming and took the time to know all of us and gave phenomenal service. The diving is some of, if not the best in the world. The dive team showed complete and total familiarity of not only all of Rainbow Reef, but when and where to dive given not only sea conditions now, but at the end of the dive as well. How they could see a 10mm Nudibranch in a colar crevice from 6m away is impressive indeed. Garden Island Resort is definitely worth 2-10 trips! We will be back!
After being shut down for over 2 years, Fiji is now allowing International Visitors. The property has been well maintained throughout the shutdown and the staff is happy to be back taking care of guests. All 30 rooms have great views. There are 2 small pools and a restaurant and bar. Breakfast is a limited menu but there is coffee and tea available as soon as you walk in and fruit and muffins and cold cereal on a table for immediate consumption. Lunch includes 3 choices every day with dessert. Dinner includes a soup or salad and 3 choices and dessert. The daily menu is on the board and you order at breakfast. The menu included (2) Chicken, Lamb, Beef or Fish and 1 vegetarian dish for each lunch and dinner. Food was excellent. There was live music in the restaurant every afternoon through dinner. Besides the romantic setting, Fiji is know for its diving. The advertised packages offer 3 or 4 dives a day but we did 3 dives a day and had an extra day of diving which we preferred. Divers go to Taveuni to dive the Great White Wall and Rainbow Reef. These dive sites are not off the coast of Taveuni. They are off the cost of a small peninsula on Vanua Levu but you cant get there from Vanua Levu. Garden Island Resort is the closest resort to Rainbow Reef. The Great White Wall is one of the sites on Rainbow Reef. It was the best site on Rainbow Reef but because of tides and winds, it is not always diveable. Cyclone Winston had taken out all the docks on Taveuni so they take you by car (truck) to the Ferry pier which is 2 minutes away and you get on the boat there. The staff has all of your gear on the boat and set up when you arrive and then it is a 15 minute boat ride to Rainbow Reef (a few minutes more to the more distant sites). We left the Resort between 8 and 8:30, did 3 dives and were back around 2PM. They had snacks and sandwiches on the boat for lunch but the lunches at the restaurant were much better. After a couple of days we arranged for the restaurant to stay open after their 2PM scheduled closing so we were able to eat lunch there. The boat was good and the divemasters were great. Doing 4 dives is possible but we preferred the 3 dive/day schedule with time to relax after lunch. The entry requirement for Fiji change weekly. We had to pre purchase Fiji COVID insurance, prepay for a test 48 hours after arrival, fill out a health questionnaire and provide negative test results within 2 days before your flight to Fiji. You also need to be vaccinated and get tested again before returning to the US. There is a hospital 10 minutes away and the staff scheduled the tests and took us there, First impressions are very important. Garden Island made the best first impression ever. Upon arriving at the Taveuni airstrip, there was someone to meet us and take us directly to the Resort where we were welcomed with the traditional Fijian songs. Check in was very fast and we were taken to our rooms and offered breakfast even though it was after breakfast hours. The staff was exceptional Upon departure, the entire staff was there to sing the departure songs, It was a great trip.…
This is our second dive trip to Fiji. We have just finished a ten day stay at the Garden Island Resort. The manager, Leba, runs a tight ship. The accommodations were clean and comfortable. The views from our room were stunning. The staff was so friendly. The Chef was inspired -such good food. We did twenty one dives. All were spectacular. The dive shop is top notch. I blew a dump valve on my BC and had to use a rental BC. I couldn’t have been more pleased with the quality and maintenance of their dive gear. Our boat captain Sam was a jewel. The absolute best were the dive guides, Leo, Annie, and Lie. If you had a particular creature or coral species in mind, the would usually find it.
Bula Bula...Just got back from a 1 week stay at Garden Island Resort,Taveuni, Fiji Staff was unbelievable. From the time we arrived, they knew us by name, and were attentive to all our needs. Special call out to the dive staff, Lii, for his special treatment of a few of our less experienced divers, Anna, Leo and their team for great boating/diving experience. Mary, Shady, Diva and the rest of the restaurant/bar staff were over the top. On the 1st day, my wife mentioned she couldn’t have bread due to gluten intolerance; and every meal thereafter they had special gluten free baked goods for her ... without being asked, or the baskets of tappa every afternoon. Fiji was a beautiful experience we will never forget, and we will go back to the Garden Island Resort again someday. Vinaka vaka levu !!! 😎…
From the time we arrived in Taveuni Fiji until we left, we have nothing but positive things to say. The people and staff are extremely happy and friendly and felt like family by the end of the week. The rooms were perfect-Very roomy and modern. We had a lovely oceanfront room with a patio. There were fresh flowers in the room every day adding to the ambience of the Fijian way. The food was excellent with a nice variety of choices freshly prepared. I personally never had a bad meal. Our main purpose of the trip was diving. The dive shop was right on site which took care of all of our gear. Our gear was on the boat loaded for us every day and was rinsed for us by the staff as well. The captain and dive masters really took into account the tides and currents to give us the best dive sites for the day and allowed us to dive the maximum amount of time. Nitrox is on site! 5 star dive operation! We will definitely go back to this resort!…
My wife and I truly had a fantastic time, and adventure while staying at this Resort! The property is beautifully kept and thoughtfully designed with a typical South Pacific feel dipped in luxury. Our room was nicely appointed and had a spacious balconies, from where we could enjoy breathtaking sunsets. There is a peaceful and tranquil feel to this property, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The food at this resort was absolutely delicious, with a fun and exciting local culinary influence. The bar was welcoming and had a plethora of drink choices. If you love to scuba dive or snorkel then this is a brilliant choice! The dive team is helpful, knowledgeable, friendly, and excited to indulge you in some outstanding water adventures. Highly Recommend
This is the place to stay on the island. Owner worked at 5Star hotels in major cities and knows top quality service. I bought diving package with food and would suggest to buy the food packages. Each morning they have a new menu to chose your lunch and dinner from. This way they don’t waste food, and you get the best quality each time. Rooms... wow! So much space, so clean, so relaxing, and love the huge shower to come to after my diving. Location is the best for diving. They have their own dive shop, and so close to all the reefs. Because we were so close, my group was the first to dive site Great White Wall (top wall dive in the world) and got to enjoy it peaceful before all the other divers got there. All other sites perfect and so much life everywhere. Garden Island divemasters have the most experience on the whole island! And last dive of the trip, I even had two manta rays swim by to say hope you enjoyed your stay...Amazing! The staff were amazing, so kind and helpful. The greeting when you arrive and leave was something I still smile about. Thank you Phil and Garden Island Resort for a perfect holiday, and can’t wait to be back again. …
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