We had the entire place to ourselves the whole time! We were the only guests! With that the managers and staff pulled off a remarkable balance of making us feel like family, but in a ‘perfect host’ sort of way, giving us space when we wanted it, and letting us into theirs when we wanted that, too. As always in Fiji, the staff were immeasurably kind and gentle, thoughtful and thorough. Our dive master Zachariah was a hoot and eminently trustworthy underwater, especially for Oliver.
The place itself was pristine and manicured and immaculately maintained. Have you toured the Royal Bure? Our jaws dropped when we saw it from the outside. They stayed dropped after walking through the door and realizing it would be home for ten days. No accommodation we’ve stayed in Fiji is in the same galaxy, certainly not Turtle Island at seven times the cost. The house lived up to its monarchical name with all of its appointments and furnishings and bathrooms and decks. In the end we brought a friend with us for five days, and they didn’t even charge us for his room, just a nominal fee for food.
We found the food outstanding, by the way. As good as anywhere we’ve had in that country. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t order off a menu because we liked everything they brought us, and they brought it in ridiculously huge amounts. I shared a few likes and dislikes before we arrived and they remembered everything without having to be asked. Though copious and yummy the food was always healthy—okay maybe not the coconut batter-fried chicken—and fresh as fresh, like eating in the home of the most gracious country host. You know about their dishes, right? Annalise’s massive china collection on which the meals are served? It was too Out of Africa for words.
“Gracious” also describes the management and staff, in spades. Elisabeth was warm and flexible and accommodating without fault. Whatever we wanted she made happen with a great joviality. She was terribly generous about spontaneously offering to waive charges, like for our dive equipment rental and Oliver’s bubble course, which ended up turning into a full Junior certification. We wanted to help a couple of the nearby villages with their water problems, so Elisabeth boated over an American Peace Corps volunteer posted on Kadavu to manage that very thing. She put him up and fed him just so he could meet with us, and she offered to be the conduit through which the equipment is purchased. On a similar score we wanted to sponsor for scuba certification the young man they found to buddy around with Oliver (didn’t charge us for him either). Elisabeth made the arrangements, but in the end wouldn’t let us pay for it, covering it out of pocket instead. Overall the pricing at the place is unbeatable.
Can I say how wonderful it was to have a full-time RN on site in the form of Lydia? She checked me out every morning before my (shallow) dives to give approval. You may know that Annalise has her there for guests and the villagers. What a thing. The staff and locals speak of Annalise with exceptional respect and appreciation. Annalise’s contributions come with no eccentricity or expectations, and they, the contributions, seem to be endless.
Thanks, as always, for hooking us up.
Yours,
The Kohen family
Nelson, New Zealand
If you enjoy the comments about this Travel Advisor, and want more information about this resort/service or any other vacation planning, click here
Posts
