Namale Fiji Islands Resort & Spa, Savusavu

Namale Resort surpassed every expectation we had! As noted, the grounds, facilitities, and food are great; however, what sets this place apart from EVERYONE else is the staff. I have never encountered a group of people with a passion to please their Guests. My favorite destination - Hawaii - has just become my second. Namale has taken that spot.

Dive Operation - The dive operation is unsafe because the air from their compressors tastes and smells bad. Air is not supposed to have a smell or a taste and if it contains carbon monoxide it can be fatal in just a few minutes at scuba depth so this is really a big deal. Both the general manager and the dive shop told us that their air smelled because their filters were wet. Filters are not supposed to be wet. If they are then you're also breathing all kinds of things that grow in moist environments. In 5 years of diving all over the world I have never had an experience with bad air. They probably have a serious maintenance problem. - The dive shop crew is unfriendly and grumpy. They are not at all like the rest of the Fijian staff. Maintenance - Namale suffers from deferred maintenance.Examples: - Ocean Kayaks are all missing seatbacks. It's hard to paddle for more than 10 minutes without a seatback. When brought to their attention? A shrug of the shoulders. - Jacuzzi jets weren't working for the entire week that we were there. Several guests brought this to the General Manager's attention. We did too and she told us that she had just checked it and everything was fine. We went to use it and.... no jets. One of the maintenance guys told us they had ordered a replacement part and were waiting for it. When we asked the GM she said (and I paraphrase): "Since you used the word hot tub I thought you meant only the water temperature." How's that for honesty and not mincing words? - Broken benches and beach lounge chairs. - Brown water coming out of the taps (the water is supposed to be potable). We couldn't use the tub in out bure because the water was too filthy and we were concerned about showering. Even the spa had water problems. No one would give us a straight answer. The problems were attributed to the rain, to having to change tanks, etc. Finally, someone told us that their system was old. Spa - The spa is pretty nice and the therapists are excellent but we did have an unexpected experience. One of us was having a facial and we started hearing crackling and popping sounds. The therapist was having a nice time chewing her bubblegum and blowing bubbles. Food, Wine, and Meals - A week ( 7 nights) at Namale will easily set you back US$7,000 Do you expect decent or memorable meals? - For that price you're going to get French Champagne (the only highlight) and a selection of mediocre Australian and American wines. To top it all half the wines we asked for (from the list) weren't being stocked. Guests we spoke with commented on the liquor selection: no single malts, no bourbons (Jack Daniels isn't bourbon), no premium gins (well they had a bottle of Bombay Sapphire but that went pretty fast). A pretty average liquor selection. - As I've said before, we had two good meals but in general this was nothing to write home about. At times, the ingredients appeared old or spoiled. Shellfish and prawns are imported and are not fresh. Hamburgers were made with mystery meat. Tuna was not high-grade and was always overcooked. Lunch is always pretty basic: quesadillas, chicken, burger, etc. Definitely not five-star, $1,000-$2,000/night fare. - We came came down with food poisoning during our stay as did many of the other guests who we we met. Management - The GM was absolutely awful. We were encouraged from day one to bring things to their attention to make our stay more pleasant. Well we did and each time the GM was defensive, condescending, even rude, and didn't address our concerns. The Fijian staff is friendly and sincere. The bures are quite nice and the grounds are beautiful and well maintained. The spa is also very nice and to be I have a feeling that our one bad experience at the spa was unusual.

Absolutly amazing. very beautiful. the people are very friendly and welcoming. the rooms are gorgous and the food is great. i really wish that i lived there. P.S. watch out for mongeese if you happen to go to Fiji.

My wife and I went on our honeymoon here in Feb of 2006. This place is absolutely amazing. Referred here by Melissa McCoy Travel, which got us the best pricing we could find, and we did shop the pricing a lot! The resort is absolutely amazing. For 3 of our 8 days there we were 1 of only 2 couples. Combine that with a staff of well over 100 and the service is amazing. We spent much of our time with activities such as Scuba Diving (once with a school of 50-60 Hammerheads), snorkeling, horse back riding, and so much more. It was also cool hanging our in the Kava Bowl where they have a private 2 lane bowling alley, pool table, movie theatre, and virtual golf system. We got to know much of the staff while there, most we ended up knowing by name. We kinda adopted a personal guide from the Dive Shop. His name was Jope and he lived in a nearby village. We did a hike to a waterfall with him and he also escorted us into the main city on the island, Savu-Savu. The whole trip you will feel like you are on an adventure. I cannot say enough good things about this resort. Makes you feel like a movie star with the treatment and quality of accommodation they provide.

Go. Just go and enjoy. The place is amazing and people even better. I would have paid more.