Matamanoa Island Resort, Matamanoa Island

I just got married there on 03-07-08. It was the best place ever. The service was great. The people were so nice and friendly. The beach front rooms are amazing! The snorkeling is out of this world. The one thing I would suggest is not to take the free snorkeling boat trip because you can just walk straight out into the water from the beach and you see so much more fish. I had read the food wasn't so good but was very surprised to find out the food was great. The best place ever! I can't wait to go back.

this place was horrible to be at i would rather die then go back to that horrid place. absolutely descusting rooms like a dog house

My wife and I along with our son and his partner, daughter and her partner spent 8 fantastic days on the Island. We celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary on the 3rd day and the staff turned on a great night. Allowing only 33 couples at a time the resort is intimate however you still have the opportunity to meet and make new friends from all over the world. The manangement and staff are friendly and always helpfull. We stayed in a bure overlooking the beach and the ocean, watching the sunrise each day was magnificent. The resort is kept in pristine condition and everything is close to your room. When you first go up to the bar to have your "Happy Hour" cocktail you are greeted by Ben and Bilo with a very cheery Bula, the drinks are good and the prices reasonable.Some of the staff at this time pick up their guitars and start to play and sing, they have a huge repertoire and play and sing brilliantly. The restaurant serves very good quality food for all meals and the selection caters for everyone. After dinner the fun begins with some very funny games. In charge of guest entertainment is Ramsey, I have to say this man made our vacation. He had us all in fits of laughter with his antics and games and was a tower of knowledge when it came to helping us learn more about the Fijian culture. If you love the ocean this place has some of the best marine life you will ever see, the surrounding waters have been designated as a marine sanctuary so fish and coral are plentiful. Whilst there a couple of us did the Discover Scuba Diving with Charlie and Jo from the dive shop....Wow...you have to do this. Our son had 3 dives and said it was some of the best diving he had ever done. The General Manager, Patrick and his wife spend a great deal of time walking around and talking to the guests ensuring that the resort is living up to their expectations. Whislt we there they held 2 weddings and 2 couples became engaged and with only 66 people it was like we were all one family, everyone celebrated along with them. One piece of advice, take the helicopter over as this will give you more time at this wonderful resort. This was our 5th visit to Fiji and the 4th resort we have stayed at, we have now found our favourite place in Fiji, please don't change a thing on Matamano.

My husband and I spent our honeymoon at Matamanoa in June of 2002. I absolutley loved the privacy of the island and how you felt as if you were the only ones on the island. We snorkled everyday, which was a highlight in such beautiful conditions. However, the service was subpar (and the food which had really no flavor) and I expected more from such a small specialized resort. We had a terrific honeymoon there and are glad we got to enjoy the South Pacific, but if we went back we would probably not stay there again.

My wife have just returned from our honeymoon at Matamanoa and we can honestly say we had a magnificent time. After an enjoyable 1.5hr boat ride from Port Denarau we were greated offshore by a huge Fijian bloke called Ramsey. It didn't take us long to figure out that this guy was the heart and soul of the resort. When Ramsey first brought us ashore we felt as though we had joined a community of long-lost tourists. It reminded us of a movie called The Beach. Everyone seemed so relaxed and chilled out but also extremely curious to see who the new 'intruders' were. I say that in a nice way as we ourselves soon became strangely protective of our little island lifestyle. The garden view bure that we stayed in wasn't the best ever but it dressed up nicely with plenty of fresh flowers and a bottle of champaz. The restaurant menu changes every day and the food is good(ish) although after 3-4 days it starts to get a bit repetitive. Try the Kokoda (entre) and the crepe suzettes (dessert). The most memorable part of the dining experience was the nightly serenading and the Matamanoa anthem sung by the staff. It soon gets stuck in your head. Ask them to sing 'Hotel California'. Many other reviewers have commented that there aren't enough shady areas on the pool deck and all the lounge chairs are snatched up at first sunlight. Unfortunately, this remains the single biggest problem for the resort. Another dozen chairs would have been enough in our opinion. Ronnie, the snorkling guru, was another of the islands characters and was great at pointing out all the good spots to check out the coral and marine life. The daily beach volleyball game is promoted as Fiji vs The World but nearly all of the participants are resort staff. They almost seem disappointed when a guest wants to join in because they're having so much fun on their own. Great entertainment just watching though. We tried walking around the island at high tide which was a really bad idea. I'd say we got 90% of the way around until we couldn't go any further. We saw locals coming and going all day long from the staff quarters but never figured out if there was an actual village on the island. An unsolved mystery. We'll come back in 5 or 10 years for a second honeymoon.

Absolute Paradise! Heaven on earth. Secuded, sandy, sunny, sheltered, romantic, friendly, relaxing... No under 12's. There were 4 beautiful beachfront weddings during the 5 nights we stayed in October 2005. Romance at its best. The staff were fantastic, discrete and yet helpful and friendly. Their singing was unbeatable. Would (& have) recommended Matamanoa Island resort to every couple wanting a relaxing & romantic holiday in Fiji. We will definitely be back.

Ok, good 1st. The snorkeling, scuba diving, the palm trees, and the beautiful water, and the helicopter ride to the island. My husband and I honeymooned there, and regretted every day of it. This trip was so expensive, and we expected so much more. The people that "work" there act like they are there because they have to be. They are rude, and cannot speak much english.. We even tried to get off the island the 2nd day we were there but the only phone was broken in the "reception". The bad things- The beach chairs are like gigantic barbie furniture. They are so uncomfortable! They are made of hard blue plastic, and are non adjustable. The pool chairs are in horrible condition, they are dirty and are torn. The beach is so rocky, and full of seaweed you cannot enjoy walking on it. They do, however, bury the seaweed everyday. The beds are dirty. The tolits are molded. The food is HORRIBLE! There is a very limited menu. The drinks that are $12.50 a piece, no alcohol. You pay for alot of ice and juice. There are birds and alot of smokers in the dining area that are a constant irritation.There were bugs, lizards, and centepedes in our hut every day. We were told that we were on an island so that is normal, by the staff. There are so many things wrong with this island, I could write a book. Please do not consider this island . We paid alot of money, and expected alittle better service, and personal attention. You are not going to get it here. Sorry.

My bride and I honeymooned on Matamanoa in Sep 2004. The scenery and snorkeling are indescribable. The restaurant was good, the food was good but not great (well, the kokoda was great) but the food prices would not lead you to expect greatness. The only drawback we found was the combined 20 hours of travel to get to the island. TAKE THE HELICOPTER!!! Yes, it is more expensive, but you get there 4 hours earlier! Another annoying thing, if you arrive from the US or Canada, is your body's propensity to wake up early, as your inner clock is 5 or 6 hours off!! We plan to return to Matamanoa at intervals throughout our marriage. It is a magical place and overall a great value.

Not a screaming banshee in sight, just lots of "loud " friendly, helpful, happy, interesting staff. We came to Matamanoa to escape the crowds, to find some good dive sites, and generally relax....Matamanoa is one of the farthest islands from the mainland in the Mamanuca Island group, and as such, the water and reef quality were very good. The snorkelling right off the resort was excellent, with a great range of hard and soft corals, fish, nudibranchs etc. The scenery (Modriki Is...of Tom Hanks in Castaway fame, is right next door) is some of the best anywhere in Fiji. The diving (aquatrek have a small operation out of Matamanoa- the main operation is from Mana) was very easy- step right off the beach onto the boat and a comfortable 10-20 minute trip to the sites. Relax in the pool between dives..! Experienced divers may find the sites a bit repetitive, although the Supermarket dive with inquisitive reef sharks and aggressive trigger fish was lots of fun! generally there were only 2 to 4 divers, making the experience relaxing and quite personal. The brochures advertised water sports..and although there were 2 catamarans on the beach, neither could be used as they were "broken"..This was a bit disappointing as the sailing conditions were perfect! There are lots of other free organised activities, one I recommend is the short, but slightly strenuous hike up the hill overlooking the resort. You get 360 degree views, and some marvellous photo opportunities. Now to the meals....Generally they were very good. In particular the traditional fish "Kokoda" and "Fish in Lolo" were highlights. The other seafood meals (prawns in particular) were overcooked and a bit average. The fish was obtained fresh from local fisherman which was the key to the great quality. The restaurant was beautifully presented, and all table had great views over the ocean. We had the air-conditioned motel style room, which was fine for the purpose...we were only there to sleep!...and the air-conditioning was quite welcomed at night! Some things that need improving at the island: 1) More shade around the pool is desperately needed 2) Stop people hogging the deck chairs all day (its really annoying when they leave their towels and belongings on the chairs, then disappear for 4 hours!) 3) Expand the range of seafood meals and increase the quality of the non-fish seafood. 4) Get some sailing boats that work. 5) Provide a map of dive sites This small island resort in on the verge of being excellent.

My husband and I spent four days on the beautiful island of Matamanoa as a part of our honeymoon in Nov 05. It is a stunning island in an amazing setting. The snorkelling was breathtaking...I felt like I was in Finding Nemo...all but the animation of course! I had a great massage from a very friendly massage therapist, listening to the ocean and feeling a beautiful Fjian breeze blow over my body was sooo relaxing. On the whole the staff were great, the guys seemed to be more friendly than the ladies on the island, but they were helpful and mostly plesant. The food, I would have to agree was not T-riffic.....but they did do a good prawn curry. Perhaps don't head to Fiji if you are after a gastronomic delightful experience.....The bures were I must say quite disapointing, outdated decor, too much wood panneling and the bathroom was mouldy. However on our last day there, they were starting to renovate the bures, so maybe next time we go there they will be a little bit more luxurious! The tour on the Sea Spray was great. The food was delicious and the staff were very friendly.....the tour of the small village on the island was interesting, it is hard to imagine living on an island like this....and the snokelling was amazing. It was also fabulous to go to the island where they filmed Castaway, with Tom Hanks. There was lots to do on Matamanoa and we met some fab people, so on the whole it was a great holiday....it actually felt like a whole week we were there, not just four days. It was totally relaxing and just delightful.