Saweni Beach Apartments Hotel, Lautoka

I have stayed at this place on two separate occasions 2 years apart. Compared to similarly priced (overpriced for what you get and considering the low overheads such as wages in Fiji) hotels in Lautoka which are decrepit and run down and resemble something out of Cuba, it is perhaps the best place. Downsides are thje long rutted road to get there and which leaves you isolated, although this also makes it peaceful and it is great to wake up and hear nothing but the cooing of woodpigeons. The beach is the biggest disappoinment as it is truely a dump littered with massive amounts of litter and plastic debris. The staff at the hotel never make an effort to clean it and on he weekend the locals arrive in hoards and think nothing of leaving all their rubbish behind. It has to be seen to be believed! If you take a pair of swim googles you will see little but rusty tin cans. Amenities are sparse as the hotel land it amazes mwe that they do not invest in anythng to enhance the visit for a tourist such as a canoe. No internt access is another gripe, watch out for the low room fans that will take off your hands when dressing! With slatted louvre windows there is little sound privacy in the room. Nor any tv except in the common lounge. THe place feels more like a youth hostel or camp ground. The staff are very friendly though although that may be because you can easily be the only guest in the place. Amazingly this is not uncommon with all the hotels in Lautoka (what does that tell you!) but you will find it impossible to negotiate a reduction in the room rate despite no guests. the swiming pool is good and always clean but expect to share it with the occasional cane toad which cover the lawn at night. The small store near-by is a bonus although the kitchen (receptionist) will cook you up something. Over-all not bad but they like most of the other non tourist hotels it could be improved at little cost and effort to the owners and you scratch your head wondering if the owners have a clue about what tourists or guests want or expect.

We are a young couple wanting to get away from the crowded resorts & experience Fiji life Pros: -private apartment, fan cooled for $85 p/n, with hot water. -Had own cooking facilities -A pool to lounge around, and a nice beach right outside. -no kids running around screaming & splashing (they're all on the Coral Coast) -Recreation room where we could come back & watch DVDs or play games & had a few drinks. -Friendly staff Cons: -1.5km walk from the hotel to catch the bus on the main road. (50c to go to town)& at night, there are no street lights when you come back. -Taxi drivers charging a different price for the same distance every day ($10 to come back from town) -There were alot of insects, inparticular ants in the kitchen & bathroom.

The service and location suited our party. It is a quiet beach area. The only real draw back is the dirt road to the main highway. However, a bus leaves from the shop at 10.30am. and returns in the afternoon. This bus goes to Lautoka thro' villages and cane fields and we found it fascinating (bordering on surreal at times) with friendly local travellers. The staff at Saweni were helpful and friendly, and even witty and fun when we got to know them. Whatever they are paid, it probably isn't nearly enough. We had a great time and will go back.

I was quite skeptical about this place too after reading the reviews. We went last August and fell in love with the place as soon as we saw it. Yes it is secluded and so peaceful. I have been recommending this place to everybody, OK so it�s a bit of a hassle if you don�t have a car, and we had a hired one. When I go back, I will surely go back here.

WHO WE ARE: Young, well-travelled Canadian couple on RTW trip with baby LIKES: -Big, clean, comfortable apartments -Kitchens so we could cook for ourselves -Great value for money -Away from Nadi!! -Friendly staff -Peace and quiet DISLIKES: -No internet access (had to go into Nadi or Lautoka to check emails) -Annoying taxi drivers that constantly tried to tell us to check out of Saweni and go to their friend's hotel. Every time we went into Nadi, we were accosted by touts who tried to sell us something from hotels to tours to ugly masks! It was a relief to get back to our hotel and in the end, we just hung out at the pool and read and stayed the heck outta Nadi! Not sure why this place gets such a bad rap. If it was bad before, it certainly isn't now.