Malolo Island Resort — Hotel in Malolo Island

Ok, strap yourself in and get ready for a long review. ||We love Malolo Island Resort. It is expensive for the rooms alone, and we think worth it. You pay for what you get.|It is a small resort.|No tv, no cars! |Can't go back to the airport without someone taking you on a boat, helicopter or seaplane. |We love that feeling of being on a tropical island.||We have been returning guests at Malolo Island Resort since 2012. I think our last visit was 2017. We stopped going when our daughter was 10 or 11 as she was at the crossroads of being too old for kids' club but too young for anything else.||We travelled each time with family members who did not have children, so they enjoyed it from the adult perspective.|What we loved best about the resort is that it is very distinct in the section for kids, the family section and the adults-only section. |When we were parents of a young child, we loved the chance to be on the adult pool deck for peace and quiet, no children anywhere.|We did not let our daughter even walk across it from breakfast!||I may mention a few times that we have young adults with us. |It's important as we have stayed here a lot, and there is a "gap" for appropriate ages at this resort. |I actually think that the gap starts around age 11 / 12 to 16 / 17. |This is just my opinion based on my own family.||So this is the only thing I was unhappy with but as it was the last day and then the following morning I was leaving, I didn't complain to the resort.||"Adults Only Pool" - slight issue at the end of the trip.|I went to the adults only pool and there were kids swimming around and sitting up at the swim up pool bar seats. |I settled myself in, listened to them swearing loudly.|Looked around for parents, could see nothing.|I asked them what they were doing.|Along the lines of "Oye, this is an adults only area, off you go".|They then told that if they were respectful, it was OK. |I hardly think dropping the "F" bomb several times was respectful and I'm not quite sure why the person who was on the bar didn't kick them out. I said, I just heard you swearing, that is not respectful and this is adults only.|The kids left. ||These four kids weren't even aged within what I call the "age gap", they had to be aged 10 to maybe 13 or 14 years (max).||The morning I was leaving and soaking my feet they were there again and I told them to move as did another adult. Later they were at the ocean which was perfect. | |Still, over a month later, I'm annoyed about those kids. |I'm glad that I challenged them and told them to get out. ||I feel sorry for the guests that may have encountered them after we left, as they were part of a large family group that I assume must have said the "ok as long as you are respectful" line to them.||That is my rant over, the only thing I would have complained about. ||"Room"|We investigated this holiday thoroughly, as now a totally different experience travelling with two young adults (we had a school friend with us). |18-year-olds, about to enter the last term of school for exams.||We invested in the family bure so they could share a room, although the 'three kids' beds in the living room were longer than we remembered and they would have easily fit. Very comfortable. ||Two bathrooms were a must for us, though. Two 18-year-olds and us "oldies". |These bures are very expensive and weren't available on the resort website, but I decided to look on Luxury Escapes and was able to book the room from them. The resort has only 4 of these.||We ended up with Bure 28, which is the only double story room at the resort. Initially, we didn't want this as we thought it was just annoying to go upstairs. |It wasn't our norm for this resort, we were used to coming out of our bure and hopping into a hammock. ||It turned out to be fabulous for us. |My husband spent time on the balcony playing music that only he could hear, as no immediate neighbour. Great view of the ocean as well. No foot traffic! |I hope this remains the only double story; otherwise, the resort just changes significantly.||I have said that the accommodation is expensive, yes, it is. And... it is absolutely worth it. We have zero regrets for spending the money on that. We were blessed to have great weather while we were there, so we really just slept in there and relaxed on the balcony. However, as regular visitors to Fiji we know that if it's raining, then it's time to be inside, and there was space for all of us.||Wifi is now in all rooms. Which was good. Previously, we used to go to the Beach Bar and download the newspaper and go back to our verandah to read.|Read on the verandah or in a hammock.|No TV's in the room. Never change this! ||ACTIVITIES:||"Seventh Heaven"|We went to Seventh Heaven at 10am for 2 hours. |The boat ride to get there is fabulous as well. |2 hours was plenty of time (and the minimum that you are to be there, from Malolo activities) and as were were on holiday, we had cocktails before midday! |Great cocktails.|You can snorkel, swim, or jump in from the high deck. |My daughter jumped from lower level, the rest of us climbed down the ladder.|I had a pool noodle just for some support, as I didn't have a life jacket. |Take your snorkels but the off beach snorkelling at Malolo is much better.|There were heaps of lifeguards, all encouraging you to have fun, and I have no doubt in my mind that they knew where every single person was, who was in the water. |It was fun, it was loud but felt totally safe.|There were lots of 'party groups' arriving as we were leaving. |If you want to make this your full-on day trip, you need to book seating areas. |The pizzas they were cooking smelled great, looked amazing. ||I think for kids over 10, this would be great.||It was clean and professional. ||"The Tavarua Giant Clam and Turtle Snorkelling trip"||I'm so glad I read a review of this on trip advisor from another guest who stayed at Malolo. It said, "You must do this", or something, it gained my attention.|I jumped in the water and then got back in the boat as a bit scared of deep water. I saw lots of turtles, though, coming up for air! from the boat.|I actually thought that the boat was just going to leave us there, which is why I panicked. The driver was following us and I would have relaxed more and snorkelled if I'd understood that properly.|The girls backflipped off the boat, despite one of them never having even snorkelled before.|Thoroughly recommend this trip. If I'd been better educated about it, I would have been more comfortable I think. It's hard to hear the instructions to jump in and everything happens quickly.|||"Island Hopping"|We were so looking forward to this. Imagine getting the 18 year olds out of bed for a 7am start?! They didn't argue at all. It is beautiful in the morning.|3 hour trip so back to Malolo at 10am.|All excursions are weather dependent.|This is maximum 8 people. Another family came with 2 young kids. |It was rough and people seasick on the way (happily not me) and we got to MonuRiki however couldn't get in close enough to jump in to get to the beach.|We saw a boat from Likuliku with two people and they were able to "beach" the boat so they could get off and onto the land.|Our boat tried heaps of times and eventually close but it was so rough that we just asked, please no. Still plenty of sea sick people. There was no way those young kids could have jumped in.|That was disappointing.|We then went to the next bit of the tour but that was where we could have some breakfast and jumping into the ocean to snorkel. The sea sick people cringed at the thought of food. |I think that food may have been meant to have at MonuRiki.|We just had to go back to Malolo, the young kids were cold.|We were too late for breakfast and we didn't get to see the Mana Sand Bar.||Our charges were waived by the resort for this one. The weather was too rough and shouldn't have gone. ||"Resort, Adults Only Areas"|We were there on the AFL Grand Final Day. There was another big football match taking place on the same day.|There are only 2 tv's at this resort.|As my team was playing I was very happy to watch (until we got thrashed Geelong) but the 'rules' about adults only were stretched, so there were kids everywhere.|Fair enough.|I feel bad for people from other countries who could have cared less and wondered why the peace at the adult pool deck didn't exist. |Plenty of people came to see what the fuss was about and it probably didn't impact that much. ||"Kava Ceremony"|Which happens on Saturday nights, didn't happen that we saw which I'm sorry that the AFL Grand Final and the Bledisoe Cup must have interuped.||"Jona's Lookout"|The girls did this walk twice and enjoyed it. You don't have to do the guided tour, just let reception know that you are going and make sure you take water. ||"Mociu Island Snorkel"|We didn't do this, but had made friends with a solo traveller who enjoyed and recommended this. She appreciated that it was a walk in snorkel from the beach.||"Sunset Cruise"|Our solo traveller friend also did this and she was the only guest on the boat, once again enjoyed it. ||"Snorkel off the beach at Malolo"|This is actually really great, you don't realise the amount of fish there are just a short little swim out. ||"Leilani's Spa"|Had a relax and restore massage which was lovely.|Then foot scrub with neck and scalp treatment.||"Meal Plan"|We did not do this, never have. ||"Mana Sand Bar"|We didn't have time to go there this trip. I encourage anyone to do it. So much fun to be on an island of sand! |||"The End"||We all had a great time, the food was lovely, the staff are amazing, a lot of the staff remembered us from our previous times at the island.|Sometimes large family groups can be a pain as they take up heaps of space at the beach bar, save beach chairs in a large group. |But it is a family resort and suitable for all ages (except that pesky middle pre-teen middle teen age).||We stayed for 5 nights and could have been longer given the activities off the island that we didn't get to do. ||Thoroughly recommend, our 18 year olds had a ball. Cocktails, a walk, snorkelling, the spa. No need for nightlife, we were all tired out by 10pm and asleep, ready to get up early for the next day!||Vinaka vakalevu to all the family at Malolo Island Resort. It really is like...

Our stay at Malolo was our first there, but our second trip to Fiji having stayed at nearby Mana Island in 2015. We saw Malolo when the ferry transfer stopped there on our departure from Mana.

Malolo is a very pretty resort, with almost all of the 46 bures having a view of the ocean. Walking down the jetty on the night of our arrival, with a welcoming song and shell necklace, you'll love the cold drink on arrival - a sweet, mint and lime water, like a mojito without the alcohol! There's also cold towels to wipe away the remnants of big city worries.

Nestled into the hillside, the main restaurant building with the Terraces and Treetops is reminiscent of a southern USA plantation home. Nearby is the two pools, the adult's pool complete with a swim up bar and day lounges. The family pool is a level below and has a shallow wading end complete with shade sails. Next to this is Tia's Treehouse (kid's club) which is complete with a yacht! The program is great and mixes local culture (Fijian language, art made from banana leaves, grass skirt making and meke dance) as well as scavenger hunts and some marine education. The kids can also have their hair braided by the ladies in between sessions for a small cost.

Like most resorts, drinks and activities are charged to the room and billed once at departure.

We loved the food! Breakfast was full buffet and included a range of hot dishes, freshly cooked eggs, fresh fruit and cereals, and a number of pastries which varied daily. Lunch at the Terraces was a "choose your own" freshly made sandwich / roll / salad or sliders, as well as a small a-la carte choice. Dinner options were varied from a-la carte or buffet depending on the night. Treetops is the adults only restaurant, though timing of getting kids fed and into the kid's club, then up to the restaurant and finishing dinner in time to pick up the kids is a little tight. The Beach Bar has lunch and dinner options and some great gourmet pizzas and burgers.

There's a number of regular activities such as a boat tour around the Malolo Island, walking tours, or free activities such as kayaking or sailing. Just remember you're in Fiji, so don't be stressed if the 1:30pm activity doesn't start till 1:45 - no hurry, no worry! Make sure you do a tour to Yaro, or Shell Village. A lot of the staff (like Bish who showed us around the village) actually live there, and you can buy some souvenirs there and support the locals. You also get to go and see the kindergarten.

We tried the hot stone massage at Leilani's Spa - recommended. The spa treatment rooms are nestled against the hillside and open to the bush behind, very beautiful.

The rooms are serviced daily, and the beds are turned down in the evening. Our room staff even laid out the kid's pyjamas and their toys on the bed each evening, a very nice touch.

With only 46 bures, the one thing we noticed as a big difference to Mana was the lack of people at key times like breakfast. When we visited Malolo, it was at 100% occupancy, but it didn't feel like it. There was plenty of friendly smiles and chatting to bure neighbours.

We have to make mention of one of the staff, Tom. He's a real character and implored us to tell our friends and family about him, so they would come and stay at Malolo. But kudos as well to Bish and Kiri at watersports, and Ala at the kid's club.

This is definitely a resort we would love...

An absolutely wonderful place to go with young children. Small, safe, intimate but with enough going on for things to be exciting for the kids, and really relaxing for the adults. We stayed for 8 nights in Bure 16 which was an ideal spot, close to the amenities but not right in front of all the action. ||We were so surprised to find beautiful snorkeling directly out from the beach. The first few meters there's nothing much to see, but get out closer to the pontoon and wow, lovely for first time snorkelers. ||Food! Outstanding! Honestly, we didn't have a single meal we didn't love. We got the food package which included kids eat free, and there was just soooo much food. Maybe next time we went we would just pay as we go as we probably didn't need three giant meals a day. ||The people - true hospitality professionals. Yes, Fijian people love kids and are so generous and kind, but they also deal with annoying, demanding people (and lovely people) all day every day and that comes down to true professionalism and work ethic. The staff at Malolo are so cool. Atu