Tropica Island Resort — Hotel in Malolo Island

WARNING! We booked for 10 nights in a Beachfront Pool Bure, but left on day 6. The first 2 days were perfect though. If you are willing to look past; the pilled & worn bedding the mattress that is so thin & hard we would both wake up with back pain (we are both 32 and happily sleep on a firm mattress at home) the constant smell of diesel fumes from the generators that run the resort. (The whole resort smells like it, however it is particularly strong where all the Bures are located.) you’re likely to get served a dish that is very different from what you ordered (I ordered a dish that came with ‘creamy garlic mash’ one night, & instead was served fries as a side with no comment). the constant trail of ants in the bathroom The stained towels that were left in our room for us as Pool Towels The nightly Drinks / Canapés that was advertised upon booking that never happened.

On day 3, I became very ill with what I have now learnt was severe food poisoning. My partner (who didn't become ill) advised the resort on our 3rd day at 2pm that I was unwell & required a thermometer to measure my fever which was getting worse. He spoke to reception who said that they would call around & see if they could locate one. By 5pm when no one from the resort had been to see us, he returned to reception to follow up. He was met by a different member of staff who knew nothing of the request & confirmed there was no thermometer. He explained again to this receptionist, along with the other staff that I'd become very unwell & needed medical assistance. He was given 2 bottles of water & returned to me in our room.

Day 4, my partner went to reception & asked if we could get a doctor to me as my condition was worsening. He was told that reception “would see what was possible” as the staff member “didn’t know what to do.” Hours passed with no action, so he returned to reception where he was told that if we wanted to get a doctor, we'd have to organise a boat to get one from the mainland but given how late in the day it now was, it was unlikely. It was very clear that he was causing annoyance by continuing to ask. He had also told the staff about the diesel fumes that were trapped in our room & resort. He was told someone would come & check our room. No one came. (FYI, we both work in touring and events and regularly deal with diesel generators. Concentrated fumes like that, over a prolonged period can and will cause grave injury and death. Any older guests/people with compromised airways should be warned)

Still no one from resort management enquired after my health or offered any assistance.

On day 5 I continued to worsen, by now very sick & unable to stand or get myself to the bathroom unaided He returned to reception to advise them that I was so sick that we would have to leave to seek medical attention as it was obvious that the resort would not do anything to assist us in getting any there. He made arrangements with the resort for us to be on the 11am boat the next morn. Not once were we visited by a member of resort mgmt to offer help/enquire after our welfare/advise on medical assistance/etc.

The only member of staff who came to our room during this time was the night before we checked out, to tell us that we couldn’t get a refund. We'd never asked for a refund nor hinted that we expected one.

We travelled home to AUS & I'm now on the mend, however after multiple blood tests and scans it was confirmed to be food poisoning.

I don’t blame the resort for me falling ill – I travel for work & am away 10 months of the year. These things happen! But, to leave guests to essentially fend for themselves when one falls seriously ill, with no support or assistance to gain obviously required medical attention? There is no excuse for that.

The only reason I give the 1 star is for the staff. They are as gorgeous as everyone says they are. It’s not fair for the resort to trade on their personalities and warm energy, and not back that up with the care and amenities that is deserving of the cost.

Do better before...

Title: Mixed Experience at Tropica Island Resort Fiji

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

My recent stay at Tropica Island Resort Fiji left me with mixed feelings. While there were some positive aspects, there were several disappointments that prevented me from fully enjoying my time at the resort.

One of the main drawbacks was the limited availability of Wi-Fi, which was only accessible in communal areas and not in the cabins. While I understand the intention of encouraging guests to disconnect, I believe it should be the choice of the individual whether or not to use the internet during their stay. This restriction felt inconvenient and restricted our ability to stay connected.

Additionally, the condition of the pool was subpar. It was consistently cloudy and green, with visible patches of tiles coming off. I came across previous reviews suggesting that this was due to the pool being a mineral pool, but as someone who owns a swimming pool company, I can confidently say that simple chemical treatments could have rectified the issue. It was disappointing to see such a beautiful resort not maintaining their pool to a higher standard. However, I must mention that our private pool Bure was clear and well-maintained, which was a saving grace. The whole island relies on diesel generators to power everything and we had a few instances of short blackouts (only a few seconds) an idea to help save money on diesel the private pool pumps are running 24 hours a day. Pools of these sizes only need to run 4 hours per day. The noise of the pumps at night was frustrating while trying to sleep.

Moving on to the dining experience, the food at the resort was average at best. The fresh fruit provided was stale and limited, and we experienced some discomfort after consuming the meals. Despite paying for the celebration package, which included a private dinner on the pier, the seafood and meat platter fell short of expectations. The lobster was off, and the meat was tough and gristly, making only a small portion of it edible.

Basic maintenance around the resort was also lacking, as stated in previous reviews. We noticed loose timber decking with protruding screws and rusty bure roofs. While I understand that being near the ocean can cause wear and tear, a coat of paint every now and then could have rectified these issues.

Furthermore, the resort's audio equipment was outdated and inadequate for the price charged. A portable boom box was used in the main dining area for breakfast and lunch, and then moved to the small bar by the water during happy hour. For a resort of this price range, an upgraded stereo system with a diverse playlist would have been expected.

The value for money aspect was also disappointing. Despite the inclusion of a spa treatment in our celebration package, the separate cost of the spa package alone seemed exorbitant and not worth the price. The kayaks, SUP boards, and snorkeling equipment provided were outdated and showed signs of wear and tear, which is not what one would expect from a resort charging the rates that Tropica Island Resort does.

Another issue I encountered was the pre-authorization of $200 per night on the credit card upon check-in. However, when checking out, this amount could not be used to pay for any purchases made on the island. This policy seemed unreasonable and inconvenienced us during our stay. Additionally, it was odd that although breakfast was included, certain beverages like water, juice, and coffee were not, which contradicted the expectations of a typical breakfast package. We are still waiting for our refund!!

The staff were friendly and helpful and have no complaints with them.

Considering the overall experience, I believe there are better options available at a similar price point. Tropica Island Resort Fiji has potential, but improvements in various areas such as Wi-Fi availability, pool maintenance, dining quality, maintenance around the resort, audio equipment, value for money, and payment policies would greatly enhance the...

I really wish I could rate this place higher. The location is brilliant, the staff lovely and the rooms beautiful. Unfortunately there where a few to many negatives to ignore.

No in particular order, The water sports equipment was pretty much all broken, no hobby cats (apparently broken two weeks before we arrived but reading reviews it seemed like they had been out of action for months), two of the three SUPs where missing bungs and the fins broken on two of them. The rubber grip on top of all the boards was perished or missing. Most of the snorkeling gear was fine, but I didn't see any form of cleaning going on, or checking if we where able to swim safely and knew what we where doing. There was no guidance about where to go for the best viewing. There is a cool wreck you can snorkel too, and it would be amazing if they cleaned up all the lose wires around it.

The food was good for the most part, there was a few miscommunications about what we ordered and what we got. The biggest let down was the Hangi night. I'm not a big fan of Hangi at the best of times and there was no alternative offered. Also being served portions of the food instead of choosing ourselves left us leaving early that night. You had to ask for drinks, instead of them being offered.

The room we where in was lovely with a private pool, which although it wasn't private at all (it was right by the main walk way to the staff accommodation. We had an issue with our shower and hot water electrocuting us when ever we used it, and although this was fixed with in a day there was no offer of an apology or compensation for what could have been a major issue.

We had asked the resort to sort transport to and from the airport. When we arrived at the airport, we had to organize to get ourselves to the boat, which I assumed had been sorted by the resort. On the second to last day of our stay I went to check with the reception about what time the plane would be arriving to pick us up. And they had no record of it even though I had double checked via email. Then they tried to charge me again for the flight, even though I had the receipt saying I had paid. On the day we where due to leave we where told the plane would be arriving at 10, which was brilliant, enough time to get everything sorted and not rush. At 9.45 we where waiting for the boat to take use out, at 10 there was no plane in sight. After much chasing the staff I got the impression that the assistant manager had cancelled the flights out and was no rushing to rebook them without us knowing. At 10.40 still no plane, and I was starting to get very annoyed. At 11 the assistant manager slowly walked down to tell us the flight was now at 11.30. this wouldn't have worried me if my flight leaving Fiji wasn't at 2pm.

By far my biggest problem is with the Sunset bar and it's "one hour of complementary drinks" which we didn't find out until the final evening of our stay was only beer and wine. No where did it mention this and when I brought it up with the assistant manager, he basically brushed it off. We had had at least two cocktails each a night so this added a lot to our bill that I was not expecting.

In the end I wouldn't go back, it was nice enough but there was a lot of hidden costs and the whole trip ended up doubling in cost to...