Musket Cove Island Resort & Marina — Hotel in Malolo Lailai Island

Most of our time at Musket Cove was ok. We stayed 7 nights and had our elopement wedding ceremony while we were there. It was the elopement arrangements that let it down - of all the parts of our trip that we felt should have been perfect and faultless, it was that. Especially with only two of us to coordinate for and a basic package that's meant to be the same for everyone. Long review but important consideration for future elopement/wedding couples.

The not good stuff: started the night before we flew to Fiji with emails from accounts claiming we hadn't paid despite paying thousands of dollars all well in advance and on time. Gloria, the wedding coordinator, had apparently not updated the system and after some stressed emails back and forth, that was resolved. Gloria was good with email communications beforehand, so we felt confident enough, but then totally let us down when we arrived. She failed to tell us she would be on leave and not back until the day of our wedding. We were left with unanswered questions but tried to roll with Fiji time, assured that everything was pre-planned and good to go, and at least she would be back in time. We did a walk-through to choose our ceremony spot with another member of staff, who was lovely but did not have any answers and kept saying Gloria would need to confirm. The morning of our wedding left us stressed and unsure of plans, which is not how you want to start your day! Eventually my partner tracked Gloria down and got the ceremony time, location, and details confirmed. Our elopement package was meant to include wine and fruit for the room on the day and some woven fans, but none of this turned up. We were left feeling like an after-thought and not special at all on what should have been the most special day of our lives so far. The ceremony was beautiful because it was ours, but you can see in our professional photos that the staff are stood around us looking disinterested, checking their watches etc. We understand they don't know us but we would have thought there's a bare minimum level of service for couples getting married there, especially for the $ you pay. Perhaps we were not bringing in enough $ for them by not being a full-sized wedding. I was so conscious of being polite to the staff who were so obviously out of the loop that we didn't say anything on the day, but the lack of care and attention around our elopement has tainted our memories of what was meant to be a special and unforgettable trip. Gloria was central to this, and seemed to miss the mark on communicating effectively with the rest of the team. When we went to reception to follow-up on the package inclusions that were missed, we were practically dismissed by a grumpy man who said that he would follow up with us that afternoon but never did. Several days after the wedding, the wine and fruit arrived in our room and the housekeeper told us she was there to decorate the bed for our wedding but we told her not to worry - it was kind but too late. Housekeeping itself was confusing, different time every day and often things were missed.

The good stuff: lagoon bure was beautiful and spacious. Our elopement pier dinner set-up by Salaima was divine! Dick's Place food and service was great and everyone there works so hard.

The rest: there were really loud, drunk guests there for another wedding a few days after ours. Parties every night til 3am (before, during AND after their wedding) that disrupted sleep. Aware this is not on the staff but felt they could have done more to ask other guests to be respectful with noise levels in the sleeping areas. We gave them grace over their wedding days but 2 days after, we had to make a midnight trip to reception when they were 3-bures away from us screaming, singing, and blasting music - to be fair this was handled well by night crew and security.

Summary: lovely room, great food, cool sand bank snorkelling for free, so for most people this would be all you want. Think twice before eloping here and pray there isn't an alcoholic Aussie wedding group while...

Musket Cove is a lovely property in Mololo Lai Lai. There are only 55 rooms which makes it a small and intimate resort. The nicest rooms in my opinion were the 10 island villas were are on a man made island. These feature two identical bedrooms, each with its own ensuite. There is a large sitting room and kitchen and a large covered balcony. These have all been recently renovated and are the perfect choice if you need two rooms. The island villas also share a private pool which is real plus. Next are the two bedroom garden villas which are built as attached two story apartments. At the time of our visit in Sept of 2022 these had not all been renovated and as such were not quite as lux as the island villas. Also sharing a wall with the adjoining unit is a negative in my opinion. Then there are one bedroom units called bures that are basically the same room in different locations. The beach bures seem the nicest due to their location on the beach and the fact they are all fully renovated. The garden bures face the beach but are just set further back and these units did not seem to have been all renovated at the time of our visit. The lagoon bures are all on an artificial lagoon. There is one main pool which is just off the beach and at the location of the main restaurant. There are various places to relax in both the sun and the shade and the views are great. One of my few criticisms of Musket Cove is the pool and its surrounding deck. The wood decking is so old that you could easily trip and it desperately needs to be replaced. The pool itself though perfectly serviceable is in poor condition and really needs to be retiled and resurfaced. Most guests are on the all inclusive food plan. Breakfast is a buffet but you can order eggs are you like them. Lunch features a salad bar and about 5 different options that you can order. Dinner is a buffet and the best meal of the day. There were lots of seafood, meat and veggie options and there were some really delicious dinners during our one week stay. Overall the food was lovely but by no means gourmet. Drinks of course are not included. Local beers were about 10 Fiji dollars and cocktails from 18 to 35 Fiji dollars. One of the highlights of our stay were the staff. They were kind, warm and engaging. I have to say the staff went above and beyond expectations. They were absolutely lovely. In terms of activities there are free activities such as a kava ceremony, kayaking, paddle boarding and snorkeling off of the adjoining island. Paid activists include the island hop for $85 per person, sunset cruise at $50, deep water snorkeling at $35 and a visit to the Cloud Nine island bar / restaurant for $75. It would have been nice if they had offered yoga or other exercise classes in my opinion. One of the things that make Musket Cove unique is that it caters not just to paid guests but to yacht owners (yachties) that are anchored in the marina and just off shore. The yachties are often found lounging at the marina, at the reception area cafe which serves pizza, burgers and chicken and at the island bar. Having the yachties as part of the community was a great as they come from all over the world and they all seem to have amazing stories. Finally there are private homes just behind the resort. Many of these homes are for rent and these visitors seem to use the resort restaurants and facilities which in my view is another plus as they add yet another dimension to the small resort community. Overall Musket Cove is very relaxed, very quiet and very chill. It is a perfect place to have a holiday in a beautiful and intimate beachside...

We just completed a 6-night stay at Musket Cove Island Resort, and while there were some wonderful aspects, unfortunately, our experience was mixed, leaving us feeling slightly disappointed overall.

First Impressions & Arrival

The transfer from Port Denarau on the Malolo Cat was smooth (though hot). Upon arrival, we were greeted by staff singing on the deck, which was a beautiful welcome. Check-in was fantastic—we were seated with a welcome drink while a guest services team member checked us in and gave us a tour of the resort and our room. This personalized approach left a great first impression.

Accommodation – Oceanfront Bure • The Bure was spacious, open, and inviting. We later found out these are the only ones that have received some refurbishment, though there’s still room for improvement. • Issues with broken window louvers made it easy for mosquitoes and bugs to get in while also making it difficult to keep the cool air in and the hot air out. • The air-conditioning unit struggled to cool the space, making it hard to escape the heat and humidity. A larger unit is needed for better comfort.

Food & Dining – A Standout

We ate all our meals at Dick’s Place Bar & Bistro, and the food was faultless. • Breakfast was a well-done buffet. • Lunch had daily-changing chalkboard specials. • Dinner rotated between themed buffets and three-course à la carte meals, which became a favorite of mine.

Activities & Resort Facilities • Deep-sea snorkeling was a great experience, though a bit nerve-wracking at first. • Unfortunately, Cloud 9 was closed for maintenance. • Seventh Heaven wasn’t an option, as the resort does not have a good relationship with them. • The Island Bar was a cool concept, but we didn’t use it much.

Second Half of the Stay – A Shift in Experience

While the first half of our stay was largely enjoyable, things took a turn in the second half: An influx of outside guests – A large group from Plantation and Lomani resorts arrived for a 70th birthday celebration, significantly impacting the atmosphere. • The Island Bar was taken over, preventing us from experiencing the cook-your-own BBQ offering. • The live 6-piece band was extremely loud, removing any sense of tranquility that night. • The next morning, this large group again took over breakfast at Dick’s, making it feel overcrowded. Unprofessional Film Crew – A Breach of Privacy • A photography and film crew had booked multiple rooms, including the beachfront Bure opposite ours. • They disrupted common walkways, with equipment spilling into both our private area and shared resort spaces. • The final straw was returning to our Bure after dinner to find one of the crew members sitting on our lounge chair outside, on a phone call—a clear breach of privacy.

Final Thoughts

At around $1000 AUD per night, I feel we only received about 50% of the value for our stay. Musket Cove has the potential to be an incredible resort, but better management of external guests and privacy considerations are needed.

While there were positives—great food, friendly staff, and a beautiful setting—our experience was disrupted enough that we would...