Oarsman's Bay Lodge — Hotel in Nacula Island

We have just returned from a wonderful 8 night stay at Oarsman’s Bay Lodge (OBL) in mid August 2025. It is easy to write about all the wonderful experiences, but many others already have done so - and we think it is also useful to provide practical tips, or things you might want to consider before you go. Some of these topics may have already appeared elsewhere, but there is no harm in repeating and we hope you find this (long) review useful.||INSECTS: |As in every tropical place, there are biting insects both on land and in the water. We are quite susceptible to bites, so came prepared with repellant (many suggest deet-based sprays). We still got bitten (though presumably less than we would have otherwise) - by mozzies and sandflies on land and other critters in the water. Therefore, we recommend taking something soothing (antihistamines or similar) for the bites as well, if you get frequently bitten. ||FOOD and DRINKS: |For keen COFFEE drinkers, unless you are happy to drink instant coffee (instant coffee or tea are the only options), we recommend taking a small plunger (French press) and some ground coffee. Boiling water is readily available at the restaurant. |We loved the restaurant FOOD, but we are not fussy. It may not be “fine dining” and the choices are a bit limited: fish, chicken, and occasionally lamb. But fortunately we love them all and we found the quality, quantity, and presentation all excellent. |For us the food was plentiful, but we were still happy we brought some SNACKS, like nuts. We do enjoy ALCOHOL, so we took a couple of duty-free bottles of spirits that we were happy to drink neat - pre-dinner or as a night cap :-) Whilst the prices of drinks may be very high compared to your home town, we actually found them very reasonable compared to other resorts, and considering the remote location and the high alcohol tax in Fiji.||ACCOMMODATION: |Depending on your budget, consider the cheaper GARDEN BURES. They are quite similar to the beach-front ones and due to the very effective lay-out they have a direct view and access to the beach - just set back another 30 metres or so. We did find the SHOWER temperature very inconsistent. That didn’t bother us much, but consider this if you like long, hot, reliable showers. Note that the standard bures do not have a HAIR DRYER, so you may want to take your own.||WIFI: As clearly stated, this is limited to the “common areas”, which we actually like. For our quick daily catch-up, we found that the connectivity is better and consistently faster, in the “North Beach” area than in the restaurant (“South Beach”).||STAFF: If you have stayed in other resorts, you may find the staff at OBL more “reserved” or less “exuberant” in their service delivery. Some may experience that as a negative. However, we found all staff members absolutely wonderful, helpful, and caring. We do like to learn about the language (and its regional variations) and we aim to honour the local culture and values. We think it is respectful to do so; and it was clearly appreciated. ||THE HILL: You need a reasonable level of fitness to climb the hill but the views are absolutely worth it. Some places are quite steep, but we are in our sixties and not fitness junkies, and we managed just fine. Just go slow - especially down hill. And though we normally don’t use walking sticks, we are glad we followed the recommendations to do so, just to have a bit of extra security on the loose stuff. You can collect a stick at the start of the track, either ask “the farmer” or grab one that is leaning against a tree by the kitchen gardens (which are worth a look in themselves).||SNORKELING: |Equipment is available free of charge, but sometimes supplies are limited. If you are a keen and regular snorkeler (as we are), then you may wish to take your OWN GEAR; your own mask - and if space and weight restrictions allow, even your own fins. There is a boat access channel directly in front of the restaurant. We did not find the instructions very clear (about where to swim) and we weren’t the only ones, so some people swam, snorkelled, and paddled in that area. We suggest though that it is best avoided - if nothing else, as a courtesy to the staff in the boats. However, there is very easy access to TWO GREAT SNORKELING areas with excellent coral and fish. Looking from the beach out to the water, to the left of the left-most buoys (in front of the neighbouring resort) is a long sandy channel that allows easy access at almost any time of the tide and is probably the best place for less confident or less experienced snorkelers. To the right of the boating lane, to the right of the cable that crosses the beach, are some great areas too, once you swim past the sandy and grassy parts. However, if you are less experienced, you are more likely to damage the coral there. |Please DON’T EVER STAND on the coral. It takes decades to form but only seconds to destroy. If you need to stand or adjust your gear, try to swim to a place with a sandy bottom instead. We suggest it is better to avoid three hours on either side of low tide. At low tide you are very likely to cause damage; MID-TIDE seems ideal. |Some people suggest that the snorkeling during the (paid for) REEF HOPPING tour is no better than that in front of the beach. Maybe it depends on the circumstances, but we thought the Reef Hopping was definitely a significant step up and we absolutely loved it. You are more likely to encounter a wider range of fish species and the coral is world class! We do suggest that you do need to be reasonably flexible and confident - both in the water and in terms of getting in and out of the boat. ||DOGS and CATS: This is not unusual in Fiji but may not be to everyone’s liking. There are a couple of (very friendly) dogs around the resort, and more that you can hear at night, roaming nearby. Two dogs had a nasty and loud fight right outside our bure; even slamming into the wall. Also, a cat freely wanders through the restaurant and on several occasions jumps on tables during dinner. We did not like that at all, but clearly some others do - and some guests (and staff) even fed the cat and dog. ||THE GOOD STUFF: Ending on a positive note... We LOVED the location, the gorgeous beach, the excellent snorkeling, the layout of the accommodation, the small size of the resort, the food, the relaxed atmosphere, the absence of loud kids, and the wonderful staff. We loved being able to choose from any of the many activities - or do absolutely nothing at all. We have now been to four resorts around very different parts of Fiji, and to date, we have never gone back to the same place. No matter how good. But if we ever break that rule, then Oarsman’s Bay Lodge would be very high on our...

VINDADU RIKI OBL! Thank you for a WONDERFUL holiday

We have just returned from a wonderful 8 night stay at Oarsman’s Bay Lodge (OBL) in mid August 2025. It is easy to write about all the wonderful experiences, but many others already have done so - and we think it is also useful to provide practical tips, or things you might want to consider before you go. Some of these topics may have already appeared elsewhere, but there is no harm in repeating and we hope you find this (long) review useful.

STAFF: If you have stayed in other resorts, you may find the staff at OBL more “reserved” or less “exuberant” in their service delivery. Some may experience that as a negative. However, we found all staff members absolutely wonderful, helpful, and caring. We do like to learn about the language (and its regional variations) and we aim to honour the local culture and values. We think it is respectful to do so; and it was clearly appreciated.

SNORKELING: Equipment is available free of charge, but sometimes supplies are limited. If you are a keen and regular snorkeler (as we are), then you may wish to take your OWN GEAR; your own mask - and if space and weight restrictions allow, even your own fins. There is a boat access channel directly in front of the restaurant. We did not find the instructions very clear (about where to swim) and we weren’t the only ones, so some people swam, snorkelled, and paddled in that area. We suggest though that it is best avoided - if nothing else, as a courtesy to the staff in the boats. However, there is very easy access to TWO GREAT SNORKELING areas with excellent coral and fish. Looking from the beach out to the water, to the left of the left-most buoys (in front of the neighbouring resort) is a long sandy channel that allows easy access at almost any time of the tide and is probably the best place for less confident or less experienced snorkelers. To the right of the boating lane, to the right of the cable that crosses the beach, are some great areas too, once you swim past the sandy and grassy parts. However, if you are less experienced, you are more likely to damage the coral there. Please DON’T EVER STAND on the coral. It takes decades to form but only seconds to destroy. If you need to stand or adjust your gear, try to swim to a place with a sandy bottom instead. We suggest it is better to avoid three hours on either side of low tide. At low tide you are very likely to cause damage; MID-TIDE seems ideal. Some people suggest that the snorkeling during the (paid for) REEF HOPPING tour is no better than that in front of the beach. Maybe it depends on the circumstances, but we thought the Reef Hopping was definitely a significant step up and we absolutely loved it. You are more likely to encounter a wider range of fish species and the coral is world class! We do suggest that you do need to be reasonably flexible and confident - both in the water and in terms of getting in and out of the boat.

DOGS and CATS: This is not unusual in Fiji but may not be to everyone’s liking. There are a couple of (very friendly) dogs around the resort, and more that you can hear at night, roaming nearby. Two dogs had a nasty and loud fight right outside our bure; even slamming into the wall. Also, a cat freely wanders through the restaurant and on several occasions jumps on tables during dinner. We did not like that at all, but clearly some others do - and some guests (and staff) even fed the cat and dog.

THE GOOD STUFF: Ending on a positive note... We LOVED the location, the gorgeous beach, the excellent snorkeling, the layout of the accommodation, the small size of the resort, the food, the relaxed atmosphere, the absence of loud kids, and the wonderful staff. We loved being able to choose from any of the many activities - or do absolutely nothing at all. We have now been to four resorts around very different parts of Fiji, and to date, we have never gone back to the same place. No matter how good. But if we ever break that rule, then Oarsman’s Bay Lodge would be very high on our...

Oarsman’s Bay Lodge sits on the shore of Nacula Island looking out at Nacula Bay. The aquamarine waters are entrancing: so many shades of blue-green. Both sides of the harbour have long coral shelves that provide endless entertainment for the intrepid snorkeler. Amidst the rainbow of tropical fish we spotted squid, octopus, a green turtle, and blacktip and whitetip reef sharks during our adventures. What’s even better is you can snorkel it at any tide, with visibility in the mornings better than later in the day.

The beachfront blue and white huts have everything you need for a great stay. An outdoor shower helps you remove sand, there’re plenty of drying space, your own sun lounges and hammock, then inside there’s air conditioning, louvre windows to let in the view, and a cool indoor/outdoor shower to get naked in. It’s serviced daily with two sets of fresh towels that smell like baking.

To come here you must like chicken: poultry was the dominant protein comprising every single one of our eight set lunches at Oarsman’s Bay Lodge, and often being one of just two choices for dinner. That’s not to say the kitchen didn’t try to make it interesting: we ate our chook as burgers; curried with flatbread, rice and tomato chutney; in a wrap; grilled over salad with an excellent house-made papaya vinegar; in a “Mongolian” stir-fry with fresh papaya and a dome of rice; and in claggy mounds of pasta that felt heavy and inappropriate for an island lunch.

Bored with chicken, for dinner I always opted for fish—white snapper or rock cod—with a variety of sides and sauces, bested by coconut sauce, island ferns and cassava. Every evening there’s a soup course with fresh dinner rolls, and a dessert. The former is more successful than the latter, which is always buried under artful squiggles of commercial toppings, rather than a fresh fruit coulis that would be easy for the kitchen to make. Heck even grated coconut would be better than processed sugar that doesn’t even taste nice!

At 4pm precisely every day there’s fruit and cake. The kitchen bakes excellent airy sponges, which are just the ticket after a big day exploring the reef. Breakfast is served buffet style with hot dishes and cold items. Keep your eye out for coconut buns and pikelets: both are delicious against freshly cut tropical fruits. The weekly timetable also includes an island night and an island BBQ, the former better than the latter. Here you’ll try ham cooked in the lovo (underground oven), palusami (taro leaves cooked in coconut cream), whole baked fish, and kokoda (raw fish cured in bush lemon with a fresh coconut milk salsa).

Things not in the brochure: Oarsman’s is next door to another resort with kids and an inflatable waterslide right next to the reef you want to quietly and serenely snorkel. The resort is also in the process of building. This means constant daytime noise and earth movers travelling up and down the beach. Septic pumping barges docked next to the dining area for two full days of our seven night stay: however this might have just been bad luck.

The collocation of a hostel on the property does change the vibe of the place. It’s not about couples, it’s dominated by a loud group of younger guests who share a long table at all meals, and use all the main building facilities (lounges, swinging chairs etc) all day, including flying noisy drones. Amusing these guests means the resort does work harder at putting on free activities like medicinal plant walks, cooking classes (kokoda), and crab races. Bagging lounge chairs by dumping a towel on them all day despite being engaged in other activities is a bit gross, and it’s the first resort in the Pacific where I have seen this behaviour.

There’s a number of excursions you can pay to take. We tried reef hopping (FJ$90), visiting three different sites (none quite as good as the house reef) and the Sawa-i-Lau limestone caves (FJ$100). Both were enjoyable with friendly guides. Staff across all parts of the resort were friendly and went out of their way to connect and ensure you had...