Coconut Beach Resort Fiji — Hotel in Tavewa

We spent nearly two weeks at the Coconut Beach resort in October 2016, and I can honestly say, if you are looking for a romantic getaway with a good mixture of activities and relaxation, this is the place.

The Bures are nice, spacious and clean. The outdoor (yet private) bathroom's novelty never quite wears off. The king size bed is nice and comfortable.

The beach right in front of the resort is great for both swimming and snorkelling, though the seaweeds take a bit of getting used to. If you walk a bit further down to the marine reserve, you'll have excellent snorkelling opportunities and you can get some impressive underwater footage with a GoPro. This marine reserve was only started in March 2015 and it is already quite breathtaking. One of the local staff, Moses, does some coral gardening here so it's going to be even more amazing in a couple of years. You can also go to the world famous Blue Lagoon (about 5 minutes by the boat), which provides an otherworldly snorkelling experience (you'll be surrounded by thousands of fish).

The resort holds one or two activities each day, from taking you to an undercover cave, to visiting the local village and their school (take some stationary and lollies for donation, the school will appreciate it), guided snorkelling, guided tour of various medicinal herbs on the island, kayaking, etc. So you'll never be bored, but if you just want a relaxing time away from most people, you can skip all the activities.

Kids will more than likely get bored at this small resort though, so while the resort doesn't ban them, we watched one family arrive during our time here and they had two kids and stayed for a couple of nights, and the kids were clearly bored. So if you are travelling with kids, you should probably look elsewhere.

There are only 6 Bures at the resort, and generally about 10-12 guests at any time at most. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at set times so the guest all eat together at the dining area, but other than that the Bures are at least 30 meters apart from each other and there is plenty of space to lie on the beach in seclusion.

The food is sublime. I don't quite know how Harry (the Chef) does it, considering the remoteness of the place and that all ingredients have to brought to the island on boats, but he somehow makes these amazing dishes full of fresh ingredients and flavours. I know in Melbourne, I have paid good money at many high-end restaurants and not received this quality of food. Harry's work is magic, and he is rightly recognised for it at the resort.

The bar is well stocked (for a tropical remote place) and Ratu knows how to make good cocktails (for about $20 FJD). Wine and beer is also available, the local Vonu beer was a nice and refreshing lager.

The other great highlight for us was the welcoming ceremony with Kava. Tai is an excellent MC, he knows exactly how to make you feel welcome and entertained at the same time. The ceremony is accompanied by live music, where you get to hear Jimmy's amazing voice. We took part in 6-7 such ceremonies during our stay, and every one of them was enjoyable.

If we are to nitpick, our only complaints would be that 1) electricity got cut off between midnight and 7AM, and 2) the shower's water pressure left a lot to be desired. However Alex, the owner, is aware of both issues, and I believe electricity is going be on 24/7 from this November, and water pumps will be installed shortly after to fix the pressure as well.

All in all, the resort is great, the beach is wonderful, the location is amazing, the food is splendid, but perhaps what makes Coconut Beach resort the best is its staff. They somehow manage to always stay friendly and engaged while still being very professional and respectful. Linda, Jacob, Tai, Dee, Ma, Ratu, Harry, Lavinia, Jimmy, Joe, Toby, Bill, Moses, Charles, Milli, Eliki, Repeka and Alex, thank you, and we...

Dear Coconut Beach Resort crew,||Thank you for the hospitality you have extended to me and Jason. We had a lovely experience. All of you made our stay special from the time we were transferred from the Yasawa Flyer to the resort and back to the Yasawa Flyer. To Matthew, Mike, Ben, and others whom I missed, thank you.||The food was very delicious, thank you chefs and bakers (Jiu, Eliki, Raloga, Sireli and Rebecca). You made us try dishes from parts of the world. Dishes that my husband and I would probably have not ordered if we were on our own.||The servers were very attentive to all our needs from breakfast to dinner. Thank you Beta, Kara, Mila and Api (the only thorn among the roses).||The serenaders during mealtimes were very special as well. We may not know all your names, but we will remember your faces as you sang during |breakfast. You have absolutely beautiful voices. Of course, the men who sang and play musical instruments for dinner, your musical talents did not go unnoticed (Josh, Abbo, Joe)||The massages were very relaxing, thank you Mela and Amelia. ||To the crew who cleaned our room regularly, thank you Kara, Masilina .||The classes were very informative. I took the basket weaving and although I came in a tad late from a massage, Ben patiently taught me in order to catch up with the group. My purse did not come out as usable as I would like it to be. However, when I asked Ben to teach me to make a fan, he happily said “yes.”||The coconut class with Matthew was a very good refresher for myself. Growing up, my mom taught me and my siblings how to grind manually (using exactly the same grinder you had in class) so we can help her prepare dishes that called for coconut milk. Abbo’s climbing of the tree reminded me of how much hard work and skill it used to take in harvesting coconut. ||The bracelet making was a very productive way to pass time. It requires focus and good coordination. It took me a while to do it correctly. ||Thank you to Ben, Matthew, Abbo, Mike and Vata… for sharing what you know.||The excursions were fun and the guides really looked after us - most specially during the hike when Jason and I got tired. Abbo, many thanks to you. You are a good man and we were able to know you more not just as a guide, but as a new friend by learning something about your life.||To Phillip and Terry who gives us a run down each night the happenings for the following day, you are both marvelous in the work that you do.||Lastly, to Sheung. Thank you may not be enough so VINAKA may express how thankful Jason and I are that we ended up exchanging emails with you. I have researched for many months about where to go in Fiji and as soon as I booked, you were there to answer all my queries, including addressing all my concerns when we almost cancelled due to Jason’s medical emergencies. You brought peace of mind in midst of a lot of uncertainty.||We may not have learned all your names, but your smiling friendly faces will be remembered fondly as we leave your beautiful special place that...

We’ve just returned from five utterly fabulous days at CBR and I would head right back there this very minute if I could.||I do tend to waffle a bit in reviews so will do my best to keep this simple.||1. The Resort|CBR is set at the top of the beautiful Yasawa Islands. It’s a lovely small resort that used to be a copra plantation. The rooms are spacious, spotlessly clean and very comfortable, with a unique bathroom featuring an outside shower which we loved using.|The main building at the resort is fabulous with a large dining room that looks out over the palms trees and beautiful beach. There is a central bar and lots of lovely comfy seating from which to enjoy happy hour and after dinner entertainment from. The main feature is the incredible tree that takes centre place at the end building…it needs to be seen to be believed|A dive centre is also located in this building.||2. The food|CBR operates a compulsory meal plan and every single meal was 5 star. You’ll need a big appetite as the meals are generous and utterly delicious. We couldn’t wait to see what was on the meal board every day, such was the excitement surrounding each days offerings. Half portions are recommended for those who like me, can’t eat quite as much. The seared tuna salad was the best I’ve had in the islands!||3. The real superstars…the staff|CBR’s wonderful staff are the real superstars of the island. Every single one of them was wonderful but there are always going to be extra special ones who make a stay memorable for years to come. We knew two from visits to a resort they previously worked at…Vata and Josh. These guys are fantastic, they sing most evenings at happy hour and during dinner. Josh does plenty in the marine transport side of things and Vata is the resort activities guy…he’s been made a member of our family due to his fun and attention shown us. Both are so caring and took wonderful of care of my parents who are in their late 70’s.|Beta, Api and Sulu looked after our group of six each day in the dining room and bar and put up with our antics and laughter whilst adding their own, which gave us even more to laugh about.|Philip who looked after all things office is a darling and nothing is ever a problem for him to solve.||We missed Sheung, whom is one of the co-owners this time round but we got to know Alex the other co-owner during our stay and had a |great time with him.||All in all, our group of six had the best time ever at CBR and can’t wait to return! Thank you all so much for making our stay so utterly fabulous…we’ll be back for sure!||Shell, Charley, Kath, Craig, Andrea and Eddie...