Namale Resort & Spa — Hotel in Vanua Levu

AN HONEST REVIEW. I write a lot of reviews and I am always completely honest.

I truly wanted to be in love with Namale after all we went there on our honeymoon. However with the beauty of this resort comes a lot of scenes that are not beautiful. Now yes I’m keeping in mind that this resort and it’s room are open to the outdoor elements for the most part however the ant issue at this resort along with other insects can get to be a bit irritating at times. There were ants everywhere in our room and also in the spa inside the hot tub and hydrotherapy pools. One was in the slipper bag that they gave me for when I was getting a massage done But if you’re someone who can understand this resort is open to the elements and won’t be bothered by that then this is the place for you for those who are more modern and do not appreciate bugs where they lay their head at night this is not for you. Some rooms have mosquito nets to keep bugs out at night however the nets are soo old there are holes in them and bugs and mosquitoes still get in. The rooms themselves are spacious and beautiful though we had a honeymoon bure we loved our private pool even though it was freezing cold.

Room service food is hit or miss as far as taste & quality also food items don’t ever change so if you’re staying 7 or more days the menus truly start to get bland and boring not enough variety. The main bure restaurant is better tasting but again limited items menu repeats itself if you’re there more than 6-7 days. You cannot order the main bure food for room service even though all they would need to do is send it in a bula cart like they do for room service but apparently they can not accommodate this request for some odd reason even though you’ve paid tons of money to stay there. Food was amazing our first three days at the resort but as they got more busy it severely declined.

Our first day at the resort I had booked all of our activities like our salt water river drift and our sandbar picnic just to find out the day before the resort had no idea where our booking went and so we were unable to go on the Picnic activity with everyone because there was no space left even though Namale lost our reservation we had to pay out of pocket for a private charter if we wanted to see the sandbar and experience it which of course cost a lot more than doing it with the resort and the resort did not even offer to pay this even though they lost the reservation we even had another couple as witnesses who were behind us when we booked it the first day we arrived snd when we finally did get to go the resort forgot to pack our lunch in with the taxi and our boat driver had to go back to fetch it and wasn’t very happy about that we felt bad so we fished out extra for a tip for him for going back to get it and when we came back the resort said we forgot our food yet they were the ones who pack the food and bring it everywhere when you make a booking and staff saw us get into the vehicle yet nobody stopped to think about that and it isn’t something we should have to think about after they lost our booking and us having to dish out extra to do the activity in the first place.

Also I asked at the front desk to speak to a manager and this never ever happened I was never brought the manager nor did I get to speak with them at all even though I had requested to.

The salt water river drift and the sand bar overall are still very cool experiences I highly recommend both. The other must do experience is the spa at Namale the staff at the spa is simply amazing they are all amazing at what they do and extremely polite I had several services done they were all amazing especially the moonlight magic. Truly an experience to remember. Just keep in mind the hot tub and hydrotherapy pools do have ants and when we went on our Tour there was a dead gecko at the bottom.

Majority of the staff is very nice and polite. Some could do better. Overall not a modern place not 5 stars if you have high standards but it is beautiful...

July2025: Our stay at Namale Resort and Spa was, without a doubt, one of the most incredible travel experiences we have ever had. From the moment our transport pulled up, we were greeted by the staff with a beautiful welcome song and custom leis, instantly making us feel like family. This heartfelt hospitality continued throughout our entire visit, with every staff member going above and beyond. Our two-story Bure named Linieta, was a private sanctuary tucked away in a grove of tropical trees. We loved waking up to the sounds of nature and enjoying the view of the garden and the distant ocean from the upper-level deck. The room itself was spacious and unique, with a king-size bed upstairs and a fantastic walk-in rain shower on the lower level that even had a separate door to the outside. Careful not to fall down the steps in the dark,,,LOL; we did, so leave a night light on. Both of us fell and no, we were not hurt. The room has a mounted safe and a refrigerator inside the bure. It was the perfect, private home base for our anniversary. The dining was one of the highlights. It's clear the resort prioritizes fresh, local ingredients, and it shows in the quality of every meal. We enjoyed everything from garlic noodles and chicken quesadillas to fantastic Indian butter chicken, curry, and lobster pot pie. The kitchen staff was so attentive they even remembered my request for extra chili flakes and the kitchen had them ready for me at my next meal! A truly unforgettable experience was our private lunch set up at the base of a stunning, secluded waterfall, this is an absolute must-do. We took advantage of several of the resort's included activities, and each one was memorable for us and well executed. We had a beautiful private breakfast at the hot tub site overlooking the ocean blowhole nearby the location. We enjoyed taking a day trip to a local Fijian village, Nadi. I was one of the visitors that got off the bus first, to represent the group in front of the village elder. The staff's attention to detail was greatly appreciated every evening, they delivered a schedule for the following day's plans during the turndown service, which was incredibly helpful. For our anniversary, we booked a treatment at the Namale Valeni Sasauni Spa, and it exceeded all expectations. The spa itself is a house of tranquility, filled with fresh flowers. When we were guided to our massage room, the staff had decorated it with flowers in the shape of a heart and a "Happy Anniversary" message. It was a small, thoughtful gesture that meant so much to us and perfectly captures the feelings we had of the Namale Resort. While my wife had a brief, unfortunate mix-up with wasabi (thinking it was avocado!), which led to a momentary illness, the staff was incredibly caring and compassionate, they brought her milk, but also eventually packed the rest of our delicious meal for us to have back at our room. Namale Resort became a special place where the stunning location is matched only by the warmth of its people to us. The use of the traditional Lali drums to announce time of day or meals or guest arrivals adds to the authentic cultural atmosphere. For anyone seeking a luxurious, personalized, and truly heartfelt escape, we cannot recommend Namale highly enough. It was the perfect celebration of our anniversary! I would definitely suggest that you check it out as well. Just plan to stay a bit longer than a few days, (7) to (10) would be best in my opinion! Throughout our stay, the service was exceptional, from the concierge team who handled bookings and adjustments with ease, to the spa staff and waitstaff who went above and beyond to personalize our experience. Every detail felt intentional and infused with Fijian...

This resort offers a variety of experiences. I originally went in to the trip thinking I’d be lounging in a chair on the beach, eating grapes and sipping tropical cocktails. And while that experience is offered, we chose a different experience. Upon drop off, you are greeted by a warm reception. Here, the staff remind you that you are now part of the Namale family. Having just traveled 12+ hours on 3 airplanes to get there, I simply rolled my eyes at that expression…as that sentiment gets tossed around a lot. I believe the Applebees chain says that in the United States. It wasn’t until late Day 2 / Day 3 that I began to believe. First, Namale Resort is extensive. It covers well over 500 acres. The staff immediately review their list of activities, which is very extensive. You are welcome to sign up for activities then, or wing it per day. The property. I’m often critical of grounds and architecture of resorts; and was critical of what I saw at first…until I understood the property. For starters, this property is not some Western culture’s idea of what a 5-star luxury resort and paradise should be. This property is an authentic representation of an upscale Fijian settlement. You will find heavy timber structures tied together and thatched roofs. It is not a concrete monolith we have come to expect from large scale corporate hospitality groups. The grounds are similar in fashion. Every Bure is different, and offers unique experiences based upon its site location. We found our Bure, the honeymoon suite, to exceed our expectations. The bed was comfortable and the A/C worked great. As some mentioned, there is internet, but not mega high in terms of download or upload speeds. For us, it didn’t matter. We traveled halfway around the globe to unplug in paradise, and not be attached to our electronic devices. Yes, there were a few amenities that were down during our stay. But given Namale offers so much, it wasn’t noticeable. We never ran out of things to do. For example, we’d be happy snorkeling every day and exploring the amazing reefs. As other reviews have mentioned, the staff is second to none. Never have I encountered such an amazing team. I can’t think of one staff member that was less than stellar. And yes, each treated us like a family member….that is a member of your family that you truly enjoy. In our 7 day visit, we got to know so many team members; to the point where I was shocked recounting how many of them we actually remembered. As I touched on above, the resort offers a variety of experiences. You can choose to stay in your amazing Bure and order room service all the time. And you’d have an amazing time as we found the food to be exceptional. We chose a different route. Namale employs a large amount of staff from the two nearby villages. What we felt Namale excels at is bringing in these villages to share their culture, either through sit down discussions or through authentic song and dance. I say authentic as the performances are done by villagers young and old. It is not some Cirque du Soliel performance re-enacting portions of some cultural performance. And this is what we appreciated. We were not intending this trip to be a cultural immersion, but that is what it became. We were very thankful Namale offers these experiences. We have never been so saddened to leave a hotel. It truly felt as though we were leaving family members. Vinaka Namale! You left us full in spirit and provided us a lifetime...