DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Fiji - Sonaisali Island — Hotel in Viti Levu

Overall it was a very poor experience frankly not what we expected from a hotel from the Hilton chain. We have stayed at many hotels in many countries and this was by far the worst experience we have had. We stayed at the hotel from 26th to 30 th December.

On Thursday the 26th we ordered room service. For the kids (5 and 3 years old) we bought the pan fried fish and chips. The fish was horrible and the kids refused immediately. Then we tried it and found that as soon as we ate the mouth started to tingle and itch. The fish was clearly spoiled. We called reception and someone came and tried the fish and took it away. We saw through the window of our room that she spit the fish she tried out. Which clearly shows that it was indeed bad fish. Eating this fish could have been life threatening for my kids. At the end when we checked the bill we found that they had the audacity to charge for the fish.

We were very clear that from the first day we would not need breakfast from the buffet. We even notified them in writing that we don’t need breakfast for all the days as we were going on early morning tours. I went to the reception by person and made clear to the receptionist (Caroline was her name) to remove breakfast from our package. To avoid confusion, I went back to her for 2nd time and double checked if it was removed and she confirmed it has been removed from our package. However when we checked the final bill we found they had charged breakfast for every day (I can provide the pictures of the original invoice that included breakfast for each day and in room dining breakfast charged on top of that).

It was raining heavily on the first 2 days. On Friday the 27th the entrance of our room was completely flooded and we absolutely couldn’t set foot in it specially with the little kids. We noticed that all around us several rooms were getting blocks set up on the pathway for easy access however our room was ignored. We mentioned this to reception. Several employees who were walking around and each time they said it would be done but it was never done and we were all stuck in the room the whole day. I must mention that the flooding in front of our accommodation was so bad that the buggy that came to deliver food got stuck in the mud in front of the house and they spent several hours trying to get it out.

The restaurant was appalling. It took 1 hour for us to get lunch on the first day. Similarly we noticed that the service was considerably slow and quiet disorganised. Also there were birds flying around and i saw in many occasions they were pecking at the food. One example was someone’s pizza order which was waiting by the kitchen window to be collected by the waiter. I saw with my own eyes a bird pecking into it.

We went for the Bula night buffet and there was fijian dancers performing which was nice but the program was ver Long and no one was manning the action stations for us to get meat cut up. I had to miss out on the pork roast as no one was there to cut it up. The prawns were just lying there in the wok for so long that they were actually burnt black.

I ordered the Nasi goreng 3 times and on the first 2 times i never received the chicken skewers even though the menu mentioned that it was part of the meal. On the 3rd try I received the skewers. I also ordered the caesar salad which according to the menu should have garlic croutons however just got a soggy piece of toast.

We received the room without the floors being cleaned. The cleaning lady came after we had unpacked our bags and did a very quick mop of the floors and afterwards we had to ask the kids to stay on the beds until the floors dried so that they wouldn’t slip.

We came here after an absolute lovely time at the Radisson hotel and expected a similar experience from the Hilton however ended up with the worst...

It's been our 3rd time in a row in 3 years staying at Sonasali Double tree. I am a loyal hilton Diamond honours member and I stay at least 30 nights in a year at different hilton hotels over the year.

That's why I have decided to write this detailed review because I feel that management needs to know and address these issues.

The issues started as soon as we landed at the airport. I had booked a hotel airport pick-up transfer with Serona In reservations. When we arrived noone was waiting for us. We waited 40 minutes and asked the airport customer service desk and they helped us look for our driver but after 40 minutes we concluded that noone had actually been organised to pick us up. This was very disappointing with after a long flight and tired toddler we had to scramble to find our own taxi.

Breakfast had no variety. We booked to stay for 7 nights at this resort. On Thursday- Sunday it was exactly the same food. Stew Chicken and rice, bacon, eggs and dry sausages. For a resort this size it's dismall. Imagine staying here for 7 nights like we did and eating the same thing over and over again. Some days my 4 year old toddler refused to go for breakfast because he was tired of eating the same thing. Because of the location of the resort, you are stuck there with this horrible food. It takes about 30minutes drive back to Denarau if you need more options for restaurants. We have stayed at other 5 star resorts in Denarau and you never get tired of the fresh healthy options available. Maybe the chefs need to copy or research how other resorts are doing it because it's really disappointing.

[ ] Kids club inconsistent. Ended having to tip staff to watch our son from time to time but it's advertised that there is kids club everyday.In future do not advertise that you offer kids club everyday when it's not the case.

[ ] Room service customer service was appalling. I called to order some food and I was answered by Rita from restaurant. What a very rude person. I have never when ordering room service on 21/01. She told me they had chicken nuggets and then called me back non apologetic and said there was no chicken. I asked her that she had literally told me they had it before that's why I ordered it..

[ ] At reception Salome and Lavenia always seemed annoyed when I asked for anything. I asked them to open yje gym for me as I couldn't find my key. She huffed and was angry to just help a guest open the gym. Very appealing.

[ ] GM's drinks, the GM didn't even show up and sent head chef. Though the head chef was nice, he is not the GM. Please do not advertise as GMs drinks if GM will not show up.

Just for context, I have been coming go staty at sonasali for 3 years now and I know what the standards can be . Though the food is horrible especially breakfast at least we only came back for the hospitality and the vibe. But that's not the case anymore. It's sad to see Standards drop like this especially if the price is as is. Paying Almost $500AUD per night for this dump is dismissal and day light robbery.

Front office Staff need more training on being hospitable in a 4/5 star resort. You are the face of the hotel. Not being moody and annoyed if paying guests ask for assistance is as little as the guest are asking for. Guests pay for a service and that's what exactly they should get.

The saving grace would be the bar and restaurant staff like Oni, Samantha, Sera, Samu, Risella who made our experience better and full of life. Nothing was too much for them and they would serve always with a big smile on their faces.

Unfortunately, we will not be coming back. But hopefully all these issues will...

We stayed for a week through a Gate 1 Travel deal and for the price we paid for our trip, the value was excellent. I would say this is a decent place to stay for a first time visit to Fiji, like ours was, and now that I know more about the island I would do things differently but that is not to say I was dissatisfied with our stay.

The resort is about 20 minutes from NAN, and then a 45 second boat ride from the main island to a peninsula where the resort resides. Everyone is very welcoming and for the most part very accommodating. I say for the most part very accommodating because we found some erroneous charges on our account that were resolved, though perhaps without some hard feelings. There is a new food and beverage supervisor and I have high hopes she will make their good team even better. I would typically say the erroneous charges are an anomaly, however, some ladies we befriended during our time there had the same experience. Long story short, ask to see your tabs that are being charged to your room before walking away from the bar or restaurant for the day. They asked us to sign the tab at the beginning of opening, which is very atypical and problematic for its own reasons.

Food and drink at the resort is generally good, though pricey. I recommend renting a car from Angels Rentals. They delivered (and picked up) to the resort within half an hour and had good rates that included insurance and unlimited mileage. We found driving in Fiji to be fairly easy, with most speed limits not being above 50mph. The speed bumps are huge with little warning, so be careful. The front desk is happy to connect you from you room to any local number.

It is true there is a real possibility of experiencing "island time" and having a wait for food or drink at the resort. We did breakfast buffet so our only real wait was to receive a pot of tea. Service at dinner was much better, even room service was speedy (though our pizza had zero sauce, so sad). Lunch was where the real waiting game happened. Be careful on what drinks you order, a pair of Bloody's will set you back $50 FJD, where as a pair of coconut caprioska's will set you back only $30 FJD.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: go hit the Duty Free before leaving the airport if you can. Even in many of the liquor stores you will come across the alcohol is not "inexpensive" unless your currency has a strong conversion in Fiji.

Day trips to surrounding islands are a must. If you go to Port Denarau you can get most tours you would book through your resort, or online, and for cheaper.

It is true that there is no immediate beach at the resort. The infinity pool, with swim up bar, is delightful, though if you desire for crystal clear blue ocean water out your front door every day to swim in, this is not the resort for you. Regardless, we found the view from the rooms to still be enchanting. We were very fortunate to stay in a suite and found it very comfortable. Our friends had a room that we visited and it seemed just a nice, only a bit smaller.

EVERYONE IS SO NICE. Even in the most remote villages, people are so kind. They are happy to share their stories and history which is invaluable. I recommend getting out there and seeing what you can outside of...