Radisson Blu Resort, Fiji Denarau Island — Hotel in Viti Levu

I was really excited for my stay at the Radisson Blu Denarau and unfortunately was overall let down.

Due to the Radisson being booked out the first two nights of our trip, we first stayed at the Sheraton next door. The Radisson was actually more expensive, but we were willing to pay a bit extra for the fantastic family pool, slide and kids club. After staying there 5 nights, I'd say the Radisson was poor value for money in comparison to the other resorts on offer.

Pros The family pool is fantastic – great for toddlers and big kids. The slide is really great. The Lebanese restaurant on site is delicious. The staff were friendly and helpful.

Cons Our room (ground floor) was very smelly. There was some sort of damp/leak on one of the beds that particularly stunk. Housekeeping first changed the pillows, then the bedding/mattress topper and eventually brought in a whole new mattress as the stench had permeated right through. I did chalk this up as bad luck but noticed across the rest of our stay the pillows/bedding overall was stinky/musty and unpleasant. We had to ask for our towels to be replaced and when we used the spoons/mugs/glasses in the room tea station these weren't replaced with clean ones. The aircon temperature also wouldn't come below 22 degrees which was a bit hot for us coming from a cold country.

The Radisson kids club is under renovation which means there's currently no actual club facility. There were lots of activities around the resort for older children. In comparison, the Sheraton next door had a fenced outdoor play area with a shaded playground, big trampoline and water play, and an indoor air-conditioned play room with toys, books, dress ups, crafts etc plus a kids cinema room, and a dining area where kids could eat meals ordered from the kids club or snack from their own lunch boxes. This was perfect for our toddler, especially when she needed some downtime from the heat, and the nannies were cheaper per hour than at the Radisson. We were gutted the Radisson didn't have a similar or equivalent facility (just a stand-in hotel room with no aircon for nanny bookings etc).

The food at the Radisson was also not comparable with the five star dining options next door. The breakfast buffet (to be fair cheaper than next door) was nowhere near as expansive. The restaurant and pool side dining options were the same price as the Sheraton but much lesser quality. The Italian restaurant was downright bland (the Lebanese restaurant however was very delicious). The alcohol and barista coffee was also more expensive at the Radisson vs Sheraton.

We were leaving early in the morning so we went to reception around 6pm to settle our bill (we still had to drop our keys in the morning). Then after 10pm reception phoned us to say they'd forgotten to charge us for one kids meal (like $9) and could we please come back and pay tonight/in the morning. Given it was a kids meal they could have assumed we had a sleeping kid in the room who would be woken up by the phone ringing. So that was just a bit annoying for the sake of $9.

We also visited the Hilton and Sofitel hotels for meals and found the vibe/amenities/service of these to be more "five star", which the Radisson claims to be.

Overall, the Radisson felt like a more budget alternative to these big name hotels and I didn't feel it justified costing...

City: Fiji Denarau Island Date: 2 - 6 Feb 2025 Nights: 4 nights

This hotel is one of the best places we have ever stayed, ideally situated in the heart of the resort area. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here and will definitely return. It’s a family-friendly resort that also features exclusive adult-only areas, which we greatly appreciated. Ultimately, the hotel provides something for everyone.

The resort boasts four excellent restaurants: a Lebanese, an Italian, and a BBQ grill. Each offers high-quality cuisine that is deliciously prepared. In addition to everything mentioned, they offer daily shows and activities that create an atmosphere where time seems to fly during our stay.

We were fortunate to meet the manager, Peter Ehrenbrandtner, and it quickly became clear why everything in the hotel operates so seamlessly. He and his entire team made us feel incredibly welcomed.

Services / team: The team is highly skilled, both at the reception and in the restaurant. We received excellent service, and everyone played a part in making our stay truly enjoyable. Check in process: The check-in and check-out process was remarkably seamless. We received a warm welcome from Mere, and our initial impression of both the hotel and Fiji was outstanding. Overall, it was an incredibly positive experience.

Rooms: We are incredibly excited about our room! It is spacious and thoughtfully designed, featuring a lovely balcony and a fantastic kitchen area. The addition of laundry facilities and a drying machine in the bathroom is a real bonus for us as long-time travellers. Having the convenience of laundry services right in our room is truly invaluable. The atmosphere here is wonderfully serene, and everything operates flawlessly. Nice bed and very large bathroom and very good shower pressure.

Internet connection: the internet connection is good in all the communal areas of the hotel and also very fast in the room. Cleanliness: all the locations in the hotel are well maintained and clean at all times.

Highlights: We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the room, and the hotel's prime location was a significant highlight. Everything worked seamlessly, contributing to a wonderful experience. We are already looking forward to returning on our next visit to Fiji.

Pool: The pool is centrally located within the hotel and features two distinct areas: a family section and an exclusive adults-only zone. We particularly appreciated the tranquil atmosphere and the thoughtful design of the adult area.

Others: There is a transportation service “Bula Bus” that operates every 10-20 minutes, providing convenient transportation to the marina and various restaurant areas and nearby hotels, making it easy for you to explore different dining options. The cost is 4 Fijian dollars for a round-trip service.

Rate: We highly recommend this hotel and would love to return if the opportunity arises. It offers excellent value...

I rarely write reviews but when I spend thousands of dollars on a nice holiday I absolutely will.

You would think the Check- in would be earlier due to international flights coming in the morning. But it is still later in the afternoon. Which chilling in the reception area wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t for the massive renovation project going on in the lobby. I was given no notice or warning about it. Everything from welding to angle grinding. In addition to that I couldn’t hear the reception tell me they are charging an automatic 10 FJD donation. Which wouldn’t be a problem if I actually knew about it.

The WIFI kept going out. Granted on holiday one shouldn’t be on the internet that much. But it’s still an inconvenience.

3.Sewage system was under repair on the floor above us. Leading us unable to flush the toilet for most of the morning and part of the afternoon. Engineering did check on us a few times however they shouldn’t have to begin with.

The wait staff are kind but during breakfast it is complete chaos. The staff during breakfast have no communication when comes to seating. Every breakfast I would be sat down with a random person. Or a random couple would just take my seat. Just don’t bother listening to the staff on where to sit. Just sit wherever.

Drinks at the adult pool took approximately an hour. I ordered two drinks. A margarita and Pina Colda. I had to ask wait staff 3 times for the same order. Eventually I did get the drinks and the bar tender did throw in a double shot due to the wait. But it was a little ridiculous of a wait. And the food at the restaurants were over priced for the quality. My Dad ordered lasagna at the Italian restaurant which came out completely burned.

Again the staff are super awesome. You will want to give them good tips. However we were told by the staff to not tip them. Because the tips go to the hotel. Raddison then gives the tips at the end of the year. Apparently the server only got 500FJD for a year. A little aggravated cause the servers definitely make more than 100 FJD in tips per day.

Cockroaches!!! I saw a cockroach crawling around my clothes in the main dresser and then later in the bathroom. Granted I was on the first floor so there is a chance of more bugs getting in. ( Photos below were in the bathroom). At the time the photos were taken the roach was still alive and then crawled into the drain under the sink.

The beach was nice during low tide but it’s kinda small and during high tide it’s completely taken up.

The staff and management were amazing. However the way upper management runs it is a little disappointing. Many of the other families I spoke to felt the same way. I don’t feel that the money I spent was worth the experience here at Radisson. This was my first time staying at a Radisson Hotel I was looking forward to it but it felt...