Takalana Bay — Hotel in Viti Levu

This is a review that my partner and I are very disappointed to be writing. We were so excited at the prospect of visiting Takalana Bay for the weekend to see the dolphins, only to leave 4 hours after arriving, feeling miserable.||||We made the reservation by phone with Jay (owner) on Thursday, initially for a day trip on the Saturday and were told this was possible and to arrive for a 9.30am start. Shortly after, we decided to add on an overnight stay on Saturday night so that we'd be able to not feel rushed and enjoy the resort. This was communicated via email (which ended up going to Jay's spam folder - no-one's fault) and confirmed by phone on Friday afternoon. Our reservation was $250 for a 1 night stay with 3 meals plus $115 each for the dolphin watch trip for a total of $480FJD.||||We woke up very early to catch the 6AM bus from Suva in order to arrive in plenty of time for the boat trip. On arrival we were the only people at the resort and were shown to our bure by Eddie and his wife, who also provided us with tea and pancakes. We were then told that there was another group of 7 people coming from Ba, who would be joining us on the boat trip at 9.30am. ||||However, come 9am we were told that they would only be arriving at lunch time and that we would have to wait until after their arrival for the boat trip. We were then given the option of a waterfall trek or waiting for the group to arrive. As we had read the previous TripAdvisor reviews stating that the dolphins usually leave the reef in the early afternoon, we were disappointed that we wouldn't be able to see them in the morning but were reassured by Eddie that the dolphins would be there until 3:30pm and that this would not be an issue. Whilst a bit baffled, we decided to go along with this and went to the waterfall.||||Eddie was an insightful guide, the walk itself was relatively easy but slippery in parts. The waterfall was nice and had a deep pool for diving in. However, on our way back he mentioned that he had forgotten to tell us about a $10 charge for the walk which came across as a little underhand. ||||As we approached the resort, we were told that the other group had changed their plans once again and had decided to go to a nearby mountain after lunch and postpone the dolphin trip until the next morning. We were told we would have to wait until the following day to go with them. In disbelief we challenged this and were eventually given the option of paying an increased rate of $150 per person to go that afternoon, following the staff themselves admitting that their insistence on putting us with the other group was due to not wanting to make any losses on their profit, as the boat hire for the trips is some $400/trip.||||It was difficult to communicate our point of view, with the resort staff only being focused on the potential loss/profit margins and shifting the blame for the change of schedule, suggesting we speak to Jay if we were unhappy. We were made to feel very awkward and that we were making things difficult despite multiple delays and a constantly changing plan. ||||Following these discussions, we decided to leave without going on the trip, staying for lunch or the night. We offered to pay for the breakfast we had received on arrival and the waterfall trek but were told this was not necessary. Jay did come up from the local village to apologise and was also kind enough to call us a taxi. ||||I understand the concept of a business is to make money and did attempt to convey this point. However, I do not accept that we should have been the ones picking up the pieces from a problem caused by an indecisive group of travellers. As I see it, we had arranged a trip at 9:30am, which was confirmed. We had arrived well in time, then told it would be pushed to the afternoon with only 30 minutes’ notice (which we had quite flexibly accepted), only to be further messed around. ||||If a group decides to change their personal plans, that should not affect separate groups who have already arranged plans. If there is an issue of having X number of people on a boat in order to turn profit, this should be explained to guests when they book. In the case of a late dropout or re-arrangement of plans, the cost and/or delays should not be handed over to the present customers but instead absorbed by the organisers. Whether they wish to recover this cost with no-show or cancellation fees is up to them.||||Instead, they opted to pass the problem on to us, giving us an option to pay more or wait until the following day. The reason for this decision? Greed. It is obvious to me now that the only thing these people are interested in is their bottom line. They may offer an initially good front of customer service and welcome but dig a little deeper and the first argument they turn to is profit. ||||Ultimately it was not about the money, but the principle and lack of respect Takalana Bay showed us as customers. We are both reasonable people who have spent over a month in Fiji and appreciate the “Fiji time” way of life. However, having 2 delays to our boat trip and then being told that our only option to go on the day we scheduled was to give them more money was frankly ridiculous. As a business they should appreciate that financial losses are inevitable at times, and that they should make potential customers aware of other groups if they want to ensure that the boats are filled sufficiently to turn a profit. ||||We can't express how disappointed we are. The resort is set in beautiful surroundings and I'm sure that the dolphin watch would have been great. Not only did we waste a day, but we wasted one of our last weekends in Fiji and the opportunity to go somewhere else where we may have been treated as more than a pair of walking dollar bills.||||Note: just prior to posting this review we received an email from Takalana apologising for our experience and offering us a free dolphin trip in the future. It’s a shame as it is a little too late for this. Perhaps if a way of thinking along these lines (e.g. running our trip on time at a small loss) had been applied from the start we would have had a...

Lovely place to get away for a day trip or overnight stay. There are 3 big basic bures (sink, shower, hot water pumps, power for part of the day/night, but no fridge/hobs), and these were just fine for us. Our bed had a mosquito net (essential given the stripey dengue-carrying mozzies we saw), but all others in our bure didn't. Others staying also complained that their bure had an active wasps nest in. The main building has signs of damage from cyclone Winston, and this generally betrays a sign of a lack of subsequent investment/repairing all round, which is the biggest shame. However, the dolphin trip out to Moon Reef is beautiful, and worth it alone. The guy who took us out was quite knowledgeable about the dolphins and the area too. The owners of Takalana (brothers Jay and Frasier) are friendly and helpful, the food cooked by Frasier's wife was very tasty, and the kids were great leading us up to the nearby waterfall. It's just a shame the owners don't make the most of what they have, as a little renovating, re-opening what used to look like a bar area, mending signs, roofs, etc, could go a long way. Also, big tip - if you have them, take snorkels and flippers on the boat ride, as we were told that part of the dolphin trip involved 'taking us snorkelling', only for them to be surprised that we hadn't brought our own gear when we...

Wonderful experience at this resort. Eddy met us on arrival, after his cousin Tabs drove us from the Suva airport. We arrived in time for the trip with our Captain Jay to see the Spinner dolphins (if you arrive at the airport by 7am as we did you will have time to get there as well). Then we were taken to another part of Moon Reef to snorkel...best snorkelling yet, even better than Natadola Beach which we loved. Great experience...lots of dolphins playing with the boat...they love to bowride...they raced over to the boat when Jay increased the speed of the boat!|Things to know: the cost of the day trip to see the dolphins and snorkel is F$115pp. I say this because nowhere on the resort website does it tell you this and my 2017 tourbook said the cost was $60 so I was surprised the price had almost doubled. You also need to pay cash so make sure you bring enough.|Why 4 stars and not 5? The lack of information on costs and how to contact and book. I understand why as this is a remote resort with only periodic electricity, but it is difficult to book when you lack information. I suggest you call the resort to book. Check the official Fiji tourism website for their phone number. They also...