Turtle Island — Local services in Nanuya Island

Turtle Island is a truly unique experience - very hard to describe but it's an immersion into Fijian culture and hospitality in an incredible setting where the guests who are there with you (not in your party, but on the island) are in integral part of the experience. We learned about Turtle island from my first "Boss" who went there on his honeymoon and said it was fantastic - so we always wanted to go and it took us 30 years to do so but we made it there for 9 days. Some of it was exactly as we expected - our own beach bungalow, boats to private beaches that were ours for the day, incredible food, amazing service, very remote...awesome. And some of it was quite different and took a little getting used to - a lot of meals are communal - whether breakfast, lunch or dinner with some of the other guests on the island - people come from so many different places and backgrounds, I'm amazed that it works but it does - we became connected with two other couples and of all things, the yoga instructor and we had a fabulous time hanging out together. At night, everyone goes to the Cava Mat for socializing and experiencing Fijian culture; or the sports competition, the Buro mammas and papas, just really cool to be a part of. The scuba diving was great, walking around the island and getting lost was fun, just very cool. A few small glitches on the travel in to the island (waiting at the hanger) and with the people who transport us to the airport. The bungalows need to be modernized (don't plan on having a lot of internet while you are there) and there is no gym which would be nice to have. But the benefits of the experience so far outweigh the small downsides - if you ever had the means and the opportunity to go, it's so cool and unique - highly, highly...

I had wanted to go to Turtle Island Resort for 40 years (Blue Lagoon inspired) and my husband made it happen for our 35th wedding anniversary. We fell in love with the people, the setting and the private beaches.

We went in 2023, and even though it rained 50% of the time we were there (sigh…), we were thankful for the bed on our covered porch, which protected us from the rain, provided noteworthy naps, and had beautiful views from sunrise to sunset.

Note: Other than a private two-person pool, there is no pool on property (it would be nice if one was built for communal gatherings in the future).

It truly is an eco-resort, in that Internet is minimal (yay!), the food is grown on-site or purchased from locals, and most of the public areas are open to the elements from at least one side. Even though there is no gym, You can walk around the entire island and definitely get your steps in for the day or go swimming in the lagoon during high-tide.

We will definitely return and have made plans to go...

We have been here many times and although the setting is magical it has some serious downfalls.

It has to be the mosquito capital of the world I'm talking four engine jobs here, I have seen plenty of brides coming down for breakfast totally covered in bright red welts all over their bodies.

Make sure that you have plenty of travel insurance as you are miles away from any help if something goes wrong.

Much is made of the refrigerator being full of French wine but most of the champagne was cheap Australian plonk

The food has improved a lot but is still just...