I stayed at Likuliku for 5 nights of a 10-night trip to Fiji (5/26/08-6/5/08). After staying at the Westin Denarau, I was a bit disappointed with Fiji until we arrived at Likuliku.

Transportation: We arrived by seaplane, which picked us up directly in front of the Westin. It was a totally hassle-free way to get from one hotel to another. We lounged on the beach until our plane arrived and then hopped on and 10 minutes later we were at Malolo island. Definitely spring for this mode of transport if you can.

We took a speed boat to our next resort (Vomo), which took an hour. It was just my boyfriend and I, but it was raining and I had to pee. Plus the boat stalled and I freaked out for a minute because I thought I might have to jump in the water to relieve my bladder. I highly suggest a bathroom stop before choosing this mode of transport ;) Otherwise, it was fine. Not much cheaper than the plane or heli, though.

Arrival: We were picked up by boat from the seaplane and enjoyed the welcoming "Bula" song that was being sung from the pier on the 2 minute boat ride. We were shown around and then given some iced tea that at first made me a bit squeamish. It was literally passionfruit iced tea, something this San Franciscan did not identify immediately. I soon came to love those slimy, crunchy, tart seeds and ordered the refreshing beverage at every meal. Our room was not ready when we arrived, which did irritate me. Although, they gave us a wonderful lunch and my boyfriend watched the NBA finals in the air conditioned TV room while I sat by the pool.

Deluxe Overwater Bure: The A/C did not work well, but it must not have bothered us too much because we never complained about it. They provide bug repellant and sunscreen--use both liberally! The plunge pool is FREEZING! I only got in it once on our last day and then loved it. The rooms are perfect in every way. The bed is comfortable with a fan directly above you and the beautiful ocean in front of you. The daybed was my favorite spot to sit with a good book, a cup of coffee, and lots of bug spray. Did I mention that bug spray is very important? They do spray in the evenings, but those little buggers WILL get you if you are not covered head to toe (don't forget your toes) in repellant. I don't think I can say much more that hasn't been said about the rooms. They are huge, 5-star quality (I've stayed in plenty), and the warm cookies they deliver are quite addictive. My boyfriend actually tried to convince the guy that delivers them to fill up the sugar jar with cookies too. Oh, the mini-bar is kind of annoying. If you want it filled, you have to fill out a sheet of what you want and pay for it. They do give you milk, coffee, tea and water every day.

Overwater Bure: If you can afford it, stay in one of these! It's a much longer walk to lunch, but well worth it. You won't need that bug repellant nearly as much. Request bure #2, it is overwater more than the others. #1 is over mud during low-tide, but #2 is always over water. You get more cookies and an extra afternoon snack delivered in the overwaters. You get a TV in these rooms, but no cable. Ask the front desk for a list of DVD's. The A/C rocked! Very cool watching reef sharks go by. My boyfriend and I gazed down at the fishies for hours.

Food: Wonderful. Every meal offers fresh fish and light healthy options as well as something to please us American's. I appreciated the option to have french fries at lunch. The bread is the best I've ever had. I think I gained 5 pounds on bread and butter. I agree with the previous reviewer that the Fijian buffet wasn't the greatest, but that's because it happened to be my b-day and I don't like those types of foods. The Indan/Fijian night was awesome, though! Breakfast is great because you can help yourself to fresh fruit juices, granola, muffins, coconut juice, etc. at the buffet and then order off the menu as well. The very best thing is the brioche french toast with marscapone followed closely by the pineapple pancakes with coconut ice cream. Can't beat that.

Make sure to reserve your table for dinner in advance for your entire stay.

Activities: Ella at the activities desk was great! We did 3 dives which weren't so great. I guess Fiji isn't known for its diving, so I can't complain. It was so murky at times that I couldn't see the person in front of me. But obviously it wasn't so bad that we didn't want to go a 2nd and 3rd time :) We did the hoby cat thing, which was fun and also snorkeled off the pier during low tide. I swam a lot off our overwater bure, but not much from the beach. Water skiing was fun and cheapish ($60 Fijian for 1/2 hour).

The beach: It's Fiji, what can I say. It's very tidal. But it's that way everywhere. Don't go to Fiji if you want an amazing beach, 'cause sometimes it disappears. We were lucky enough to leave the day the tide changed to be the lowest during the sunny hours of the day.

The Spa: Small, but wonderful. We had two couples massages that were so very relaxing. Make sure to book in advance because they get booked up.

Gym: We walked past it so I know it's there, but I hear you have to go get a key from the front desk to get in. Kind of annoying.

These are a few of my favorite things: NO KIDS!!, cookies, friendly staff, free internet in the lobby, passionfruit iced tea, daybeds. Go here, you won't be disappointed unless you're super hard to please.

Whew! That was long, hope it was helpful.

Although the resort itself is fabulous I don't recommend you swim in the water unless you take a boat and get away from the actual beachfront. I was snorkling close to shore and noticed something sticking to my hair. First I thought it was a lump of seaweed but discovered it was actually some sort of varnish that had been spilt into the water. It stuck to my hair in lkittle white lumps and was impossible to remove. Although the staff were apologetic in their lovely Fijian way I was unable to remove it.
I have had to have my hair cut and let the rest of it grown out.
Three months down the track it's still noticable. The resorts response to my complaints was to give me the name of the particular varnish so that I could use some sort of stripper to get rid of it!
The food was great except for the two nights when they have a buffet.
Accommodation is fabulous.
Beachfront is tidal and not really suitable for swimming. You really have to go offshore to enjoy the beautiful Fijian water.
Jacquie Blatchford. Sydney. Australia.

We stayed at Likuliku for two nights after spending 10 days in Taveuni. We were lucky enough to be in bure 1, which is the furthest overwater bungalow. The way it is positioned, the views are incredible and other bures are unseen. It's a lot of fun to stand on the deck and watch the various fish swim by too.

While we were thrilled with our room-- the furniture and fixtures were as lovely as the view-- we did not enjoy the rest of the resort as much.

We felt that the meal times (breakfast 7-10, lunch 12-2, dinner 7-9) were too rigid, and the menus allowed too little choice. While none of the food was bad, we felt there was more style than actual substance. Though the restaurant is named Fijiana, meals other than the lomo-lomo lacked a sense of place. We were disappointed to see items such as ham sandwiches, french fries and canned peaches when Fiji has a wonderful local cuisine and amazing tropical fruit growing everywhere.

As far as the drinks, we ordered 1 each the first night and not again. The margarita tasted like watered down bottled mixer while the martini was average; they cost F$40. Maybe we were there on an off night.

We got mixed messages about the use of the lagoon, which is a protected sanctuary. Several staff told us not to go in the water except at high tide (about a four hour window) and a manager told us we could go in anytime as long as we didn't touch the coral. Since the seabed has tiny new areas of coral developing which can be hard to see, that's easier said than done. So we confined our snorkeling to high tide, when we could get in without touching the seabed, and did not swim or play in the water otherwise. The snorkeling adjacent to the overwater bures was wonderful-- tons of gorgeous fish, but not so many varieties of coral. I suppose the coral will improve with time now that the waters are protected.

We did not use the main pool as it was too cold for our taste, and we did not see anyone else using it either. A guest in a deluxe bure reported that his plunge pool was so cold he suspected that someone was putting ice in it!

Overall, we think Likuliku is a fine resort. The rooms are superb, but the remainder was too generic, and corporate resort-y for our taste.

Our stay at Likuliku was 4 days/3 nights at the end of a two week trip to Fiji over the last half of May 2008. We stayed in a deluxe beachfront bure w/ plunge pool.

Our stay was as near to perfect as you can get. Take all the positive reviews here on Trip Advisor, roll them all together and repeat—that’s our take on Likuliku. Wonderful facility, friendly and attentive staff, fantastic food.

It is difficult to come up with details that have not already been said here on Trip Advisor, so here are some of the highlights for us:

Outstanding cuisine: Wonderful presentations, and good variety even though the choices are limited—we never left the table hungry, and chose a late dinner time because we were still stuffed from breakfast & lunch.

Bure: Our bure was fantastic. Beautiful wood, his & hers closets, his & hers toiletries (automatically restocked with larger sizes if needed). Loved the plunge pool & outdoor shower. Housekeeping service was impeccable and never visible. And the mini-bar system is great: mark the items and quantity you want from a large menu (extra charge by item selected), and they are delivered that afternoon and stored in your refrigerator—if you run out of your favorite, it is your own fault!

Service: Always friendly, never intrusive, talkative when appropriate, and many remember your name and favorite cocktail.

Some tips for those considering Likuliku:

Take the helicopter transfer for your arrival—it is a wonderful way to start your stay.

If you can’t afford the bure with a plunge pool, the ones without are the closest to the centrally located pool.

We got a peek at the overwater bures. The tub looks great, but in our opinion, it does not outweigh the plunge pool & outdoor shower. And they ARE a long walk from the central facilities. At high tide, you can snorkel right from the beach in front of your beachfront bure—in our opinion, not much different than climbing down the ladder at an overwater unit.

Be prepared for “Fiji Time”. Everything in Fiji runs at a slow relaxed pace. Likuliku is no different. Fiji Time fits this resort just perfectly.

Late departure: If you have a late departure (ours was 4:00PM, regular check out is 11:00 AM), make arrangements when you arrive. You have two options: 1) a no charge changing room and luggage storage---spend your time at the pool, bar or whatever. 2) a $100 FJD charge for staying in your bure (if available). In our case of a 2-bure party of 4, we were transferred to another bure for the 4 of us to use for the rest of the day (neither of our bures was available the afternoon we departed). And there is a charge of $50 FJD for an extra meal (optional), depending on the meals taken on your day of arrival (3 meals for each night of your stay).

Beverages: With the exception of Fiji Beer, the soft drink & cocktail prices match the price of the rooms at this resort.

Our summary: Worth every penny of the price, and we WILL be back!

P.S. See posting under "So Many of the Likuliku Reviews are False" for our take on the complainers.