Finding Accommodation in Fiji

tourists in lagoon at a beach hotel in fiji

Where to Stay in the Fiji Islands

If you're looking to decide which Fiji accommodation to stay at, you're spoiled for choice. The most popular holiday destination is the delightful small island resorts of the sun drenched Mamanuca Islands just an hour boat ride from Nadi Airport and with excellent water sports; or the slightly more remote Yasawa Islands with its fantastic beaches and snorkelling lagoons. You'll find some resorts dedicated to families and others for couples only. The Coral Coast on the main island is another popular holiday spot and offers the most affordable accommodation in Fiji for families and is a good option for exploring and sightseeing tours.

I do not recommend using booking engines like Booking.com or Kayak to book your holiday accommodation in Fiji. These global booking platforms have terrible customer service when things go wrong (and they do) and their rating structure is based mostly on which hotels pay them higher commissions to be better placed in their recommendations over those trying not to bow to this corporate pressure. We would always recommend sending an enquiry direct to the hotel via its website and go from there. There should be no difference in price, you'll get to converse with a real person and you'll be assisting the hotel that you've chosen for your holiday.

The following directory represents my favourite accommodations in Fiji over a range of price categories, locations and for both couples, families and travellers. Our directory features both the popular large beach hotels sold by most travel agents, as well as highlighting the smaller, lesser-known boutique style resorts around the islands for those looking for a little more peace and quiet.

Fiji Accommodation - My Top Picks
. Yasawa Island Resort
Northern Yasawas
17 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$$$
. Matangi Island Resort
Off Taveuni Island
14 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$$$
. J-M Cousteau Fiji Resort
Savusavu Bay, Vanua Levu
12 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$$$
. Castaway Beach Resort
Mamanuca Islands
65 rooms
Island Resort
$$$$$
. Lomani Island Resort
Mamanuca Islands
22 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$$$
. Intercontinental Resort
Natadola Beach, Viti Levu
129 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$$$
. Matamanoa Island Resort
Mamanuca Islands
33 rooms
Island Resort
$$$$
. Plantation Island
Mamanuca Islands
192 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$$
. Nanuya Island Resort
Northern Yasawas
12 rooms
Beach Resort
$$$
. Matava
Southern Kadavu
14 rooms
Eco Resort
$$$
. Octopus Resort
Southern Yasawas
24 rooms
Beach Resort
$$
Dorm
. Long Beach Resort
Northern Yasawas
9 rooms
Beach Huts
$
Dorm
. Nadi Beach Apartments
Wailoaloa Beach, Nadi, Viti Levu
3 rooms
Guest house
$$

Accommodation Styles

Almost all accommodation in Fiji is located on a private beach and is usually classified as a resort, regardless of its amenities, and this applies not just to the expensive hotels but just as much to budget ones.

Most of the beach resorts are located in secluded locations, often on small islands or tucked into bays off the main roads and have a very insular ambience with all services and amenities provided in-house. Town hotels are generally aimed at business travellers and the only place you'll find a congregation of hotels sitting side by side is at the commercialised Denarau Island in Nadi or to a lesser degree along the Coral Coast – even here there are no high-rise buildings with nothing taller than the surrounding coconut trees.

Boutique hotels are most common in the islands, oozing charm and intimacy, and often accommodating just a handful of guests. This is great for both intimacy and to get a feeling of being far away from the modern world but does provide some limitations. Dining is generally restricted to the hotel restaurant and sightseeing can prove difficult, or expensive when staying on a remote island. For those that relish their freedom to explore, the mainland regions of Nadi and the Coral Coast are better options with both regions having plenty of your companies and sightseeing opportunities.

Although the larger hotels offer standardised hotel rooms, the majority of resorts offer "bure" (pronounced boo-ray) style accommodation. A bure is a free-standing open plan bungalow. Bures are modelled on the traditional Fijian house to cope with the tropical weather and have large louvre windows to allow the breeze to pass through, with high ceilings and thatch roofing to ensure natural ventilation and usually not needing air-conditioning. At the more upmarket resorts, bures are exquisite hand crafted structures dressed in traditional designs and decorative furnishings; at budget resorts they may equate to a rudimentary “hut” with a simple foam mattress, no electricity and sharing communal bathrooms. At some of the larger resorts, a bure is often an A-frame wooden bungalow split into two or four rooms and referred to as a duplex or quad bure.

Fijians make excellent hosts and are generally very interactive and charming to guests. They are proud of their culture and will recall local myths, point out natural medicines and show you how they catch a fish and invite you to visit their local village. Fijians are also excellent with children of all ages and will love the attention paid to them by the Fijian resort staff. Their natural charm brings holiday-makers back to Fiji year after year.

Read our Fiji Islands Accommodation Reviews