Reviews of Nabua Lodge

The beach was very beautiful, with a great location and crystal-clear blue water. The cabin was also comfortable. The shower was hot – a definite plus. It's a great place to experience how locally-run accommodation works – much more authentic and rooted in the local way of life.

The facilities need to be modernized; for example, the toilet didnt look good. The food was very poor – there are no options. You only get the one dish they serve you, with no choice.

Location

- The management and staff are very unfriendly; it seems as if they are bothering us tourists. - The bathroom is infamous, inappropriate for the high price of the room. - The bathroom door was broken and wasn't fixed during the entire stay. Other guests told us it was also broken in their room. - They don't clean the room during your entire stay. - They don't serve breakfast until 8:00 AM, even though it gets light at 5:00 AM. - The breakfast is very limited, and they don't replenish anything, not even milk. You have to rush breakfast because the excursions leave at 9:00 AM, and you have to stop by the office to pay before then. - They force you to pay for meals and excursions in cash, but there is no ATM on the island to get the money. -The excursions are extremely expensive. For example, the cave tour starts around 10:00 AM, and by 11:00 AM, they're already asking you to turn back to get to lunch. In other words, for one hour inside the cave, they charge 130 Fiji dollars per person, outrageous. They also don't provide any equipment, not even goggles. -They answer everyone as if you're bothering them, and when it comes to scheduling, it's the guests who have to adapt to the staff's convenience, not the other way around. -They don't provide Wi-Fi, except in a small area of the Lodge, where everyone hangs out, and the speed is extremely slow. In the rest of the Lodge and the room area, there's another Wi-Fi network, but management doesn't provide you with the password. -The worst point is that they force you to book transfers with a local agent, Mrs. Fin, who is a money-grubbing individual who charges a commission for transfers, both to this hotel and any other in Fiji. She asked us if we were going on a tour and offered to arrange everything herself. We had booked one of the transfers through the hotel, and without our permission, she called the hotel to cancel it and book a different one.

Loved the location and cave trip. Meals were communal which was nice as a solo traveller. The room was spacious and clean.

The staff didn’t really facilitate activities and activities had a minimum number of people for the activity to run, which meant if other people weren’t interested, you missed out.

Location and the people!

Mattress is very uncomfortable

Very beautiful and idyllic, lots of hammocks to lie around. The bures are pretty simple and old but it’s comfortable. Meal plan is FJD 60pp for breakfast lunch and dinner - pretty yummy. We did a cave tour through them which was FJD 130pp which includes a nice half an hour boat ride each way. Cave had a big area for swimming and an underwater tunnel to a smaller dark cave, led there by the guides. At the beach near the limestone caves were local ladies selling touristy trinkets- needed cash Very friendly staff! There is also a beautiful sunset spot just a 10min walk up a little hill

Perfect place if you want to get away from civilization for a few days. Great staff, good food, beautiful scenery and enough activities to keep you occupied for about four days.

The internet was iffy, but I counted that as a plus. I turned my wifi off for my entire stay. No a/c, but we were comfortable enough with the ceiling fan and good breezes.

Small group of guests who bonded together

This is a lovely little place, quiet and beautifully-situated. The staff are friendly and helpful. The food is good - I had the best brinjal curry ever. I'd have eaten that 3 times a day but when I said that's what I wanted, I don't think they took me seriously ;) There are comfy hammocks for lazing and kayaks free to use; there's snorkelling just a stroll along the beach and a good hiking trail up to a viewpoint or right over to the Blue lagoon, then back along the beach. At mealtimes the tables are arranged to encourage mixing with other guests, which works well as it attracts a nice bunch of people. I loved my little bungalow with covered balcony and was very comfortable in there. I took the cave trip which was enjoyable. The boatman was very experienced and safe despite the crazy waves and rain.

The weather was really bad during my 2 night stay unfortunately - nobody's fault - and I felt there could have been somewhere a bit more comfy to hang out indoors. The patio was completely rainwashed (and it was cold in the wind and rain!) and the chairs/tables in the dining room not really conducive to lounging around. Also it's clear that guests are expected to vacate the dining area straight after meals, especially dinner, with lights going out etc. It's fine, but a little comfy corner for socialising could make the difference.

The food and the staff were incredible. Perfect location to relax and watch the world go by.

Some in-room facilities need updating like the shower heads. B

We really appreciated that this property was much more affordable than others in the Yasawa Islands. While the accommodation is basic, it’s well-suited for families and provides everything you need. The food was excellent for the Yasawa - huge credit to the kitchen team! They even went above and beyond by making us a birthday cake, which was such a thoughtful touch. The property runs on solar power, which adds to its charm and sustainability. Highlights of our stay included the fantastic snorkelling trip and a fun walk to the nearby village, where we enjoyed watching the local rugby team train.

One aspect that could be improved is the dining experience - staff tend to clear everything, including the tablecloth, while guests are still seated and chatting, which can feel a bit rushed. Some of the snorkelling equipment, particularly the face masks and snorkels, could use replacing. Wi-Fi reception is also quite limited and could be more reliable and available 24 hours. I would strongly recommend making it a requirement for the snorkelling boat to carry proper steps. In deep water, it's quite difficult to balance on the outboard motor and pull yourself back into the boat safely. The nearby village bakery has a charming vibe, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be fully operational. On both of our visits, there was very little food available.

Staff friendly and lodge is in a beautiful location with good snorkeling spots nearby. Quite a relaxing atmosphere and nice views

I'm not one who needs a swanky resort with all the trimmings, a well kept place is all I ask for, and Nabua Lodge did not meet that. Room needs some serious TLC - bathroom sink disgusting, window slats broken which let a hornet into my room, bed creaky every time I sat or moved, marks on towels and bedsheets, and I just felt itchy whenever I was in there (I was lying in bed and had ants on me). Whole place needs a deep clean and then some more. Ended up leaving a day early and going to a different place - when I told staff that I was thinking of leaving (I wasn't rude about the rooms, I just said I wanted to leave because I didn't want to do a big 5hr boat journey back to the mainland in one day - which was also true, poor planning from me) the guy on the desk became quite blunt with me. I wasn't asking for a reduced rate which I said, and he was like yes you'll still pay for the 2 nights, so I didn't see why he became that way. That reaction is what spurred me to book elsewhere. Food not great but a significantly cheaper meal plan than other islands I have stayed at, and this shows - big plates of miscellaneous seafood pasta for lunch, but the dinner of curry was actually very good. To top it all off, I found two massive cockroaches in my room, one of which flew at my face and another guest helped me get rid of it. I know that the cockroach flying at me isn't the fault of the resort, but it makes you wonder the cleanliness and maintenance levels overall if in one night I found two cockroaches, one hornet, countless millipedes, and a myriad of ants!! Left the resort with significantly more bites than I arrived with.

Very good Food! Nice place, big bungalows, very Clean. Very friendly staff. 20 Dollars for a 3 course dinner.

Our stay at Nabua Lodge felt like a more authentic fiji island experience compared to the resorts. The people were kind and provided a more intimate experience with other travellers by having us eat together buffet style. We enjoyed getting to know everyone and exploring Nacula island. Easy walk or kayak to visit Blue lagoon resort, can even stay for lunch with a day pass. Nabua lodge lended us a fishing handline, we had lots of fun fishing using hermit crabs and shrimp as bait!

The bathrooms need some work, cleanliness was poor particularly with the shower and toilet. We got hot in the rooms even with the fan going, making it hard to sleep. And both got quite sick during the stay, assumably from the water, so would recommend a filtered water bottle or water tablets.

Ceiling fan didn’t keep the unit cool. There were large cockroaches in our room at night. Location was great. Some of the staff were super friendly

Bed was comfy and large room

Food was average wouldn't stay for more than 2 nights

It‘s basic bungalows, no warm water but they are quite spacious. Theres a fan and electricity. Drinking water is rainwater. You can have snorkel gear and kayaks for free.

It seems quite run down and would need some work. We couldnt do any of the activities, because we were only 2 people which wasnt enough to do it (Village visit or the Caves). You can‘t really swim at low tide, only when it‘s high tide, also the snorkeling. Food was okay-ish.

The location was wonderful, the food was really delicious! I liked the very large bathrooms and our bure was attractive and well-maintained. The boat trip to the nearby caves was very, very nice.

No hot water for the shower, no air conditioning in the room and it was really, really hot. A floor-standing fan is all I would need to keep the still air moving. Mosquitoes were also a problem.

Paradise ❤️

Nice views, use of kayaks was good and the snorkelling activity was very enjoyable

The room was in poor condition and the mattress was very uncomfortable and dirty. Lots of insects in the room and bathroom/toilet was very dirty