Barefoot Kuata Island Resort

Barefoot Kuata was amazing. The bure we stayed in had such beautiful views! Solo (f & b) made our three day trip amazing, Solo made sure that we had everything we needed and was so gorgeous!

Everyone was so kind, friendly and helpful on Barefoot Kuata! Solo, in the restaurant was so lovely, Joey did an excellent presentation on invertebrates and was a great photographer on our shark dive. Sammy and Seffo from the dive team were amazing help on the shark tour and night snorkel. Albert was lovely on the snorkel tours. And Sammy from the front office even taught me how to weave a basket! Overall, it was a superb stay and would highly recommend- especially if you like sharks!

Beautiful location but the food is not at all worth $160 per day, doesn’t even include coffee or soft drink. The dining room is on sand and the dorm rooms are like a tent not an actual room.

I heard people say that this is the most beautiful resort on earth. It's hard to argue from a sun lounge looking through the coconut palms across the turquoise coral shallows to the towering volcanic plug on Waya Lailai island just a few hundred metres away. You'd have to wonder what would happen if even a small chunk of that rock tumbled onto the little village below it. Perhaps there is extra beauty in potential danger. The water was a warm 28 degrees everyday when we were there in June - as was the air - so we snorkelled for hours around the fabulous reef, mostly on our own but it was well worth going out with a free guide from the dive shop who knew where to find the clown fish and the giant clams which we may never have found on our own. We had one windy day out of six but found the water completely tranquil on the other side of the island just a short walk away. The daily 5 o'clock lectures were fascinating, especially since they were delivered by marine scientists who were doing research there. They covered sharks, turtles, mantas, corals, fish and more. Many people come to this island for the bull shark dives but due to a health issue I couldn't scuba but I did get to snorkel with the cute little reef sharks ( the locals say that they are "vegetarian"!) . You could almost pat them in the shallows. The bures were spacious and beautifully in keeping with the eco theme of the island. No aircon or bar fridges, but who needs them - a fan is all you need when you are cooled by the ocean only a few metres away. Our food was fresh and tasty everyday with freshly caught fish always on the menu. I love chocolate mousses and Ratu's was the best and most brilliantly presented I've ever had. We indulged in cocktails everyday from Ace's bar. Solo, Tilli and Sonny were top bar staff and knew their recipes. I've never been a big fan of massages but Waseva and Ruthi in their treetop spa had us coming back for several. The overall feel of the resort is of great generosity starting with the wonderful tourist manager Iliesa who regularly checked that we were content and comfortable, and the genuine warmth of the Fijian locals who bring you food and drink and make you feel like you are a part of their big family. Ask Di, Sency or Pau for anything and it appears very smartly. Every tourist is greeted and farewelled with beautiful singing and the local band led by Sai ( a famous recording artist in his own right ) plays at lunch and dinner. We have been twice to this island but will be returning in two years. No question. Next time we'll bring a bit more cash (it's nearly all card-based transactions here) to tip the great service and buy souvenirs at the tiny local market.