Malolo Island Resort Fiji
Readers Reviews
Jackie
September 2008
We have just spent 5 night at Malolo island with our 2 children boys 7 and
9. I was a little bit scared after reading such bad reports on your website
but have to let you know that we had a fantastic time and I don't think
anyone has anything to worry about, if they are thinking of taking a family
holiday there.
The island is small (tiny) (one hour from Denarau island by
boat), but that does not matter if all you want to do is relax. The food is
really great, we didn't opt for the meal package because we found it cheaper
just to pay as we ordered. We spent about $200 (aust) per day on food and
drinks.
The staff are really friendly and genuine, not like some other
islands we had heard about. Our kids bonded with a lot of staff so are
already talking about a return trip. The snorkelling is great and varied for
a lot cheaper than any trips you will take on the great Barrier Reef ($85
Fiji) per family. The kids club although small and intimate appealed to our
two boys so much that they just used to run in and out of the club all day (which is allowed.) Kids night time meals where a hit with all the kids
eating together (while we enjoyed happy hour with the other parents on the
beach) and with only 49 bures it really is nice and quiet.
We had a beachfront bure which is plain but adequate and you can't beat those views
when you wake up. Ask for a deluxe if you want a one bedroom. The only thing
to think about is that it can get a little windy and if you like really hot
weather to think about going later in the year as September although 30
degrees, can still get a little cool. The pool is small but there is an
adults one right next to the kids one, so you can keep and eye on the kids.
The island is big but the resort is small so bear that in mind if you get
claustrophobic. There are boats that will take you anywhere all day with an
arrange of activities. Take your own alcohol and snacks and there are no
shops. If you want to chill out Malolo is the place for you!
Belinda Constable
April 2008
We have just returned from spending 1 week on Malolo Island resort, and wanted to let people know how it must have changed completely since the last reviews on this website. We had the best holiday we have ever had as a family, (2 adults 9 year old and 16 year old) the accommodation was very comfortable, the food was way above average, I don't know how they kept dishing out such amazingly good fresh food constantly! The staff were so friendly and nothing was ever too much trouble for any of them. We were all very teary when we had to leave and will most
definitely be returning next year.
Sarah Thomas
October 2007
I shall keep this short as I am washed over with anger each time I think of it. There is an excellent kids club at Malolo - Tia's Tree House. Kids can go there all day long, have tea together early in the evening and carry on playing there until 9pm. There are two wonderful ladies who run it and it is visible from all points in the resort, which is small and intimate, so you can keep a distant eye, which is perfect. For children under 3 years, supervision in the club has to be one-on-one so a babysitter must be booked to accompany the younger ones. We have two girls, 10 and 3. Our 10 year old made friends quickly and spent most of her week up there. Our 3 year old stayed with us, but near the end of the holiday my husband and I were really craving some time to ourselves, so we booked a babysitter to look after our little one, in the kid's club, from 3pm - 8pm, so that she could play and have tea with all the other kids, her older sister included.
Everything was arranged very efficiently and I took my little girl up to the Tree House at 3pm, as arranged. My husband and I hung around the resort all afternoon, by the pool and the terrace bar, never more than 100 yards from the Tree House or our own Bure.
Our whole holiday was turned upside down when my husband, by chance, went back to our Bure at 5.20pm, to find our little one on her own! No babysitter, no air-conditioning on, door open and only a matter of 15 steps from the ocean! The return to the bure was
spontaneous - a change of clothes - otherwise we were under the assumption she was up in the Kid's Club with her babysitter and the other children until 8pm - it doesn't bear thinking about!
To cut this story short, the babysitter is a chef in the resort restaurant and had a shift starting at 5.30pm. Without telling a single soul what she was doing, she took our little one out of the kid's club, back to the bure, left her there, and went to work - the most amazing stunt she had pulled was actually managing to by-pass myself and my husband on the way, as we were so close by! I don't know what's worse, the fact that she did it or the sinister fact that she did it without telling anyone at all. Anyway, I went into a complete state of shock and my husband and I, and our older daughter still can't get the images of what could have happened out of our minds. Our older daughter felt guilty for not noticing that her little sister had gone from the club - a combination of being busy with her own friends and assuming that the babysitter had taken her off to the toilet or for a walk.
After tearing a strip off the resort manager, he sent a bottle of champagne to our bure as an apology and said he would let us off the babysitting charge. We were not the least bit interested in what he said, he could have refunded the cost of the whole holiday but, as my husband said, there was nothing he could say and no amount of money that could compensate for the neglect and level of risk they had brought upon our daughter.
I am sure there are many people that have had positive experiences with babysitting at this resort and I am sorry to wave a red flag, but I feel very strongly that this sort of incident should not go un-noted.
Petra
July 2005
I had sent several e-mails to the resort ahead of our arrival
to ensure ours would be a pleasant stay. I asked for one of the quieter bures,
and was assured this would be arranged. The resort even provided the bure number
that had been allocated to us. On arrival we were given a bure metres from the
watersports hut and bar, with the dining area not far behind us. I was told that
the bure allocated for our stay had already been given to someone else but that
we would be moved the next day. The next day this didn't happen. I was now told
there was no water available in the bure, though it seemed still to be occupied.
On the third day we were given a quiet bure. This made a huge difference and the
bures are pleasantly laid out and furnished. Given there are two rooms that make
up each bure, as with a duplex, it makes all the difference who your neighbours
are. Luckily I had done a check with what food items we could bring into Fiji,
and declared all these on entry. My husband dined on cup a soups and instant
noodles since the food was bad and expensive. Just before our arrival (ie school
holidays) the kid's menu was increased by 100% to F$13. The food was very very
bad. My daughter was presented with mini sausages still raw inside. The chips
were at room temperature. And the wait never less than 40 minutes from when we
placed the order. And activities ? Granted the kayaks were complimentary but to
go snorkelling, visit the village nearby, or go to an island 5 minutes away for
a family of 4 cost upwards of F$75 each time. The staff were generally
unenthuastic and the happy disposition familiar with Fijians was lacking. On
seeing their sleeping quarters, I was not at all surprised. The positives were
the size of the island (big) and the kayaking. Not recommended.
Vanessa
September 2004
We have just visited Malolo Island with our two children who are 5 and 3.
After spending a week at Castaway Island last year I was looking for something
similar but a bit smaller - Malolo seemed to fit this category perfectly.
The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Our deluxe bure was situated
right on the beach front which was great for the kids. As one bure is divided
into two, the noise from the other bure was quite disturbing. Another family was
next to us who seemed to make an extraordinary amount of noise at 6am each
morning. Of course we asked to move to another bure and were promptly moved with
no questions by the helpful staff.
The kids spent each morning and evening at the kids club, which enabled us to
paddle, snorkel or hike to another beach. The children were happy and well
looked after at the kids club and the staff particularly looked out for our 3
year old daughter.
The food is average which is fairly typical for Fiji. The kids buffet was
shocking and seemed to be the left overs from the adults buffet on the previous
evenings. I think a week of this food would be all we could cope with.
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