Paradise Taveuni Resort

★ 5 · Elizabeth S. · 2025-03-12

I cannot recommend Paradise enough! The island itself is remote and gorgeous!! Even the flight over from Nadi is stunning. And it just gets better from there. The dive shop is professional and the staff are excellent! The rooms are stunning and very well maintained. I LOVED having the outdoor shower! It is absolutely the gateway to the Rainbow Reef. We were able to dive the White Wall twice while I was there. And pictures don’t do it justice! Gorgeous healthy coral and so many fish. Book it! It’s well worth it!

★ 5 · David h. · 2009-12-01

I’ve just returned from my 2nd visit to Paradise and I’m happy to say that it was just as amazing as the first. The resort and surrounding grounds are incredibly beautiful - the bures (cabins) are clean, comfortable, and beautifully decorated. There are only 10 of them which helps create a very private, intimate atmosphere. It also means that even at maximum capacity there'd only be 20 guests staying at one time. The bures are arranged in two rows - 5 with ocean views and five more behind them with garden views. The ocean view rooms cost a little more (and look out on some pretty nice scenery!), but in all honesty, the ones in the back are just as nice, just as big, and just as private. Keep in mind that the resort is generator powered, and although the generator is fairly quiet, it can be heard slightly from some of the rooms in the back. The resort is at the south end of Taveuni Island about 45 minutes from the airport. Half the trip is paved, half is gravel (I’ve seen reports on Trip Advisor where people complained that the trip is bumpy and they were oh-so-uncomfortable. But come on, people! – it’s the remote end of a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. If you can’t handle a bumpy gravel road, go stay in Waikiki). The drive down is incredibly scenic, with views across the Somosomo Strait to Vanua Levu, lush vegetation everywhere, and friendly folks along the road waving as you go by and shouting “Bula!” (the Fijian version of “Aloha”). We went with a pre-paid dive package (food included), which I thought was very reasonably priced. Meals were excellent, with plenty of variety and always something new and tasty to try (who knew that fresh fruit in coconut milk would turn out to be the best breakfast I’ve ever eaten?!). The staff are the most genuinely friendly people I’ve ever met on vacation. You’re always greeted by name and made to feel as if you’re a welcome guest in someone’s home. About once a week the resort has “Fijian Night”, when a bunch of the employees come back after work, bring some of their family and friends, and put on a great show for the guests. There's plenty of singing, dancing, and of course a fun kava ceremony. Prior to the ceremony someone from the resort is designated as the “Chief”. This basically means you’ll be drinking kava first, you get to sit in the place of honor during the ceremony, you’ll be dragged out onto the dance floor first, and jokingly greeted as “Chief” for the rest of your stay. I happened to be the Chief this time – I tried using my esteemed position to get free drinks for the next couple of days, but unfortunately it turns out that’s not one of the royal privileges. And then there’s the diving. Ohhhh lordy, the diving. There’s a dive shop and boat dock right on the property, so you can stumble out of bed and be on the boat before you’re even fully awake. The house reef (Luna Reef) is pretty good, with excellent visibility and plenty of fish life. But the real attraction is Rainbow Reef. I’ve never seen such a healthy environment or as many varieties of fish in one area. We saw sharks, eagle rays, sea snakes, turtles, lionfish, enormous puffers, etc. etc. It truly is as good as the pictures you see in Sport Diver magazine. Now, here’s my only complaint. It’s about a 30 minute boat ride up to Rainbow, but the dive shop definitely prefers to stay local. They also charge a fuel fee of about $20US/pp when you want to go. So - the ride is smooth and in protected water, it doesn’t take long to get there, and it’s the destination reef that everyone comes to see. I don’t understand why the dive shop charges extra to go, and are so attached to the house reef. But anyway, that’s a minor beef. All you have to do is ask and for 20 bucks you get 2 or 3 amazing dives on Rainbow (usually with lunch provided). Pro Dive has also just gotten a new, larger boat. It could probably seat about 10 comfortably, although there was never more than 5 on board during our entire stay. The smaller boat handles 6. Both had new engines, were covered, and had an enclosed bow where you could huddle if it rained. There are also great day trips you can take too – I recommend the Lavena coastal walk. Hire a guide, take a kayak on the way out, then walk back on the return.You’ll see incredible waterfalls, water slides and ocean views. So that’s my report. As you can see, I can’t say enough good things about the resort and the island itself. It really is a trip of a lifetime. Go. You won’t be disappointed (as long as you can get past that horrible, bumpy road!).