Overall Ratings & Reviews Barefoot Manta Island Resort and Marine Sanctuary

I very traditional Fijian island. Loved the outdoor bathroom.

Fantastic snorkeling off three different beaches. When wind is up on one side the opposite is calm.

Great location, beautiful conservation area so the coral and the fishes are lovely. The staff is very friendly and welcoming. They keep you engaged and entertained. Playing volleyball, fan weaving, cooking classes, kids playing…. It was a great experience. Highly recommend staying here because of the location and the staff. Prices for food could be a little cheaper though. But food was really good.

Limited food choices. The ‘dorm’ was crowded with bags and not enough storage areas.

The snorkeling is amazing! I'd sometimes go like 4-5 times a day. Staff are absolutely amazing! So nice and considerate. Great first time in Fiji.

The island is beautiful and the staff are top notch. They are all so friendly and always smiling.The main reason for going was the snorkeling and diving which did not disappoint. The corals were spectacular.

However very hard to get to, we thoroughly enjoyed our 3 days on the island. It was quiet and safe and we felt very much at peace in our bure, thus the added bonus of its inaccessibility to the noisy public. The Fijian staff are amazingly friendly and welcoming. If there was a negative it would be the food/cooking quality. The breakfasts were outstanding but the buffet-style dinners and lunches were too bland and overcooked and became repetitive!

Overall, we had a lovely experience here, and will definitely be back. Their staff and customer service were great, and the facilities were wonderful. The large oceanfront burres were fantastic, and we would urge everyone to spend the extra money on them. The coral reef here is truly exceptional and is the biggest draw for us. Absolutely stellar destination for snorkeling. We really appreciated that the manager of the facility was always around, and interacted personally with the guests. While we will definitely visit again, there are a few things I hope they will change. First, they were not great about dealing with allergy information - we had to remind them of my wife's allergy at every meal. We would suggest labeling the dishes in the buffet with allergen information, which would make things much easier. Second, while the burres are terrific, they are difficult to live in when the weather is bad. For example, in a downpour, you will get wet trying to use the outdoor bathroom and toilet! At night, you have to find your way to the toilet in the dark, since the switch for the outdoor toilet is in the toilet! In the smaller burre (which were in the first night), in bad weather, you will get wet while using the outdoor toilet, since it is not covered or protected from the rain! Another minor issue we encountered was that we never got hot water in our burre (despite telling them multiple times about this). Just be aware of these issues, and you will have an amazing time here.

Family atmosphere. Great beaches and accommodations. Lots to do or not as you please would highly recommend it.

Barefoot Manta exceeded expectations in every way! The staff were friendly, kind and attentive. The food was quite good, drink options did the job, but you're really going here for the activities. The reefs that surround the resort are nothing short of spectacular. Teeming with marine life and outrageously beautiful coral. We can't wait to return next year!

Great staff, nice sea view

Beautiful island resort. Make sure you are ready to get your feet wet..barefoot is literally in the name...lol

After wanting to visit here for a year we finally found last minute availability. Unfortunately our visit left us disappointed on some fronts. The arrival and instant demand for full and total liability waiver to be signed ( including resort negligence ) prior to allowing check in, a room move disguised as an " upgrade" that wasnt, and late night noise by the bars and backacker set were problematic. Im yet to check the if liability waiver may violate our travel insurance. Waivers of this type should be sent in advance of arrival. The location is epic. Manta and great marine life. Spectacular snorkling. Clean rooms. Beautiful beaches. Food was overall pretty good but did become repetitive. I wanted to love this place. I did love Vee the manta.

Barefoot Manta is a wonderful, small resort on beautiful Drawaqa Island. The staff are wonderful, friendly, and make you feel at home. The bures (and from what I heard, the dorms too) are clean and comfortable - being able to walk out straight to the beach is a joy! The food is great with lots of veggie options, and the bar makes some tasty cocktails. The reason I chose Barefoot Manta was both for swimming with the Manta rays, and for the Marine Science centre. Swimming with the rays is amazing! And I really enjoyed the talks at the science centre. Also, the reef at Barefoot Manta is probably the healthiest one I've ever seen in my life - the snorkelling is amazing and the diversity in coral and other sea life is really wonderful. I cannot recommend this gem of a place enough, it exceeded my expectations by a lot, and I would very happily return (and for longer) to this amazing spot!

The snorkeling was amazing. The property was clean. Overall had the feel of a hostel. Community. Lots of buffets. No AC in the rooms. Outdoor showers were kinda neat. Bring your bug spray. Really frustrating experience for us. As soon as we got there they didn’t have our booking. This was rectified professionally and quickly. But over the next two days we went back and forth about how they said I hadn’t paid and I had already paid Expedia. At the end we got it figured out and things were handled professionally enough. The entire process was frustrating and time consuming. Then, we closed out our tab the morning of our checkout and it wasn’t till we were on the Yasawa flyer hours later that we got a call. They made a mistake and forgot to change us for other things we purchased. Can I read off my credit card information to them while I stand in a room of other travelers to settle my bill? Needless to say, I had been relieved to leave and was even more so after that phone call. Additionally, I know the resort has no control of Mantas entering the channel allowing us to snorkel with them. But multiple times we went to the drive shop and had to ask so many questions to get somewhat conflicting and confusing information on how the process worked. For a resort known for Manta excursions, it was all very unclear. Overall no one was terribly rude and the resort had events and was clean. If we go back to this area we will find another place to stay.

Amazing snorkeling and lovely scenery. The staff were so friendly and kind. The food was good quality. The experience was great.

Barefoot Manta was a paradise with amazing crystal clear water. The staff were friendly and extremely helpful. Many delicious food options for different tastes. Great entertainment every night. This is my second time visiting Barefoot Manta. Will definitely be staying at this place again.

Incredibly friendly staff, plus location was out of this world amazing!

Awesome for snorkeling right off the beaches. Easy access to sunrise and sunset beaches. The Bures' on the sunrise side are breezy but great for dry cleaning clothes and sleeping cooler. The food was great although I was expecting more fish dishes. Lamb, beef and chicken are the staples, the rice is cooked to perfection and very flavorful. Staff are great and will show you culture and happiness.

Out of our 2 weeks in Fiji, this was our favourite place to stay of the trip! We absolutely loved it there! We are a family of 3 with a 9yr old and we booked a Beachfront Bure, it was perfect! We faced the Sunrise beach side which tends to be a little windy at times. But it was great to hear the waves crashing not far away as you go to sleep. They added a single bed for our child to sleep in and we still had enough space. The outdoor bathroom was kind of neat! We hadn’t experienced that before. The beds were way more comfortable than I was expecting, we had a nice little lounging area outside to relax and were steps from the beach! This resort is on a fixed meal plan, there is no other option. We paid $129 FJD/ adult and $65 FJD/ child. We were quite happy with the meals that were provided. Meals are set up with in a time frame. Breakfast and lunch buffets were set up. Go early for the best selection! At lunch they show you the dinner menu for that evening and you make your selection so they know what to cook in advance. There were usually 3-4 options, 1-2 being vegetarian. Kids had their own repeat menu to choose from for dinner and ate at the same buffet for breakfast and lunch. The resort itself is excellent. We really enjoyed the size because it wasn’t too big. There is no pool here but you have 3 beaches to swim and snorkel from. Sunset beach always seemed to be the calmest but snorkeling is best during high tide. We absolutely loved our stay here!