Overall Ratings & Reviews Naqalia Lodge

Stunning location. Beautiful house reef for snorkelling. Not a 5 star resort but very friendly family environment. Food was good and plentiful and accommodated vegan and vegetarian needs. Wish we had stayed longer.

Very friendly people, make you feel very welcome, beautiful beach and snorkeling. Amazing and loads of food

Really friendly and caring staff. They could provide a good array of activities on request. Really good food on offer too. Beautiful location to watch the beach from a hammock. Spotty roaming wifi connection but still able to connect to internet. Minor issues with the power occassionally cutting out at the lodges. More stable power available in the dining hall.

We have left a piece of our heart at Naqalia Lodge and at the Yasawa Island. The staff and Management at Naqalia went above and beyond to make our stay nothing short of amazing and they were always smiling and happy to help. We stayed in the garden Bure, a traditional Fijian house, which was a pretty authentic experience of the life on the island. The food was home cooked, traditional and always in very generous portions. We sat at the table with the other guests and were a "family -like" meal times while the staff and management was playing guitar and singing songs for us. The lodge is on the beach surrounded by nature at the feet of a mountain, you can enjoy a spectacular view of the other island when you wake up with the sounds of chicken and roosters roaming around the Bure. The coral reefs just off the beach are SPECTACULAR, we could see many tropical fish of every colour, size and shape. It definitely was one of the best snorkeling spots that we have been to. The lodge offers also paid activities such as shark feeding, fishing and village visit. We spent 4 days there but we really wished we could stay more. Vinaka.

1/10. Fake reviews online. Fake website photos. Villas were atrocious: bathrooms were disgusting with broken toilets, broken shower and basin, basically unusable. Activities were overpriced and didnt deliver what they said. NO snorkelling. Food was basically inedible and way over priced. Dont go!

Wow! Amazing! Aka, Oni, Sia and Manu were amazing! I was fresh off the boat when I arrived here and they got me to Fiji time quickly! The most stressful part of the trip was choosing which hammock. Thank you for a great experience!!

Pluses: great staff, lovely family run authentic resort who thank you for coming and play guitar and sing thru every dinner. There's a reef in front of the lodge with the most diverse corals I've ever seen- snorkeled 3 days in a row and loved every minute (and it ended up being some of the best snorkeling we had in the country, and at no extra charge)! Food was great despite cooking for only 3 of us (low season), Fijians love onions and garlic! Negatives: the place is a bit grotty... upholstery on chairs and couches is very dirty. Bathrooms are a bit gross. No fan at night when power is off. No room cleaning in 3 days even after asking to have it swept due to sand tracking in. So take your not-so-nice clothes, mosquito spray and enjoy the snorkeling!

Had an amazing time here in the dorm! Small, family run property with the best food I had in Fiji. Electricity during the day and decent phone service. Aku and his family went above and beyond making me feel like family. The hike and snorkeling are must dos!

incredible welcome, simply magnificent place, team taking great care of you, very good food and good portion, nice activities and at good prices. Thank you for these two days spent with you

If you're looking for a true Fijian experience, picturesque scenery and you want to just relax and soak it all in, this is your spot. It's atmosphere is super calming and welcoming from the first minute. But it's not for everyone as it's not a resort. Think about it more like camping. The accommodation is simple and spacious. Yes, the bathroom is "a bit scary" (that's how our 5 years old described it :-) but you don't need much there. The meals are traditional Fijian. Very tasty and plenty for everyone. Tab water wasn't potable during our stay so we had to purchase bottled water. They also provided drinking water and fresh juices with meals. Staff are wonderful. Great snorkelling right off the beach. We rented a kayak ($50 fjd) to go around the island. It was a good 3 hours paddle. Worth the effort as the scenery is beautiful and there are nice swim spots along the shore. Cell coverage was available only on the beach. We didn't inquire about wifi but I believe they offer paid wifi by the main building. Electricity isn't an issue. They have solar panels and generator. We loved our 2 nights stay and wished we booked 3. We need to come back again :-)

Beautiful island with great snorkeling directly in front of lodge. Whilst the area in front of the room was clean and well maintained there were piles of rubbish and disused materials spread across the grounds as well as rubbish on the beach. The room and bed were comfortable although the bathroom was in poor condition with cold water shower only which we didn’t mind. It felt quite awkward as the only guests at the lodge for 4 days especially at meals where the nice staff would all sit directly facing us singing and watching us eat including the cute hungry children all waiting for us to finish so they could eat only after we had finished I think it was a good option to stay here for a few days to support the local villagers and get to know some of the locals and its a great location with lots of activities and excellent snorkelling at your front door but it’s very basic, a bit dirty, and little awkward at times. Would recommend staying here for a few days but incorporating it with another resort option in the area.

The family has created a very friendly and social environment which we loved! Food was great and the diving was phenomenal.

The stay at Naqalia Lodge was amazing. Great staff and best food we had in Fiji. The food is buffet style and also has veggie options. The staff were super friendly and shared a lot of stories after dinner and at kava sessions. There were a lot of different activities that could be booked.

We had an amazing experience at Naqalia Lodge, which is a family run lodge with a real feeling of Fiji, not only for the amazing place but for the people and food as well. All the staff, Aku, Tūī, Sia, Oni and Manu did everything possible to make our staying very special and made us feel part of the family. We did activities such as fishing, snorkelling, swimming, trekking and visiting the villa. We will definitely be back and highly recommend it to anyone interested in knowing and learning from the real Fijian life.

I had a lovely vacation at Naqalia Lodge. From the moment I arrived at the Lautoka boat dock, Bill, his brother, his wife welcomed me with open arms, making me feel like part of their Fijian family. Sia was a wonderful host throughout my visit, and Oni's incredible cooking was a definite highlight. Her delicious and original vegetarian meals were so good that guests (including this one) ask for her secret recipes. And Stubby, their adorable dog, was also a joy to have around and added to the warm, welcoming atmosphere. He even welcomed me as I stepped out of the boat. The experience is minimalist with cold showers and solar power, but when staying in Paradise - isn't that all you need? Oh, and don't miss the morning sunrise hike where you'll be greeted with breathtaking South Pacific views. If you're looking for an authentic, rustic stay with genuine hospitality and character, stay here.

The staff are so lovely and make you feel so welcomed, the food is delicious with a great variety and plenty of it. It was a truly wonderful Fijian experience, I am planning my next trip already!

Amazing staff, lovely people and authentic fiji experience with locals. I definitely would recommend it.

Absolutely wonderful. This lodge is run by an amazing fiji family. We felt welcome from the moment we arrived. Nothing was too much. The cabins were very cute, and so much love put into them. A beautiful welcome message in the bed, and flowers we felt the fiji spirit here. Location was gorgeous. Snorkeling was beautiful. Hike up the mountain to watch the sunrise was lovely. Kids enjoyed volleyball with the Fijian family daily. Snorkeling with the sharks was one of the best experiences ever, and in one of the most spectacular reefs I've seen. 10/10. My son and husband went fishing and also had a great time. We got taught how to do fijian dancing, and that was so much fun, had a bonfire on the beach that was magical, and even got to drink kava with the family. If you are after a true fijian homestay type holiday, then this is the place to visit. Drink coconuts, sleep in hammocks, be in fiji time from the moment you arrive. Will definitely stay here again. Really loved our 3 nights, 4 days here.

I went to this island to hike to the peak and go diving with the sharks. I was told I wasn’t ‘allowed’ to hike alone as it was too dangerous and if anything happened I would be responsible for them being shut down. I’m a skilled hiker and an adult and this felt like an invasion of my freedom to make my own decisions. I was watched constantly and felt like I had no privacy and they constantly tried to sell me on their tours. For someone who wanted this it may have been ok but I just wanted some privacy and independence to do what I wanted. Further, I was the only guest and they sang to me and watched me eat at every meal. It was very awkward. The welcome was nice but it all felt very contrived and I told them I don’t want it or enjoy it. I asked them to leave me during meals or join me to talk, which may have been better, but they insisted on singing and sitting across the room watching while I ate alone. When I left they set up a sales table outside my hut and tried to charge me extra for my dive tour which is always paid for. I was very glad to get out of there and will never be back. Unfortunate because the property was beautiful and their dog was really cute. There was a young couple that was quite nice but the all round vibe was icky, restrictive and pressure sales. Yuck. I’ve heard that different families take turns running the facility so perhaps it will be different if you go. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if all their energies hadn’t been focused on me.

Loved that it is run by family. Only 4 bures so very personal. The food was delicious and plenty of it. The snorkelling right out front with beautiful coral.