jsolhadden

So I assume it's very casual, but what do people typically wear on Matamanoa when they're not on the beach or by the pool?

maryk

I refuse to take a heap of clothes to Fiji, so take a whole pile of sulus, tee shirts and one pair of shorts. However if you feel that's not dressy enough, a tee shirt and casual skirt or pants/shorts is as much as you'll need for dinner. For men the same. No need for dressy shoes either - one pair of sandals and maybe a pair of walking shoes if you're planning village visits etc. You will need one tee shirt that has at least a short sleeve if you're visiting any villages.

monkeyfeet

Its all pretty casual. Lunch and breakfast was generally very casual - it was fine to go straight from the beach to the restaurant. Anything went for dinner... some people got reasonably dressed up but most people went casual... ranging from tshirts and shorts, to short sleeved shirts with light pants for males, or skirts for females.

I just got back from Matamanoa 2 days ago so feel free to ask me lots of questions. I thought it was fantastic and miss it so much already

jsolhadden

Monkeyfeet,
Thanks for the response. So...
How was the food?
Did you go on any trips off the island?
How's the new pool?
Was anything else renovated?
Is there anything you wish you had known before going there?

Thanks. I can't wait to get there (my fiance and I are going for our honeymoon). I'd love to see pics if you have them

monkeyfeet

Hi
Here's some answers to your question:
The food was pretty good. Its pretty much exactly as it is on the menus on their website - cooked breakfast, lunches consisted of burgers, club sandwiches, fish, etc. Dinners were fish or meat with vegetables, curries, etc. Nothing fancy but not bad at all. Unless you are huge eaters I wouldn't bother getting the meal plan...
We didn't go on any trips off the island. If you were going to do that, you would probably need to do it before or after you go to Matamanoa as it takes a few hours to get back to the main island on the boat, unless you were willing to fork out for a sea plane or helicopter. The island organises trips to one of the villages on the island next to Matamanoa (where most of the staff travel from every day). Outside of that I really don't think there are too many options to get off the island during your stay. Having said that, there's heaps of things to do on the island and I doubt you will get bored.
The new pool is very nice, but much smaller than it looks on the website. We didn't spend much time at the pool because the water in the sea was so nice! The snorkelling is fantastic.
I think the restaurant may have been renovated recently, and possibly the decking around the pool.
Are you staying in a motel room or bure?
I can't think of anything else that would have been good to know. Its all very casual and easy... if you have much room in your bag, maybe you could bring some water over from the main island. The water at Matamanoa tastes awful and its quite expensive buying it out there.
We'll sort out our photos this weekend. If you give me your email address I'll send some photos to you next week.

jsolhadden

Monkeyfeet, thanks for answering my questions (excitement is building). That would be great if you could send me pics at JSOLHADDEN at YAHOO dot com

Thanks again!

jsolhadden

PS - We're staying in a bure

monkeyfeet

Hi
Haven't got around to sorting out the photos yet, but will probably do it tonight then send the link to you.
Re. the bure, i would recommend ringing them to ask if you can get a bure on the sunset side of the island. The beach is better on that side and of course you will get the sunset views. IMO, in terms of location the best bures would be numbers 15 - 20.

SallyKate

Hi, hopefully I write this before you actually go to Matamanoa!

We were there last November and loved it, we had a fantastic time.

It is also a basically 'wear what you want' type of place.

For more info, I have added a travel diary which can be found at http://www.sarahandjoe.co.uk/4626.html

Have a great time!!