Fiji - Qamea & Yasawa
 

We went to Qamea (4 nights) and Yasawa (8 nights) for our honeymoon in September. Thanks for all the prior postings which helped us decide where to go. Here are some of our observations if they're helpful:

Qamea is a fairly small resort, hemmed in by steep hills on an island with no roads. It's a beautiful, lush tropical setting and the boat ride over from Taveuni is a great way to arrive. However, we felt somewhat restless after the first day or two since although we don't dive we're fairly active and didn't want to spend too many hours each day just sitting in the sun reading. And since even when we tried we were unpleasantly surprised to be regularly attacked by mosquitos in the middle of the day (although some other guests didn't seem to have this problem). The beach isn't very long and is nice in spots but a bit rough with coral and shell bits. For half the day the tide is low enough for at least 50 yards off the beach that you can't swim except down at one end. Snorkeling off the beach is OK but not terrific -- much of the coral in the shallows is dead from the cyclone 18 months ago. The resort organizes expeditions most days, mostly to Taveuni, which are definitely worth doing and for us were a key for getting out of the resort and doing something interesting - the waterfall hike in particular was great, but it's very weather dependent. It was slightly annoying that the resort charges FJD$75 per person for these trips, but what we really found surprising was that they charge you FJD$15 or $25 for small afternoon snorkeling trips up or down the beach...seemed like unnecessary nickel and diming relative to the room rates. You can schedule a trip to "honeymoon beach" but it wasn't as exciting as it sounded....it's a tiny stretch of fairly overgrown beach, and the lunch they brought along for us was fairly weak....one sliced chicken breast and some salad and rolls. It would have made a difference in the afternoon if the pool had been a nicer place to hang out (especially when it was low tide), but the pool is in the back of the property and hardly used except for diving instruction. Most of the guests at Qamea while we were there were mid-20's honeymooners from New York, although it sounds as though the demographics can be much more varied. Food was very good although not exceptional, and we found the wine list to be somewhat generic and unsatisfying. Service was very friendly and personal, and the highlight of our stay was probably the Meke night on Friday -- a big contingent from a nearby village came...they were very genuine and enthusiastic and we really enjoyed watching all the different groups -- girls, boys, men, women -- do their different songs and dances.

Yasawa is 50% bigger than Qamea in terms of guests (18 bures vs 12 I think) but much larger in terms of land area. The island is also larger, although with no paved roads and just 6 scattered villages in addition to the resort. The bures are huge, modern, well-spaced, and very comfortable. The Yasawas are known in general for having the best beaches in Fiji, and the resort is on a fantastic white sandy beach....it's probably a 15 or 20 minute stroll from one end to the other in sand that you sink in to your ankles, with little hermit crabs crawling around everywhere. After reading two books at Qamea, I hardly read a page during our week at Yasawa....we constantly found ourselves off snorkeling, hiking, kayaking, fishing, hanging out in the beatiful pool, eating, etc. The resort organized all sorts of optional activities and expeditions (no extra fees)....even little things like hermit crab races one afternoon. Best of all were the private picnics....they'll take you by boat and drop you at one of a dozen totally deserted beaches for 3 or 4 hours....they pack you a picnic of lobster or seafood salad or whatever else you want, and all the beaches were terrific, some with great snorkeling, and a couple are on small islands that you have all to yourself. Overall the staff were very accommodating....a couple times we got one of the activity boys to take us out handline fishing for an afternoon, and the fresh snapper cooked up for us by the chef for dinner one of those evenings was fantastic. If you tell them you'd like to have a lobster dinner on the beach, they'll just ask what time you'd like to eat. The wine list was extensive, although we were a bit lost not knowing much about the Australian wines that make up most of it. We had been concerned about whether somewhere so nice and with its price tag would feel formal in terms of service or worse-yet any sort of dress code, but we were very pleased with how casual everything was....wearing a torn T-shirt to dinner would have felt inappropriate, but at the same time wearing pants or shoes also would have seemed out of place. The guests were much more varied in terms of age and home country, which made for some fun mingling at cocktail hour. Yasawa's Meke night was nice but was just the staff and wasn't as interesting as the one at Qamea.

Overall, we're glad we went to both Qamea and Yasawa. It was interesting to see two very different parts of Fiji (Qamea on the wetter side and Yasawa on the drier), and both resorts had their highlights. That said, Yasawa was the paradise we had in mind when we planned the trip, and it was definitely worth the extra cost vs. Qamea. If the price difference isn't an issue and you can only go to one, we would recommend Yasawa over Qamea without a doubt. And in general if you go to more than one place on the same trip, I highly recommend keeping the best for last.

PV,

It's great to know that the Yasawa resort is still delivering a wonderful experience to its guests. We were there a few years back and had the most enjoyable time. Your report just brought back some great memories. Thanks.

It is really nice to see such thorough trip reports on this site, but I have to say, we had a very different experience than you. We live in New Zealand, and have been to Yasawa Island Resort, and loved it. We travel to Fiji usually once a year as it is only a 3 hour flight from New Zealand, and this year we decided on Qamea Island Resort. We were very pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. The bures had recently finished renovations, and the furnishings and appointments were excellent, and at just a tad over half the price of Yasawa Island Resort, we felt that we had really found excellent value for money. The beach at Qamea was very nice, and romantic - though the beach at Yasawa was nicer. My partner and I are both avid divers and snorkelers, and we were very much impressed with the underwater world at Qamea. There was a bit of cyclone damage near the shore on one end of the beach, but overall the coral and sealife was healthy, and more varied than Yasawa. Qamea was much more relaxed and we felt more authentic than Yasawa. Yasawa does have the best wine list I have ever seen on a resort though. We spent our first 2 nights in a beachfront bure before we moved to one of their new Villas. Now this is what you have to see! They are huge, with private swimming pools, right on the beach, and very private. We were very happy in our beachfront bure when we arrived, but when we moved to the Villa, I can honestly say that it far exceeds Yasawa's accomodations. Finally, the food was superb, and their spa was exceptional. You can't go wrong with either resort, but if you are looking for excellent value for money, I would put my money on Qamea.

Can anyone give ma a ballpark in US dollars of drink costs? Are we going to be paying $2 for beers or $5, $8 for tropical drinks or $12? I am trying to cost out the all-inclusive versus the others. Thanks

I have been to Qamea twice. Once on my honeymoon and a 2nd romantic trip. Qamea is amazing. I have also visited Namale. I have spoken with many travel agents and from my personal experience and research Qamea seems like such a great deal. If you want authentic and remote yet very luxurious, relaxed, friendly, and AMAZING food go to Qamea. The diving and snorkeling are fantastic. The hiking is endless. The honeymoon beach picnic I went to was not small. They have more than one picnic beach. The owners are super nice and really look after their guests. The staff is so much fun and they can take you to the neatess villages which is so cool! I have amazing pics from my trips and I love Qamea and Fiji so much. I can't wait to go back.