13 Best Hotels in Viti Levu, Fiji

Across the street from the ocean, the Bedarra has the cheerful atmosphere of people enjoying great value in a place where everyone knows their names. The bright rooms in the two-story L-shape miniresort have plentiful white-tile floor space, a king or two twin beds, a simple bathroom with ample counter space, and a balcony with seating. Rooms 17, 18, and 19 have views to the sea while the rest face the small pool; the two cheaper rooms are directly off the bar area. Guests become fast friends and this is a fantastic base for day trips to waterfalls, villages, and even the Mamanuca Islands. The café is good and the delicious Ocean Terrace Restaurant is excellent.

Gorgeous, modern bure, great cuisine, and an infinitely relaxing atmosphere make this secluded, Australian couple–owned boutique resort a choice escape. The airy, unconnected and ecofriendly units, designed by Australian architect Paul Uhlmann, have plantation mahogany floorboards, a king-size bed, and stylish, spacious bathrooms; each has a porch leading down to the sand. An elevated boardwalk winds past untouched rain forest to the dining room and bar, fronted by a pool, hot tub, and leather-covered lounge chairs. A boat and crew take surfers to two right-hand breaks with up to six-foot waves (a 10-minute boat ride away) or to renowned Frigates Pass, 20 km (12 miles) distant. Diving and day tours can be arranged. The all-inclusive meal plan features entrées such as chicken fillets stuffed with banana, excellent curries, and you won't see a menu repeated during your stay. Rates include round-trip two-hour transfers from Nadi. There is a three-night minimum.

Roomy, smartly designed bure and its proximity to Viti Levu's famed diving and rafting opportunities set Uprising apart from other bure-and-dorm combinations. Bure sleep up to four and include outdoor showers and a pleasing amount of closet and shelf space. Beachfronts are 60 feet (18 meters) from the surf; a family bure sleeps seven. A stay in the 20-bed dorm-bure includes a towel and good, modern bathroom facilities. The restaurant serves hearty portions from an eclectic menu. A two-course continental breakfast and free Wi-Fi are big pluses. This is an excellent choice for the young and young at heart.

Reliable and friendly beyond its title, this four-story motel is well-suited to families. Studio rooms have a double and single bed, combination bathtub-shower, and a kitchenette with all utensils. Deluxe rooms have two bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with two singles, a larger bathroom, and full kitchen with dining area. There's a surprisingly attractive blue-tile pool area with a waterslide and waterfall over an enclave hot tub. Beside it is a restaurant offering a modest, diverse menu.

Friendly, sincere staff and an authentic experience are the trademarks of this laid-back resort. All bure are spacious with generous porches: Deluxe Seasides are traditional wood-and-thatched-roof structures while nondeluxe are more modern with larger bathrooms. Seaview bure, the least expensive, are smaller but set back into the hillside where they offer better views and more privacy. A generous beach and pool are the focal points of most guests' stays and free fishing is a wink and a nod toward getting on "Fiji Time." The restaurant mixes à la carte nights in between theme buffets, including curry, lovo, Mongolian stir-fry, and BBQ nights. It's a considerable ride over a long ridge top from the main road: excursions are doable, but many guests only walk to the nearby village.

It won't win any design awards but then again, no one comes to this relaxing, mid-size resort to be blown away by anything, let alone decor. All bure are spacious and feature indoor and outdoor showers; stroll along the ocean wall and you'll see guests of the Oceanview bure pasted face down to lounge chairs on their private lawns. Frangipani bure are set farther back and have small porches. Kids sometimes take over the pool with its waterslide, but a kids' club keeps them busy outside of meal times. The spa, featuring a pair of outdoor treatment tables overlooking the ocean, is simple but it works. Kids under 12 stay and eat free from a certain menu at certain times and a full-buffet breakfast is included for all. Telling is the fact that there's one computer for guest-use and rarely anyone waiting in line.

This incarnation of the worldwide chain delivers, with spacious rooms, pretty pools among manicured grounds, and highly professional staff. Superior rooms differ from standard in that each has a chair and ottoman and carpeting in place of a couch-bed and tile floor. Poolside rooms have great views across the water to the rest of the mainland. Only ground-floor rooms have bathtubs. There's a cozy cocktail area by the bar, which tends to fill during sports games. The restaurant offers breakfast and lunch buffets and a large eclectic dinner menu including the traditional dish kokoda. The hotel is on the water, a 10-minute walk directly south of the city center.

Only rain forest and constellations encroach upon guests at this basic escape run by couple Christine and Sam Tawake (she Swiss, he Fijian) out of their home. Each of the two bure has two single beds that can be pushed together and a basic en suite bathroom with hand-held showerheads. The six-bed dorm is screened-in but also has mosquito coils. There's plenty of room to camp amid the grass volleyball court and Ping-Pong table on the soft, even lawn. Snorkeling here is excellent, with a beautiful reef just off the front. There's a TV and Internet access in the main house. Breakfast is continental and dinner might include a delicious curry platter, pasta Bolognese, or coconut-lemon chicken and dessert.

This striking nine-story hotel with a compact marble lobby caters to the business traveler, from its brisk service to snappy same-day laundry and 24-hour room services. While on the small side and lacking in decor, rooms are neat and comfortable with queen-size beds. Deluxe rooms include free Fiji water and are on the eighth floor; you can command much the same fantastic view over Suva if you can snag a standard room on the seventh. The restaurant's eclectic menu changes monthly to appeal to long-stay corporate guests.

Lautoka's best hotel, part of a New Zealand–based chain, has a wing with modern dark-wood furnishings and LCD wall-mounted TVs. While the bathrooms could be larger, they feature stylish bowl sinks on marble countertops and glass-atrium showers. Most rooms in the new wing face the well-lighted pool area; those on the second floor also have good views of the harbor across the street. All guest rooms open out onto their own balcony or self-contained patio. Popular with expats and businesspeople, it's common to hear three or four languages while you're enjoying a cocktail at the aptly named Sunset Bar or digging into the international fare at Fins Restaurant, which is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

A boutique hotel fashioned after a New Zealand good ol' boys club, Wellesley has style, luxury, and its crest imprinted on items from bathrobes to the lavish bedspreads. The European-style villas are spacious and comfortable with king-size beds; Premiums are a bit larger, with TVs and a two-seat table in the living area. When you aren't lounging by the pool, on the beach, or choosing a meal from the eclectic, reasonably priced menu, you might horseback-ride or go on a Pacific Harbour–based tour.