DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Fiji - Sonaisali Island

Had a great time

I was unsure how the arrival and check-in experience would go, as I'd heard you need to take a short boat ride across to the hotel from the mainland. This turned out to be super easy, and we didn't need to wait long for the boat to come across and collect us. The service runs 24hrs which is good to know, especially if you have an early or late flight. We had to leave for the airport at 04:30 am on check-out and had no issues. We were on the boat with some of the workers, which was fun. Things I liked *Hotel setting is beautiful, with hut-style rooms amongst palm trees. Our room had an ocean view, which was dreamy to wake up to. *Room was spacious with a nice-sized bathroom, a safe, an ironing board, and a fridge. *The staff at the front desk were friendly and helpful *The pool area was nice and overlooks the ocean Things I didn't like *There was no hair dryer *You have to pay for Wi-Fi, which is almost unheard of these days *There's no written information telling guests about the hotel facilities *Can't swim in the ocean *Only 2 restaurants - Vulani food was terrible & had not a single healthy option. Tavu was nice, but it's the fancy, more expensive option and only does dinner. *Given the location, it's an effort to leave the hotel and find other restaurants or shops *3% surcharge for credit card payments or 10FJFD per transaction to withdraw cash This hotel was okay for a couple of nights, but I personally wouldn't spend my whole trip here.

We were disappointed to learn there isn’t a beach. Pictures and descriptions state beaches however, you are not able to swim from this area and their beach is covered with debris and the sea walls falling apart. Room was clean. Staff very kind and helpful. The best part of the place, is the pool. The float up bar is nice. The buffet, especially the “burger” night was awful. There are not many options and most items are geared to their Indian guests. So much so, that there were nights where even the adults were getting chicken nuggets from the “kids offerings”. We tried to go to Tavu for dinner for our last night and were turned away because they said we needed a reservation. No one told us this, there was no sign, nothing was told to us at check-in. They had 6-7 tables open. When we questioned how people were supposed to know they had to make a reservation, they could not answer and instead offered us a table that didn’t have a reservation until 8 pm. We were there at 6 pm. She couldn’t make it make sense. They could definitely upgrade their flat pillows. We were glad we only booked 3 nights for our stay, as staying longer, would have been miserable with the food options.

The place was nice but looked a little tired. The staff were lovely and very helpful, which was the best part of our stay. There were a few things in the room that needed attention, and we had to move rooms because the fan was making a pounding noise in the roof. In the second room, the toilet was slow to refill, the wardrobe light would not turn off, and the kettle base was hanging off. The biggest disappointment was the buffet food. It was barely warm, and in the evening, if you were not there by 6pm, much of the food was already gone. Overall, it was not the standard we have come to expect from a Hilton Hotel.

Water taps leaking/PLATES LEFT OUT SIDE, LITTER AROUND THE GROUNDS, SO EASY TO SOLVE