I’m just popping in to report from the Marriott Resort in Fiji. I had been asked to do a review of it, but I really can’t for the life of me figure out where/how to do that, and apparently I already posted once in the wrong place over on Reddit! (Sorry
@SouthFayetteFan but I also can’t for the life of me figure out how to fix my wrong post or where to actually put it so that it is correct)
Overall so far a pretty nice hotel/resort. I was just using my 7 night package from ages ago before all of the changes, so quite frankly I went into it with the mindset of just being thankful that I “guessed” the correct way when I bought the package (in terms of category changes) and that I had a cert I could actually use some place I was willing/wanting to go even after the category changes...everything on top of that was a bonus! (Although we did search endlessly for MANY other places to no avail before we decided/settled on this).
I think if I were to come back to Fiji (which is actually somewhat likely since we have family in this general part of the world), I would definitely consider staying here again. Would I travel all of this way from the east coast or middle of the states just to come here? Probably not.
So far it appears to be very family friendly, but also seems to be romantic enough and not overrun with kids so that it could be a great couples destination. Our cert obviously put us in the lowest category room, which I think would have put us near the pool, and which I would guess could be a bit noisy/annoying. Although when I asked if we could be upgraded (Marriott elite) they told me no, I think we did get a slight upgrade to “lagoon front” although we are on the second floor, so I’m not sure if it would still be “lagoon view” since technically we are not directly in front of the lagoon. But please understand that the “lagoon” in this case is the man made lagoon with fish in it, not the sandy lagoon at the center of the resort surrounded by beach that people swim in.
Yes, I have swum in clearer water, but I am also very lucky to have vacationed in some amazing places. The room is definitely on the smaller side, but we are finding the “double” beds here bigger than the “double” beds at Sydney Marriott (those were a nightmare) and very similar to the “double” beds at Weston Brisbane (those were super comfy).
Food is definitely overpriced at the resort, but when we are in Fiji we rent a car and so that we can eat elsewhere and buy groceries (keep in mind that driving here can be challenging and also that the resort is not close to anything so it is a definite drive to find other eating options.) There is only a water boiling “jug”/kettle thing in the room, so Ramen noodles type things are ok, and we also bought a sandwhich maker/heater in Australia so that we can make heated sandwiches (DH is a kiwi and this is a very kiwi thing to eat so we are used to eating this type of thing). Not sure what else to prepare in the room as far as warm meals, but there is a small fridge so cold foods are fine.
We have swum in the lagoon, this afternoon from 5pm onwards my girls literally had the entire lagoon to themselves until I made them get out as it got dark. We have also used the non-motorized water sports, my girls love to SUP and DH and I kayak. The space you are allowed to do this in is slightly small and is in a different part from where you can swim which causes a lot of back and forth, but I think it is a safety thing as there is a channel into the lagoon that boats do use, so I think they don’t want you run over by a boat or sucked out into the less-sheltered more open waters. We haven’t used the pool yet but it is clean and has a swim up bar. There is also a decently sized toddler pool.
As Marriott Platinum, I get 2 free breakfast each morning (or welcome points but clearly breakfast is the better option). Kids under 12 also get free breakfast and also free ice cream in the afternoon, although we haven’t tried that yet to know how that is. Breakfast is HUGE, so we try to fill up and then only do one other meal and some snacks each day.
I hope that isn’t too long or boring, feel free to message me if you have questions or want more info on something specific. For those who remember me from when I was on here slightly more, I am ALWAYS behind and these days pretty much never get a chance to get on here, so messaging me might be better. I just wanted to check in because I know this resort had been talked about!!
With the downsize and new empty nest (DS22special needs started a college program for independent living), we have a lot more freedom. 
