Raiwasa Private Resort – Detailed Honest Review
We booked Raiwasa last June for 190k Hilton points per night for 5 nights. It is currently around 240k points per night.
The property is a private 2-bedroom villa:
- One ocean-facing bedroom
- One garden-facing bedroom
- Both rooms and bathrooms are very similar in size/layout
-open to room bathrooms with a dual shower and a bathtub in each
- Upstairs lounge area with TV and couches
- Kitchen area with fridge
- Private pool with canaba and look out area
- Man-made beach/cabana area
Important: the actual ocean access is below the beach deck area, accessible via stairs. Also note there are around 100 stairs from the villa down to the beach/water area.
Occupancy / Extra Guest Pricing:
The base booking includes only 2 guests even though the villa can accommodate up to 6 people.
Additional guest pricing is expensive:
- Adults: around USD 412.5 per person per night
- Kids (2–13 years): around USD 262 per night
However, after discussing directly with the owner, we were offered nearly 50% discount for additional guests when adding them closer to arrival.
Packages:
Regardless of Hilton status, everyone gets the complimentary Gold Package which honestly is more than enough.
Gold Package includes:
- Unlimited food all day
- Smoothies, juices, coconut water, sodas
- Customized meals
- 5-course dinner daily
- Kayaking
- Paddle boarding
- Snorkeling
- Garden tour
- Cooking class
- Board games
-6-7 dining areas
The snorkeling included at Raiwasa was actually one of the best experiences of the trip. The corals around the property is incredible, and the guide shows you amazing fish and coral spots.
We also did scuba diving outside, but honestly felt snorkeling at Raiwasa itself was already amazing enough.
Gold Plus / Platinum:
Gold Plus adds:
- Spa credit
- Laundry
- Nanny service
- Island tours
Platinum additionally includes alcohol.
Gold Plus costs around:
- USD 189/day per adult
- USD 41/day per child (including infants)
Personally, I do not think Gold Plus is worth it unless you heavily use it for daily spa or tours.
Tours – Huge Cost Difference:
This is where you can save a LOT of money.
Raiwasa tour pricing is significantly higher than booking directly with local operators.
Examples:
- Raiwasa half-day island tour: ~USD 79+ per person
- Same tour outside: ~USD 67(150fjd) total for all of us combined
- Raiwasa full-day Lavena Coastal Walk + Tavoro Falls: over USD 200 per person
- Same outside operator: ~USD 115 total combined (+ local entry tickets)
Local entry fees themselves are cheap:
- Tavoro Falls: ~10 FJD per person
- Lavena Coastal Walk with boat ride + guide + waterfalls: ~60 FJD per person
We used Taveuni Excursions for 2 days and it was excellent.
Best part:
Even when using outside tours or rental cars, Raiwasa still packed us:
- food
- towels
- snacks
- sunscreen
- cutlery
That was a very nice touch.
Everything in Fiji runs in FJD, but Raiwasa bills mostly in USD.
Staff told us we could bring our own beers/alcohol and store them in the villa fridge, which helps save a lot if you drink.
Food:
Food quality was very good overall, though not extraordinary.
Menu items were consistently good, but customized requests were sometimes average.
Spa:
Spa pricing is expensive compared to nearby resorts:
- 60-minute massage: around USD 125
Outside resorts offer similar massages for almost half the price.
Activities / Property:
- Kayaking and paddle boarding were excellent
- Sunsets are beautiful here since the sunset is directly in front of the property
- Garden tour was surprisingly good with fresh fruit tasting and coconuts
One thing to know:
This is not a traditional soft-sand Fiji beach resort. The coastline is rocky. The beach area itself is man-made and elevated.
Flights to Taveuni:
Book flights EARLY.
Flights are tiny aircraft with only around 7 rows (~21 seats max), and most of the times it travels with only 10-12 passengers as all have baggage and they store bad weather fuel.
We had a difficult time getting seats in this flight.
Staff / Service:
The staff here are genuinely incredible.
Very warm, caring, and attentive.
Patrick (the owner) was also extremely helpful and accommodated date changes for us when we had flight issues.
Donna and Sahil were amazing staff who helped us.
Final Thoughts:
If booking with Hilton points or Free Night Certificates, Raiwasa is an excellent redemption value.
The property itself is beautiful, private, peaceful, and the service is exceptional.
However:
- extra guest pricing is very expensive
- tours/spa through the resort are heavily overpriced compared to outside operators
If you plan excursions around Taveuni, booking externally can save a massive amount of money.
Overall:
Amazing stay, amazing snorkeling, amazing staff, incredible value on points and unlimited food.
Any questions, feel free to ask.