New SSA Client Feedback

Hi everyone!  It is has been quite a bit of time since our last post, and there are plenty of new client comments about their trips that are needing to be posted.  We are currently working on some new ideas with some fresh and exciting information for our blog, so please stayed tuned and I think you are going to really like the new content we start providing!  Here our some of our latest clients feedback on their trips.

—————————————————————————————————

Destination – Matava Resort Kadavu, Fiji

Agent – Gregory Cole

Hi Gregory,

I just wanted to thank you for setting up such an amazing trip. It went very well and the diving certainly exceeded all my expectations!  The resort is absolutely perfect for my style, simple, great food, eco-friendly and great staff.  The bure was super comfortable and I have no complaints at all.  I would definitely return there and hope to stay 2 weeks next time; it makes sense since the flight and transfers all take about 24 hrs in travel time total!

I was so grateful for these things:

1. the resort was not ostentatious: no umbrella drinks, no umbrella drink-people, lots of fresh seafood for dinner, great beds and pillows (and bug netting) and nice hot showers.

2. the dive staff were outstanding and the rental equipment good to excellent. I should take my own computer next time though. No one (here or there) wanted to rent me one so I will have to finally buy one. Mad Fish has plenty of BCDs, regulators and fins though.

3. the diving was so spectacular I don’t know where to start: mantas, rays, amazing fish (which I really got into), incredible coral diversity (and words don’t begin to touch that one), lots of “little things” to look at! The vis was excellent and the water temperature, though cooler than normal for summer due to El Nino, was great (about 80 F).

4. The seats you got me on the plane were the best to be expected in economy class and THANK YOU for that!  I am very tall and thin with occasional low back issues so that was most appreciated. On the way there, the plane was pretty empty and my 2 seats in the back made me a bed. There is extra room on the window side for my feet too.  On the way back the plane was packed, but I still had 2 seats to myself. Should have been three as somehow you or someone had “reserved” the two beside me.  But, once the plane was in the air, people shuffled around and I got stuck with someone in seat 3. Oh well. Still better than sleeping sitting nearly upright.  However you pulled this off, I am forever grateful and I will use your company next time for sure if only for this!!!

Picking Matava was a shot in the dark (with some help from yourself, Tripadvisor and the internet of course) and I am so glad to have discovered it.  I can’t wait to go back.

Thanks for everything Gregory,

Roxanne Bittman

—————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Lalati Resort and Spa, Fiji

Agent – Linda Gutekunst

Dear Linda;

We has a great time the people at Lalati could not have been nicer, they had a great friendly staff.  Due to the Cyclone starting at day 4 diving got a little messed up but it missed us mostly, got 4 days of wind and unable to get out due to high seas so stayed an extra couple of days (oh that just made me so sad ha ha)  I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone.  Thank you for suggesting it.  It may not be the very best diving in Fiji but it was very acceptable, saw many blue ribbon eels.
 
Thank you

Doug and Marylin

————————————————————————————————–

Destination – Wananavu Beach Resort, Fiji

Agent – Gregory Cole

Hi Gregory,

Just wanted to let you know that we really enjoyed the trip to Wananavu.  The resort and staff were great and I would highly recommend the resort to anyone who is interested.  The staff was very friendly and it was nice that they all went out of their way to learn your name.  Vulo, Asinate and Ma were probably the friendliest staff we have met anywhere we have been.  They made you feel like family.  It was a great trip and I would love to go back.

Now the dive operation on the other hand has some issues.  I didn’t have any problems with safety but others certainly had some legitimate complaints.   The dive staff itself seems fine and they are friendly and helpful but the rental gear people used had some problems.  The gear looked new but one of the divers had the mouth piece come off in his mouth, at depth, since it was not zip tied on. Another said the part that you bite down on had been chewed off so you couldn’t hold the regulator in your mouth so he had to use his hand.  When they replaced the mouthpiece he had to ask for a zip tie since they didn’t zip tie it. 

Being the only dive operation in the area they have a real gem of a location but if every week these things continue to happen I don’t think their ratings on trip advisor will improve and unfortunately for the resort they will pay the price by divers not wanting to go if they feel the dive operation has some safety issues.  By the way the diving was spectacular and I think the soft coral was as good as what I saw in Taveuni and overall the diving I believe was as good or better than Taveuni.  Best diving for me so far in Fiji.

Thanks again for setting up the trip and let me know if any good deals come along.

Steve and Cindy Livingston

—————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Koro Sun Resort, Fiji

Agent – Cindy Swartz

Hey Cindy!  

Finally, able to get back to you after our trip.  We timed it just perfectly as a cyclone passed a 120 miles offshore a couple days before we were there sucking all the moisture out of the air as it was sunny the whole time with just a couple showers the last day.  However, cyclone tomas hit the island just after we left, I just hope everyone and everything is alright for them there.  The resort just reopened in nov after totally rebuilding the main lodge due to a fire.  It was modern and very nice.  there wasn’t many guests at all due to the facility being just shut down all last summer, they were trying to rebuild and get everyone in there.   So, they upgraded us right away to one of the new on the water bures, awesome, I suppose to get better reviews maybe.  The staff were great, even went out spear fishing from 10pm to 1am one night in the lagoon.  You can view some pics and read our review on tripadvisor under the newest folder for koro sun and our file “my boyfriend gifted me a trip for grad/bday…etc”  written by minn_livin. If you have any questions please write. Thanks for all your time and efforts.  We met many great new friends and had an awesome time.  Have a great summer!

Charley Speed

—————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Royal Davui, Fiji

Agent – Gregory Cole

Hi Gregory,
 
We have returned from a wonderful honeymoon in Fiji, thank you so much for all of the last minute changes due to the cyclone – the Royal Davui was amazing! I cannot fault the excellent service, exquisite meals and friendly staff there and would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone. The snorkelling was some of the best that I have ever done, and as a marine biologist – thats saying a lot! We didnt want to leave and I almost cried when they sang us the farewell song, thats how much like family they make you feel!
 
Thanks again,

Bonnie & Mike

——————————————————————————————————

Destination – Wananavu Beach Resort, Fiji

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Tree,

It’s been over half a year since we got back from our wonderful honeymoon, and we’ve just now finally found the time to write our TripAdvisor review of Wananavu.  This year, our big summer trip will be a cruise from Vancouver to Alaska (our first cruise experience), with a few smaller trips planned in the spring and fall. We’ll definitely keep you and SSA in mind for our future needs in the South Pacific! Take care,

Daniel and Rachel

Here is their review of Wananavu they posted on TripAdvisor:

Our honeymoon was our first trip to Fiji, so we needed some expert advice to help us choose among the dozens of different resorts on Fiji’s many islands. After striking out with our local travel agent, we worked with Tree Ritchie at South Seas Adventures (SSA), and she was extremely knowledgeable and made the process very easy. She asked us a few questions about our preferences, and then immediately suggested three resorts for us to check out in detail. All of SSA’s agents travel to the South Pacific regularly, so they have first-hand knowledge of most of the resorts they are booking. If it had not been for Tree’s expert advice, we probably would have never found out about Wananavu!

Wananavu is located in an isolated area on Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. It’s about a two-hour drive from the Nadi airport, and shuttle service is provided by the resort. The drive is a great introduction to Fiji: you get to see the beautiful landscape roll by and drive through many small towns and villages along the way.

From the moment we arrived at Wananavu, we were in love. The pictures we had seen did not even come close to doing justice to Wananavu’s beautiful setting. We stayed in one of the Honeymoon Bures perched up on the hillside at the top of the resort (Bure 25). Our favorite feature was the private deck and plunge pool, which overlooked the water and several outlying islands. This was also a perfect place for watching sunsets and catching some amazing views of the stars at night (there are no big cities anywhere near the resort, so the Milky Way is clearly visible).

The staff at Wananavu was by far the best hotel staff we’ve ever experienced. After the first day, everyone remembered our names and would even ask us about how our snorkeling trip, etc. was the previous day. They were always warm and welcoming, and they provided excellent service. We ate every meal outside at the resort restaurant, overlooking the beautiful coastline, and the food was always fresh and delicious. The menu changes daily, but there is also a standard menu as a fallback (in case nothing appeals to you that day). It includes things like an island-style burger and pizza–but not to worry, we only ordered off this menu once during our whole stay since there was always something interesting on the daily menu. About 90 percent of the time, the food was excellent, but there were a few dishes that were not that good. However, the daily menu really encouraged us to branch out and try new things–with very positive results overall.

To us, Wananavu was the perfect-size resort: big enough to have lots of things to offer, but small enough to have a personal connection with the resort and the staff. There were always many activities to choose from, and we really enjoyed them. Some of our activities included: island boat cruise (includes snorkeling on a remote beach), private island picnic, village tour (includes both a traditional village and a small Fijian town), Lovo Night feast, the Romance Pamper Package at the spa, a private dinner on our balcony on our last night, and a Fijian culture talk. This talk was fascinating since it was given by Evulouni, the Activities Coordinator down by the jetty/marina. He is an elder in a traditional Fijian village (the “spokesman”) and has many interesting things to tell about his culture.

There are many other activities available that we did not get to experience. For example: fishing trips, open-water snorkeling, kayaking, visiting a waterfall/lagoon in the rainforest, and of course diving with Ra Divers. I guess that just means we have to come back again!

Overall, our stay at Wananavu was one of those rare occasions in life where our experience far exceeded even our highest expectations. Thank you to Tree Ritchie at SSA for leading us to Wananavu, and thank you to the wonderful staff at Wananavu for making it a truly unforgettable honeymoon!

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Rarotonga Beach Bungalows, Cook Islands

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Hi Tree,

We fell in love with Rarotonga!!!  We are already planning our return trip for July, 2011 and would like to visit a couple of the other islands.  If you see any good “deals” or “specials” I would appreciate you letting me know.

Thank you for your help with getting this contact information – we want to be sure that we have his clearance for entry for future trips.

I am also attaching a wedding picture so you can see how wonderful it was!!!

Sandie and Dave

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Matava Resort Kadavu, Fiji

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Tree,

My wife & I recently concluded a trip to Matava that you had orchestrated for us and now we are brainstorming ideas for our next vacation. For the record we had an incredible time in Kadavu and truly enjoyed the service along the way from Air Pacific to the staff at Matava.  We think the volcanic eruption in Iceland really helped us as neither of us have ever seen the LAX International terminal so empty!    

We are planning on a 2 week or slightly longer trip this time around and it will be in the winter months between October & February (providing we can avoid the time of year that supports the box jellyfish!)

First off we are wondering if you have any connections or knowledge of trips to Easter Island.

If so we are interested in starting our trip with a couple days there before continuing on to possibly Matava again for a week and then on to the Great Barrier Reef before returning back to LAX.  Obviously none of this is mandatory and we are totally open to suggestions.

Michael & Helen Wheeler

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Aitutaki, Cook Islands

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Hi Tree,

Wanted to let you know we had a great vacation.  We did Teking 5 island lagoon tour and that was amazing my favorite tour from the trip.  We especially enjoyed the Tamuna on Aituataki.

Thanks again,

Heather

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Matangi Private Island Resort, Fiji

Agent – Gregory Cole

Hey Gregory,

Just wanted to thank you for all your help with our Honeymoon! We had an amazing time, the staff was the best. We became good friends with Ron and Stacie King, small world they worked with you too!

Julie Fitzgerald

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Qamea Resort and Spa, Fiji

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Hello Tree,

We had an amazing time in Fiji and Qamea was great.  The people were very nice, and helpful and the resort was beautiful.

The food however, is what we didn’t like.  At times the food was pretty good, but it was never enough to fill us up.  We asked for extra bread most of the time to help fill us up.  Also, most of the time we had no idea what to order due to the few options available.  Kate is allergic to seafood, so she had only one option each night and if she didn’t like it, then she was out of luck and had to deal with it.  Also, since the food wasn’t filling, I was hungry before, lunch, dinner and nothing was available.  Once we asked for a snack and they said we can have a cheese and cracker plate which was great but then they said it cost us money $15 FJD, luckily it wasn’t on our final bill.

Finally, we were charged for Honeymoon Beach even though it was supposed to be complimentary but they took it off.  I also don’t understand why a charge would be for the excursion anyways, they pack us a lunch and drop us off after a short boat ride, and the lunch we would have comp anyways.

But other than all this, the place was great, the staff were wonderful, and we had an amazing honeymoon!

Thanks for your help!

Loomis

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Matangi Private Island Resort, Fiji

Agent – Tree Ritchie

My husband and I went to Matangi for our honeymoon, and were rewarded with one of the best trip of our lives. It was quite a production to get there; three planes, a van ride down a rustic road, and then a boat – but many of the best places in the world a wee bit hard to get to. It’s all worth it. We were greeted by singing staff, wagging tails, lovely shell necklaces and a delicious cold fruit cocktail. The island is beautiful, remote and pristine, and the atmosphere is warm, friendly and intimate. By the second day the staff knew us by name – we honestly have never been treated so well in all our lives. The food was outstanding (and we come from one of the best food cities in the world – NYC has over 20,000 restaurants!) Every morning we were called to breakfast by traditional Fijian drum. There was always a buffet of fresh fruits and the best muffins (how I miss those warm banana muffins!) and we would make our selections for lunch and dinner. Nothing more to worry about. Guests would usually gather at the bar before dinner and share stories and cocktails (the Mai Tai’s are to die for) or you could be cozy and romantic on your own. Every night at dinner we were serenaded by the wonderful ‘Bula Boys’, and one night there was a traditional Fijian dance show.

To be honest my husband and I were worried at first that we might be bored on such a small island. But we had not one minute of it. We are both SCUBA divers, and we took full advantage of the beautiful and healthy reefs all around Matangi. Bale and Ally were fantastic dive masters – we had so much fun with them. We told Ally we had always wanted to see a lion fish, and lo and behold she managed to find one hanging out under a ledge. In addition to diving, we spent an afternoon kayaking and snorkeling in beautiful Horseshoe Bay, and we went on two excursions – one to a tropical waterfall and one to a local village.

The accommodations are lovely. We had the treehouse ‘Lomolagi’ which I HIGHLY recommend if you can get it. We had a living room, canopy bed, outdoor shower with stone mosaic floor, hot tub, day bed, and an amazing view. Every night we fall asleep to the sound of lapping waves.
The family who owns the resort are wonderful, interesting people and are great to talk to if you get a chance – they are often found mingling with the guests. And so are their adorable dogs – around a dozen Jack Russell/Fox Terrier mixes (all completely well behaved!) There are also roosters, a few cats and a pig who makes an occasional comical appearance.

Really – I am a choosy traveller. NO ONE paid me to write this review! LOL this is all coming from the heart. If you want unpretentious barefoot luxury, an authentic feel, quiet romantic ambiance, and a incredibly warm staff – this is the place for you. Matangi is a true gem.

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Outrigger on the Lagoon & Lomani Island Resort, Fiji

Agent – Cindy Swartz

Hi Cindy
 
Back home from Fiji, Once again I would like to thank you for putting together such an incredible package. The Outrigger/Lomani resorts were both great. The Rosie Holidays transfers were well schedule. This trip was a very nice cultural experience. The native Fijians all so warm spirited and was so interested and curious about me coming from such a long journey as of  Washington D.C., We drank kava together and had lots of laughs. I had the medium tide with each drink which impressed them.  Terri also had a great time and fell in love with Fiji. She also met alot of new friends from New Zealand.  I will definitely use and refer your company services again to the South Pacific and look forward to doing business with you again in the future.
 
vinaka

Kelvin Ragland

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Fiji Islands

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Hi Tree

we received the check today in the mail.  Thanks again for your diligent follow up on finalizing this refund.  Hope to work with you again if we ever make it back to that beautiful part of the world again called Fiji.  It was the most memorable vacation and exotic experience we’ve ever had.

Best regards,

Louise

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Matamanoa Island Resort, Fiji

Agent – Gregory Cole

Hi Gregory,
 
Sorry, I have been remiss in writing to you about our great holiday in Fiji.  We had a wonderful time.  The resort was very relaxing – you could join in the activities if you wanted – or not!  Did some scuba diving, and visited some of the other islands.  The accommodation was very nice, the beach in front of our room was great, we could go straight out and snorkel there.
 
Wanted to let you know that Rosies did a great job, they were very efficient, and always there when they were supposed to be.
 
Thank you!
 
Tricia and Al Schoenfelder

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Matangi Private Island Resort, Fiji

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Tree,

It was a good choice for my group, nice being with all the honeymooners, Tom and Chick liked having some old folk around, Everybody loved the place and the people, definitely  a great place to hang out and relax . The diving was OK, weren’t able to get out very far because of rough water but everything can’t be perfect. But you know what, it doesn’t get any better!!!  Thanks for convincing me to pick this place. It was perfect and I will go back someday!!

Thanks,    

Ken Tschannen

————————————————————————————————-

Destination – Matangi Private Island Resort, Fiji

Agent – Tree Ritchie

Dear Tree,

We are back from paradise, and just wanted to thank you for planning out a wonderful trip. We were very impressed with all the arrangements, and absolutely loved the resort and the people. Also, your recommendation on the Treehouse was a great one and we loved our stay there.

Thanks again, and we hope to be in touch with you again soon!

Regards

Ankan and Esha

————————————————————————————————-

Great job SSA team!  We are all excited about the future of SSA and our new blog content is coming soon!

 

Gregory Cole

South Seas Adventures, Travel Specialist