Vacation Rentals by Owner

Guest: Jan M2 (San Diego, CA)
Date of Stay: 01/27/10 Review Submitted: 01/27/10

Our family of 5 stayed at Starfish Blue over the Christmas holiday and had a wonderful time. The amenities are very nice and staff is very helpful. Premila, the housekeeper, went out of her way to make us feel at home, inviting us to join her family at their local Christmas Day service. It made for a truly memorable experience. Jai's taxi service made it very easy to get about town or tour the area. The resort was great to have access to and provided a nice alternative to eating at the house. Their lovo dinner and show is worth going to and was very entertaining. We tagged on a 2-night stay at the Navala Eco-Lodge beforehand and the 2-night Captain Cook Yasawa Cruise afterward. We'd highly recommend both to anyone wanting a more authentic, unpretentious experience. George Prasad coordinated our stay in Navala and prearranged everything for us(website found online). He picked us up at the airport and hosted us in his home for breakfast. Much like Starfish Blue, a very hospitable, friendly experience. All-in-all, a truly unique and educational experience! Vinaka

Recommended for:

Guest: Marilyn & Jim (Black Mountain, NC USA)
Date of Stay: 01/20/10 Review Submitted: 01/20/10

Starfish Blue is truly a vacation paradise. The setting is beautiful, the villa is lovely and well-maintained, the staff helpful and friendly. What a relaxing place to be. We especially enjoyed snorkeling right in front of the house. The reef is beautiful. Having the Wananavu Resort within walking distance, with full resort services available is a real plus. The folks there were super friendly, too. The town of Rakiraki is not a secluded, tourist mecca, but a real Fijian town with an authentic cultural experience. Thank you for a wonderful vacation. And the weather in November, 2009 was glorious.

Recommended for:

Relaxing, island paradise.

Guest: Marilyn & Jim (Black Mountain, NC USA)
Date of Stay: 11/21/09 Review Submitted: 01/20/10

Starfish Blue is truly a vacation paradise. The setting is beautiful, the villa is lovely and well-maintained, the staff helpful and friendly. What a relaxing place to be. We especially enjoyed snorkeling right in front of the house. The reef is beautiful. Having the Wananavu Resort within walking distance, with full resort services available, is a real plus. The folks there were super friendly, too. The town of Rakiraki is not a secluded, tourist mecca, but a real Fijian town with an authentic cultural experience. Thank you for a wonderful vacation. And the weather in November, 2009 was glorious.

Recommended for:Age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, romantic getaway.

Thank you for sharing your home with us

Guest: Melinda
Date of Stay: 02/13/08 Review Submitted: 01/18/10

Hi Beth, We arrived home today to light snow and no one yelled "Bula" as we drove home. A far cry from Fiji. The house was beautiful, the housekeepers so friendly and helpful (I wanted to take them home with me!). They came each day while we were diving and went out of their way to provide little extra's like fresh flower arrangements, welcoming notes that asked us to let them know if there was anything else they could do to make our stay more comfortable. One day we had left without the key and they stayed until we returned to make sure everything was ok. Jai stopped by on our 3rd day to touch base and came back towards the end of our stay to work on the yard and the pool. We spent most of our time with Ra divers (24 dives in 11 days!) and were very impressed. The dive masters are excellent and even had us fishing with "hand lines" by the time we left. I highly recommend them! We had the opportunity to meet and talk with Steve Sr. - what a laid back friendly man! Gave us some background info on the area and made us feel very welcome. The staff at the Wananavu was amazing. They couldn't have been more helpful or inviting. We were able to rent a kayak from them for 10 days and keep it at the house. We had dinner there 2 nights and enjoyed the hospitality as well as the food. I had the pleasure of a massage and facial by Abbi. WOW! She is very skilled and even came to the house on a weekend as it was the only time that fit with my diving schedule. I can see why you recommend her, what a sweet person. Now the only bad part is waiting a year to return! For next year please reserve for us: early arrival on Monday Feb. 8th and late check out on Saturday the 20th. Thank you again for sharing your beautiful home with us, Melinda

Recommended for:

Would love to come back!

Guest: K&J (Australia)
Date of Stay: 11/01/07 Review Submitted: 11/16/07

We had a wonderful time in Fiji. Starfish Blue was just the most perfect location that we could have hoped for. Jai at Suncoast Taxi's picked us up and told us everything we needed to know, we stopped at a supermarket to stcok up on groceries for the week and he and his colleagues were really helpful for our entire stay. He took us out a number of times to go to the market or out for dinner and often waited for us. He also made himself available to pick us up late into the evening/early morning after our bonfire at VoliVoli! We met the neighbours at VoliVoli and they and the staff there were really friendly and we spent quite a bit of time there in the evenings and for scuba diving. We also made it to Wananavu a few times, and went to the dance/dinner on the Thursday. Abby was wonderful, and Setya - she was so welcoming and was there anytime we needed to ask her anything. She cooked for us on Tuesday and she brought us Indian cakes and sweets on Friday. She and her son also came and checked on the house and pool and generally looked after us very, very well. I can honestly say it was one of the most relaxing holiday's that I have had and we would love to come back! We had the privacy of the house but, if we wanted, all the benefits of a resort on our doorstep along with such a friendly and welcoming community. It was perfect.

Recommended for:Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, girls getaway, tourists without a car, romantic getaway.

Guestbook Comment

Guest: franksjj (nashville tn)
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/15/07

starfish blue was great- in excellent shape, clean, comfortable and very easy to settle into. the kitchen was as good as we've experienced in our travels. setya and sambu were very helpful and available. arrangements for travel with suncoast taxi (and jai) worked very well. we'll arrange our travel so we can stay at starfish blue again on our next visit to viti levu.

Recommended for:

Guestbook Comment

Guest: USNA72 (Sierra Vista, AZ)
Date of Stay: 10/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/14/07

WOW! Let me say that again, WOW! We could not have picked a better place for the last week of our vacation. The photos really tell it all. We had coffee by the pool every morning; and a rum punch every evening. the taxi service Beth recommends is timely, comfortable and flexible. There were 3 of us and we had just finished a 14 day cruise so we had a ton of luggage and the driver showed up with a very comfortable van. He also let us stop to grocery shop in Lautoka on the way (no additional charge)! The local property management team was friendly, helpful (in maters not relating to the property), and very responsive. One night we lost satellite TV and they were on the problem in 10 minutes. A real plus for us is the connection to Wananavu Beach Resort. We could eat or participate in the resort's activities and bill it to our "room." What a convienence! We are already planning another visit for 2009.

Recommended for:

Bliss!

Guest: Niel (Niel & Tracey, Kapiti Coast, New Zealand)
Date of Stay: 09/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/13/07

Hi Beth What a wonderful place, we'll be back for sure. The house was everything we had hoped for..location, peace and quiet but plenty to do if we liked. Even with three kids (two teenagers!) there was no boredom. Wananavu is great, extremely friendly and helpful staff, fantastic food too! They all know Starfish Blue and made us feel very welcome. Shambu and Satya couldn't do enough for us, Satya cooks a fine curry which I have made twice in the two weeks since we've been home. Sun Coast taxis were always there for us with a smile, the village trip with the heart shaped waterfall is definitely worth doing as is a trip over to the island. Crab racing at Wananavu was hilarious with my fifteen year old daughter's coming first, second and third...she's still talking about it! To quote a certain famous Arnie S...."I'll be back!" Niel, Tracey, Emily, Sophie & Liam Kapiti Coast New Zealand

Recommended for:

starfish blue

Guest: franksjj (nashville tn)
Date of Stay: 08/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/15/07

our stay at starfish blue was great. the villa was in excellent shape, clean, comfortable and very easy to settle into. we like to cook and the kitchen was as good as we've experienced in our travels. setya and sambu made us feel right at home and were always available if we had questions or whatever. arrangements for travel with suncoast taxi (and jai) worked very well. diving with kai viti diving was first rate and while we didn't use the wananavu resort facilities very much we appreciated that they were available and only a short walk away. we'll arrange our travel so we can stay at starfish blue again on our next visit to viti levu.

Recommended for:

Our week at Starfish Blue

Guest: USNA72 (Sierra Vista, AZ)
Date of Stay: 06/01/07 Review Submitted: 10/14/07

The Photos tell most of the story. What a beutiful location. Every morning we had our coffee poolside i the shade. One really nice feature is the tie in to Wananavu Beach Resort. We were able to take part in the Resort's activity program and have it billed to our "room." What a convienence! The Taxi service from the docks in Lautoka (we came by Cruise Ship), recommended by Beth was timely, flexible and comfortable. We had three of us and had just come off a 14 day cruise so we had loads of baggage. The van used was plenty comfortable and the driver stopped so we could do some grocery shopping for the week before we left Lautoka. The local property management team were 10 minutes away and very responsive (Satellite TV went out one evening). You can do Starfish Blue without a car (Wananavu is a 10 minute walk and taxi service is inexpensive). We are in the early planning stages for a trip back in 2009.

Recommended for:

Wonderful Holiday

Guest: ToddandBonita (Denver, CO)
Date of Stay: 12/01/06 Review Submitted: 10/13/07

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Fiji, and in particular Starfish Blue. The home was wonderfully equipped in a picture perfect setting. Weather was great & diving was awesome -- the best soft coral & abundance of fish. Shambu & Setya were wonderful. Please pass along our thanks to them. I thoroughly enjoyed shopping in the market & cooking with Setya and will be sharing her recipes (curried chicken & dhal soup - yummy!). Should another opportunity present itself to stay at Starfish Blue we would be so happy. We've recommended it to friends who are planning to visit Fiji.

Recommended for:

Perfection

Guest: Alana (San Fransisco)
Date of Stay: 10/01/06 Review Submitted: 10/13/07

Hi Beth, I just wanted to say what a wonderful time we had at Starfish Blue. Setya and Sambu were the BEST! The staff at Wananavu were great. Suncoast Taxi was excellent. We felt very at ease and couldn't have asked for anything better.

Recommended for:

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 08/01/06 Review Submitted: 07/31/06

Beth, We had a wonderful time at Starfish Blue. The house is in an excellent location. Wanawavu was excellent! Sambu and Setya were excellent! Suncoast Taxi was excellent! The house had everything we needed. We loved it soo much we are considering buying a property there. It is a beautiful location. Thanks again for everything, Ritlesh Chand

Recommended for:

Guest: Carol
Date of Stay: 11/17/05 Review Submitted: 11/16/05

Hi Beth Just a quick note to express our gratitude to you for allowing us to use Starfish Blue last month. The property is just lovely, and we are very appreciative you gave us the opportunity to stay in your beautiful home in this unique and beautiful area of Fiji. We trust you were happy with the the way we treated the house. We were very careful with both water and power use, having a holiday home here in NZ which solely relies on tank water makes you very aware of how valuable the resource is and we simply applied the same rules to useage as we do at our own place! We also didn't find it necessary to use the airconditioning and only used the ceiling fans overnight. If we felt hot during the day, or in the evening, we simply jumped into the pool! We were very impressed with the design of the house, it is a real masterpiece! Also, I just love way the house sits so beautifully on the site and takes in the surrounds, it is amazing. We would like to rent Starfish Blue again next year if it is available and you will allow us. At this stage, we are looking at 4 weeks from the middle of Sept to middle Oct if it is available. Also, if I can be of any help to you here in NZ in securing prospective tenants for the house, please let me know as I am in property management. Thank you once again for allowing us the use of Starfish Blue. Regards Carol

Recommended for:

Guest: Amanda
Date of Stay: 08/29/05 Review Submitted: 08/28/05

Hi, Beth! Just thought I'd drop you a line to let you know what a lovely time we had at Starfish Blue. You have created a really wonderful little getaway in a very special corner of Fiji, and we truly enjoyed ourselves and our time there. Even the drive up from Nadi turned out to be more fun than a chore - coming through all the little villages, we really felt we were seeing a side of Fiji that was a bit off the beaten track. We were quite glad we had decided to rent our own car - a couple of afternoons, we just piled in and went for a drive up the coast, looking at the gorgeous views and photo-ops (my sister is an aspiring amateur photographer, and she was going nuts!) And we found that the further east we went from Rakiraki, the better the reaction from the locals - one woman actually screamed and waved when she saw we were foreigners! The house was lovely, and the pool was fantastic - it felt quite luxurious, like we had our own resort! Lastly, being next to Wananavu was a real bonus - at the end of our second week in Fiji (which we spent at Musket Cove in the Mamanucas, with some meals at Plantation Island Resort) we all agreed that the best meals and entertainment we encountered in the whole trip were all at Wananavu. Simply outstanding. Anyway, I just wanted to give you a little feedback and tell you what a great time we had. Thanks for sharing your corner of Fiji with us, and good luck with future rentals!

Recommended for:

Guestbook Comment

Guest: Anonymous
Date of Stay: 04/01/05 Review Submitted: 04/29/05

What a gorgeous place; home away from home.Waking up to watch the sunrise was magic- the views over the ocean are stunning. We will be back!!

Recommended for: