Dave and I recently stayed at The Beachouse in Fiji for a week, it was such a wonderful week and I wanted to share our experiences and photos with you here.
The Beachouse is a great home base to explore breathtaking canyons of the Upper Navua Gorge, mountainous treks to beautiful waterfalls, world class diving and much more. You can enjoy an early morning surf on the break in front of the resort or for those lazy days, just chill out in a hammock by the pool.
It’s perfect for the budget-conscious traveller. We are backpacking through over 20 countries this year so we really need to make our money stretch as far as possible, so when I found The Beachouse in my research I was pleasantly surprised.
Getting to The Beachouse
The Beachouse is located on the Coral Coast, halfway between Nadi and Suva.
On the Beachouse website you can find a local bus timetable – this local bus picks you up Nadi airport and drops you right near the front of the resort, it costs $7.50 AUD (which is $12.00m FJD). This is a much cheaper option than getting a taxi or a private transfer and can save you upwards of $100 AUD.
If you do want to, you can hire The Beachouse Shuttle through the resort for $150 FJD (two passengers are included in this price, it’s then $10 FJD more for every extra person).
The facilities at The Beachouse
The Beachouse caters for both global travellers and local holiday makers, fostering a more authentic Fijian experience than offered by the larger resorts.
In total, there are 24 double rooms with an ensuite and 6 shared lodges catering for five guests each. The double rooms are perfect for solo travellers, couples and families. The shared lodges attract adventurous nomads of all ages from around the globe.
We opted for the shared lodges because they were the most affordable option and we also enjoy staying in hostels to meet new and interesting people as we travel. We ended up having the whole lodge to ourselves as the rooms were not all booked out, so we were pretty happy with that! The lodge rooms are very basic like what we expected. You spend the majority of your time on the beach, by the pool or exploring that you are hardly in your room anyway.
The shared lodges have:
- Five single beds (on the website it does say six though so I’m guessing they can add a mattress to the room if needed)
- Shared bathroom facilities with beautiful outdoor showers
- Ceiling fans
- Insect screens
- Secure lockers to store your bags (only two in each room)
- Balcony
- Linen is provided
All accommodation includes:
- Continental breakfast
- Free use of sea kayaks (single and double kayaks available)
- Free WiFi (strong in communal areas but very weak in the lodges)
- Daily yoga sessions
- Afternoon tea and scones
- Laundry service (for $15 FJD per load)
A few extra things to note:
- There is a restaurant and cafe on site (we found the food to be pretty good, more western than local options though)
- The Beachouse offers a fully stocked bar as with local favourites like Fiji Gold, Fiji Bitter and Fiji Rum Co
- Buy seasonal cocktails, exotic tropical beverages, smoothies and bottled water
- Find a 200 meter white sandy beach directly behind The Beachouse
- The property has 8 hectares of private tropical gardens
- There is a swimming pool
- Find a book exchange and library on-site
- Rent or borrow snorkelling gear, sea kayaks, paddle boards and fishing equipment
- There’s a basketball court and beach volleyball court
Things to do around the area
Fiji’s Coral Coast is renowned as Fiji’s Adventure Capital. From the shores of The Beachouse resort, you go swimming, snorkelling, diving, kayaking, paddle boarding and surfing.
The staff at The Beachouse encourage you to take the local bus into Sigatoka. Nadi and Suva for day trips. The local buses are cheap ($5 FJD each) and we found them to be an interesting experience, I’d recommend you try the local buses at least once.
Here’s a list of activities and day trips that you can book from The Beachouse reception:
Day trip either Vatulele Island and Yanuca Island: They are both a 20km trip and there is a minimum requirement of five guests to book this through The Beachouse. You can enjoy snorkelling, fishing, caves, hiking and much more! The staff also make sure you have everything you need and prepare a beach barbecue lunch.
Snorkelling Trips: Snorkelling trips are operated and run by The Beachouse. The cost of snorkelling trips range from $25 (FJD) to $65 (FJD) depending on the chosen destination. If you prefer to explore our abundant reef on your own, snorkelling gear can be hired at reception for $15 (FJD) per day.
Paddle boarding/ SUP downwinders: Paddle boards and SUP’s are available for only $30 (FJD) per day for some fun in the blue lagoon. For $60 (FJD) The Beachouse crew will take you on a 5km downwind adventure and get The Beachouse truck to pick you and your guide up from the finish line.
Surfing: With three readily available boats, two surf guides and multiple surf breaks along the Coral Coast, The Beachouse sends wave seekers out on a regular basis. Depending on the weather and how many guests are on board, surfing trips cost between $40 (FJD) to $95 (FJD). You can also take surfing lessons each morning.
Fishing trips: The Beachouse specialises in recreational sports fishing (not game fishing). All fish are prepared as meals and nothing goes to waste.
Scuba diving: SPAD Divers offer an array of excellent dive experiences. Full courses are offered for the uninitiated. Shark dives are available for the brave!
Sea kayaking and river kayaking: Single and double ocean kayaks are available for complimentary use within the blue lagoon. If you prefer to venture further abroad, they offer an amazing kayaking safari downstream the Navua River.
Bushtrek to Navola Falls: This trek is a very popular four hour adventure hike organised by the staff at The Beachouse. This experience costs $10 (FJD) and all proceeds goes directly to Navola Village.
Coconut jewellery and weaving classes: Spend some time with Mali getting creative making coconut shell bracelets, necklaces, woven hats and much more. This is a complementary activity, check out the hat that I made!
Beach horse riding: Eddie, from Navola Village, will be happy to take you for a horse ride along the beautiful bay. This activity costs $40 (FJD) per hour and all proceeds go directly to Navola Village.
Traditional Fijian massage: For those who feel that they deserve to be pampered, you can book a massage through the Beachouse reception. A traditional Fijian massage costs only $40 (FJD) for an entire hour.
Day trips to Suva City/ Sigatoka Town: If you would like to do some shopping or see the sights of Fiji’s towns and cities, you can organise a transfer driver that will plan a day trip for you. Just let the reception staff know that you are interested and they will get a group together!
So how much does The Beachouse in Fiji cost?
We booked through Booking.com and it cost us approximately $35 AUD a night each in the 6 bed shared lodges (hostel style rooms). The hotel-style private rooms start at $175 AUD for two guests per night.
I book most of our accommodation through Booking.com as the majority of the time you can book places in advance with free-cancellation – so you can be flexible if your plans change.
You can find current prices for The Beachouse here.
Check it out for yourself
Find out more information about the resort over on their website here.
The Beachouse Fiji
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Location
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Value for money
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Service
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Facilities
Low cost luxury on the beach
We really enjoyed our stay at The Beachouse and would come come back again. The staff were all so friendly, always greeting you with a "Bula" hello! If you are after affordable accommodation in Fiji that offers more of a local experience then The Beachouse should be on your list. It is perfect for backpackers, solo travellers and couples.
Please note: We booked and paid for our own accommodation at The Beachouse in Fiji. All thoughts, words and opinions are our own (and always will be!).
Shannon is a travel and lifestyle writer with a keen taste for global adventure – whether it be snorkeling in the waters of Fiji, or exploring the art and architecture of Barcelona. When Melbourne calls her back home, she spends most of her time exploring and planning weekend road trips. To fund all of her trips, Shannon is a freelance writer and marketer – she was named the Australian Young Marketer of the year in 2017!
