Amunuca Resort Review, Pictures, Video Clip & Visitor Information - Tokoriki Island, Mamanuca Group, Fiji, South Pacific

Amunuca Resort - Tokoriki Island, Mamanuca Group, Fiji
Pictures, a video clip, traveler review & visitor info from a stay at the Amunuca Resort, Tokoriki Island, Fiji, South Pacific.

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Tokoriki Island	Small Resort Ferry Boat	Amunuca Beach
For our first (but hopefully not last) visit to Fiji, we chose to stay at the Amunuca Resort located on Tokoriki Island in the Mamanuca Group. At the time, Amunuca was running a post cyclone Mick special of "Stay Two Nights, Pay For One". You and I are more used to hearing the phrase "buy one, get one free" instead. The total cost of our 8 night stay in a Rainforest Studio, their most inexpensive type of room, was $1010.52 FJD. That's roughly about $520 USD or just $65 USD per night. We arrived on the South Sea Cruises ferry boat just after Christmas Day 2009 and found the resort to be very quiet. More people looking to take advantage of the special stay 2 pay 1 deal began to arrive every day from New Zealand, Australia, India, the UK and the USA.


As the hotel's two small ferry boats (one for luggage, one for people) transferred all of us to the beach, we were welcomed by the resort staff with a lively Fijian song.
Beach Welcome Song	Refrigerator, TV, Stool	Queen Size Bed
I was nervous about dropping my backpack in the water or having it be splashed with salt water since it was filled with my netbook computer, cameras, phone and other small electronics. Luckily nothing happened but I'm planning on sealing the contents inside my backpack with a plastic bag for any future trips like this that include a boat to beach transfer.
Vanity, Mirror & Sink	Toilet, Trash Can	Shower Room
All of the arriving guest were brought refreshing tropical fruit juice drinks, some hotel information papers, and a check in information sheet. Once I finished the paperwork, we sat and enjoyed the spectacular view of the South Pacific outside the open air lobby until our room was ready.
Air Conditioner	Cups, Plates, Mugs	Coffee, Tea, Sugar
Our room, a "Rainforest Studio", was small but more than adequate for our needs especially with the discounted price tag of just $65 USD per night. Even the normal price of about $130 USD per night is a bargain for resort accommodations on such a beautiful island.
Fiji / Australia / NZ Outlet	Rainforest Studio Patio
We were exhausted when we arrived after flying 6 hours from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, driving to Point Dume Beach in Malibu during our 12 hour layover, flying 14 hours from LAX to Nadi, and the two hour boat ride from Port Denarau. But since it was early morning in Fiji, we were determined to stay awake until at least 9 PM local time to avoid becoming nocturnal.

Some of the features of the Amunuca Resort include a large pool with water slide, an adults only pool, free use of the hotel's kayaks, free use of the snorkel gear from Reef Safari Watersports (onsite scuba diving), a kid's club play area, a movie theater, an internet room, the Senitoa Day Spa, a poolside swim up bar, a tennis court, a wedding chapel, a rugby field, a Kava drink ceremonial pavilion and a restaurant.
Hotel Front View		Coral Reefs Everywhere!
Every morning, we tried to get up early and go for a walk/hike around the grounds, the hills and the beach. One of our favorite places to visit was the collection of tide pools brimming with tiny sea creatures. To reach the tide pools, turn left once you reach the beach and hike over the volcanic rocks. If you keep going, you'll reach a small secluded beach that has excellent snorkeling. That beach is also where I spotted a tiny reef shark in the water while snorkeling.
Oatmeal From Denarau	Peanuts, Fruits, Snacks	Electronic Room Safe
Since I don't like being totally dependent on a resort for every single calorie I consume, we purchased some instant oatmeal and an assortment of snacks like nuts and dried fruit at the Yees Xpressmart back in Port Denarau. A few mornings we woke up early before the restaurant was open for breakfast, so it was nice to just have a quick mug of oatmeal mixed with banana chips before heading out for a sunrise hike.

Pacsafe TravelSafe 12L	Portable Security Bag	Combs, Shampoo, Lotion
Before leaving for this trip, I bought two Pacsafe brand TravelSafe portable security bags to help prevent my Acer AS1410 laptop and cameras from being stolen. They are composed of strong steel mesh wires and can be locked to any immovable point in a hotel room. I'm sure a thief with the right tools and plenty of time could cut the locking cable or penetrate the bag, but the safes certainly eliminate casual theft and give me more peace of mind when leaving valuables behind.
Room French Door		Main Pool Area
The few mornings that we did have breakfast at the Amunuca restaurant, we were seated at a nice normal table in the dining area. Unfortunately, at lunch time the staff would only allow guests to sit in the bar area which has tiny drink stands that you have to crouch over to eat and can't put your feet under. There were also an abundance of flies and gnats in the main bar area due to the constant presence of beer and sweet tropical drinks to attract them. Hopefully the new management that took over in April 2010 have changed this practice to allow guests to eat lunch in the dining area at a proper table.
Infinity Pool	Pool Water Slide	Reef Safari Watersports
After a few days of being annoyed by the flies in the bar area during lunch, we learned to ask for our sandwiches to be wrapped up. Then we'd either take them with us on a hike or on a kayak trip over to a secluded beach or cave on another part of the island.
Pool & Swim Up Bar	Main Bar Area	Stairs To Beach
We also then discovered the walking path between the hills past the Amunuca staff quarters and adults only pool area that leads to the back entrance of the neighboring Tokoriki Resort. Eating at the Tokoriki Resort's restaurant was much more pleasant (quieter, almost no flies) and the prices were about the same at $15-20 FJD ($7-10 USD) per person for lunch and about $30 FJD ($15 USD) per person for dinner. When asked for our room number, I just told them that we were staying at Amunuca and paid in cash, with my American Express, or Capital One Visa cred card.
	Helicopter Landing Field	Rugby Field
For dinner during the eight nights, we split our time between the Amunuca Restaurant and the Tokoriki Restaurant. I found that the portions were more generous at Amunuca, especially the curry dishes, but some nights there was a bit of noise from the family section. The dishes at Tokoriki were excellent, but I occasionally wished for a larger portion to satisfy my big appetite built up from kayaking and snorkeling all day.
	Adults Only Bar	Adults Only Pool
Cyclone Mick had just ravaged Fiji before we had arrived, so we saw evidence of the damage from the storm and some services such as the adults only bar and pool seemed to be closed down during our visit. The clean up effort progressed quickly and we were able to go for a quiet swim in the adults only pool several times. Sadly, the adults only bar was never manned by a bartender during our stay so drinks had to be obtained from the bar at the main pool area.
		Palm Trees
If you visit Amunuca or anywhere in Fiji, you have to jump in the ocean and go snorkeling. Bring an underwater camera if you have one to capture the amazing variety of colorful sea life including iridescent corals, clown fish ("Finding Nemo"), sea anemones, blue starfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, reef triggerfish, surgeonfish, porcupinefish, squid, spotted puffer fish, Wrasse fish, trumpet fish, moorish idol, and I was even lucky enough to see a small reef shark. Here are my over three hundred Amunuca Snorkeling Underwater Pictures & Video Clip.

We found that the snorkeling right off the beach, especially at the secluded beaches on other parts of the island, was excellent with great visibility and a never ending supply of fish to observe. So we didn't bother to pay for a snorkeling trip with the onsite Reef Safari Watersports company. But we did sign up for a one tank dive with them out to a nearby coral reef that the dive master said was just simply named "Blue Reef". The total cost of the one tank certified scuba diving trip was $120 FJD per person or about $63 USD. They accept Fijian currency, U.S. dollars, or Visa/Mastercard credit cards.
		Large Brown Spider
To see the other four pages of pictures from our stay at Amunuca Island Resort, click on the "Next" or "Last" buttons below.

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