Mana Island One Beautiful Spot

On our last trip to Fiji, we had planned to visit one Fijian island resort on a day trip. We couldn’t really afford a couple of nights on one of the smaller islands as we were on a budget.

Below is how we spend our day on one of the most beautiful islands in Fiji as well as all the information you would need to know if you choose to stay there.

Here’s how we spent our day out on Mana Island Resort

There are multiple Fijian island day cruises to choose from, sometimes the hardest decision is choosing which Fijian island resort to visit.

We opted for Mana Island, which is part of the Mamanuca islands I don’t really know why we choose Mana island resort.

But I guess we had to pick one and somehow we decided upon this. Now, these ain’t real ‘budget’ excursions but we had put money aside for this.

It was a bright early morning start as the taxi/shuttle pulled up outside our hotel ‘Baderra Beach Inn’ the best little spot in Fiji.

The hour and a half ride to Denarau was nothing spectacular, just gazing out the window watching the locals go about the business. 

Once you arrive in Denarau it’s a pretty straight forward process to getting your tickets and board the boat, South Sea Cruises were clearly signed.

Upon boarding, we made sure we were up top for the best views. One of the great parts of the trip to Mana Island was the opportunity to see a couple of other islands (if only from the boat) like South Sea, Treasure and Beachcomber.

View of Mana beach across to the outer islands

It took around an hour and a half to get to Mana island and the trip itself was pretty awesome. The islands we saw especially Treasure island resort made us instantly think ‘this is the place we want to visit next!

White sandy beaches lined with palm trees and turquoise waters. It’s stunning how these Fijian islands just pop out of the sea.

Upon our arrival to Mana island, we were giving waistbands and clear instructions about the island resort and when to return to the dock. After that, we were free to explore the island.

It didn’t take long to get we our bearings and after a little walk around the island resort and its lush tropical gardens we eventually checked out the restaurant for our buffet lunch, which was really good.

These can be hit and miss depending on the day and what you eat but we were happy and full.

View from the boat across to Beachcomber island

Now day passes to Mana island resort include a trip on a semi-submersible. However, if you get motion sickness I would pass on this. Plus the area of coral reefs we looked at was just dead.

Hardly a fish to be seen and the heat, man we cooked inside. Sweat was just dripping off us. To be honest, I just couldn’t wait to get off, it was the least enjoyable part of the day.

After that hour of my life that I’m not going to get back, we spent the remainder of the day snorkelling just off the beach in the pacific ocean (I saw more fish here than I did on the semi-submersible) and we also strolled along the white sand beach.

After we had a dip in the Mana island resort swimming pool (Lukas’ favourite part), they have a kid’s pool here so he was in heaven. While Lukas and I swam in the pool Connie relaxed on one of the many sun lounges. 

One thing a wish we had done was climbing up to the Lookout Point. I heard it offers panoramic views of Mana island and resort as well as other surrounding islands.

It’s also meant to be a great spot for sunsets.

Lukas looking at Mana Island from the front of the boat

Overall it was a relaxing day (except for the semi-submersible) and most of the sights were pretty beautiful.

As our day drew to a close, the boat arrived to pick us up for the return trip to Denarau Marina (this time we stayed inside so Lukas could sleep) followed by the shuttle ride back to the hotel.

Is it worth it? Most likely Yes, we loved the experience of visiting another Fijian island as well as seen a couple of others, very picturesque.

Would we do it again? No.

Next time I would look to spend a few nights on an island tropical paradise in order to get more value out of our dollar. But we’ll have to save hard first.

We travelled on South Sea Cruises but there are other companies who offer day cruises such as Captain Cook Cruises Fiji. 

For those wanting to spend more time at this resort here is the following information you will find useful

Mana Island Resort and Spa

Mana Island Resort is located about 30 kilometres west of Nadi and the best (affordable) way to get to the island is via the scheduled ferry service. These depart from Port Denarau daily and takes around an hour and a half with multiple stops. Mana island also has an airfield where Pacific Island Air has charter flights from Nadi airport.

There are plenty of amenities to keep everyone entertained. From a kids club to water activities like kayaking, snorkelling and stand-up paddleboarding.

These happen on South beach. A couple of pools to relax in including an adults-only pool and resort spa. These are surrounded by tropical gardens and in certain parts offer ocean views. 

Next to the reception area is the Fijian Bure where you can basketweave, try Kava and listen to traditional Fijian and cultural stories.

For those looking to completely unwind there is a day spa offering a range of options for you to choose.

The resort has two restaurants; South Beach Restaurant and Mamanuca Restaurant. South Beach is slightly more formal and Mananuca is pretty casual.

Mamanuca also offers a breakfast buffet and themed dinners where South Beach restaurant offers three-course meals. 

There are a few different types of accommodation to pick from. Start with Island Bure and Ocean View Room right the way up to the Premium Beach Bure.

Each room has all the amenities you would require for a comfortable stay.

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