Uprising Beach Resort

I was very disappointed with my stay at Uprising. Upon arrival, it looked very promising. A beautiful location with some seemingly friendly staff, however that all changed very quickly. My friend I was travelling with was charged $50 to his card when he left his wallet at the bar for less than 3 minutes whilst he went to grab something from the dorm. All of the staff disputed this and said it wasn’t any of them, the Reception staff did look into it in detail to be fair to them, and found there was a discrepancy between their cash up from the night and the card receipts, proving that someone had most likely charged the card and taken the corresponding cash out of the till. The following morning, I had the big breakfast and I cannot believe how poor both the breakfast and service was. First off I ordered a black iced coffee. I do not drink milk nor cream, hence my order. I was brought over what looked like an iced latte. I explained that I wouldn’t be able to drink this as there was obviously milk or cream inside. The waitress took it back over and brought out a near identical drink the second time. It look a lot of discussion and back and forth to finally be served an iced black coffee on the third attempt. Secondly, when the big breakfast arrived, 90% of the items on the plate were stone cold. Cooked yes, but however many hours ago? I do not know. This is a real shame as I was aiming to extend my stay here by an extra 3 days and upgrade my room, however this will now not be happening due to the above and I would like to urge all who are booking here to think twice before they do.

I stayed at Uprising with a friend for 6 nights. The villa we shared was clean and reasonably well kept, as were the pool, bar area and grounds. The villa however had no towels in the room. They had to be check out and in again at reception. There were no plates or cutlery in the kitchen except for making tea. The aircon didn’t really cool the room down to temperature and we were both quite hot at night. Our stay included breakfast which was probably the most disappointing part of our stay. The buffet on the first day was all but empty when we got there and the selection over the week overall was very poor. They also did not cater for my dietary requirements of gluten and dairy free (which I found difficult everywhere we went in Fiji).

I had stayed at the Uprising about 2 years ago and it has not changed much. Generally, the villas need new paint and overall upkeep. We stayed at the Villa which cost FJD 384 per night but what we got in return really should have cost us much less. So a few observations and tips for those who are keen to stay at Uprising: - Reception: since they are upgrading their reception area, we had to check in what looked like a tin shack. With chairs scattered around, no apparent effort put into setting up the surrounding to make it seem more presentable, it really did not feel like a reception area. - Room keys: so we asked for an additional key as there were a few of us. They couldn’t give us keys as they had run of it. - Towels: for some weird reason (only known to them) we had to carry our towels along with all our luggage to the room. - Villa: we liked the king size bed and the overall layout of the room. What we didn’t like: there are many lights not working, there are only 2 sets of mismatched cutlery in the room so if there’s more of you in the room, you will have to wait for your turn. The outdoor shower area clearly wasn’t cleaned at all and our shower wasn’t functioning well. I really wouldn’t spend the amount we did the next time. It’s better to look at other accommodation options.

The Coral Coast Resort in Pacific Harbour is set in a well-kept tropical garden on the beach. The property is very nice and has villas and burreas that overlook the garden or are on the beach. There is a restructuring of the reception and some common areas and the garden view burree, this has led to some difficulties and example the lack of hot water in the shower which becomes a problem. The rooms are nice and cozy. The staff is very friendly and do their best to make your stay as good as possible. Unfortunately we experienced some hiccups of no small importance especially with the taxis they booked for pick ups to and from the airport; on our arrival after about 30 hours of travel there was no taxi to pick us up in Nadi to take us to the Resort (about 2 hours and a half by car) so after a first moment of s offered due also to fatigue we industrialized and with the help of the local population we found a taxi that took us to the Resort and fixed everything. Also on departure we had a pickup that would take us 8n airport to Suva booked at 4am and we asked and insisted on the reception because they assured us of the service and in the morning the taxi was not there with all our worry of missing an internal flight for transfer to another island. Even here in a hurry they have industrialized calling a taxi service at the last minute that has made every effort not to miss our flight. I would recommend changing the taxi company they normally use!! We had a half board accommodation because the Resort is a bit isolated and to reach outside restaurants you need a means of transport, but the restaurant in the Resort does not have much choice on the menu, however there is it you do it and the staff is still ready to meet requests. All in all the experience is very positive both for the location and for the availability and kindness of all the staff, they are wonderful. We stayed there to dive with sharks at the Colosseum on the coral coast and see a bit of that part of the island of Vati lavu that absolutely deserves, but in my opinion 3 days in that part of the island is more than enough.

We arrived in Fiji August 9th. Our group basically filled the entire space which has about 24 bures/villas. Let's just say the Uprising has abdicated. It reminded me of the movie, "We Bought a Zoo". We had dropped part of our bus group off at The Pearl. Beautiful landscaping, modern buildings, clean, pristine pools, lawn furnishing, restaurants, and gift store. What a shocker when we were dropped in the back of the check-in at The Uprising, to drag our bags through the unpaved parking lot through dust and rocks. There is no bellhop. Our first view was a dried-up stream with garbage in it. The bridge over the stream and the thatched roof was in disrepair. The "lobby" was a tiny room. No greeting, no water or drinks, no leis. Of course, our rooms were not ready. We waited 3 hours in the restaurant to get to our rooms. There were no pool chairs, and the beach chairs are some formed chairs that are centuries old that leave blue chalky paint on your clothes...no thanks. We sat in the old school chairs they had at the restaurant. We were also greeted with a sign that said ”pool closed”. It was closed up until a day before we left with the excuse of low water pressure! Likewise, loungers were put out the day before we left. And we left on the 21st! When we got to the rooms, we were under the impression that we would have indoor and outdoor showers. That's what was in the description. But, no. Only outdoors. AND ONLY COLD WATER! AND LOW WATER PRESSURE! We complained for several days about no hot water and got empty promises of a fix. Our companions found a bucket and heated water in the electric kettle to get some warm water. We checked and the gas tank was empty. So, bring a robe and shower shoes, you'll need them. There is no furniture to unpack into, just a closet. No where to hang towels. But they only give you 2 bath towels and one hand towel...doesn't matter how many people are in the room. We requested face towels, and I think they went out and bought them cause mine still had the tag from the store on it. We had an ancient wooden chair and a little table on the porch. The day before we left they pulled out some new stuff. Thanks. So, bring hooks to hang your towels and hangers. There is no counter space in the bathroom. And the bed I was in was repaired with a 2 x 4 which caused me to roll out of the bed since it was uneven. Also, beware, the bed is on a platform. One of our traveling companions fell off of it going to the bathroom in the early morning! There is an electric kettle as was stated, but check for cleanliness...mine was filthy and I had to get a different one. Check iron and board also. They are ancient. The restaurant had decent food, however limited. And bring your allergy medication since you'll be dining with dogs and cats who run the open air dining area. Not to mention, the birds, that will attack your plate if left unattended. And don't forget mosquito repellant. They will eat you alive there. Be aware also that if you have a room with a magnetic key, this key opens all doors. I didn't trust the safe, so I don't really know if it works. Thankfully, all our belongings were safe. Nuff said, enjoy the pictures.