Musket Cove Island Resort & Marina, Fiji

We just completed a 6-night stay at Musket Cove Island Resort, and while there were some wonderful aspects, unfortunately, our experience was mixed, leaving us feeling slightly disappointed overall. First Impressions & Arrival The transfer from Port Denarau on the Malolo Cat was smooth (though hot). Upon arrival, we were...

We just completed a 6-night stay at Musket Cove Island Resort, and while there were some wonderful aspects, unfortunately, our experience was mixed, leaving us feeling slightly disappointed overall. First Impressions & Arrival The transfer from Port Denarau on the Malolo Cat was smooth (though hot). Upon arrival, we were greeted by staff singing on the deck, which was a beautiful welcome. Check-in was fantastic—we were seated with a welcome drink while a guest services team member checked us in and gave us a tour of the resort and our room. This personalized approach left a great first impression. Accommodation – Oceanfront Bure • The Bure was spacious, open, and inviting. We later found out these are the only ones that have received some refurbishment, though there’s still room for improvement. • Issues with broken window louvers made it easy for mosquitoes and bugs to get in while also making it difficult to keep the cool air in and the hot air out. • The air-conditioning unit struggled to cool the space, making it hard to escape the heat and humidity. A larger unit is needed for better comfort. Food & Dining – A Standout We ate all our meals at Dick’s Place Bar & Bistro, and the food was faultless. • Breakfast was a well-done buffet. • Lunch had daily-changing chalkboard specials. • Dinner rotated between themed buffets and three-course à la carte meals, which became a favorite of mine. Activities & Resort Facilities • Deep-sea snorkeling was a great experience, though a bit nerve-wracking at first. • Unfortunately, Cloud 9 was closed for maintenance. • Seventh Heaven wasn’t an option, as the resort does not have a good relationship with them. • The Island Bar was a cool concept, but we didn’t use it much. Second Half of the Stay – A Shift in Experience While the first half of our stay was largely enjoyable, things took a turn in the second half: 1. An influx of outside guests – A large group from Plantation and Lomani resorts arrived for a 70th birthday celebration, significantly impacting the atmosphere. • The Island Bar was taken over, preventing us from experiencing the cook-your-own BBQ offering. • The live 6-piece band was extremely loud, removing any sense of tranquility that night. • The next morning, this large group again took over breakfast at Dick’s, making it feel overcrowded. 2. Unprofessional Film Crew – A Breach of Privacy • A photography and film crew had booked multiple rooms, including the beachfront Bure opposite ours. • They disrupted common walkways, with equipment spilling into both our private area and shared resort spaces. • The final straw was returning to our Bure after dinner to find one of the crew members sitting on our lounge chair outside, on a phone call—a clear breach of privacy. Final Thoughts At around $1000 AUD per night, I feel we only received about 50% of the value for our stay. Musket Cove has the potential to be an incredible resort, but better management of external guests and privacy considerations are needed. While there were positives—great food, friendly staff, and a beautiful setting—our experience was disrupted enough that we would not stay again.

We went here for our honeymoon and it was awesome. We got upgraded to a garden villa room was really spacious and the addition of the small pool was nice for cooling off. This resort literally provides everything. Bug spray in the rooms, heaps of drinking water and shortbread everyday...

We went here for our honeymoon and it was awesome. We got upgraded to a garden villa room was really spacious and the addition of the small pool was nice for cooling off. This resort literally provides everything. Bug spray in the rooms, heaps of drinking water and shortbread everyday along with instructions on how to get more. Trader cafe served nice food for breakfast and lunch but we stuck to the buffet for dinner. The dinner buffet varied each night and a couple of nights were outstanding food. Every meal from breakfast to dinner had awesome live music playing. For activities we did: sand bank snorkelling, paddle boarding, hobie cats (the staff gave me a sailing lesson for free) which were all included and we paid for a massage, the dolphin tour and cloud 9 which were good fun. The thing that really set this place apart was the amount of awesome friendly staff, there were literally staff everywhere and nothing was a problem for them. The other guests we talked with all thought the place was amazing with one guy saying I want to recommend this place but I want to come back next year so I don't want to let the secret out !!!! Thanks for the great stay.

The resort, the facilities, the food and the staff are all great so why the bad review? The website promises peace and tranquillity. We booked a beach bure and were looking forward to a week of chill out and walks around the island. We had heard the restaurant at Lomani...

The resort, the facilities, the food and the staff are all great so why the bad review? The website promises peace and tranquillity. We booked a beach bure and were looking forward to a week of chill out and walks around the island. We had heard the restaurant at Lomani was great and we were keen to try that. HOWEVER Plantation resort had been privately booked for something the Australians call "schoolies week" for 700 17-18 years olds. This apparently goes for 3-4 weeks from the end of November with different groups rotating in and out. The road was blocked by security guards so no island walks. BUT that was not the ghastly thing. Every night from 8pm to around 2am, with a different DJ each night, the music was full on, really loud with massive base. The beach bures are the most exposed to the noise. We were sitting on our bure porch and could feel the vibrations. So for seven nights we had really disrupted sleep. I felt worse at the end of the week than the beginning. We complained at reception and they said there's nothing they can do. ACTUALLY Musket Cove owners what you could have done is warned us that the noise would be distressing and continuous. You could have warned us that we couldn't access the rest of the island. When we complained you could have tried some way of offering compensation or a change to a quieter location. Anything other than just the shrug. We felt totally ripped off!