There are some places where simply arriving feels like part of the vacation, and Mana Island is definitely one of them.
After traveling out through Fiji’s beautiful Mamanuca Islands and arriving at Mana Island Resort & Spa, it feels like you’ve escaped. There are white-sand beaches, impossibly blue water, coral reefs just offshore and tropical greenery covering much of the island.
I recently stayed at Mana Island Resort and found that its greatest strength is exactly this island experience. This isn’t somewhere I’d choose because I wanted the newest, most luxurious room in Fiji. I’d choose it because I wanted to wake up on a gorgeous tropical island, snorkel straight off the beach, spend the day swimming and exploring, and have plenty of resort facilities when I felt like doing absolutely nothing.
However, I chose this resort because Survivor US is filmed here. If you’re a fan of the show, staying on an island you’ve watched countless contestants battle their way around adds another fun dimension to the experience.
There’s one major catch, though. You can’t stay at the resort while Survivor is filming, so its availability is more limited than you might expect. As a fan of the show though, I couldn’t wait to stay here.
Here’s my complete Mana Island Resort review to help you decide whether it’s the right Fiji island resort for you. We visited at the start of October 2026 during the Australian school holidays so the resort was fully booked.
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Mana Island Hotel Review
Mana Island Resort & Spa is a large beachfront resort in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands.
And when I say large, I don’t just mean a big hotel building. The resort is spread across a substantial tropical island setting, so it feels very different from staying at a compact resort where everything is clustered around a single pool. There is also plenty of island to explore outside of the resort. It was definitely bigger than I thought it would be before I arrived.
There are beaches and coral reefs, tropical gardens, walking areas and different parts of the resort to discover. You can have an active day filled with snorkeling, kayaking and other activities, or find somewhere beautiful to sit and barely move.
The resort caters to both families and couples, and I think it manages this combination quite well. There are family facilities including a kids’ club, but there are also adults-only accommodation and pool options if you’re looking for a quieter stay.
It’s important to arrive with the right expectations, though.
I’d describe Mana as a comfortable island resort rather than a polished luxury resort. Some accommodation is newer and more impressive than others, while some of the older rooms have a more traditional, slightly dated feel.
The service was very hit and miss too, with some fabulous workers who made us feel very welcome and others who didn’t care at all and made our lives difficult, especially on our first day.
For me, the reason to stay here is the complete package rather than the room alone: the island, beaches, snorkeling, activities, pools and relaxed Fijian atmosphere. And, if you’re a huge fan like me, the chance to check out the Survivor locations.
You also need to come with a relaxed attitude as things won’t go how you expect. Activities don’t run to schedule, staff don’t always care if they give you the right drinks and, sometimes, they don’t even want to serve you lunch when the restaurant is supposed to be open!
Check-in is from 2pm (supposedly, we were not able to enter our room at 2pm) and check-out is by 10am. The resort is cash-free, so purchases during your stay are charged to your room and settled when you leave.
You can find a summary of what the resort offers here with detailed information below.
| Feature | Details |
| Location | Mana Island, Mamanuca Islands, around 30 km from Nadi |
| Island Transfers | 60-min catamaran ferry from Port Denarau, 45-min water taxi, or 15-min helicopter flight |
| Room Categories | 6 Tiers (Island Bures, Ocean View Rooms, Deluxe Bures, Oceanfront Suites, Beachfront Bures, Premium Beach Bures) |
| Adults-Only Areas | Dedicated Adults-Only Pool, Beachfront Bures, and Premium Beach Bures. One restaurant and one bar are adults-only and some restaurants have minimum age requirements |
| Resort Pools | 2 Outdoor Swimming Pools (Main family pool & adults-only pool) |
| Dining Options | Mamanuca Restaurant (Buffet), South Beach (Fine dining – adults-only), Nasu Teppanyaki (10+ years old), Ocean Breeze Café |
| Survivor Connection | Basecamp for US Survivor; closed to regular resort guests during annual filming (approx. March–July) |
| Check-in / Check-out | Check-in: 2:00 PM | Check-out: 10:00 AM (Cashless resort). You can use facilities until your ferry comes |
Location
Mana Island Resort is located on Mana Island in Fiji’s Mamanuca Islands, around 30 kilometers from Nadi.
The setting is easily one of the best things about staying here.
This is a proper tropical-island experience, surrounded by the Pacific rather than a resort sitting on the edge of a busy town. There are multiple beaches around the island and coral reefs directly offshore, so the ocean isn’t merely something pretty to look at from your room.
I particularly love this about island resorts in Fiji. You don’t need to book an excursion every day to feel like you’re experiencing the destination. You can wake up, wander down to the beach and go snorkeling without having to organize a major day trip first. And this is exactly what we did every morning!
The resort itself is spread through tropical gardens between the island’s beaches on the north and south sides, and different accommodation categories give you quite different settings. Some put you right near the ocean, while the Island Bures are set among the gardens.
Being on an island does mean you’re largely committing yourself to the resort for your stay. You aren’t going to wander outside after dinner and explore Nadi restaurants or shops.
The island is also far bigger than the resort. We spent a couple of hours hiking and exploring the eastern end and the next day spent a couple of hours hiking and exploring the western end. This was mainly to see Survivor sites, but it was pleasant walking around. I recommend this whether or not you are interested in Survivor.
How To Get To Mana Island Resort
Getting to Mana Island is a separate part of the experience because there’s no road connection to the mainland.
The most conventional option is to travel to Port Denarau and take a ferry through the Mamanuca Islands to Mana. The journey by boat is around 60 minutes and it is run by South Sea Cruises. The ferries are expensive but are the most affordable option.
When we went, three ferries ran per day with the first one at 8:30am. It was a similar timetable for the return trip. Not many people were on our 8:30am ferry to Mana Island, which was the small boat shown above. There were maybe only 12 passengers and this was at a peak time. We saw the 1:30pm ferry arrive which was much bigger with far more people.
Port Denarau is only about 30 minutes’ drive from Nadi Airport. You can also buy a bus transfer to the ferry from the airport or hotels in the surrounding area when you buy your ferry tickets. This is what we did. It was smooth and easy.
There are also private water taxi transfers, which can be useful if you want greater flexibility rather than working around a ferry timetable.
If you want to make the arrival substantially more spectacular, you can reach Mana by seaplane or helicopter. These transfers take around 15 minutes from the Port Denarau area, compared with approximately 45 minutes by private boat.
A helicopter or seaplane arrival over Fiji’s islands would be an amazing way to start a stay, but the ferry is the more straightforward (and economical) choice for most travelers.
Whichever way you pick, book in advance to make sure you aren’t disappointed.
Hot tip: There is a small supermarket just steps away from the ferry terminal in Port Denarau. I recommend you buy some supplies before you take your ferry, as they are much cheaper and there is a much better range than on the island.
Mana Island Resort Room Types
There are six main accommodation categories at Mana Island Resort, ranging from traditional garden-set Island Bures to Premium Beach Bures with private plunge pools.
The Island Bures are the most economical option. They’re located among the tropical gardens rather than directly on the beach and have more of the classic Fijian bure atmosphere. These are the best choice if you prefer a more budget-friendly option over a beachfront location. Island bures are in the center of the resort so they are convenient.
Ocean View Rooms move you closer to the shore and give you an ocean outlook. They’re also a practical option for families.
The Deluxe Ocean View Bures are a step up, with sweeping ocean views and the option of interconnecting accommodation. That makes them worth considering if you’re traveling as a family or group but still want more of a bure-style stay.
For larger families or groups, the Oceanfront Suites are particularly useful. They’re split-level and provide multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, giving you considerably more space than a standard hotel room.
Then there are two adults-only choices.
The Beachfront Bures put you right by the beach and come with a private Jacuzzi and open-air deck.
At the top end are the renovated Premium Beach Bures, which add private plunge pools. They would be perfect for a honeymoon. They are quite isolated from the rest of the resort.
Across all accommodation categories, you can expect useful resort-room basics such as air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a mini fridge and tea and coffee facilities, with private balconies or decks helping you make the most of the tropical setting. Some categories have additional features such as outdoor showers and Jacuzzi tubs.
Note that there are no televisions in the rooms.
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Island Bure
I stayed at Mana Island Resort with my ten year old son so I opted for the cheapest option. It was a good choice.
As I said above, the island bures are spread out over the center of the island. Some are individual buildings and some are attached to another island bure and there may be a connecting door for families. They each have a little terrace with seats and a bowl of water (perfect for cleaning the sand off your feet before you enter).
When we entered our bure, we were straight into the main room. It is a great size, with a sitting area containing two lounge chairs and a coffee table, plus a single bed to the side and a luggage stand.
Behind this was the king bed with one bedside table. The cupboards were to the side of this along with tea and coffee making facilities, a minifridge and a safe.
It was a comfortable but older-style room with plenty of natural light. The beds were both great. There was air-conditioning and a fan. We were always very comfortable in the room.
I especially loved the fridge as we brought many drinks with us from the mainland, and it kept them ice cold.
My only complaints were that the power points were all in inconvenient positions and the curtains were not the best so it was light in the room quite early. There was a window right above the king bed which didn’t have curtains that rested flat against the wall so I was woken up when the sun came up (5:50am when we stayed).
I loved the bathroom. There was a long basin area with plenty of room for our toiletries, a toilet and an outdoor shower that was very private.
I absolutely love an outdoor shower and it was extra handy here as we would come back from the beach all sandy but could easily wash ourselves off here to keep our room and bathroom sand-free. Also, there was a clothes line in this area, so it was easy to hang our swimsuits up as we washed.
Before I went, I read complaints that the resort’s rooms were outdated. They certainly were older-style, but our room was comfortable, well maintained and had everything we needed so I didn’t see this as a problem.
Mana Island Resort And Spa Facilities
There’s plenty here to fill your days even before you start looking at organized activities.
The resort has two swimming pools, including an adults-only pool. I really like having that separation at a resort designed for both couples and families: kids still get somewhere to splash around without every part of the property having the same atmosphere.
Both pools are by the beach and next to each other. The adults-only pool is quite small while the main pool is a decent size with multiple parts to it. It also has a pool bar, music and the area spills into the main restaurant area. We found the water a little too cold, but we still enjoyed our time here.
Families also have a kids’ club and game room, while the fitness center and tennis courts give you some land-based alternatives when you’ve had enough time in the ocean. There was plenty of green space to play ball games too. There are bikes to hire.
Mana Spa is tucked into a quieter part of the resort and offers somewhere to retreat for a treatment when you want a break from swimming and activities.
There are plenty of practical facilities too, including a boutique (shop), on-site clinic and laundry. The good news for families is that you can wash your own clothes for an affordable price.
The boutique did not have much so I recommend you bring your own snacks and drinks from the mainland, especially as there are times during the day when no restaurants are open.
Wi-Fi is available throughout the resort, but it is very slow. I had an eSim which used Vodafone and it had great speeds and reception on Mana Island. Vodafone is at the airport so if internet access is important to you, I suggest you get a sim on arrival.
Everything seems well-maintained, and the grounds are beautiful. We definitely noticed the difference when we left the resort to explore other areas of the island as we saw a fair bit of trash then.
Beaches & Watersports
Then there are the natural attractions and water sports which were my favorite part of this resort.
There are two beach areas that form part of the resort (and many more around the island). They are called South Beach and North Beach. Both beaches have lounge chairs, watersport counters and are great places for snorkeling and relaxing. They are well maintained and beautiful.
You can use snorkels and masks, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards. South Beach also had some type of equipment that had bikes you pedaled on the water. I’m not sure what they are called but they looked fun!
North Beach is by the pools and main restaurant. Tides affect the experience here so you can only swim and use the equipment when it is around high tide. This is because the coral is too shallow at low tide and you can hurt yourself (and the coral).
The tidal times are clearly signposted so you can work out when it’s best to visit. We visited this beach twice. The first time was right at high tide and we seemed to swim a long way out and only saw seaweed.
Thankfully, that evening another guest told us there is amazing snorkeling just past the seaweed.
So we gave it a go the next day and we did get to the coral and fish. This time, it was a couple of hours before high tide and the problem was that the water was still a bit shallow above the coral so we didn’t feel safe exploring it like we would have liked. But it did look awesome with plenty of fish.
I recommend timing your snorkel for closer to high tide and make sure you keep swimming past the seaweed.
We also had a fun kayak all around North Beach.
South Beach is much easier because you can snorkel, kayak, etc, at any time. We easily found some coral and fish at the top left corner (when facing the beach) of the swimming area. It was even better just to the left of the swimming area.
Having just come from some amazing snorkeling in the Philippines, it was nowhere near that level. But it was nice and fun to snorkel here, especially as it was so easy to snorkel straight off the beach.
You can also borrow life jackets if someone in your family isn’t a confident swimmer.
Snorkeling and kayaking were definitely a highlight of our stay here.
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Mana Island Resort Dining
Since you’re staying on an island, the resort’s dining options matter more here than they would at a city hotel.
Fortunately, you’re not limited to eating every meal in the same buffet restaurant. But note that some of the restaurants/bars double up so there aren’t quite as many options as it sounds like on their site.
Mamanuca Restaurant is the main dining venue, with buffet meals for breakfast and dinner and changing dinner themes. This is the easy, casual option and the one you’re likely to use most frequently, particularly if you’re traveling with kids. I read that there were live cooking demonstrations but I never saw this.
Ocean Breeze Café is located within this restaurant and is the main spot for lunch – and your only option if you’re traveling with kids. It has a range of dishes and the prices were very reasonable in my opinion given they have a captive audience. I believe you can also order off this menu for dinner, but it’s still in the Mamanuca Restaurant near the dinner buffet.
South Beach Restaurant offers something more special for dinner, with a menu combining Pacific, Italian, French and Japanese influences. It also has a lunch buffet. Unfortunately, this is adults-only.
There’s also Nasu Teppanyaki, where the cooking itself becomes part of the experience. Reservations are required, so I’d organize this rather than assuming you’ll be able to turn up whenever you feel like it. This is also located in the same building as the Mamanuca Restaurant.
There are bars scattered around the resort as well, including the Waisavu Pool Bar with its swim-up setup, South Beach Bar (located with the South Beach Restaurant), Mamanuca Lounge Bar (located with the Mamanuca Restaurant) and Vonu Bar (located on South Beach).
For our stay, we booked a room rate that included dinner and breakfast which helped keep costs down. If you want to eat at a different restaurant for dinner instead, they give you meal credit.
We only ate at the Mamanuca Restaurant for dinner. It was the only time the resort felt too busy, but it was great food. Usually, I’m not a fan of buffets, but this was a tasty one. I especially enjoyed the BBQ buffet night, which had some delicious seafood.
If you want a drink with dinner, I recommend you get one first at the Mamanuca Lounge Bar. There was a staff member who came around with a drink cart, but I only saw this once.
All the meals we ate were great.
Survivor Fiji: Filming At Mana Island
This is easily the most unusual thing about Mana Island Resort.
Survivor films in this part of Fiji, including on and around Mana Island. Mana Island is their base for filming.
If you’re a Survivor fan, I think that makes staying here considerably more fun. You’re not simply visiting another beautiful Mamanuca island; you’re staying in landscapes that have become instantly recognizable to people who’ve watched the Fiji-era seasons of the show – which includes all seasons since 2016 (season 33).
However, there’s a much more practical reason you need to know about Survivor before planning a stay.
Mana Island Resort closes to regular guests during the Survivor filming period. The resort simply isn’t bookable as a normal vacation stay while production is taking place. This is usually multiple months from March to July.
The resort is used by cast and crew at this time and the island is the site of challenges and tribal councils.
On the upside, you can wander around and see some of the Survivor locations. As someone who loves the show, this is exactly why we came here.
If you are also a Survivor fan, first of all, have low expectations. We very much enjoyed being here and going to the locations where challenges, tribal councils, tribe swaps and Sanctuary visits took place. But there is very little to see from the show in terms of sets and no memorabilia.
We saw one collection of props from the show, and that was it. This was by the airstrip which is easily accessible from the resort. You’ll also find many storage containers here which the show uses. One had some funny signs on it which was a highlight.
If you walk to the end of the airstrip, you can also find a path that heads in both directions. Walking to the right will take you to the site of the Sanctuary, while walking to the left will take you to the Tribal Council area.
There are also the sites of tribe swaps and challenges around here.
The best thing to do is to read my full guide to finding the Survivor sites on Mana Island here. I detail what you can see, where and how to best walk around the island to find them.
The second best thing to do is to take your phone with Google Maps open in satellite view. These sites are either marked on the map or you can find them because they are big clearings in the satellite view.
The Tribal Council area has a whole lot of scaffolding. It does give you an idea of how big this area must be when they are filming.
On the eastern end of the island, there are some challenge clearings. The easiest way to reach these is to start at South Beach in the resort then follow the beaches until you hit the challenge sites. There are some paths through the jungle between them too.
Definitely wear good enclosed shoes to explore these places. We found there were lots of stinging little plants. It would have been very painful in sandals.
Click here to read our full guide to visiting Survivor sites on Mana Island!
Things To Do On Mana Island
There is plenty to do on Mana Island.
There are all the resort activities already mentioned including pools, spas, kayaking, snorkeling, kids’ club, eating, drinking…
There are also many excursions run through the resort to surrounding islands, snorkeling spots and diving opportunities. They are reasonably priced for a resort. We would have definitely done some snorkeling tours with more time.
There is also an activity schedule each day with activities around the resort. After the first activity we tried to attend didn’t run on schedule, we didn’t try any others. We filled our time easily with snorkeling, kayaking and hiking, but it’s nice to have other options.
I particularly enjoyed hiking around the island. It is bigger than you think. We did this primarily to see the Survivor sites, but we enjoyed hiking up to lookouts and seeing more.
The eastern end of the island feels more remote without many paths and some of the existing paths can be somewhat overgrown. But the upside is that you can explore much of this by walking along the beach.
The western end is much easier. I suggest you follow the paths I mention above in the Survivor section. You can also hike up to Tuilawa Point from the “premium beachfront bures”. Just walk along to the end of the row of these and you’ll see a sign.
There is also a nice lookout called Lookout Point on the map. This is just a quick walk from the resort. The entry to the path can be seen on Google Maps and there is a big sign. It starts in the western part of the middle of the resort.
Wear good shoes rather than sandals to hike more places. Take water, wear sunscreen and a hat and you’ll quickly feel like you’ve left the resort behind and are on Survivor!
Service At Mana Island Resort
This resort is great and has so much potential. It seems amazing when you first arrive with staff members singing to you from the jetty, a welcome drink and a warm induction talk at reception.
What let it down, though, is the service. I’m not sure I would come back because of this.
Many staff are fabulous and generally they are kind and friendly.
However, some people did not care and ruined our first day at the resort or just caused frustration and annoyance that didn’t need to be there.
On our first day, we arrived at 9:30am on the first ferry. We were exhausted after an overnight flight from Japan. We knew we might not be able to have our room until 2pm, as I knew the resort was fully booked.
We were so happy when we were told they would ensure our room was cleaned first as soon as the current guests checked out at 10am and that we would be in our room by 12pm.
So we basically waited since that wasn’t long and we were told the Ocean Breeze Cafe would open at 11am for lunch. So we would chill, have a quick swim, have some lunch then enter our room.
The first problem came when we went to Ocean Breeze Cafe at 11am, and we were totally ignored. So I went and asked if we could have a menu and order. The staff member told me they did not open until noon. I asked if there was somewhere else we could eat. She suggested South Beach Restaurant. However, that is adults-only so I told her we couldn’t go there (plus it doesn’t open until 12pm). She then walked off mid-sentence and didn’t return.
We went back to reception to ask them. They confirmed it does open at 11am and walked us back to the restaurant, talked to the staff and ensured that they served us!
Then we waited to gain entry to our room. We kept checking, it kept not being done. Worse, our bags we had left at reception which they said would be taken to our room, were taken to our room and left outside for many hours. This was just a random spot in the middle of the resort with no security. We should have been warned about this so we could pack appropriately.
At 1:40pm, someone at the Concierge desk took pity on us and finally got cleaners to our room. We didn’t get entry until 2:40pm, so after the standard check-in time and it definitely hadn’t been prioritized.
We wish they hadn’t promised something that wasn’t going to be delivered so we could have planned our day differently.
We had a rest then tried to do the evening sunset activity they had told us about on check-in. They had also told us to check the activity schedule for the exact time which we did.
So we went to the spot five minutes before the scheduled time. After waiting ten minutes, we went to the concierge desk and asked. We had missed the activity as it had actually taken place earlier! I showed the staff member my photo of the schedule so she said she would organize transport to take us there. Then she got busy with someone else, another staff member blamed us for being late! And that was the end of it.
Then we tried dinner at the buffet restaurant and struggled to get a table when the remaining ones were apparently reserved. How you do this, I never found out.
It was all very frustrating.
The other days went much better mainly because we didn’t need to deal with staff much. We did have some frustration at the pool bar when they gave our order to someone else and got annoyed when we would not accept the other person’s order!
You definitely need to go in with a sense of humor or you may be frustrated a lot. It is tough when you don’t have other choices of where to eat.
On the upside, other than at dinner time, the resort never felt full even though it was fully booked.
Final Words
I came away from Mana Island Resort thinking its biggest strength isn’t any single room, restaurant or facility.
It’s Mana Island itself.
If you’re dreaming of Fiji as white beaches, tropical greenery, coral reefs, snorkeling and long days spent around the water, this resort delivers that experience extremely well.
I also like that it works for different types of travelers. Families have the kids’ club, family-friendly accommodation and plenty of activities, while couples can choose adults-only rooms and pool areas and make the experience substantially quieter.
It’s not the resort I’d choose if my number-one priority was cutting-edge luxury or quality service. Some of the accommodation has a more traditional and older feel, although the newer Premium Beach Bures give you a more upscale option.
The multiple restaurants, pools, spa and long list of activities make it easy to stay entirely on Mana without feeling trapped there, while the reefs and beaches are the things I’d remember after leaving.
And then there’s Survivor.
Whether you’re a huge fan or barely watch it, it’s pretty unusual to vacation somewhere that periodically closes because one of the world’s biggest reality shows has taken over the island.
Just make sure you check availability before getting too attached to particular dates.
For me, Mana Island Resort works best for travelers who want their Fiji vacation to feel like an actual island escape rather than simply a nice resort beside a beach. And it works particularly well for travelers who can keep a sense of humor when the service fails and activities don’t keep to a schedule.
Will I be back? Maybe. I really did love Mana Island. But I want to be able to eat when restaurants are supposed to be open, I don’t want to have to pay for other people’s drink orders and I don’t want my arrival day to be a mess with staff who don’t care.
Click here for the latest prices.
You can find more guides to fabulous places in Oceania here or read our full guide to visiting the Survivor sites on Mana Island here. I also recommend you read my review of the best airport hotel, Fiji Gateway, here. It’s perfect if you have a night before or after your trip to Mana Island.