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Sheraton Fiji Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island [Master Thread]

Sheraton Fiji Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island [Master Thread]

Old Feb 16, 2017, 9:02 am
  #16  
 
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I am wondering if anyone has been back lately?
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Old Mar 9, 2017, 2:06 pm
  #17  
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Question

Originally Posted by JNelson113
I am wondering if anyone has been back lately?
Same question here. Any reviews? Any platinum experience re upgrades, etc?

Last edited by Thunderroad; Mar 9, 2017 at 2:37 pm
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Old Apr 11, 2017, 12:41 pm
  #18  
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I am headed here Friday, I'll report back with a full update.

Some notes to start though..

The helicopter transfer service seems to changes prices every couple weeks, it started at 670FJD then changed to 780FJD and it seems its changed again with their last email to me, so that'll be interesting to see what I'm actually charged.

Also, they don't seem to clearly be able to tell me if they can pick me up at the airport and go directly to the resort or if I have to go to Denarau and check in first (odd).

Lastly, I had SNA's requested and they cleared at the window, so I'm now in an ocean front suite with the plunge pool.

Hope I can provide some more info soon.
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Old Apr 11, 2017, 2:32 pm
  #19  
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Originally Posted by nevansm
I am headed here Friday, I'll report back with a full update.

Some notes to start though..

The helicopter transfer service seems to changes prices every couple weeks, it started at 670FJD then changed to 780FJD and it seems its changed again with their last email to me, so that'll be interesting to see what I'm actually charged.

Also, they don't seem to clearly be able to tell me if they can pick me up at the airport and go directly to the resort or if I have to go to Denarau and check in first (odd).

Lastly, I had SNA's requested and they cleared at the window, so I'm now in an ocean front suite with the plunge pool.

Hope I can provide some more info soon.
Thanks for this. Looking forward to more info. And have a fantastic trip!
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Old Apr 11, 2017, 6:12 pm
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by nevansm
I am headed here Friday, I'll report back with a full update.
.
Best of travel luck nevansm.

I would be interested to hear your opinions based on the various categories of rooms. Is it worth it for an ocean view (the peek a boo) between bure's versus a beachfront Ocean view which seems to be closer but land facing.
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 4:21 pm
  #21  
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4 nights recharging and relaxing

Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island, Fiji

Tokoriki Island Tokoriki Island, FJ

4 nights recharging and relaxing (0 Photo)

Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island, Fiji

Pre-arrival

This particular stay was part of a longer Oceania trip which included traveling to New Zealand after relaxing in Fiji. I reached out to the property about a month prior to set up transportation, activities. There seemed to be some issues with communications and I felt a little uneasy about my arrival when left from DC. I had requested a helicopter transfer to/from the resort using the quoted "special price" from the resort's website which was said to expire July 31st I believe. 

Turns out, the helicopter service required 2 passangers minimum for a flight to go, this was never mentioend to me in my dozens of communications with the hotel and was sprung upon me as I was sitting in the lounge at LAX. I reached out to Island Hoppers directly and they were able to accomidate me for the previously quoted price, though there was an upcharge for my large luggage was 26kg, their quoted luggage allowence is 15kg. 

The helicopter company eventually met me outside security (after a 20 minute wait) and drove me to their lounge. The lounge was stocked with Fiji water and Coke. There was also Wi-fi which was usable enough for checking email and web browsing. 

The flight to the Sheraton left right on time and took about 12 minutes. Waiting for me upon landing was a golf cart to take me to reception.

Helicopter arrival into Sheraton Tokoriki Resort - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zUzKBNHZxg

Check In

I was greated by a few of the staff singing, a welcome drink, and a very eager to please team. The 'lobby' is mostly open with semi-partitioned areas for check-in, a restuarant, a bar, and a few shops. I had used SNA's to upgrade to the best room type (Oceanfront retreat).

It was only about 8am but my check-in was processed quickly and within a few minutes I had my keys. The agent also gave me a quick tour of the property including the various restaurants, pool, and other facilities. My room was a quick walk from the check-in area.

Room

As mentioned, I was upgraded with SNA's to a Oceanfront retreat, room 106. The room layout and amenities are exactly as mentioned on the resort website. The plunge pool was a bit small, but the AC worked incredibly well, bed was of typical Sheraton brand standard and the bathroom was large and for the island had decent water pressure.

I was told there is an assortment of movies available on-demand for free in the room but didn't check it out myself. The room also had a nice sliding screen so that one could sleep with the door open without worrying a bugs. Given that the temps were in the high 70's a night I didn't take advantage but I can see how this would be great on cooler evenings. 

My only major complaint about the room is that my particular room had quite a bit of vegetation in front of it, obstructing the ocean view (others further down did not have this). So I'd suggest asking for a room about 108 if you want an unobstructed view. 

http://imgur.com/a/YguMS

http://imgur.com/a/kac8E

 

 

Service

If I had to describe the service at the property it's warm, hospitable, and genuine. However, there's a lack of polish and sense of urgency (this is expected given the location and property). It's a Sheraton branded hotel, so you get that level of detail the service. This all being said, most of the staff members knew me by name after day 1 (though for the life of me I couldn't remember theirs). I'd like to call out the hotel  general manager Peter who was the most engaged and helping manager I've ever encountered. We first met after lunchtime on my first day. He apolgized that he had not met me prior and thanked me for a being a Platinum. He was caring, warm, and personally did everything he could to make my stay great. I can't say enough good things about him. 

One specific thing I'd mention is that I had originally scheduled to stay 5 nights. However the transportation from the Island wasn't going to work for my 9am departure from NAN on my last day. I asked if I could depart a day early do to those circumstances and he was more than willing to be flexible. Kudos to Peter!

Activities and Spa

Being that this the start of a relaxing 5 days, I had pre-arragned a long spa morning. The spa is located towards the back of the property and consists of a few disconnected buildings including the gym. The spa reception quickly checked me in and escorted me to my treatment room. I had pre-booked the package that includes a body scrub, 60 minute massage, facial, and hand & foot scrub. This was scheduled to take about 3:45. 

If you're expecting super luxury, this is not it. The treatment room was nice enough, but 3:45 on the treatment table was way too long as it's not well padded, wide, or long enough. I was also puzzled by the fact that they left the in-room shower running the entire time. Seems like a waste of water on an island that probably has a high cost of obtaining water. 

The treatment overall was fine, though I think I'd skip the facial of all things. 

The pool area is decently appointed but as with most resorts, people are there early in the morning claiming seats. There is a nice row of seats that looks right out to the ocean which are great but you have to get them early. The pool itself is definitely too small. I'm not sure of what the occupancy rate was, but I'd guess 70-75% and the pool was pretty much full all days. They could definitely use another pool, possibly adults only as there is an adults only part of the resort. 

The pool has service from 2 different restaurants/bars and the servers are very friendly, though everything is a bit island time-ish. Drinks are resonably priced for being somewhat remote at $10 USD for a Gin and Tonic or $6 USD for a local beer. 

Dining

The resort has a few dining options. Platinums are given the full buffet breakfast in the lobby. The buffet is slightly better than what you'd find at a domestic US Sheraton, but not to the level of other resorts that I've visited. Lunch is served in the 2 pool restuarants. I had several different dishes, all of which were just decent. Some friends I met had several different fish dishes and said they were pretty good.

I ate dinner at the various restaurants and would say the food was marginally better.

One thing to note is that there is another island on the resort. It's about a 15 minute walk to get to their restaurant which was significantly better food. Be sure you make a reservation if you choose to dine there. 

Overall if you can bring some snacks, etc. with you to munch on during the day I think that's a wise move. I also brought some alcohol to compliment purchasing drinks and the resort had no issue with this of course. 

This definitely one area where the Sheraton could improve their offerings. I know the supply chain to getting decent ingredients to the island is difficult, but I think this is a reason I'd avoid the resort for a longer stay (more than 4 nights). 

Overall

I'm torn on this place truly. While I've had a good time, the lack of decent dining (save for the other on-island resort) and overall effectivness of the staff are a bit frustrating. I know the staff means well but it's just not backed up most of the time. The hotel GM is the one shining light and if he can navigate his staff to the right place then I think this will be a notch above where it is today. If you're looking for a basic remote resort for a few days getaway, this is a good choice. But I'd never spend more than 3-4 nights here. 

A little update

Just wanted to add a few more thoughts on some things I accidently ommitted. These are mostly little things, but nevertheless observations I'd like to share.

Wifi signal was strong (signal not speed), and when it worked it was good enough to browse the web (speed), upload instagram pics, and even stream pandora. Problem is the captive portal was hit or miss. Sometime it would re-auth my devices fine, other times I had to call front desk.

Another oddity is that the music they have playing around the resort is an odd collection of about 150 classic rock/pop songs on continuous loop and not very resorty. Don't get me wrong I didn't mind it, but hearing Eric Clapton's "Layla" or The Beatles "Twist and Shout" 3-4 times a day gets a little old (can only imagine that the staff has tuned it out at this point). They also played said music in the spa, so while getting a massage I was hearing "Sunday, Bloody Sunday". Again, just a little contrary to a resort feeling. A MUSAK DVD investment could go a long way. 

I learned today that the resort is building a performance theater in an open space behind the lobby. This is meant for the villagers to do performances each night and possibly a dinner show. Today they do it in the lobby which is crowded during dinner service to say the least. Looks pretty cool though.

4 nights recharging and relaxing

Would you like to write a review on the Sheraton Resort & Spa, Tokoriki Island, Fiji?

No, thank you.
Yes
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 5:34 pm
  #22  
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Extremely useful review. Thanks so much for taking the time to put this together.
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 10:01 pm
  #23  
 
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Thanks nevansm.

Those are interesting "beachfront photos" and a worthy review.

We are staying, like you, for 3 days on our way down to New Zealand. Should be an interesting stop for relaxing but not a long stay.

Travel safe.
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Old Apr 17, 2017, 10:39 pm
  #24  
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Originally Posted by worldtraveller73
Thanks nevansm.

Those are interesting "beachfront photos" and a worthy review.
They may not do the actual room justice. The beach was definitely just a 15 second walk with stairs situated every 50 yards or so.
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Old Aug 26, 2017, 1:35 pm
  #25  
 
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Sheraton Tokoriki
Beachfront Retreat - King
Tokoriki Island, Manumaca Islands, Fiji

Based on research, it was recommended to stay in the outer islands (off the main island) when visiting Fiji. Although most of the resorts in Nadi are around Denarau, Denarau is man made and the beaches are not very spectacular.

This Sheraton resort was badly damaged in Cyclone Winston, which occurred in 2014. It’s taken the team about 3 years to clean up the resort as it was permanently closed for about 2 1/2 years. It has had a 25 million dollar upgrade and renovation since then.

We met our driver (booked through the hotel) who took us directly to the Denarau marina. There was a bit of confusion here as the hotel websites suggest arriving to the mainland Sheraton Denarau that handles check ins on behalf of the Sheraton Tokoriki. We ended up just going straight to the marina, figuring we would sort it out when we arrived to the Sheraton Tokoriki.







When we arrived to the Denarau Marina about about 7:30 AM, it was a much more developed facility than I had expected. There was a grocery store, several take away places and even a Hard Rock restaurant. We took in a breakfast on the shore at the Lulu Bar and Restaurant while we waited for South Seas Cruises to open up business for the day.











We departed on the 9:15 AM scheduled boat to Tokoriki. On check in, they asked for a voucher that we were never provided. I had some printed emails saved from the hotel that seemed to satisfy them. There was supposed to be separate boats headed to different Manumaca Island groups but we were combined into two and ended up having a 2 stop trip to the Sheraton Tokoriki. There were some nice views and despite wanting to get there and shower, it was great to get in some scenery on our way. It wasn’t the best weather on our arrival day and it was mostly cloudy for the better part of the day.







On arrival to the Sheraton Tokoriki, we transferred from the catamaran to a shore tender and had a wet landing on the beach. I wasn’t really prepared for that as I was in street shoes but I just rolled up my pants and made a great time of it. Our bags were tendered to shore on a separate boat.







We were lei’d on arrival and us, and had the lovely experience of another singing trio on our arrival. We were checked in, along with our other guests (about 7 other groups) were processed. An orange welcome drink was provided.



I had applied Suite Night Awards to this booking and they had cleared at the 5 day mark into a Tokoriki Beachfront Retreat Room- the highest available room category on the island. The Suite Night Award pool at the time of our visit consisted of the Tokoriki Beachfront Retreat Rooms and the Tokoriki Ocean View Retreats rooms in both king and two single bed configurations.

During the check in, I had asked for a 4 PM check out and they asked us to remind them the night before to guarantee. We took the SPG Platinum Breakfast Benefit in lieu of the 500 points or the local amenity. The property does not participate in “Make a Green Choice” The receiving check in host indicated that the property was at about 60% occupancy.

We identified our bags and were led on foot by a member of the reception team to room 111. I was still barefoot from the water landing in my dress pants but I didn’t really get any opportunity to change.







The Beachfront Retreat Room is a 450 sq foot duplex that sits almost immediately above the beach. The room was a little compact but was completely brand new after the renovation and had very little wear and tear. The room had fresh flowers sprinkled all over the room for our arrival.









The sea side of the room had wide open windows and a sliding door that led to am medium sized out door deck. There was a small plunge pool on the deck, in addition to a private outdoor lounger.









The bathroom was massive and had lots of room for two, almost at the expense of the other living space areas. There was no bathtub – a stand up Westin type rain shower and shower wand only with natural light views to the outside.







I grabbed this photo for other travelers as I found the room categories at the room quite confusing on the website. It shows the difference between the categories of room and how far apart you would be.



In summary, there aren’t many properties that allow the use of a Suite Night Award into the highest available room category. I thought this was a great use of one of these certificates and made the stay all that more comfortable.

Property.

The property itself was quite small in format for a Sheraton resort hotel. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantages were that it was always easy to get a lounge chair and the sun decks were practically deserted for most of the time. There was also a unconfirmed rumor floating around the property that the upcoming Survivor Fiji was using this place as “sequester – ville” for those contestants voted off the show early and had to stay in place until the end of the filming of the series. I don’t follow the show so I can’t say I recognized any stars in the making.

The disadvantages were that there were limited things to do other than lie at the beach. Although there were water sports available, most of the days on our visit, the sea was too rough to kayak or snorkel. You can only make so many visits to the spa and the gym, which was tiny.

Aside from this, we enjoyed several days by the pool when the weather co-operated. In a design flaw, there aren’t any sun tanning areas other than the grass at the villas (the villa decks are tiny), so we ended up at the main pool deck most days.



















The beach itself was nice, although we didn’t spend much time on the beach itself. There were no lounge chairs down there so we opted for views from the deck instead. The views are looking South Westerly over some of the other nearby islands.











There are views of Tom Hank’s Castaway island from the resort; it’s the flat topped cone shaped island in the photo below.









There also did not appear to be many walking trails around the island. I ran up to the helipad about three times during our visit just to get some exercise and to take photographs.







This was the sole thatched roof on the villas. I am guessing at some time after they are finished with the hurricane refurbishment, all the white roofs will be recovered.




Food


The food at the property was upscale but not super fancy. The SPG Platinum Breakfast was more than reasonable, and thankfully free. The dinners were a bit over the top- in that there were very few simple dishes available to order. The usual casual options of North American comfort food such as hamburgers and pizzas were totally absent at dinner time. All the dining here was high end with entrees starting at about $36 AUD. There were no pizzas or other light fare available, which were missed by us on our arrival day after an overnight flight when some comfort food would have hit the spot nicely. The Flying Fish version was nice – we steered clear of the meats which were starting at $46 AUD for lamb two ways and stuck close to the Fijian Chicken Curry; one of the only ethnic dishes available that showcased the local food culture. I think we had cheaper food in the Maldives looking back at it. I was on the lookout for other seafood dishes, but didn’t have any on the menu that were regularily showcased. The Platinum Breakfast Buffet is featured below. There was no up charge for hot items.









This is what two versions of $36 AUD pasta looks like. They were both quite heavy on the tastes… Fresh tasting but also quite strong.





We had several days of doing nothing. With days of relaxing to keep us entertained, we had several great sunsets from our ocean front room. You can see how small the villa deck's are from these photos; there is almost nowhere to sun bathe here unless you move to the lawn.













Weather


We were a bit unlucky with the very windy and rough weather during our visit. We were informed that it was not seasonally normal. We were lucky to have a few hours of sunny skis each day but we also had a fair amount of cloudy skies.

House reef.


I brought my snorkling equipment and found the house reef to be quite mossy. The corals themselves were in reasonable but not excellent condition. The fish themselves were a bit hunt and seek; there weren't that many of them from where I was. It wasn't a plentiful experience. I did see some angel fish, some similar to angel fish (not quite sure what they were) and some eels.

The seas were also quite rough on our visit. It wasn’t worth me going out again so I’d mark this as an added bonus and not a destination to visit for snorkeling itself.









We didn't take the snorkling trip offered by the property so I can't comment on the other reefs in the area.

Departure:


On the day of our departure, the resort was nice enough to extend us a late check out until 4 PM so that we could have our room until the afternoon boat back to the mainland. We enjoyed the last of the room, including a glass of wine on our patio savouring the last of the views.

Our tender was prepared and we set off to catch the catamaran for the South Sea Cruises. We had a guitar song send off with the traditional Fijian departure song.





We had a much larger boat this time around for the way back. We didn’t get the helicopter transfer which we saw from the neighboring Tokoriki resort that shared the island with the Sheraton.











On the ride back, we past by the Tom Hanks Castaway island. The sun was on the wrong side of the island for photographs but I took some anyway.



It was straight back to the Denarau Port where we boarded an included transfer bus over to the Westin Denarau. The Denarau Port Marina was actually a much nicer place than I had originally anticipated as it had a number of waterfront restaurants for tourists.





We actually checked into our hotel at the Westin and came back here for dinner at Lulu’s Bar where a live band was playing on the promenade.


In summary:


In summary, the Sheraton Tokoriki was a great place to visit for a few days. The ability to use a Suite Night Award to upgrade into the nicest possible room was the best feature of this property. The property was isolated, which was both a good and bad thing. The isolation did not make it feel super exclusive like properties in the Maldives as the lodging arrangements were duplexes and during the course of the stay, you'd see other guests on a regular basis. The food was "just okay" and priced a bit dear; probably because everything needs to be shipped in. Ultimately, the property was nice but it just didn't wow me they way that I expected. Having said that, I would easily return as a repeat guest if I was in the area for a few days.
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Old Aug 28, 2017, 9:43 pm
  #26  
 
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I completed a stay here in June 2017.

I can't figure out if cutting and pasting the review here qualifies as cross posting if "replying as a review" so I'll just post a link to my flyertalk trip report that covers most of our 3 day stay experience.

Ultimately a fairly solid property that is quite peaceful. It was a terrific use of Suite Night Awards that cleared at the 5 day mark into the highest room category available.

Last edited by SanDiego1K; Jan 14, 2018 at 10:28 am Reason: Copied by community director into this thread.
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Old Oct 9, 2017, 4:10 am
  #27  
 
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Any thoughts on platinum recognition here and on a stay during Xmas break?

Thanks!
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Old Oct 26, 2017, 6:06 am
  #28  
 
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Visiting from US

Planning a family trip from the US. Curious on any further recent experiences. Seems a good value with points- knowing food is expensive. Have a bunch of kids, so curious about that aspect.
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Old Nov 9, 2017, 4:18 am
  #29  
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Am I correct in assuming this property does not have a Club Lounge?
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Old Nov 13, 2017, 2:23 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by margarita girl
Am I correct in assuming this property does not have a Club Lounge?
Yes - there is no Club Lounge at this property. The only lounge is a paid bar / lounge just off the main eating area.

The Plat breakfast is offered in the main restaurant (full buffet)
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