I wanted a quick and easy week away to mark a special occasion. My preferred chains are Four Seasons, St Regis, Park Hyatt or Ritz Carlton and prefer suites or villas with private pools, separate living and bedroom areas as well as ocean views.

Not wanting to fly to South East Asia we settled on Fiji which we have never experienced. The Intercon looked to be the best on the Island. Friends of mine who knew my high standards told me I would hate Fiji and the "Island time" service. Regardless, we booked a 5 night stay.

Check In

I reached out to the property prior and they offered a 2 Bedroom Ambassador upgrade which I appreciated but declined as we didn't require it.

I arranged VIP Meet & Assist and NAN and was handed over to Rosie's Holidays who handle the hotel transfers. We were in the 4WD in a matter of moments which was Intercon branded. Normally we always depart and arrive in a S Class but I believe there are none on the island because of the roads.

We arrived and were warmly greeted by several staff and whisked to the Club Lounge for check in. The two club staff were very engaging, delightful and offered us cocktails even though the evening service had ceased. This was a sign of things to come.

Room

To the hotel's credit, they blocked two rooms for us to choose from but as it was late we took the most private suite.

Despite being 10 years old the hotel didn't seem tired. The suite was large with separate living and dining, marble bathroom and a small plunge pool. There was a capsule coffee machine, free mini bar (soft drinks and snacks) and plentiful power points.

It was certainly better than I had anticipated. Above the pool suites are club suites, however an awning prevents the guests above you from seeing into the pool. 

The only minor issues were that the pool wasn't heated and was quite cold, probably not an issue during hotter weather and that the TVs were very small. We were told that the hotel is doing an upgrade and replacing the TVs. The Ocean view was blocked by the foliage which could be fixed by trimming the plants which I did mention.

Service

The service we experiended was exemplary and at odds to many others who had visited other hotels in Fiji. The Intercon call their club lounge staff Butlers and they were all incredibly friendly and hospitable.

Every staff member we interacted with was fantastic, but the Butlers were on another level, particularly Josephine. It was clear from the interaction with other guests they knew their guests well and many were repeat visitors.



The Club level experience was a very high standard. The lounge has a large pool. It serves breakfast with a small buffet but full a la carte menu, an impressive afternoon tea as well as cocktails and canapes.

All of the staff knew our name. My husband got very sick on day one and the hotel doctor who is based in the next town arrived within 20 mins. One of the Butlers made him their special Ginger tea. On consecutive days the Butlers delivered tea, ginger, lemon and honey. They also proactively sent afternoon tea to our room. All of the Butlers checked in on him and genuinely cared to make sure he was comfortable.

The GM and Guest Services Mnaaged invited us to a cocktail party where we got to meet the senior staff. It's clear they both run an exceptional property that all the staff are proud of. You can tell in your interaction that they want to make the hotel proud and look after their guests.

I could not believe how incredibly hospitable and genuinely friendly all of the staff were. It was the complete contrast to our experience at a different chain in Bali.

Dining

The F&B in the resort is of a high standard. Again, I had low expectations but the breakfast, afternoon tea and canapes in the club were great.

I was eager to try the hotel's Indian food and the Butter Chicken with Roti and Basmatic Rice was the best I have ever had. We ate mostly room service for dinner but toward the end went down to the main bar where nightly entertainment with live singers occur. It was delightful listening to the waves crash onto shore while a live band played music.

I wanted Lamb Rgan Josh that wasn't on the bar menu and the waiter arranged it from the restauraunt without any hesitation.

Location

The beach at the hotel was beautiful and the Torquiose colour of the water reminiscent of other destinations like Far North Queensland.

It is 45 mins from the airport, but a World away from the very old properties on poor beaches on the other side of the island.

Overall

Overall, we had a surprisingly spectacular stay and would not heistate to return.

The FJ Business Class product was equally impressive and will be even better once they get the A350. Only 3 hours from SYD this will become one of our annual destinations.

This was my first stay at an Intercon in a decade and I was thoroughly impressed. Robert Clarke the Resort Manager, Ravikash Nand, Guest Services Manager and the Butlers made for an exceptional stay. We were well looked after from prior to out stay to check out with staff anticipating our needs.

The Club level experience and particularly the Butlers were delightful. A convention that had blocked the whole hotel was arriving on our checkout day and the Butlers sang a farewell song to all of the club guests at breakfast that was heartwarming. I felt so moved I hugged several of them.

I have recommended the hotel highly to my friends and also to those on FT. The hotel successfully manages to have family friendly facilities but also feature adults only pools, restaurants and cocktail hour at the club lounge without kids so can cater to everyone.