If you’re looking for a laid back holiday where the only decisions you want to make are which beach should I snorkel at, what cocktail should I have at happy hour, which of the special tours should I book in to and what should I choose as my meal option- this is the place to be! My 11 year old and I loved it because there was plenty to keep us both entertained ( he played volleyball, participated in the crab race, made friends with a lot of the staff and explored the ocean). The snorkelling here is the best I’ve seen even compared to the 3-4 times I’ve been at the Great Barrier Reef. It is accessible ( straight off the beach) and great for kids of all ages, little fish in the shallows with no ominous waves! We stayed in a burre and woke up to scenic beach views each morning. Ours was closest to the main food hall and very convenient ( Burre 16) but also we were in the middle of sunset beach so closest access to the beach and views ( although nothing is that far!) picture a row of burres in a straight row along a curved shoreline, we were in the middle). The highlights of our trip were 1) the snorkelling 2) the staff ( the Manta family as they call it!) who make you never want to leave! You get 4 meal options for lunch and dinner to choose from - lunch is 1 course/ dinner is 3 courses. The food was great! There is no ala carte menu, so if you’re wanting to try fresh seafood or have particular choices, then this might not work for you. There was always a fish dish on the menu though! There was also “Fiji night” on the Saturday night with music, dancing and a kava ceremony. Plenty of variety for 3-4 days to keep you busy!

A tough question! Nothing that comes to mind. But you should know the ferry transfers require you to get from a big boat in to a little boat to get to each island, think of it as a train stop and you get in a water taxi! It was not hard to transfer but it’s something to be aware of. We had two medium sized suitcases- the staff from the resort and the crew on the boat manage all the luggage transfers.

The staff here were amazing, speaking to other guests who had hopped several Yasawa resorts, everyone agreed the staff were the kindest yet. The location is stunning: three beaches and both an eastern and western outlook for sunrises / sunsets, plus heaps of coral and fish as the island is a marine protected zone. There’s also a short hike to a high point on the island which offers a few lookouts that is great in the morning, but can get a little muddy / requires decent shoes). There are 4 resident marine biologists who work to manage and grow the reef (coral planting tours available for about FJD$160), who provide two free marine talk sessions per day, covering the fish, corals, mantas, and other marine species / features. The dive team also holds two free guided snorkels per day, and there are add on options like snorkel safari (FJD$150) and night snorkelling (FJD$90) which are well worth asking about. The dive shop also offers scuba sessions for accredited divers (~FJD$160), a free first-timers’ orientation, and an intro dive up to 12m on the reef (FJD$220) - all of which counts within the SSI system. There are four dorm bures sleeping 8 each, which are positioned right off Manta Beach, and are made of canvas with metal / wood framing, fans, and power points, plus wooden floors. Showers / bathroom facilities are semi-outdoors, with soap, shampoo, and conditioner provided. The staff also hold heaps of activities like hermit crab races, volleyball games, weaving and craft workshops, and often sing after dinner. It’s a great spot for backpackers - they also take card (including contactless) but there is a 3% surcharge.

If you don’t like the food you’re sht out of luck, there are three options (2 meat, 1 veggie) for lunch and dinner, with two options for dinner entree, and breakfast is a buffet. I would say the meals were kind of a pub food style, with moderate-to-generous serving sizes.

This was our first stop on our Yasawa trip and we were blown away, just absolutely magnificent paradisiac place, three beaches, I especially liked that there was one sunrise and one sunset beach to take full advantage of the sun, staff super friendly and accommodated our vegetarian needs, so much fun to be there, nice atmosphere during dinner, very laid back, nice activities with kayak, wonderful waters to swim, just sand and beach and coconut trees, it is an island and there is nothing else, pure nature, we had a blast, want to go back some day

we had to leave

Loved staying at Barefoot Manta. The dorms are surprisingly big inside in the tents and everyone is super respectful of each other’s space and belongings in there (and sleep!!). It was really easy to make friends as a solo traveller too and everyone just banded together during the day and night. The resort set up a table with candles away from the main dining area for someone’s birthday and Mr Tom serenaded us with his guitar, and they provided free prosecco too. Really personal and wonderful experience. Although the food sometimes took some time to come out, it was delicious! The lamb shank especially was a highlight. There’s a hike to see the sunrise but I think it’s better from the beach - quite a few people gather on the beach for it as well. It’s a really lovely ambiance! The staff were all incredibly friendly and made my stay memorable. I would love to come back here!! Personally, I didn’t do the manta trip as I had already seen them in another country a few months ago but during my whole stay, the mantas didn’t appear for anybody. It was a bit of a shame for them but that’s the nature of these trips - seeing them is not guaranteed!

I really loved everything about it but getting back to the mainland and having my own, clean shower was definitely appreciated. The water pressure is bad in the showers on the island.

Beautiful island resort with 3 amazing beaches and great reef locations for snorkelling. Access to the ‘manta channel’ is right from the beach and staff do their best to give the most likely chance of seeing the manta ray. Accommodation felt private and being beachfront was great. The helpful and friendly staff made sure everyone got the experience they hoped for. Good food options, all well cooked and presented.

Bures are very basic with no facilities in the room such as a fridge or kettle. Bures do not lock and there are no safes in the room, only lockers at reception which were all full during our stay. Although the resort felt safe and secure, it would be nice to have peace of mind that your valuables are locked away.

Idyllic tropical paradise. Super friendly staff, and plenty of activities each day, and music most nights. The food choices and quality were very good. Reasonable drink choices, though cocktails could take a very long time. The bure hut we had along the sunset beach was great, and reasonably private (though remembering canvas walls only affords so much privacy!) The walk to the three lookouts wasn't that strenuous and gave a nice view of the area. The snorkeling with manta rays was AMAZING. We saw seven of them - lifetime memories right there. Otherwise the snorkeling along the sunrise beach side was okay - a bit choppy and hazy at times (from sediment stirred up), being exposed to the strong tidal flows compared to more sheltered resort reefs (such as Blue Lagoon/Oarsman's). Still enjoyable and lots of variety in coral and fish.

Freeze-dried coffee only, but not unexpected. Wifi in the common area was generally terrible, and with our Digicel SIM card, we barely had mobile reception or data around the resort as the tower on the hill seemed to be pointing the wrong way (it worked okay at the sunset bar, or from halfway up the lookout hill). No aircon in the canvas huts of course, but we went in 'winter' so it wasn't bad with the ceiling fan running. And our hot-water system for the shower only fired up for about one minute then turned off again for the rest of the shower.

The tented beachfront Queen Bure 18 was a magical beautiful comfortable place to stay with the sound of the ocean and the wind in the palm trees. Our trip was Oct 16-20 2024 and we had ideal weather and perfect conditions for snorkeling except for one afternoon when it rained heavily for 3 hours and it was damp in the Bure that day. I would probably avoid the rainy season November to March. The snorkeling was spectacular right from the beach except for the boat channel sections. There is often a free guided snorkel which is highly recommended. The most beautiful section is between manta beach and sunrise beach, far out from shore just before the drop off into deeper water. The sea was calm and visibility was excellent. If it’s not too windy you can snorkel from sunset beach at high tide, go out to the drop off, then snorkel to the right, snorkel past manta beach, then to sunrise beach where you can exit via the boat channel, this takes about 45 minutes. Huge variety of coral and fish, amazingly beautiful. You can also scuba dive. We heard and read that Barefoot Manta Resort has the best snorkeling in all of Fiji and it seems true. Look at the underwater photos at barefootmantaresort.com; it really does look like that, incredibly healthy beautiful reef. Four marine biologists work at this resort and build the reef by planting more coral. Many sections are sheltered from the wind due to the bays and the channel between the islands, allowing the coral to thrive. We were fortunate to snorkel with the Manta Rays on one of our 5 mornings here. The rest of the time and the previous 2 weeks they were not there. The best time to reliably see the mantas is apparently June-July. The staff are super friendly and fun and they all seem to sing in addition to their regular jobs. The food and entertainment were great. The hike up to the viewpoints was great. The free wifi in the lobby and dining area worked well most of the time.

Some people might find the Bure accommodation too rustic and in the rainy season it will likely be a little damp.

This was one of the best holidays we’ve ever had, and can’t wait to go back again. The staff were all wonderful, so friendly and helpful. Mr Tom in particular was so good with the kids. There were crab races and evening movies for the kid pack. The house reefs were some of the best snorkeling we’ve seen and there’s so many options with reefs on 3 different sides. The coral is so colourful and so many fish. They run twice daily guided snorkel trips off the beach which are well worth joining to find the best areas to go. We also did a boat trip and night snorkel ($99 FJD each) which were well worth it. There’s a whole dive team and there were free try scuba sessions. There are marine biologists on site and they do really interesting talks twice a day, as well as coral regeneration and other eco projects. They really look after their ocean and that comes across, and was a big reason we chose the island. A few others have commented about the food, so we took snacks just in case. But there was plenty of food for us and it was very nice. Especially if you like fish, delicious! There’s also a kids menu. There’s a happy hour daily at the sunset bar which is just beautiful. We were there for 6 nights and could have happily stayed longer. If you love snorkeling and a friendly, relaxed holiday then you’ll love this place. If you’re after more luxury then maybe not.

Nothing

The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The location is stunning, with access to two beautiful beaches and a vibrant reef right off the shore – perfect for snorkeling. I was also lucky enough to see manta rays on my first snorkeling tour.

When there was no buffet, the wait times for food were quite long, and unfortunately, some of the meals were underwhelming and often served cold. The water pressure in the showers was extremely low during most of my stay.

The three beaches they had to offer were all amazing. One for watching the sunset and one other for watching sunrise. Very clean and well kept beaches. The dorms were great for what you pay with a nice view of the beaches and palm trees. Exceptional staff and very chilled back and relaxed yet still professional, felt very at home. The free activities were great, guided snorkel, coconut bowling, cooking class etc. The snorkelling was the best out of all the Islands I went to, very colourful and a wide variety of fish and sharks to see.

Everything was good.