| 06/22/09 |
Positive
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My husband and I just returned from our two weeks in Savusavu, Fiji. We went to Savusavu as our two weeks leave from Iraq and could not have picked a better place. We stayed the entire two weeks at Tropic Splendor and had the times of our lives. Jeff and Susan are exceptional hosts and gave us the complete tour. We visited the local villages, did some shopping for pearls, spent many of nights at the Yacht Club, took a ride on Jeff and Susan's boat into town and enjoyed fishing on the way back. Also, the staff is very friendly and more than willing to make sure your stay is a wonderful one. We would walk down the beach to comb for shells and would return to fresh flowers everywhere throughout the cottage and porch. All the flowers grow throughout the property and I would quiz Frances and Saras on the names of them.....my favorite is the Torch Flower. We also managed to completed 14 dives with Dive N Downunder. Late night walks on the beach, and sleeping to the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore just topped everything off. We are already planning another trip to Savusavu with our children after our tour in Iraq is complete. I have traveled all over the world with the military and I can honestly say that our two weeks at Tropic Slendor was the best yet. I would recommend anyone looking to get away for a relaxed and romantic vacation to check them out.
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Natalie and Bryan, Ball, LA
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| 08/09/08 |
Positive
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| Our stay at Tropic Splendor was truly a unique and fulfilling experience; one of those “special” vacations that we will be talking about and telling our friends about for some time. If you are looking for a private, intimate experience in Fiji, far from the mega-resort “Hawaiian-Waikiki” experience, this is definitely worth considering. We have never met such gracious friendly people in all our travels. Tropic Splendor is a well equipped oceanfront, 1 bedroom studio cottage with a pool on a private 3 acre property that has been extensively landscaped with palms, ginger, heliconia, and many other tropicals. The pictures (as pictures often do) just don’t do it justice. The unique and wonderful feature about Tropic Splendor is the owners Jeff and Susan! You can have as much or as little interaction with them as you wish. The result being Tropic Splendor is more like a private resort instead of just a house for rent. But unlike a resort, aside from buying some extra gas for the boat, you don’t have to constantly have your wallet out to pay for the extra services. If you like, Jeff and Susan have their new guests over for a special welcome dinner on their first night so you can get to know one another and they can give you all the low-down of what is available to do and see. And, on Friday nights it’s become an unofficial tradition that everyone goes into town and meets up with other ex-pats for Happy Hour and dinner. We came to Fiji to snorkel the reefs and we were not disappointed. The underwater scenery, even without diving, was fabulous and in my opinion, was superior to anywhere else we have been. There are several reefs that are easily accessible by kayak from Tropic Splendor and many more that are accessible from Jeff’s motorboat. On the reefs away from shore, the visibility was 80 feet or more and many of the reefs came right to the surface for an extremely close-up experience. Although the fishing was a little slow, there are plenty of pictures of guests with 90 lb tuna and 4 foot long dorado. Jeff and Susan can arrange for locals to provide “special” services including home-cooked Indo-Fijian dinner or a hour-long relaxing massages. And special invitations can be arranged to visit Vunivesi Village, meet some of the villagers and be treated to a very special occasion, a “Meke”, traditional dances and songs performed by the village children. It touched our hearts seeing the innocent, joyful and proud children who shared their traditions and customs with us. If you’re lounging at the beach, you are bound to meet the local ladies from their village who come do to fish. Another very special part of the experience is getting to know Jeff and Susan's Fijian gardener, Penaia, and housekeeper, Frances and nearby Vunivesi Village and learning some of the deep rooted Fijian traditions and customs still very much a part of their everyday lives. Without doubt Tropic Splendor lives up to its name. |
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David Woodrum, Carlsbad, CA
858-736-5846 |
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| 08/07/08 |
Positive
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12:11pm Aug 3, 2008 EST
Susan and Jeff make Tropic Splendor just what the name implies. They work hard to make sure that visitors experience the many facets of Savusavu. Upon our arrival, Sue picked us up at the airport and took us into town, where we were able to obtain groceries. On the way to Tropic Splendor she made stops so that we could photograph some of the outstanding vistas. The first thing we did upon arrival at Tropic Splendor was go for a dip in the bay. It was wonderful after a 10 hour flight! Next on the agenda was a boat ride up the Nasakewa river. It was raining lightly at the time and was just beautiful. The following day Susan took us to Savusavu so that we could be measured for sundresses at one of the local fabric stores. Nothing like having a dress tailor made in a couple of days. We shopped in the market for fresh produce, went to lunch at the Yacht Club, and tried our skills at dickering at the crafts shops. Meanwhile Jeff took our companions snorkeling at some of the fine reef around Savusavu. We toured the Hibiscus highway the following day, where we were able to visit some of Sue and Jeff's friends. Again more breathtaking scenery. The highlight of the trip for me was snorkeling at split rocks. The number of fish and corals was astonishing in a place that was so close to a populated area. The reefs around Fiji are so healthy. The children's meke was another tremendous experience. They were so talented and beautiful. It was fun to see the spear dance, and fan dance put on by the kids. Visiting their village was a treat. The coconut demonstration that Frances and Penaia did was also memorable. They showed us how every bit of the coconut is used in daily life. It is clever the way the baskets are created. So simple and elegant at the same time. While on vacation we stayed at another resort as well, but it paled in comparison to Tropic Splendor. Jeff and Sue pay so much attention to detail that a vacation there is guarenteed to be a pleasure. They make sure that you enjoy the cultural and physical treasures of Fiji.
Vinaka! Patricia Perrings USA
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Patty Perrings, Los Alamos, N.M.
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