Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# prices at octopus!! advice needed Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Fiji
rachwexford 21:08 UTC 05 Nov 2010 | Hey all!! Myself and my sister are stayin in the Octopus resort for 5 nights arriving Dec 10th. We're stayin in the dorm, just wondering can anyone tell us how much meals and drinks are, and also, what kind of meals are they?? Have been told meal plan in US$70 a day, so not whether to go with that or to just pay as we go? Thanks!! |
prioritymail 21:23 UTC 05 Nov 2010 | LP book says meal plan is compulsory and $45/day. LP Fiji book seems to mix currencies so I'm not sure if this is FJD or USD. If you go to their website, and go through the steps of booking online, they say the meal plan is compulsory and it is 36 USD per day. Also from their website: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner The "Meal Plan" covers all guest meals while on the island. It includes a huge unlimited buffet continental breakfast, a choice of a la carte lunch from the daily lunch menu, and an entree and main course and dessert for the evening meals. | 1
rachwexford 21:39 UTC 05 Nov 2010 | Thanks 4 speedy response:) we booked through Hostel Bookers so nothin was mentioned about the meal plan. When I was lookin at the website I saw the meal plan mentioned, so when confirming our booking by email I enquired about it then, I didnt realise it was compulsory. The price was quoted as $70.00 per day ( breakfast/ lunch / dinner).. I had assumed this price was quoted in american dollars but would be great it was Fijian!!:) | 2
margnkids 23:24 UTC 05 Nov 2010 | We've just come back from Octopus (and my hubby is going back in 2 weeks to do some volunteer work on the island). The dorm beds were US$21 (F$42) and the compulsory meals US$35 (F$70). Being in US $ is great at the moment if you are Australian (and good if you are US!). If you pay out there it will of course be in Fijian $s. The meals are compulsory, like most places in the Yasawas as there is no where else to eat, no shop, no cooking facilities. The meals at Octopus are fabulous, quantity, quality and service. Breakfast has great cereals, fruit, juices, real coffee, muffins, pancakes, omlettes, toast. Most is available to 9.45. You select lunch from a wide variety of options, all huge and so fresh (anything with fish was brilliant, especially the Kokoda). Dinner is quite late (7.30) often 3 course (chocolate mousse! Ice cream!) and they have theme nights (BBQ, curry, seafood, traditional lovo). We never had a dud meal and didn't touch the snacks we took. Considering you can pay the same amount in a 3 star mainland resort for a crap buffet, I think it's wonderful value. Drinks are relatively expensive, this is an islolated island resort and transport costs are high. Fiji beers are about F$5, cocktails the same as the mainland and of course there is Happy Hour. Soft drinks are a pricey F$5, but I think this is more to combat the illicit use of duty free spirits they KNOW people add! Free filtered water is always available at the bar to use at any time, meals or fill up your bottles, so no need to bring or buy any. It's a great place for R & R, lots of entertainment (or none if you wish). Make sure you get over to see the village too. | 3
prioritymail 02:30 UTC 06 Nov 2010 | @rach no problem. hope it helped. @marg how was the ocean conditions out there? i read someone else's review from about a week ago that said it was surging, big waves (of course this is relative, they didn't say in ft/m), and snorkeling wasn;t really possible. | 4
margnkids 05:07 UTC 06 Nov 2010 | Hi Priority, yep that was me lurking in the other place! I don't know how unlucky we were but they were really big seas. We were there for a week; day one we arrived it was "ooh" and "ahh" about the crystal waters, turquoise blue, the fabulous snorkelling right out front. Then we had 3 days of thumping surf! We couldn't get out to snorkel if we wanted (there's a narrow channel cut through the reef for the transfer boats to get in and out, and a rope to help guide snorkellers in and out) it was surging and crashing on the reef. Unfortunately all you could do was romp on the water's edge on the beach at high tide, even on the last day visability was particularly poor for snorkelling which was a shame (we did go on some snorkelling trips away from the island which had better visability). The entertainment of the day was watching the small transfer boats negotiate the channel and the beach (it's called white water rafting on sharp ripping coral!) To management's credit they cancelled boat borne activities, and had people to and from the Yasawa Flyer deposited on the other (calmer) side of the island and hike over. Still, we had 7 glorious days of sunny weather and little to complain about. You can't control nature! | 5
travelling_mike 22:48 UTC 06 Nov 2010 | The meals are generally good at Octopus. As said in #3 the Kokoda is great, but sometimes they run out and just serve tuna steaks, which are ok, but best to check what the fish is. You get to select lunch, but dinner is the same for everyone so let them know if there is anything you can't eat. | 6
rachwexford 15:28 UTC 08 Nov 2010 | thanks for all the info guys!!!! really excited now ;-) | 7