Salt Lake Lodge

We loved this special place. We wanted to stay a little bit out of town for the peace and privacy. It was so serene and I loved the sounds of nature as I fell to sleep and woke. All the staff we met were lovely, Lili, Simon, Jr, Maria and Osea. Thank you for taking care of us. Nothing was too much trouble. Breakfasts were lovely washing returned quickly. I chose to have the Chef service during my stay and it was the best decision. Thank you Osea, we loved every dish. I hope to return soon to see everyone again and explore more of the river / activities. Thank you all, I loved meeting you all.

If you are looking for peace and quiet in a lovely setting, this place is for you. There are only 2 rooms (which are pleasant and adequate), but the best part is the lovely covered deck and deck chairs to enjoy the river & mangroves, & waking up to the sounds of the river & birds. The staff are lovely and accomodating. The lodge is on a tidal river and it is worth kayaking around to salt lake (ask the staff -Solo, Lili, Simon or Osea for details on best time to go). It’s located 30 mins outside of Savusavu, so it’s easiest if you have your own car to get around, but they can organise transfers for you otherwise. There is not much to do which is perfect for what we wanted; although there are activities listed that the staff can organise if you want. You can opt to pay for meals to be made for you, but we self catered (lunch & dinner) and we’re allowed to use the kitchen. We didn’t have mobile reception at the lodge (Digicel) but they have wifi. A lovely hidden spot in the hidden paradise- highly recommended for those wanting a unique peaceful experience.

Trying to find fault with this place is impossible.Even the dogs (Oli and Coco) are super friendly.Solo and his team do absolutely everything to please his guests.Lovely complimentary breakfast.The perfect peaceful location,20 minutes from town which is a beautiful drive.Plenty of activities for the energetic type with free use of kayak’s to paddle up or down the river.The room was perfect for us with everything in it that was needed including a daily service if required (by lovely Maria),we stayed for 5 nights so didn’t need a service.The room also had aircon and a bar fridge to keep the beers and wine chilled.The shared kitchen sounded a bit daunting for us before we arrived but don’t be put off by that.It was fantastic with absolutely everything you could need.With only one other villa there it never gets crowded.They will honestly do everything they can to make your stay a memorable one.This place is a must.Vinaka Solo and team.Senga na lenga.Sota tale my friends.

We can highly recommend the Salt Lake Lodge! My husband and two boys (15, 8) and I stayed here two nights. No one had booked the other accommodation, so we had the place to ourselves! It was so peaceful and quiet right there on the river. We had the kingfisher bure, which was spacious enough for the four of us. The beds were comfortable, AC kept us cool at night, and the screens over the windows kept the bugs out during the day. Even with the AC on, the bed in the loft was too warm, so my younger son just slept on extra pillows on the main level. Even though the safe wasn’t working, we were able to lock our room and felt like our things were safe enough that way, especially with how remote the place was and the minimal staff. We took advantage of and enjoyed kayaking, tubing, and hand line fishing. Use of the kayaks was free; tubing on the river and hand line fishing had a reasonable cost attached. Kayaking and tubing down the river to the Salt Lake and back was beautiful in the early morning and at sunset, when the tide was going the right direction. (Caution: the tube did leave black marks on my swim shirt, but they came out with stain remover.) Solo, the manager on location, also helped my husband and son arrange a snorkeling tour to Split Rock with someone from his village, which they loved and was less expensive than what our second resort charged. One of the best things about the lodge was the chef, Hosea. Breakfast was complimentary, and we asked him to also cook us lunch and dinner. We didn’t know what we were going to get, just knew we didn’t want to cook for ourselves. After a delicious pancake breakfast with sliced bananas and homemade coconut milk syrup that tasted like caramel (scrambled eggs and fruit for me, since I eat gluten free), he sat down with us to plan lunch and dinner. We decided from the yummy sounding options he came up with, and then he left to buy the ingredients. [Note: Having him cook was FJD100 (lunch and dinner for the four of us), plus the cost to buy the food (about FJD80) and a FJD30 transportation cost to town and back. Which was still relatively inexpensive and very well worth it.] Both lunch and dinner were beautifully presented and delicious! We could see he was a professional, which was confirmed as we talked to him about his love of cooking and his history cheffing at some famous resorts in the area. Overall, we loved our stay and wished we could stay longer!

Now this was an experience! You are very very cut off with no internet nor phone access at all. But Simon might take you on the boat to the sea for a “message race”, or you can take a walk along the road to a bend where there will be connection. But - you can also walk off on the road that leads you high up on the mountain. The view is spectacular from there! And, up there you’ll have full wifi access. By the jetty you can watch colourful fish swimming. And for fun you can take a canoe and go with the tide out to the ocean, snorkel about a bit and then hop in the canoe and follow the tide back to the hut after a couple of hours - Because the river outside is tidal and fills the salt water lake that you will pass if you take the hike I previously mentioned. Your care takers are fun, chatty, super helpful and full of top notch advice. Talk to them. This island is huge! And sooooo beautiful. And people shouting Bula (it actually means “life” - how beautiful is that???) at you as you pass will leave the smile on your face for a long time. The downside for me at the lodge was the isolation. I came in an unfortunate time as well since everyone were celebrating new years. So for a couple of days there was nobody around at all. Tip here: Rent a car! Vinaka vakalevu

My husband and I stayed here for three nights and we were so sad to leave at the end of our stay! The people who work here really take pride in the lodge and all seem to genuinely like working there together. The food prepared by Osea was the absolute best we had in our entire month long trip, and the breakfast that he prepared was the best breakfast that I have ever had. If you are trying to decide whether paying for meals is worth it, just do it, you will not regret it! The lodge itself is really beautiful and a very relaxing place to be, but it is really the people who work here that make the place so amazing.