Mantaray Island is part of the Yasawa chain of islands off of Fiji’s coast. The island is uninhabited except for the Mantaray Island resort located here. To reach the island, the easiest way is to take the high speed ferry from Port Denarau known as the Yasawa Flyer. You can prebook your tickets online and they conveniently also offer airport pickups to the port.
After boarding the ferry, get comfortable because it will take around 2.5 hours to reach Mantaray Island. During that time, you can move around the cabin and also sit on the deck up front to work on your tan. As you arrive, the resort will send a smaller boat to transfer you and your luggage over to the island.
The Resort
The Rooms
We stayed in the Family Reef Bure which was located right on the beach. The room was very comfortable albeit a bit small. The beach bungalows (Reef Bure) felt private and they had their own little slice of beach just in front. During my time here, I barely saw anyone else on the beach and never had to fight anyone for a beach chair. The tropical outdoor bathroom was gorgeous!! It was surrounded by lush plants and beautiful walls. After having stayed at the Barefoot Kuata Island, I was so thankful that the rooms here had AC to beat the heat and humidity. The rooms had a wrap around deck with a comfortable outdoor sofa.
While the Reef Bures all featured private bedrooms and bathrooms, the hotel also had some dorm style accomodations available at a more budget friendly price.
Food and Dining
Since there is no other restaurant on the island, the resort’s restaurant is the only place to dine. You will need to pay for the mandatory meal plan which includes 3 meals per day. Food was generally pretty good both in quantity and quality. The breakfast included eggs, which was a welcome improvement after coming from the Barefoot Kuata Resort. The menu for lunch and dinner were written on the blackboard at the entrance of the restaurant and varied frequently. I'd suggest bringing some trail mix and granola bars to snack on in between meals if you get tend to get hungry after a swim. Alcoholic drinks are not included in the meal plan.
Wifi is technically available but the signal is so weak and cuts out often that it's really only useful for occasionally sending messages. When I visited, the only place the Wifi was available was at the restaurant. In a way this is nice because it adds to that remote feeling and really helped me disconnect and fully enjoy my vacation. Forget about working remotely from here through or uploading or watching videos.
Activities
Mantarays
I visited this island mainly for the chance to snorkel with the Manta Ray but unfortunately I did not see any. The trips are run whenever Mantas are spotted in the channel between the nearby island so you never have any advance notice or schedule for this trip. Just alert the staff that you are interested in the trip and they will notify you if they plan to go.
Village Visit
I signed up to visit a local Fijian Village which I think was well worth the trip. We got to speak to the local Fijians, learn a bit about their way of life and sustainable practices, learn how the resort and community work together. I also visited a school and brought some colouring books and crayons which was much appreciated by the teachers. If you are planning to visit, I highly recommend bringing some presents. I had read that while candy is highly appreciated, it's recommended not to bring any due to the high rates of diabetes.
Snorkelling
Snorkelling from the beach is the best snorkelling I have ever experienced, easily rivalling the Great Barrier Reef given that you can just walk off the beach and the corals were stunning and full of life. I recommend bringing your own mask and snorkel. Although they were available from the dive shop, they were out when Felix wanted some. Since then, we always travel with at least our own masks and it's also better to wear your own mask as you’ll be more comfortable and it’s less likely to leak water and give you trouble in the water. I always bring my own fins as well as they are light enough and work well for both snorkelling and scuba diving.
No snorkelling is allowed in the afternoons
Low tide is during the afternoon and they put out a sign that no snorkelling is allowed because it's too easy to damage the corals. I loved seeing them taking care of their island and heritage. During my recent trip to Mauritius, I saw tourists standing on the corals without anyone giving it a second though.
Unfortunately a lot of the activities take place in the morning and given that snorkelling is forbidden in the afternoon, you'll need to plan your day accordingly to ensure you have lots to do! I also wanted to go scuba diving but it didn’t fit into my schedule. Make sure you check the ferry’s schedule as they only pass by once per day to pick up guests so you often have to fit all your activities in the mornings.
I very much enjoyed my visit to the Mantaray Island resort and Fiji in general and I cannot wait to visit again. I think they have done an amazing job at preserving their reefs.
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