Novotel Suva Lami Bay 4 stars

Average hotel, Foyer had been refurbished and had good views. Staff sub par/ confused / didn't know what they were tasked with. Requested extended checkout at 1pm. Was doing work. Was interrupted at 10.30 before standard checkout for cleaning, phone didn't work so they asked all guests what time the would checkout around 10.40. From there I had no less than 6 interruptions from staff wanting to clean the room before 1pm. I was unable to digest breakfast which was expensive but tiny. I find the food around "top" hotels in Suva to be OK at best. Breakfast was especially poor. I ordered breakfast and was then told I could use the buffet. I ordered orange juice trunking it would be bottled or squeezed. It did not come and I asked only to be told to use the buffet orange juice which was poor at best. So no point in paying for drunks. Muffins were old. Portion of bought breakfast was small. I subsequently threw it up in my room. I didn't bother following morning and went out to eat. Room view was excellent. Rooms had been refurbished. Shower head was a mess. Water pressure is high and would blow the head off the holder and spray the place. Was a cheap arrangement. Glasses went missing. Heard someone exiting my room in the middle of the night as the latch clicked. Corridor outside is like a hospital, noise rings up and down. The cleaning staff are easily heard all morning as it reverts up and down. No elevators in the place so stairs only. I'm not steady on my feet. Other top hotels are a little better but no true good hotels here except gph but you can pay a lot a night as they know it. Overall not value for money. Crime is high. Better off on the Westside as nothing to do or see here and stay in a resort where you won't be charged either the standard 20 or 50 dollar foreigner rate. More than half won't bother with a meter. When they did it was about half which is probably local rates. Summary won't go back here. Better value elsewhere. The star rating is 3 at best once you get out of the foyer.

Typically, I face a lot of challenges when I facilitate workshops and retreats at resorts and hotels. Usually it's because they can't cater for my vegan and gluten-free dietary needs. This time, I was pleasantly surprised. Every meal and snack for my 2-day retreat was delicious and to my specifications. I didn't have a single allergic reaction, and I realized this should be the norm. To top it off, the staff was very efficient with providing AV support, wifi access, being responsive to our needs for extra materials, and being very diligent with disaster risk management - there was a heavy rain/flood warning on Day 2 of our retreat. They were kind and helpful when I needed outdoor spaces to conduct mindfulness exercises. Radini in particular was very attentive and helpful. I really felt very taken care of, and I highly recommend Novotel for workshops. I've been treated poorly at other resorts, so this was a delight!

The Novotel Hotel in Lami has always been my favourite spot to stay in Suva. For years I used it on my travels when visiting Suva on business trips from Taveuni. Because of Covid and a brand-new renovation the hotel was closed for a few years. Am glad to say it is now reopened and my wife and I took the opportunity to book a little honeymoon night at the resort. I would have to say the room was great, the staff on reception were overly kind along with the booking agent over the phone. The new manager Mareile and her husband Rainer made the time to reach out and say hello which I found them both to be very kind. The main thing I would say is the great food at the Novotel. As a long-time resident of Fiji, I always found it hard to find healthy food in the restaurants. Here I would say the menu is loaded with many items. I look forward to visiting again soon even just for the food and the great latte coffee. My wife and I are close by now living in Pacific Harbour and we will visit here a lot. See you soon Rainer. PS the view is unbelievable on Lami Bay and minutes only from Suva city.

My wife booked this hotel for the summer of 2020. The trip had to be canceled because of the pandemic. It took us over a year to get a refund from Hotelsone.com. After initially sending some information one time the Novotel Suvi Lami Bay went silent and refused to answer muitple calls or emails requesting the booking date. If you need information from them don't expect to get it. That could be a problem for you if something needs to be worked out.

We stopped overnight in Suva on the way to Levuka, and had booked another couple of nights on return from Levuka to laze around and to do some shopping in Suva before returning to Nadi. The first night we used our Accorplus free night, the other two nights were booked by calling the hotel and making the booking directly. So we were staggered when we arrived to find that the restaurant and bars were not operating. No one mentioned that to us at all. Lami Bay is 15 minutes out of Suva so our decision to eat in and relax was effectively shot to pieces. While we were in Levuka, we decided we were not prepared to stay the extra two nights under these circumstances so on our return, we cancelled. Apart from the irritation that no one told us that we would not be able to eat or have a drink at the hotel, I don't understand why the restaurant/bar was closed anyway. The Novetel in Nadi is operating with a restaurant open, as are many hotels on the western side: ShangriLa, Marriott Momi Bay, Radisson ... Other hotels in Suva have their restaurants open. Why not Lami Bay? Please note that the service rating below is based on the restaurant being closed. The staff we dealt with were lovely.