Palmlea Farms Lodge & Bures - Villas

What an experience with a marvelous host! We honestly booked this place last minute and didn't know what we were in for. We arrived and were warmly welcomed with coconut water and a tour of the facility. This place has quite a story, so if you have time to sit down with Julie for a glass of wine, it's a great experience. Our adventures included: a nature walk down to the wharf (avoiding cows along the way), swimming in the lap pool, the photos don't show how big it really is, a trip to the local village where we hiked up the mountain in the distance, and all the amazing fresh food one could ask for. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and recommend this place as a great off the beaten path location.

My family of six stayed at Palmlea for 4x nights (1-4 November, 2023). Julie was an excellent and attentive host, Liti was a great cook always responsive to our needs, and Faisal was prompt in getting the pool ready for use after we arrived. The farm is a relatively small operation, and I would suggest that guests have that in mind when visiting (e.g. we had to provide a few hours notice if we planned to eat at the resort that day/night, and organised our snorkelling trip prior to arriving by email). Julie and Liti were however always clear with communicating these expectations on our arrival, and this definitely improved our stay and the service they were able to offer us. The food throughout our stay was excellent (highly recommend Liti’s lamb curry) and we were welcome to help ourselves to drinking water (the farm’s has its own well supply connected up to taps) which saved us having to rely on bottled water. We also organised a snorkelling day-trip, which took us out to a nearby sand-bar out past the Cakaulevu reef, which was really enjoyable and reasonably priced. Reaching Palmlea farm from the main road does require some guess work if you’re not familiar with Labasa, as there isn’t any clear signage visible on the main road you need to turn off. However, we were able to get in contact with Liti quickly who guided us back on track. The final 3km section of road leading to the farm can also be tricky to traverse after a heavy rain. However, it was manageable otherwise (and wouldn’t be a problem in 4WD) and I’m confident Julie and Liti would’ve been able to help us sort out an alternative option. The only other point to note is that the resort runs solely on solar power, which means you need to be conscious of your power usage during the day, because it will have an impact on how much you have over night. This resulted in the fans in our room turning off at around 10 or 11 each night, which was a bit uncomfortable at times with the Babasiga climate. Having a battery-powered small back-up fan for these instances would’ve been a great solution. Also suggest guests with electronics bring a decent power bank with you. All in all though, we had a great stay and found the hospitality from Julie and Liti excellent! This is also a very reasonably priced accomodation option relative to the alternatives available in Labasa, especially considering the overall quality of the location, food and service. We would definitely plan to stay here again in future!

Having stayed at a few resorts and hotels during my stay in Fiji. This one just stands out in my memory. The location is brilliant as your an easy drive from the nearest town, yet perfectly isolated in the beautiful Vanua Levu countryside. With an ocean view too!! I mean what more could you want?!?! The place is outstandingly well kept, with cosy and clean private lodges. The pool is probably the best pool I’ve seen in a hotel EVER. Why are all the other pools in Fiji so small?? Most hotel reviews from me would end here, but I will finish with an ode to the staff we met there. The owner was so kind and friendly, making us feel welcome before we had even had a chance to put down our bags. Liti is the best chef I’ve come across in my travels. The food, while reasonably priced, was fresh, delicious and presented with love. She was so accommodating and made us feel so at home. If you don’t stay here during your stay in Vanua Levu, consider your holiday wasted!!!!

A lovely quiet place, ideal for a break from the hectic pace of life. The beautiful setting, excellent food, library and lovely 25m swimming pool makes for a restful holiday. If you want to be more active they do have kayaks, and have local contacts for day tours and snorkeling. We will definitely be back.

We were traveling by yacht around Fiji and anchored off Palmlea in about 5 metres in the safe secure anchorage, tied the dinghy up at the jetty and followed the well defined path up to the Palmlea resort bistro. Despite not having a booking Julie made us very welcome and we enjoyed a delicious meal at a very reasonable price. Would highly recommend dinner at Palmlea.

Palmlea was a peaceful haven …down a winding road that had me questioning if I was on the right one. It turned out to be an amazing experience that made my birthday memorable and special. The chocolate cake was delicious with real butter icing. The fresh and delicious food, the ambience of the main dining area, the friendly welcoming staff and Julie, a gracious host, made my stay exceptional. Anna