Based on the positive reviews we read of this resort, our family was looking forward to our 11 night stay at Paradise Cove. Unfortunately we we very disappointed by our experience there. To start with there are some great positives of the resort: - The food is exceptional at both the main restaurant and at the Japanese restaurant. - The wonderful service and friendliness from all the Fijian staff at the resort was appreciated. - The snorkeling and diving at and around the resort are great. Kids club was great. - The island across the channel from Paradise Cove called "The Beach House Villas" are fantastic. However, the negatives of the resort far outweigh the positives and actually made us look forward to leaving the resort after 11 days there. Firstly, I had read a few reviews from previous visitors that staying in rooms close to the bar and restaurant was not pleasant due to the continuous noise from the bar. As such, 1 month prior to our visit I sent an email to the resort asking them for a room as far away from the bar and restaurant as possible due to our preference for a quieter environment to enjoy our holiday. This request was completely ignored and we were actually allocated a room less than 5 meters from the bar (Villa 19), that bordered on the staff entrance to the kitchen and restaurant. The noise in this room from the loud music at the bar was so bad that we immediately asked to be moved to a different room. Our request was again rejected by the resort front office. I had to make my unhappiness very clear to the resort Assistant General Manager who indicated that he would need to speak to the General Manager. We were then allocated a room about 10 meters away from our initial room (Villa 17). However, as the villas do not have any form of sound proofing and due to this resort deeming it necessary to play loud music with heavy bass until after 10pm every night, I paid to move us to the island across the channel from Paradise Cove in a villa called the Beach House. Also, as the villas are all on top of each other at this resort, if you have even slightly noisy neighbors it's like you are pretty much living in their villa as you can hear absolutely everything. I'm sure many people enjoy really loud music with heavy base and noisy neighbors living on top of you, unfortunately we are not those people and this ruined our experience at Paradise Cove. There are also numerous maintenance issues at the resort. Our safe did not work and took the resort 3 days to fix. Many of the wooden shutters in the villas are broken and do not close properly. Therefore trying to close the shutters to limit the noise does not actually work. The tiles around the pools at "The Cove" section of the resort are extremely slippery and dangerous. We had a ceiling fan that did not work and had to be replaced. We had an air-conditioning unit that was blocked and was dripping water all over our room. Although these items were fixed after reporting them, it should not be the guest's responsibility to report on maintenance issues. Finally, another really disappointing part of our stay was the walking trail around the island. The only walking trail goes directly behind the resort and no attempt is made to shield guests from exposed wires, sewage tanks, shipping containers and other unpleasant back of house sights that guests should not see. This is also the road that guests need to take when arriving or leaving by helicopter. There were many other issues we experienced at the resort and we left Paradise Cove thinking that there is no way this is a 5 star resort as they claim. Having previously stayed at Vomo, LikuLiku and Inter-Continental Fiji, all of which we absolutely loved, this unfortunately will go down as a very disappointing experience for us.

This resort has the potential to be one of the best in Fiji, thanks to its good infrastructure and beautiful beaches. However, I encountered several significant issues during my stay: - They should be upfront about all fees to avoid any hidden charges. - Ordering food can be a nightmare if you've got any dietary restrictions, as mistakes are pretty common. -Good luck finding their real number; it's like a puzzle and a code to break and if so, communication with the team was tough and inconsistent, especially regarding fees, leading to contradicting information. - There were frequent overcharging errors for services that weren't provided, which could be easily avoided if signatures were required for all services. Make sure to review your bill before checking out. - During the high season, the resort is overrun with kids, making it noisy and a bit like a high school playground. - Visiting during Christmas can be problematic due to the hurricane season, with a high chance of spending most of your holiday break stuck in your room. In short, carefully reconsider visiting during the high season or hurricane season, and make sure you’re clear about your package and billing details with the resort."