Online booking is not offered for this Hostel. Contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed below).
Please see Caqelai Island for other available Caqelai Island hostels and accommodations.
Please see Caqelai Island for other available Caqelai Island hostels and accommodations.
The Hostelz.com Review
The tiny island of Caqalai (pronounced Thung-a-lye) is home to Cagelai Resort, which is well off the tourist route. Most of the island is heavily vegetated and the lovely beaches have plenty of shade, as well as access to some beautiful snorkeling.
Boat crossings to the island can be made either from Ovalau Island (fifteen minutes) or Waidalice on the mainland (fifty minutes). There is no timetable for boat transfers -- it is just on an as-needed basis, so it is necessary to book your transfer with the resort. (Ovalau Water Sports in Levuka are fantastically obliging and can make transfer and accommodation bookings for you). The entrance into mainland Fiji is very scenic. It looks like something out of Africa with a river that snakes through jungley mangrove swamps with fruit bats flying between trees.
As long as the traveller is totally prepared for what Caqelai Island Resort is like, a stay here could be lovely. What is not mentioned to would-be guests is how basic this place is. It is really roughing it. Travelers should have the mindset that they are going camping (in fact, there are tents if you wish). The accommodation is rudimentary (it looks a bit like the huts in Gilligan's Island). Lino-covered sand floors and beds (and sometimes a stool to sit on) are about all these primitive huts have in the way of furnishings. There is a bin (you must empty it yourself in larger receptacles around the resort). There is a broom with which to battle the sand -- although you may as well accept the fact that you will be sleeping in a sandy bed no matter how hard you try. There are a couple of buckets of fresh water outside the huts.
Bed linen is fresh and clean and the mosquito netting over each bed is reassuring. Some of the netting has seen better days with little holes patched up with sticky tape. There are no fly screens on windows. Windows are wooden flaps held open with a stick. And although it's beautiful looking out to sea, you'd be best to close them at night if you don't want a visit from any seaside rodents.
There is no electricity -- no charging of phones or cameras, no kettles, no lighting. However we could have kissed the man who handed out lanterns at nightfall. The path to dining area is also lit with lanterns, although they are turned off quite early. It gets dark quickly -- about 6:00 p.m., with not much dusk. It seems to go from stark daylight to pitch black in the blink of an eye. A little torch is a handy item to pack. In fact we did not have one and a night visit to the toilet was quite scary -- we managed to use the light of our mobile phone (which nearly deadened the battery -- and then of course we could not recharge it!).
The shared facilities include a couple of "dunnies" -- maybe four or five of them scattered around the resort. Single toilets are in a corrugated iron shed with concrete floors. The doors do not always lock properly as some of the locks are threadbare string. There is a tank of water next to each toilet shed with a bucket (help yourself water for flushing). The toilets are your normal cistern and the facilities are kept very clean. There is a little bin inside each toilet and it is emptied daily. (We were not sure if toilet paper was meant to be put in this bin as said item did not seem to flush so well).
Shared showers are once again a couple of corrugated iron sheds. You take in your (cold) bucket of water for bathing. Unless it is a hot day, it is not much fun washing your hair. The best plan would be to arrive as completely sanitized as possible and skipping a bucket shower for as long as possible -- wash hair, shave, and all those sort of ablutions whilst in civilization. Wash your clothes before arrival -- it is not easy to wash clothes in a bucket of water with a cake of soap.
The food is mainly very good and quite spicy. Vegetarian meals can be organized and second helpings provided. Big size serves are plated out in front of you -- it feels a bit like a school camp. Breakfast is more a buffet affair, with cereal, pastries, jam, and copious fruit. You can opt to include in the accommodation price three meals a day or just pay for accommodation. Doing your own meals would be a bit difficult as everything has to be kept completely sealed to avoid ant and other insect infestation. There is a little shop (canteen) there but it does not sell much -- long-life milk, bottled water, Mars Bars, lollipops, soap, and cigarettes. There is an afternoon tea included in the meals, however there is no food -- just tea and coffee. It is a good idea to bring some of your own snacks to supplement their offerings as the canteen runs funny hours and if you're a bit peckish at odd times there is not much you can do.
The dining hut is the only common area and has one long communal table. There is also a couple of stools and bench table outside (for smokers). The shared meals table makes the atmosphere social and relaxed. After dinner there is guitar playing and singing and kava ceremonies. They also have beach bonfires. The island attracts a mixed crowd -- expats living in Suva, families, backpackers, older couples, lone travelers, and divers, so it makes for a very different place to stay.
The staff are friendly but laid-back and prefer you to approach them at your own pace if you desire information. Otherwise they will leave you to your own means. There is no bar there but visitors can bring their own alcohol. However no electricity means no fridge. We took some beers but had to drink them straight away before they got too hot.
It is the perfect place to chill out. Which could be a bit of a Catch-22 as sometimes it is hard to be completely chilled when you need a good hot shower and some clean clothes!
Review by Sandra Canil
Boat crossings to the island can be made either from Ovalau Island (fifteen minutes) or Waidalice on the mainland (fifty minutes). There is no timetable for boat transfers -- it is just on an as-needed basis, so it is necessary to book your transfer with the resort. (Ovalau Water Sports in Levuka are fantastically obliging and can make transfer and accommodation bookings for you). The entrance into mainland Fiji is very scenic. It looks like something out of Africa with a river that snakes through jungley mangrove swamps with fruit bats flying between trees.
As long as the traveller is totally prepared for what Caqelai Island Resort is like, a stay here could be lovely. What is not mentioned to would-be guests is how basic this place is. It is really roughing it. Travelers should have the mindset that they are going camping (in fact, there are tents if you wish). The accommodation is rudimentary (it looks a bit like the huts in Gilligan's Island). Lino-covered sand floors and beds (and sometimes a stool to sit on) are about all these primitive huts have in the way of furnishings. There is a bin (you must empty it yourself in larger receptacles around the resort). There is a broom with which to battle the sand -- although you may as well accept the fact that you will be sleeping in a sandy bed no matter how hard you try. There are a couple of buckets of fresh water outside the huts.
Bed linen is fresh and clean and the mosquito netting over each bed is reassuring. Some of the netting has seen better days with little holes patched up with sticky tape. There are no fly screens on windows. Windows are wooden flaps held open with a stick. And although it's beautiful looking out to sea, you'd be best to close them at night if you don't want a visit from any seaside rodents.
There is no electricity -- no charging of phones or cameras, no kettles, no lighting. However we could have kissed the man who handed out lanterns at nightfall. The path to dining area is also lit with lanterns, although they are turned off quite early. It gets dark quickly -- about 6:00 p.m., with not much dusk. It seems to go from stark daylight to pitch black in the blink of an eye. A little torch is a handy item to pack. In fact we did not have one and a night visit to the toilet was quite scary -- we managed to use the light of our mobile phone (which nearly deadened the battery -- and then of course we could not recharge it!).
The shared facilities include a couple of "dunnies" -- maybe four or five of them scattered around the resort. Single toilets are in a corrugated iron shed with concrete floors. The doors do not always lock properly as some of the locks are threadbare string. There is a tank of water next to each toilet shed with a bucket (help yourself water for flushing). The toilets are your normal cistern and the facilities are kept very clean. There is a little bin inside each toilet and it is emptied daily. (We were not sure if toilet paper was meant to be put in this bin as said item did not seem to flush so well).
Shared showers are once again a couple of corrugated iron sheds. You take in your (cold) bucket of water for bathing. Unless it is a hot day, it is not much fun washing your hair. The best plan would be to arrive as completely sanitized as possible and skipping a bucket shower for as long as possible -- wash hair, shave, and all those sort of ablutions whilst in civilization. Wash your clothes before arrival -- it is not easy to wash clothes in a bucket of water with a cake of soap.
The food is mainly very good and quite spicy. Vegetarian meals can be organized and second helpings provided. Big size serves are plated out in front of you -- it feels a bit like a school camp. Breakfast is more a buffet affair, with cereal, pastries, jam, and copious fruit. You can opt to include in the accommodation price three meals a day or just pay for accommodation. Doing your own meals would be a bit difficult as everything has to be kept completely sealed to avoid ant and other insect infestation. There is a little shop (canteen) there but it does not sell much -- long-life milk, bottled water, Mars Bars, lollipops, soap, and cigarettes. There is an afternoon tea included in the meals, however there is no food -- just tea and coffee. It is a good idea to bring some of your own snacks to supplement their offerings as the canteen runs funny hours and if you're a bit peckish at odd times there is not much you can do.
The dining hut is the only common area and has one long communal table. There is also a couple of stools and bench table outside (for smokers). The shared meals table makes the atmosphere social and relaxed. After dinner there is guitar playing and singing and kava ceremonies. They also have beach bonfires. The island attracts a mixed crowd -- expats living in Suva, families, backpackers, older couples, lone travelers, and divers, so it makes for a very different place to stay.
The staff are friendly but laid-back and prefer you to approach them at your own pace if you desire information. Otherwise they will leave you to your own means. There is no bar there but visitors can bring their own alcohol. However no electricity means no fridge. We took some beers but had to drink them straight away before they got too hot.
It is the perfect place to chill out. Which could be a bit of a Catch-22 as sometimes it is hard to be completely chilled when you need a good hot shower and some clean clothes!
Review by Sandra Canil
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2006
Caqalai Resort Details
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(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Location/Contact| Address | Caqelai Island, Fiji |
| Website | None (if you know the URL of their website, tell us and we'll add it) |
| Telephone | +679 875 1244 / +679 362 0388 |
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