Smugglers Cove is one of the hostels that FeeJee Experience recommends you stay at before your tour begins (as well as the place you stay on your last night on the mainland before you head to the islands) and it makes a great start to the trip. The staff are friendly (albeit always on ‘Fiji time’), and the setting is gorgeous…it’s got a small pool and is right on the beachfront, which makes for some incredible sunset views.
We were in the dorm, which costs roughly $20 (about £7), and although it is perhaps the biggest dorm I’ve ever stayed in (30 beds), it’s actually quite pleasant. The room is partitioned into sections with four beds in each, and each bed comes with its own locker and reading light.
There is a girl’s and a boy’s bathroom in the dorm, one at either end, which are clean and tidy, although a little small, with only two toilets and two showers…it’s all about timing if you’re going to compete with everyone else in the dorm for the shower!
The food is also a plus for Smugglers, all of it is really tasty (I’d recommend the curry and the pizza), although it can take a while to get your food sometimes! They also provide free breakfast and have a laundry room, with two washers and two dryers, and a computer room and wifi (both with global gossip costing $4 per half hour). It’s also not too far from the airport and they have a shuttle bus to pick you up (but not take you back), which is always convenient.
So overall, it’s very nice place to stay, probably even nicer if you get a private room. But on a budget, this is a hostel I would definitely recommend.
Dates stayed: 20 April & 24 April 2012
My Rating:
Overall: 86%
Atmosphere: 85%
Cleanliness: 85%
Location: 90%
Staff: 75%
Safety: 80%
Value for Money: 80%
Roo Around The World 