Great Place - Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, Kadavu Island, Fiji - TripAdvisorWe stayed 5nights at Matava, going home on Nov. 17. I have nothing but praise.Matava was perfect for us, but do your homework to see if it's for you. If you want blowdryers, boutiques, pools and fancy, skip this. Kadavu is gorgeous, and Matava provided us with everything we needed. The setting is stunning, and our bure felt very private. The showers were nice and warm, good pressure and I had enough water. Food was absolutely amazing. Bed was comfy and a mosquito net was provided.There was no a/c, but we didn't miss it. The breezes were more than fine to cool us off.We had an oceanview bure (bulubulu) and it was perfect. I didn't see the inside of a honeymoon bure, but was glad I didn't have to trek up all those steps every time I wanted something, though the views are spectacular from there.If you're on the fence over which bure to get, please be assured that the oceanview is very nice.The wonderful folks at Matava take excellent care of you. My brother called them and told them I was celebrating my 50th birthday, and they surprised me with a beautifully decorated birthday cake and singing.If you've read any other reviews, you know Maggie is an absolute hoot. George is too. All the staff were friendly and helpful. Loved, loved the meke!! (fyi a spa is in the works)We don't dive, but love to snorkle and kayak. There was tons for us to do, and we had the place to ourselves in the day. We signed up for the adventure package incldg 1 day kayak. Loved all of it!Waya Island is a very short kayak away, with gorgeous beaches, some of the best snorkeling I have ever done, and privacy.I could go there every day of my life and be an extremely happy woman! If this is your style, for God's sakes go! Do not miss it!
Jan 31, 2012
Great Place - TripAdvisor
Jan 24, 2012
6 Island Escapes to Take Your Mind Off Winter
Long Beach, Fiji (Digital Vision/Getty Images)
Kadavu, Fiji
Kadavu, the smallest and least developed of Fiji’s “big” islands, is best known for scuba diving and bird watching. But if you’ve got to have your beach fading out of sight in both directions, this miles-long sandy stretch on the island is for you.
Jan 8, 2012
Vacation with a Green Conscience at Matava Fiji's Premier Eco Resort | Peachy Green
Matava Fiji's Premier Eco Resort is big fun on a small energy budget
Let’s be realistic. Travel usually leaves a big carbon footprint. Even among the most eco-sensitive of us, its hard to get away without wasting energy and using fuel.
But, you can vacation with a green conscience atMatava Fiji’s Premier Eco Resort. Located on Kadavu, south of the main Fiji island, Matava is a100% off-grid, solar powered resort that uses minimal electricity while providing maximum fun!
Only 22 guests at a time can be accommodated at Matava. All meals are prepared on site and served community style.
Matava offers diving, snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, boating, ocean swimming, bird watching and more. It is nestled near the beach, surrounded by tropical rain forest. Because there are no roads that reach this area of the island, everything must be brought in or out by boat – or grown locally. When I visited last week, the main attraction for the other guests was the amazing scuba diving (something I will have to take up soon!)
Day dawning at Matava Fiji's Premier Eco Resort
Matava has its own organic gardens which provide fruits, vegetables and herbs for its menu. Extra seeds are provided to families in nearby villages, too. Several times a month, recyclable materials from Matava – including plastics and paper – are picked up and hauled out by boat. No pesticides or herbicides are used at the resort.
Matava Fiji’s Premier Eco Resort has been awarded a number of honors and accolades as a result of its green practices. These include:
- Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Award, Marine Environment Category (World Travel Show 2010)
- Excellence in Tourism Award (Accommodation Budget 1999)
- Project Aware Marine Environmental Award
- Founder: Shark-Free Marina
Pristine, preserved environment at Matava on Kadavu, Fiji
Several important causes of Matava Fiji’s Premier Eco Resort are:
- Saving sharks
- Educating villagers about environmental preservation
- Minimizing energy use
- Working to establish and maintain marine reserves
- Coral reef education and preservation
Not only is Matava involved in education and raising awareness locally concerning environmental issues, but the resort also has resources for its guests to review.
Community outreach is a primary focus of Matava, as well. The owners believe that, by teaching young children the importance of sustainability and preservation at an early age, they will grow up with a deep understanding of and respect for natural resources.
Can you believe it – a resort that not only conserves energy and helps the environment as a result of its own practices, but also works to encourage others to do the same!
Yes, you can vacation with a green conscience at Matava Fiji’s Premier Eco Resort.
Jan 6, 2012
Matava is the Grand Diamond prize @ The Happy Hearts Love Sharks Wedding Contest | Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort
Calling all eco-conscious couples – how would you like a honeymoon in a certified eco-resort in stunning Fiji?
By making your wedding shark-free, you can show respect to both your guests and our oceans as well as earning the opportunity to win a fabulous prize!
Enter the Happy Hearts Love Sharks – Hong Kong wedding contest now.…
- Return international flights, for 2 people, from Hong Kong to Fiji’s Nadi airport*
- Return domestic flight transfers, for 2 people, from Nadi to Kadavu island*
- Return boat transfers from Kadavu airport to Matava, Fiji’s premier eco-adventure resort*
- 6 night’s accommodation in an oceanview bure at Matava
- 8 dives (4 x 2-tank morning dives) for two with Mad Fish Dive Centre, Matava’s on site PADI 5 Star Dive Centre and unlimited all day shore diving at The Critter Junction (NB. For non-divers, scuba diving package can be exchanged for other resort activities)
- Traditional Lovo Feast and Kava ceremony
- All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, unlimited tea/coffee)
- All taxes for food/accommodation at Matava*
*Winners must pay taxes and surcharges for flights. Availability for the grand prize flights and accommodation package will be subject to blackout dates to be confirmed in the winner’s Grand Diamond Prize confirmation letter.
Enter contest now!
The Happy Hearts Love Sharks Wedding Contest
The Happy Hearts Love Sharks wedding contest was originally created in 2009 by Canadian shark conservation group Shark Truth.
Originally run purely as a Facebook competition to reward couples who had already held a shark fin free wedding, Shark Truth had 16 couples making their pledge public in the first year and 27 couples in the second – with a combined total of 10,000 bowls of shark fin soup prevented from being served.
In 2011, Shark Truth gave HK Shark Foundation exclusive rights to launch a Hong Kong version of the contest.
Along with partners EcoVision Asia, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Humane Society International, HKSF developed a new vision for the contest, which included extending its reach beyond purely the Facebook community, to include interested couples in China, and also targetting couples in the planning stages of their weddings so that we might influence those who had not previously considered having a shark-free wedding.
When our vision attracted the support of the sophisticated high society magazine Hong Kong Tatler and of the popular bridal publication Darizi, as well as a sea of awesome prize sponsorships, we knew we had something special to offer. And so the Hong Kong edition of Happy Hearts Love Sharks was born…
Pledge to make your wedding shark-free and enter the contest now!
The Cause
By making your wedding shark-free, you can help keep our oceans in harmony.
Humans need healthy oceans
Our oceans are a precious natural resource that should be conserved for future generations. They are a valuable source of food and livelihoods and play an important role in regulating our climate (about half of the oxygen we breathe every day is generated through the photosynthesis of tiny oceanic organisms called marine phytoplanktons!).
Healthy oceans need healthy shark populations
Sharks play a vital role in maintaining the delicate balance of our marine ecosystems. As apex predators, sharks sit at the top of the marine food chain and help regulate the abundance and diversity of the marine life beneath them. Declining shark populations have a direct impact on the health of our oceans.
Sharks need people to say NO to shark fin!
Unsustainable demand for the Chinese delicacy Shark Fin Soup is causing a crisis in our oceans. The fins of up to 73 million sharks are thought to be traded each year – that’s 200,000 sharks per day! Along with habitat destruction, such massive overfishing has caused the dramatic decline of many shark populations, with some dwindling by up to 90%. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), around one third of all shark species are now threatened or near threatened with extinction. Extinction is forever so, please, make your wedding shark-free now.
For more information, please visit the FAQs on the HK Shark Foundation’s website.
Why say NO to shark fin
Shark-free weddings are sophisticated and environmentally conscious and, by serving a suitable alternative to shark fin soup, you can both respect your guests and our oceans.
Shark Finning is cruel, wasteful and unsustainable
Many people also condemn shark-finning because it is cruel. The sharks are usually still alive when thrown back overboard. They are unable to breathe because, without their fins, they cannot swim and pass water over their gills so, instead, they sink to the sea bed where they slowly suffocate.
Shark fin soup: All symbol, no substance.
Traditionally, only emperors and the wealthy elite ate shark fin soup. Today, however, shark fin is a widely affordable luxury, thanks to the rising mass affluence in China and the global growth of industrialized fishing methods. Now, shark fin soup is a standard feature of Chinese banqueting menus and serving it is seen as a symbol of wealth and of respect for guests.
Interestingly, the shark fins have no taste and no nutritional or medicinal value on their own. All of the soup’s taste and goodness comes from the stock, which is normally made from chicken. The fins are added partly to give texture but mainly as a status symbol – and status is no reason to fish a species to extinction.
Enter the competition now and pledge to have your wedding shark-free.
For more information, please visit the FAQs on the HK Shark Foundation’s website.
Enter contest now!
Calling all sophisticated bridal couples! By making your wedding shark-free, you can show respect to both your guests and our oceans as well as earning the opportunity to win a fabulous prize! Enter the Happy Hearts Love Sharks – Hong Kong wedding contest now.…
Links
Jan 5, 2012
Jan 3, 2012
Once in a lifetime holiday! TripAdvisor
My Husband and I stayed at the Matava November last year and I am counting down the time until we can get back there. I was certified as a scuba diver there and my teacher was brilliant! One on one training - what more could you ask for!
The food was "to die for" and being a foodie didn’t expect such wonderful & new culinary delights!!
Our Hostess with the mostess “Maggie” was so warm, friendly & funny I would go back just to spend another week with her! Love Ya Mags!!.
The Directors Richard, Adrian & Stuart well who could ask for better people to get to know and enjoy such wonderful company with! Bula Guys!!
The accommodation was peaceful and comfortable and all the staff were fantastic! As a first time diver I couldn’t ask for a better place to learn to dive! Can’t wait to see you all again soon!
XOXOXOX JULIE & DAVID XOXOXOX
Review of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort
Dec 27, 2011
Renewable Energy Developing in Fiji | Peachy Green
I just returned from a week in the Fiji Islands, in the South Pacific.
The 333-island archipelago is located east of New Zealand and Australia and southwest of Hawaii, with only about 100 islands inhabited. The entire population is less than 900,000.
Renewable energy has been developing in Fiji for some time now. In fact, the Fiji government has adopted a Strategic Development Plan as part of its ambitious goal to become a 100% renewable energy power-reliant by 2011. There are several reasons why the government is promoting non-fossil fuel based resources:
- Less expensive
- More convenient
- Easier to install and maintain
- Infrastructure needs are usually minimal
- Smaller carbon footprint – i.e. more environmentally friendly
Solar panels at Matava Fiji's Premier Eco Resort
Diesel costs have dramatically soared to over 200% over the last 4 years, yet 50% of electricity demand in Fiji is met by diesel generators. No wonder there is increasing usage of solar panels and wind energy there.
On Kadavu, south of the main island of Fiji, solar power is just about the only resource for turning on lights or using electricity. All of the cell towers are solar powered. The island is off-grid, which means you can only communicate with cell phones (where there is service) and wireless internet and other electrical-based uses are quite limited.
At Matava Fiji’s Premier Eco-Resort, electricity needs are minimal, given ample skylights, wide and open areas, and louvered windows that allow breezes to naturally cool the rooms. Most of the time, all electricity requirements are covered by the solar panels at the resort.
Dec 12, 2011
Great Place - TripAdvisor
Last month I spent 10 day at Matava;the staff was a lot of fun,the food was great,diving was the best,hugh mantas,lots of sharks, I didnt want to leave,hope I can go back again.Fred A
Dec 11, 2011
Dec 1, 2011
Asia Pacific's first PADI Green Star Award awarded to Matava, Fiji
We're pleased to announce that Matava – Fijis Premier Eco
Adventure Resort has received the first PADI Green Star award in the
Asia Pacific region in November 2011 for our sustainable and
eco-conscious environmental activities and business practices.The program helps PADI Dive Centers and Resorts identify practical actions they can take to protect and preserve the environment. Because they choose which conservation actions they would like to implement, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can completely customize the program for their businesses.
“There’s more to going green than simply jumping on the eco bandwagon,” says Bob Coleman, Vice President of Sales, Retailer and Resort Association, PADI Americas, Latin America and Canada. “Well-organized conservation initiatives can reduce costs while strengthening your brand, especially when you strategically introduce them into your overall business plan. Earning the PADI Green Star Award shows customers that you care about the environment and are taking action to protect it. With today’s environmentally-conscious divers, going green can be an important competitive advantage.”
 |
| Richard Akhtar of Matava and Mike Holme of PADI Asia Pacific |
“We hope other dive operations and tourism providers in the Asia Pacific region follow our example and help to protect their local environment and achieve sustainable business practises in a green and clean manner!” said Mr Stuart Gow, one of Matava's Directors.
"We are extremely proud to win this award. We have been lucky to win overseas and global awards for our environmental policy in the past year, but it is especially gratifying to be recognised at home by our colleagues in Fiji." he continued .
Richard Akhtar, Managing Director of Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort said "At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding environmental efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji's leading role and efforts in this regard especially."
"At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious global award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding similar efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji's leading role and efforts in this regard especially in our our region of the South Pacific."
Mr Akhtar finished by saying "Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco-Adventure Resort has again proved that it is indeed among the leaders in environmentally sensitive resorts worldwide, and this latest award solidifies our position as an example of how resorts can operate AND help maintain and improve the surrounding environment"
 |
| PADI Green Star Award presented to Stuart Gow of Matava by Drew Richardson, President of PADI at DEMA 2012 (Danny Dwyer, Drew Richardson, Stuart Gow, Hendrick Nimb, Mike Holme) |
###
Notes to editors
About Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort
Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava - Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. With more than 12 years experience in the Fiji Islands, Matava is recognized as a leading educational dive centre. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian 'bures' with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views.
For interviews, images or further information please contact Stuart Gow, Stuart@Matava.com, t: 679-997-5416
About PADI Green Star Awards:
PADI Dive Centers and Resorts have a powerful new tool to help organize and implement environmental conservation programs - and be recognized for their efforts - with the PADI Green Star Award. The program helps PADI Dive Centers and Resorts identify practical actions they can take to protect and preserve the environment. Because they choose which conservation actions they would like to implement, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can completely customize the program for their businesses. For additional information, contact Roger Josselyn at 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234 ext. 2519.
About PADI Green Star Awards:
PADI Dive Centers and Resorts have a powerful new tool to help organize and implement environmental conservation programs - and be recognized for their efforts - with the PADI Green Star Award. The program helps PADI Dive Centers and Resorts identify practical actions they can take to protect and preserve the environment. Because they choose which conservation actions they would like to implement, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can completely customize the program for their businesses. For additional information, contact Roger Josselyn at 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234 ext. 2519.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)