The Latest Fiji Hotel Updates Following Tropical Cyclone Winston

Photo by Freeimages.com/Maarten des Wispelaere

Most of the hotels in Fiji sustained little to no damage following Tropical Cyclone Winston and most continue to remain operational, but here are a few Fiji hotels that have some work to do.

Perhaps the hotel hit the hardest was Mana Island Resort & Spa. The hotel was severely damaged. The resort sustained severe damages to its public facilities, including the guest rooms, the reception area, the restaurants, the spa and the swimming pool. There is also soil erosion on the beach and a very large number of trees have fallen with debris scattered around the landscape. As of Tuesday, electricity and fresh water supplies have yet to be fully restored. The resort is slated to reopen on July 28.

The Naigani Island Resort also saw extensive damage and will remain closed until further notice.

The Sheraton Resort & Spa will remained closed until May 31 due to extensive damage. All guest stays at the resort can be canceled until this date. No new bookings will be accepted for travel before June 1.

The Blue Lagoon Beach Resort has begun a property-wide clean up and will be closed on February 27.

All guests of Castaway Island were evacuated on Saturday and the property remains closed until further notice.

As of Tuesday, Coconut Beach Resort was experiencing issues with the cellular towers. In fact, all of the resorts in the Yasawa Island region have experienced the same communication problems. Communication is expected to be restored within a day or two. 

As of Tuesday, Crusoe's Retreat remained without Internet connection. The property is running on a generator, but operations have returned to normal otherwise. 

First Landing Beach Resort & Villas sustained some minor foliage damage and cleanup is already under way. 

At the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort & Spa, emergency response teams are working on restoring services and removing safety hazards. Due to debris and pollution, the pool will remained closed until further notice.

The Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort has some damage that has forced the property to push back its opening date until the end of March. Guests who booked a stay at the resort can amend dates for travel up to March 31, 2017. If clients are unable to amend the dates, the resort will give a full refund. 

Korovou Eco Tour Resort is closed until further notice. 

The LikuLiku Lagoon Resort will remain closed until March 4 to clean up foliage damage.

The Lomani Island Resort is in the process of cleaning up foliage damage. Those guests who would like to postpone their travel until any date in 2016 that has availability can do so without penalty. 

Malolo Island Resort is slated to reopen February 27. Cleanup is in progress.

Nanuku Auberge Resort has a bit of foliage cleanup to conduct and the hotel is expected to reopen on March 1.

Raffles Gateway Hotel is recommending that guests scheduled to arrive within the next few days should delay their travel until after Feb. 24. For those guests who would prefer to cancel, the hotel will provide an official letter outlining the cyclone details to assist with claiming travel insurance. 

The Sheraton Denarau Villas, The Westin Island Resort & Spa and the Sheraton Fiji Resort have all sustained some damage but remain open with limited services available. As of Tuesday, the three properties reported that they were experiencing power failure and certain services such as air-conditioning, hot water supply, and TV and guest room lighting will be affected until power is fully resorted. Date changes and cancellations can be made without penalty up until February 25.

The Sheraton Tokoriki will remained closed until further notice. All guest stays at the resort can be canceled for the next two weeks without penalty. 

White Sandy Beach remains closed until further notice.

At least 21 people were killed when Tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall as a Category 5 storm in Fiji on Saturday. More than 8,000 people are in shelters, and severe flooding and winds have left many areas without power, fresh water or communications. Additionally, damage to the Nabouwalu and Savusavu wharves has made transportation to and from the Northern Division difficult. The wharves will be shut down for a few months for repairs. 

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