Fiji Client Testimonials: Fiji Resort Reviews

Aug 11, 2010

"I recently had the opportunity to work with Faye wherein she assisted in booking a trip to Fiji for me and my husband. Faye was fantastic and definitely put the effort in to make my dream vacation happen. She answered every e-mail and phone call promptly and always answered all of my questions. I usually do all of our vacation planning/booking myself, but after my experience with Faye, I will not hesitate to contact her before booking our next vacation as she exceeded all of my expectations! Faye is a delight and definitely an asset to your business, as I am sure you already know."

D. Fischer
Yorba Linda, CA

Aug 3, 2010
Wonderful Fiji

Hi Mike,
Just wanted to let you know we had a wonderful trip, Fiji is amazing.

Thanks a lot!!
M. Carrick
Fresno, CA

July 31, 2010
Vomo Island Resort Fiji Vacation

Faye,

We had a great time loved it!!! Want to go back in October. Speared fish, great people, great food and nice resort. for a child friendly place it was very nice, thanks so much!

J. Finton
Yorba Linda, CA

July 11, 2010
Namale Wedding - Honeymoon

Hi Faye.
I'm officially a married woman!!! We had the best time. It was everything I hoped it would be. I haven't stopped talking about it yet. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I have so much to tell you about and I'd much rather do it over the phone. I'm really looking forward to sharing all the details with you because none of it would have been possible without your advice and expertise. Talk to you soon. R.

By the way, my mom is planning a last minute trip to Australia. I gave her your contact info and told her she absolutely had to talk to you about it. She should be calling you sometime this week.

R. Viso
Cheshire, CT

July 11, 2010

Melissa,

We are just starting to think about a return trip to Fiji in September 2011. I contacted your website to get some suggestions, but figured I would get just some ads from you in a couple of days.

So I was most impressed when I received a call from Faye almost immediately. Then I was even more impressed (a) that she actually knows Fiji, and and (b) that she didn't pressure me to try to make an immediate sale. (We are not yet ready to book, and any pushiness would have just irritated me.)

So your firm is well represented by Faye, and we will be back in touch as our plans take shape.

K. Glazier

July 3, 2010
Fabulous Namale

Hi Mike,
Thought I'd let you know, our Namale stay was fabulous - the best trip ever. Thanks much for your recommendation.

R. Ferguson
Lantana, TX

July 3, 2010
Bula Fiji

Bula Melissa!

We loved our trip and wish we were still there. Everything went smoothly. I loved both resorts, they were so different and I would tell all to call you to go to the Fiji-Islands as everything went very smoothly. Lori was excellent and it was a treat meeting her.

Thanks Again,
J. Eber
Miami, FL

July 2, 2010
Heartfelt Fiji Vacation

Hi Mike,
Just thought I’d let you know that we returned back from our trip to Fiji a couple of nights ago. We had a FABULOUS time and I wanted to thank you for your help with our trip.

We continue to love Fiji and I plan to hopefully start a charity to help with some additional school funding. At a minimum, I plan to gather up a bunch of supplies and ship them over. We met a gentleman from the State Department who was at Matangi while we were there who is building the US Embassy in Suva who is going to help with the logistics. He will remain in Fiji until the Fall. The kids are truly amazing and they need some additional support. It would be so great if more people sent supplies to Fiji for the schools & children.

Glad you had a nice trip.

K. Flynn
Bellevue, WA

June 21, 2010
Tokoriki Dream Vacation

Bula Bula Faye!

Wow, what an incredible experience Bill and I had in Fiji... Incredible. Thank you for our guidance in our plans to Fiji and to Tokoriki specifically. We have slowly been returning to our lives of responsibility...not easy! not fun! Can't we stay in our little Bure on Tokoriki forever?! Just kidding, but we have truly been missing our experience there.

We will definitely keep your services in mind for future trips in South Pacific. We go to Hawaii every few years, so will keep you in mind for sure.

We have told everyone they must go to Fiji and have told them if they decide to go I have the perfect travel agent for them! The shells and coral and the snorkeling and just the balmy beauty...Bill especially loved chasing sharks...and we both loved the private bures with outdoor showers and a private path to the beach and the lovely people and...We could go on and on.

We look forward to future travel planning with you.

Much peace,
Vinaka vakalevu!
E. & B Hawver
Redondo Beach, CA

June 7, 2010
Amazing Qamea Vacation

Bula Lori

Corinne and I wanted to thank you for recommending Qamea to us and helping with all the arrangements. The experience was everything we had hoped for and then some. The magic of the resort and more importantly, the heart of the people we encountered during our stay was beyond words. We’re already planning for when we can go back and visit our new family.

While we were there I think I took about 1000 pictures! We still have not gone thru them all and selected a “subset” to send our friends but when we do we will be sure to include you. The wedding was wonderful, Cia and William took pictures and video and helped with the little last minute details with Corinne’s dress and flowers.

Would love to hear about your Tahiti trip… hope that was grand as well… we would probably still choose Qamea but it’s always nice to hear about other destinations too.

Hope all is well with you!

K. Wolfe
Tampa, FL

June 6, 2010
Incredible Fiji Dive Vacation

Hello Hiapo,

We had a fabulous vacation. At Papageno, they upgraded us to 1/2 a house, and it was beautiful. Zacharias, the dive master, is "one of a kind", like Dr. Doolittle under water. We were spoiled, since we were the only divers, the 3 of us had the ocean to ourselves. Loved the short boat rides! Food was delicious. Elizabeth is so warm and friendly, a very nice hostess and bartender! Lydia, the nurse/resident and Scott shared a lot of stories. Initially, we were the only English speaking guests, everyone else was from Austria or Germany, but it worked out fine, we pieced together conversations with pieces of English and lots of hand signals. Week one was very laid back and ran on "Fiji time", since they were not at capacity.

Week 2 was quite regimented, schedule-wise, but it needed to be, with all those divers. The bure was lovely, roomy, private and perfect! We were very late arriving, due to plane issues on the other end. However, Seta (or Seto) the Captain waited for us and transported us back to Beqa Lagoon Resort in the dark and on rough water. Talk about "above and beyond the call of duty". The meals were unbelievably delicious and the staff so friendly. It was nice to have the daily afternoon activities and evening entertainment. The dive staff, every one of them, was so friendly and accommodating! The wait staff were fun and friendly. Tu Emo is the best! He was everywhere ... escorting us to church service, leading us to the school for a tour and singing, singing in the choir, teaching about "roots to fruit" of the coconut, dive master, working on the grounds, teaching us about the kava ceremony....he's a gem (and has the best giggle I've ever heard)!

The bartending ladies were a fun bunch. Scott loved teaching them new martini recipes.

Tap water at both resorts was yummy.........that was a nice surprise, and muchdifferent than our Fiji trip a few years ago to Matangi and Maravu (altho' those islands were great too)

We did accrue more of a "cash due" bill than we expected, but that's obviously under our control as a guest. We chose to pay for specialty dives at each resort. We paid for a lot of juices, to mix with our own liquor, but also bought at the bar (yes, we're lushes). Buying the liquor at duty free was a great suggestion. The drinks we bought at the bar were reasonably priced. On both islands, we had massages, and those prices were very reasonable too.

Unlimited shore diving at Blue Lagoon Resort is not really a huge advantage, since it's very dependent upon the tide and can be a bit challenging at low tide. That's OK, the "real" diving was fabulous.

We wish Fiji was closer .. we'd go often. I think it was the best vacation we ever had!

Blessings to you and yours....

Regards,
S. Boucher
Stoneham, MA

June 4, 2010
Lovely Likuliku Lagoon Vacation

Sue,

It was perfect! You guys did an amazing job, all of the little details were worked out, connections were seamless, and the experience was first rate. LikuLiku is incredible, and the Overwater Bungalow sits right on top of a beautiful coral reef, really amazing. Thanks for everything, happy to provide you guys with a strong recommendation.

Best regards,
K. Roashan
New York, NY

June 4, 2010
Amazing Matamanoa Island Resort Fiji

Sue,
Our honeymoon was amazing. Everything couldn't have gone smoother. Matamanoa Island Resort was amazing. It is exactly what we wanted. The beach was perfect, the snorkeling was out of this world (Bekki said it was better then the Great Barrier Reef), the staff couldn't have been more friendly, the bures were perfect, and the pool was awesome. I would suggest that people do a la carte rather then a meal plan. The food options are way better. Other then that, I would highly recommend this resort. Bekki and I had the time of our lives.

Thank you so much for all your help. You really made our honeymoon go smoothly and without any hitches. The only bad thing was it only lasted a week.

Thanks again.
I. Herzon
Burbank, CA

May 27, 2010
Beqa Lagoon Awesome Vacation

Hi Melissa,
I wanted to say that we really enjoyed our trip – the folks at Beqa were excellent and took very good care of us!

Hiapo was great to work with and put together a nice package for us. We really enjoyed it and will use you for future travel I’m sure!

So, highly recommend Beqa Lagoon Resort – they were awesome – a 5 star rating across the board! Excellent food, diving, staff and very friendly hosts. Finding the Scorpion Leaf Fish was a treasure. The Novotel was a nice, clean place and would be great as a hop–off point for some of the activities on the main island.

Regards,

T. Stricker
Sherwood, OR

May 27, 2010
Fabulous Fiji - Maravu Vacation

Hi Melissa,

Everything was absolutely perfect I couldn't have asked for a better place. Mark Cardoza was great, he answered all of our questions, was always available and we are very thankful. Everything went smooth as soon as we got to the airport. Rosie's staff was wonderful and helpful. The staff at Maravu was great I cant even describe in words how great they were, they catered to our every need and they treated us like we were one of them. I don't think we will ever meet any nicer people than them. The food was excellent, the activities were great (always had something to do). We always had privacy and that was wonderful - that's what my wife wanted.

We plan on going back to Maravu on our 5 year anniversary and we will definitely be using you guys again. If not for you we wouldn't have had the perfect honeymoon that we had and we thank you!!!

Mahalo,
A. Williams
Morehead, KY

May 26, 2010
Qamea Fiji Wedding Honeymoon

Hi Melissa,
We had a fabulous time in Qamea, Fiji. It was a trip of a lifetime, and one we will cherish forever. We had a beautiful wedding, with the staff going out of their way to make it perfect for us. It was. The weather, the food, the accommodations, the beauty of the island….everything was just perfect on our trip. Of course, my single favorite experience would have to be my wedding. Being married right there on the beach with the ocean splashing behind us was inexplicable. But if I had to choose another (as there are so many) it would be dancing and singing with the native villagers and their children at the Friday “Meke” celebration. What a memory. Thanks to Mike Brown for suggesting Qamea to us, and taking care of everything on the travel end. His help was invaluable in finding Qamea and lining up everything necessary for a stress-free trip. I feel like we found a little gem in McCoy Travel, and will definitely use your services again. I have already recommended you to several of my friends.

If there were a weak link in the chain at all it would only be that we had a bit of difficulty with some of the airline reservations but even these things were pretty small in the big picture. We didn’t lose any of our luggage and we arrived safely to all our destinations.

This was just such a wonderful experience and I am grateful to McCoy Travel and all of the staff at Qamea who helped give us this amazing wedding, trip and memory.

Warm Regards,
N. & A. Jellema
Ogden, UT

May 5, 2010
Fiji Dream Vacation - Perfection

Melissa,
Soon after I contacted you, Lori Evans contacted me. I now have a wonderful diving trip planned to Fiji next month and am very excited! Lori was full of information and enthusiasm, was very client-centric, and was as pleasant to deal with as I remembered Robin to be. I felt that Lori negotiated on my behalf with the resort involved in the vacation package. The package itself was exactly to my specifications, which Lori was only able to do after uncovering my habits, preferences, travel experience, etc. All these are indications to me that she had my best interests in mind. It is my estimation that she represents your company VERY well. In difficult economic times like these, excellence in customer service carries a LOT of weight. I wanted to take a moment to let you know of the terrific individual you have in Lori Evans.

Warm regards,
J. Magpayo
Fullerton, CA

Apr 21, 2010
Incredible Fiji Vacation

Hi Melissa,
It was a great trip. I found Lori to be patient, quick and very professional. Couldn't be more pleased with the arrangements. Tokoriki itself was a delight. It was beautiful and just what we had in mind. The people who worked there are the friendliest I think I have ever come across in a resort. Everyone seemed to know who we were within 24 hours. I look forward to returning someday. Thanks to all at McCoy Travel for making it work.

D. Weyerhaeuser
Lakewood, Washington

Mar 31, 2010
Amazing Fiji Wedding

Hi Lori,
Thank you so very much for all your help during our crisis in Fiji. As you know we ended up spending 10 wonderful days at Taunovo Bay and our wedding was absolutely amazing. We owe alot of the success of this trip to you and the Young family, and we'll always be grateful for your tremendous support. I remember you sending me a hug over the phone when i needed it so much and it has helped.

We would like to send you a card. I hope we'll have a chance to plan together another trip in the near future. We absolutely loved Fiji, with it wonderful waters and lush vegetation, but mostly it was the people that left such a strong impression on us. We'd love to return.

Thank you again for everything!
Yours,
A. & B. Moore
Kalamazoo, MI

Mar 24, 2010
Wonderful Malolo-Fiji Island Vacation

Mike,
We had a great time on Malolo - a wonderful recommendation! - thank you. We had an awful lot of fun.

We've traveled a lot before, and though the scenery, weather, beaches and sea are similar to what we've experienced in Venezuela and Colombia, the people and the culture make the Fijian islands an absolute joy to travel too!!! so much more relaxed, less hassle, much much safer and more friendly. Its a real shame other countries can't learn from Fiji's example.

It was well worth the extra flying time - thanks again. Just got to decide where to go next!

Many thanks Mike

Best regards
R. Jones
Houston, TX

Mar 08, 2010
Fiji Honeymoon

Hi Melissa!

This is M. Brown (Lake) and my new husband and I got back from our Fijian honeymoon a little over a month ago. We wanted to let you know that we had the most wonderful time! We stayed on the main island at Waidroka Surf and Dive Resort for the first 4 nights, and we completely fell in love with that place! It was a very unique and intimate resort, and we realized that as soon as the driver drove us up really steep dirt roads to get to the resort. The staff was all really nice, and we became good friends with them in no time.The staff also upgraded us to the honeymoon bure, which was really big and cute! Ryan got plenty of surfing in, and we both went scuba diving and snorkeling. It was all really great. Plus the food was soooo amazing! They served us 3 course meals every night! And we loved everything we ate! We really loved the whole atmosphere of the small resort and didn't want to leave. After our 4 nights, we traveled back to Denarau to take the Yasawa flyer to Nanuya. It was a long boat ride, but it was amazing to see almost every island in the Yasawa's. As soon as the boat stopped at Nanuya, we knew we made the right choice by choosing that island. It was surrounded with amazing blue waters, and the bures were all hidden in the trees. We got a warm welcome from the Fijian staff, and they showed us to our Oceanfront Bure, which was incredible. While at Nanuya we did a lot more laying on the beach than at Waidroka, but we were so content to just sit and stare at the clear waters. We also did the cave dives, went scuba diving and shark diving, and did lots of snorkeling. The scuba diving and shark diving were awesome! It was so fun to be so close to the sharks and big fish and the staff made us feel really comfortable. That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. The dinners at Nanuya were also amazing! The dinners weren't included so we were planning on just splitting them every night, but after tasting the amazing crab on the first night, we decided we didn't want to share because it was so good!

Ryan and I did a lot of research on the different Fijian islands and resorts before we made our decision to go to Waidroka and Nanuya. We wanted to get lots of diving in, as well as some lounging on a beautiful beach. We were worried about the resorts that we picked only because we had to travel a little extra to get to them. But both resorts were worth the extra traveling and I couldn't have asked for a better honeymoon.

Please especially tell Lori thank you for helping us! She did such an amazing job at giving us any details on any resort we were interested in, and I knew that she wasn't just trying to make a sale. She was very patient with us, even though we had so many questions. She made everything very easy for us, and made us feel extremely comfortable.

Thank you again for everything and we will definitely let you know when we're ready to plan another vacation!

R. & M. Brown

Jan 20, 2010
Fiji Fabulous Gathering

Hi Faye,

Thanks for the heads up and the information. Yes I imagine having to jaunt all over the South Pacific and to the US to see the kids and relatives could be quite the cost. Guess living in the proverbial paradise has its warts, tough life and all. But, hey! Someones got to do it! Guess you can "tough it out"! Struggle through it and all. Stiff upper lip you know! Chin up now, that's a good lass! No crying! LOL

Looks like you've been unanimously elected to help us with our future jaunts across the world as well. A poll of a few friends resulted in all agreeing that any trip of this magnitude needs professional attention. I heartily agree. So, you're it my dear! After all, why change horses in mid-stream? Talk to you soon!

Have a great day!!
D. Altman
Spring Creek, NV

Jan 19, 2010
Fiji Vacation

Dear Mike,

I just wanted to says thanks, you are so informative and knowledgeable. It is truly a pleasure speaking with you. Once again thanks for all you time.

Sincerely,
S. Landa
Morganville, NJ

Jan 13, 2010
Fabulous Fiji Vacation

Bula Mike,

Thanks Mike. We had a great time and the food at the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort was out of this world.

R. Skauge
Alberta, Canada

Jan 05, 2010
Fabulous Fiji Vacation

Hello Faye,

I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of your help with our trip to Fiji. This trip would not have happened without your help. I will most certainly contact you in the future for any travel needs and I will gladly recommend you to others I know that are planning vacations as well. Thank you so much!

Have a great day and thanks again,
J. Kelly
Denver, CO

Jan 04, 2010
Wonderful Fiji Vacation

Dear Hiapo,

We have just returned from a wonderful trip to Fiji. You arranged a terrific package, on very short notice at a peak time, at the Intercontinental Hotel, which is a stunning property.
A friend recommended we call McCoy Travel when we said we were thinking about a trip to Fiji. You made our trip absolutely seamless and you suggestions were right on point for our needs. We will certainly call you when we are ready to plan a trip to Moorea.

Thank you, Hiapo and a Happy New Year.

Kindest regards,
M. & B. Schaefer
Kihei, HI

PS The gourmet restaurant at the Intercontinetal is called Navo. It is a delicious eating adventure. We loved it!!

Dec 28, 2009
Great FijiVacation

Bula Mike,

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Thank you for helping to put together my families' trip to Castaway Island Resort last month, our second trip you've helped put together for us. I thought I'd give you a critique of our week there, as well as give you the opportunity to make suggestions re what we might consider for the summer of 2010.

As a reminder of who we are, we are a family of 5, with 3 kids currently ages 13, 10, and 7. I've travelled fairly extensively-lived in Malaysia as a high school student for a year, speak 5 languages, my wife's family originated from the Phillipines, etc... I often like to dive on tropical vacations, but my wife does not. My 10 year old got his Jr certification while at Castaway. We are activity oriented. A lovely beach is fine and appreciated, but there have to be activities to engage in as well. My wife enjoys tennis, so usually wants to find a place with or near opportunity to hit a bit if she can.

Castaway: My wife and I booked with you at Koro Sun 3 years ago on your recommendation, just the two of us without kids. Great trip-just about perfect. Great food, beautiful people, good diving, my wife cried as we left. Not much of a beach or pool, and the intimate nature of the place accepts but isn't too populated with kids, so Castaway was a better destination for family, but set the standard for comparison of accommodation, food, and friendliness for us to date. So with that in mind, there were things that were nice about Castaway and some things that fell a bit short.

The good: Beautiful location. Beautiful beach. Nice facilities: Nice size pool in good condition, tennis court, spacious bures, beautiful dining area, boats in good condition, good dive facility, lots of families with kids to make friends with, great dive staff (good with kids too, as my 10-yr-old will testify).

The fair: Food was good, but not great. Nothing bad, but just a notch above good buffet quality. Certainly not the level of Koro Sun from '06. The staff were nice, but with many the radiant warmth was just not there. ( My wife was not moved to tears when we were leaving.) The diving is beautiful but tame - great for my 10-year-old to learn, but similar at all sites so that 6 days of diving clear calm waters with pretty corals gets monotonous for me. No schools of barracuda, no large sharks, no rays, no swim throughs, etc... And, while relaxing, being contained on a beautiful island, nice as it is, is a bit limiting compared to the opportunities available on Vanua Levu with the waterfall trek, mountain biking, access to village, church, pearl farm, etc... Not as much "ethnic" fiji. The meke was great, but otherwise was a nice-sized family resort on a beautiful island, but would give B+, whereas Koro Sun would have received an A-, with their demerits coming from lack of a real beach and small not-really-viable pool area.

Thanks again, and if you've got some nice creative thoughts, feel free to think about what you'd recommend to close friends with similar backgrounds/experiences, and let me know. Happy New Year.

Sincerely,
A. Schwarz, MD
Tustin, California

Dec 09, 2009
Wonderful Fiji Dive Vacation

Bula Lori,

We had a wonderful time in Fiji! Garden Island Resort was a perfect choice for us. The location for our dive spots couldn't have been any closer and our oceanfront balcony was literally feet from the water. What a great view of Somosomo Straits. The rooms were adequate and well maintained and the food was good, too. I also liked the newly renovated dining area with its wide open view of the water as well as the fruit bats hanging from the trees above! Also, like everyone says, the staff and island people were very nice, accommodating and genuinely happy. How refreshing!

The diving was amazing with all the multi-colored and shaped soft corals as well as a variety of other corals and sea life. The blue ribbon eels were beautiful and a first for me as well as the poisonous and very docile sea snakes that I'd read and heard so much about. When the currents were cranking it was also quite a ride--spread your arms and fly underwater!

The island itself with the waterfalls, rivers, greenery, hills, villages and the people was absolutely something special. Combining the land and sea life all together made for an unforgettable trip by all.

Thanks for all your help in planning this trip for us, Lori.

K. Baird
Newport Beach, California

Dec 02, 2009
Marvelous Fiji Vacation

Bula Lori,

Your year of adventures sounds wonderful and now I know why you are such a knowledgeable travel agent ! You travel!!! We arrived home from Fiji Thanksgiving Day just in time to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner in Newport Beach with my Mom and family. An appropriate ending to a great trip.

We had a marvelous vacation. Taveuni Island and the Matalau villa could not have been a more perfect choice for us - the entire week we felt like we were in heaven and I could have not felt more welcomed or more catered to. Taveuni Island is beautiful, surreal, and spiritual. All I can say is that that island really touched my heart. On our last day there Doe informed us of the village ceremony that would be performed that evening and I had a momentary shudder of a commercial Hawaiian luau (no offense) but suddenly felt intrigued and drawn to it ... WOW - within five minutes of their beautiful singing, dancing, the sun setting, the gorgeous ocean, the irony of a 3 masted ship pulling into the bay right during their performance I was sobbing it was all soooo touching.

Anyway I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know we feel very lucky to have found you and McCoy Travel.

Thank you so much for all of your effort and expertise that you put into making our vacation a great one. I'll get back to you later with a few personal experiences that might be pertinent to your info on Taveuni Island re: scuba, horseback riding, Lavena Coastal walk etc.

Vinaka valelevu,
N. Flathers
Orange, California

Nov 20, 2009
Luxury Fiji Vacation

Bula,

Spent 8 nights at Royal Davui. This was our fifth time to Fiji all at luxury resorts, and this was the best. The accommodations are superb, very contemporary but definitely Fijian in feel. The resort was impeccably maintained. The staff was simply amazing.They were genuinely friendly and warm, and eager to make your stay most enjoyable. The managers Julie and Darryl were great. They kept close tabs on things and mixed freely with the guests. In such a small resort you got a chance to meet everybody, and it was like one big party every evening at the bar. A real 10.

Incidentally, our travel agent Susan M. with McCoy Travel got it all right. They really know Fiji and not a detail was left out. This is the fourth time we have used them for Fiji and I couldn't recommend them or Royal Davui Resort any more highly.

M. Fields
Seal Beach, California

Nov 3, 2009
Tokoriki Fiji Dream Vacation

Hello Faye,

Thanks for your email. Our trip was simply amazing. Couldn't have gotten a better honeymoon than this :) Tokoriki was definitely up to the standards, just like you told us. And the helicopter ride to the Island was quite helpful after such a long travel from Toronto. I would recommend it to anyone else who goes there. Once we got to Tokoriki, the staff were very welcoming and I just loved how they greet everyone with their Bula song. Both rooms that we booked were great. Actually, the deluxe beach bure that we were in first, had probably the best view to the beach than all the other bures. Thank you for getting us that room. The honeymoon island picnic was good, except that we had gone there on a windy day, so we were fighting with the wind in order to made sure that our food and champagne didn't get attacked with sand ;)

I really enjoyed the quality of service of the staff. They were always smiling and courteous to everyone who stayed there. And the food was really great. Quite the variety and freshness in the menu. Only suggestion would be if they could have explained to us on the first day how the meal plan worked and what it included. Another suggestion would be to have a little more variety in their dessert menu for lunch.

The PADI Tokoriki diving personnel were really great too. They answered to all my questions prior to the trip via email and their customized service to us was really appreciated. I liked that they gave us a private lesson instead of having us join a bigger group. Usually, here in Canada, diving courses are given in groups only, not in private lessons. So, we really liked the fact that we had our own instructor for the duration of the open water diving course.

I was surprised to see how after a day or two, we didn't miss our technology and gadgets when we were in Tokoriki (no TV, no cell phone service, no internet, no telephone in the rooms, not even an alarm clock in the room!). Life there doesn't need to depend on those things :)

Thanks again Faye for booking our honeymoon. We will refer your name to our friends and when we decide to go to our next vacation, we will definitely contact you.

All the best,
E. Ambroise
Quebec, Canada

Oct 30, 2009
Fiji & Australia Dream Vacation

Faye!

Trip was just incredible. Seriously. From the absolutely AMAZING food and hospitality at Wakaya to the unbelievable sunsets at Lizard, you truly enabled Chrissi and I to have the best honeymoon ever! Thank you SO much for all of your help. Everything logistically was perfect and we were blessed in that we never had any delays or lost bags at all (though our bags were the last two off in Nadi which got us freaked out!). All the resorts, including the Circular Quay in Sydney were just brilliant so thanks again for your suggestions and recommendations. I am especially pleased that you convinced us to stay at the Pavilion at Lizard as that view was really not to be believed.

Given the serious hit to our wallets on this I doubt we'll be planning anything like this in the near term but we will definitely reach out to you again if we do. We'll also forward over your name to any friends we may have considering similar trips.

And we'll send over some pics just as soon as Chrissi gets them up online!

Best and THANKS AGAIN!

C. & C. Crampton
New York, NY

September 02, 2009
~ Wonderful Tokoriki ~

Dear Faye,

We are about to leave from Tokoriki and we wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed our stay. The resort was absolutely gorgeous and we had the opportunity to go on several day trips to Castaway Island and a nearby village. The staff was so nice and really made us feel at home. We have no complaints – this trip was by far the best vacation both of us have ever experienced. We’ve already started talking about visiting Tokoriki again next year!

Thank you so much Faye planning our incredible vacation.

Sincerely,
C. Faltermeier
Gruson, France

September 01, 2009
~ Fiji Travel Consultant ~

Bula Mike,

I am an internet junkie and do 99% of my business and personal things online. However, when it comes to my S. Pacific travel, my agent beats any price I can find online. I don't know how he does it? wholesaler maybe? McCoy Travel is online and my rep is Mike Brown. He's spectacular and I'm very picky. Have him quote you something before you book...if he's higher than what you find, I'll eat my words. I would also encourage you to look at Taveuni Palms (only two homes, private staff - different than the island resort). Also look at Royal Davui. Qamea and the rest isn't my cup of tea. Again, if you're looking for exclusive, high-end, you'll want to choose a smaller resort (if privacy and intimacy is a priority) and at least a 5 star. The bigger resorts feel more like a Hyatt to me....

A. VanGoey
Eagle, Colorado

August 29, 2009
~ Fabulous Fiji ~

Hi Mark,

OMG!, That was the best trip ever. Thank you soo much for the recommendation, the Hyatt was great. The breakfast buffet was excellent and I would recommend it to anyone that is going to stay there. We didn't have any problems. Even the weather, besides the first few hours of rain, it was warm and sunny... We also appreciate the assistance of the staff at the breakfast orientation, they helped us plan the rest of our stay and gave us great deals.. I loved everything, although we were over budget... it was all worth it... Thank you for your help, I will definitely consult with you next time we plan a trip. It might be a while because I have to pay my credit cards... lol.. Thanks once again and hope you are doing well..

Best!
M. Sayed
San Ramon, CA

August 25, 2009
~ Amazing Fiji Vacation ~

Dear Lori,

Well, We have figured out why you guys are so excited about Fiji! Our trip was nothing short of phenomenal!! We got back to Seattle about midnight Sunday and are still talking about what a great time and what a great experience we had. The Outrigger was truly beautiful and the staff was so friendly and helpful. We did get off the property almost every day and found the native Fijians equally friendly no matter where we went. I did two scuba dives and the diving was comparable to any place in the Caribbean, including Cozumel. Beautiful coral, multitudes of fish (nice white tip sharks!), great visibility, and good dive master.

We landed at Nadi early morning in a pouring down rain. Uh-oh, we thought, this looks like Seattle! But after the first day of rain, we had pretty good weather most of the rest of the time. Not too much sun, but it was warm and water was still 80 degrees. That didn't dampen our spirits and we stayed busy just sightseeing and walking up and down the beach at low and high tides beach combing and hitting all the little beach bars and cafes, talking to locals and anyone else who looked like they could answer our questions. We met very few Americans, about 99% were from AUS and NZ. Nice folks and we came home with several email addresses from people who wanted to keep in touch.

The Outrigger has most anything you'd want........several bars and restaurants and great buffet and live entertainment everyday. Our only negative comment would be the price of food and drink at the Outrigger. We found equally good quality food and drinks at several little private places down the beach a 5-10 minute walk for less than half of what the Outrigger charged. A local beer at the resort was about FJ$7 and down the beach the same beer was FJ$3. Food was equally cheaper. But, the Outrigger has huge overhead and lots of employees so I know they must charge more to maintain the property. This is not a complaint, just an observation.

We visited the closest town of Sigatoka several times. Shopping was good for local products and the open market was a hoot. The Indians are a little pushy, but once you figure that out, you can ignore them and move on. We ate in town several times and had great food at very reasonable prices. We had curry quite a few times and it was all delicious and they'd make it as spicy as we liked. Wonderful!

Overall, we both give the trip 5-stars!! On the way back, we both talked about our return trip and what we'd do differently. I think the main thing is we'd stay longer, at least 10 nights. It was possibly the most restful trip we've ever had, but I think that's part of the laid-back attitude on the island. We loved it and certainly want to go again.

Thank you so much for your recommendations and help making this work so smoothly. The entire trip was flawless without a single problem. Vinaka to you and the rest of the McCoy team!!

Best wishes,

P.S. We met a local lady at a beach bar and we were invited to her village, Vatukarasa, about 5 miles from the Outrigger, for her cousin's 16th birthday. It was complete with very native food and kava ceremony until the wee hours of the morning. It was quite an experience, but that's a story for another time!

Thanks again,
B. & J. Kemper
Bothell, Washington

August 24, 2009
~ Fiji Vacation ~

Bula Mike,

We had a very nice time! Thanks again!

All the best,
L. Zaltsman
Brooklyn, New York

August 14, 2009
~ Fiji Honeymoon: Special Place in our Heart ~

Bula Mike -

We just wanted to thank you for planning our wonderful honeymoon. It was a perfect vacation and a very smooth travel. After flying for 16 hrs it was nice to know there was someone offering a drink on the boat. While everyone was sitting outside we were comfortable in the captains lounge. Patu was the best! He was very knowledgeable about the island and he says "hi"...lol I learned so much about the Island and became very close to the people who work on the island. I actually spent the day on their island (Tavua). We spent the entire day with Captain Paul (the Chief's son) and Oni (activities director) learning about the village and speaking to the ladies who sell stuff.

Overall, the trip was great! Food - you were correct a little slow, but everyone is on Fiji time! I did suggest on the suggestion page a snack bar at night. Although dinner is great, I became a little hungry after games and drinks. It would be nice if they had a little snack bar people can buy stuff or they can make quick things to go and take back to the rooms.

For fun, we took a helicopter around the islands and went shopping. It was the perfect place to relax and get away. We brought a float for the ocean and started a tradition on the island. We passed it onto an Australian couple and they will pass it on when they leave...smiles. On a great note, it only became cloudy on our last day, so we really lucked out. We look forward to booking our next trip with you, you have earned our complete trust! Thank you for making it a perfect honeymoon this island will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

All the best,
K. & N. Scrivanich
New Jersey, NY

August 12, 2009
~ Fiji Dream Vacation ~

Mike,
It has been a pleasure working with you. Thanks again for all you have done. I'm sure we'll talk again soon.

Take care,
R. Montellano
San Diego, CA

Aug 03, 2009
~ Fiji Time of our Lives ~

Bula Faye!!!!

Oh my goodness---we had the time of our lives in Fiji!!!! Thank you so much for designing the best vacation ever!!! Truth be told, our favorite part was Matava.... Maggie was the coolest person we've ever met and the diving there was unbelievable! Our dive master was Mas, and he was so phenomenal, he took us to the best spots, we swam with sharks and manta rays and titan triggers... We couldn't have been more pleased with our time there.When we walked to the village and experienced sunday church my husband cried with joy and i've only seen him cry a few times in the 7 years we've been together!!! A little angel, only 8 years old led us to the waterfall and jumped in and then brought us to her home and we sat with her family and ate fish head and taro root... we were so honored, and on the day of our anniversary we met the medicine man and walked through the forest to his village and played with his grandchildren and took pictures and felt like we had met the most wonderful family in the universe...

Wow, I could go on and on about our experiences on Kadavu - It absolutely changed our lives.....we are so moved and touched to have been there.

As for Cousteau, not really our style because the people were kind too rich!!! I'm sure you know what I mean. The diving wasn't the best because visibility was cloudy, but nonetheless, it was the perfect way to ease back in to reality and on our final night there they brought us a cake for our anniversary and sang to us!!! Which brought me to tears....

thank you SOOOOO much, Faye, we can't wait to book our next trip through you, we are thinking Belize at Christmas,although we are tempted to go straight back to Matava!!!! But because life is short and we want to see the world,it may be silly to go back to the same spot, however, we absolutely FELL in love with the entire experience there.
Looking forward to our next chat,

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Faye,
M & E. Norian
Castaic, CA

July 31, 2009

Mike,
Thanks for all your assistance Mike.... you are an awesome travel agent..

Take care,
D. Patel
Reston, VA

July 28, 2009
~ Awesome time in Fiji ~

Hi Lori,
We’re back in the real world again. We had an awesome time. Thank you again for all of your effort in putting together an itinerary for a perfect vacation. We’re always very appreciative of the extra effort that you put forth in advising us and looking out for our interests when putting together our vacation. We really enjoyed staying in Duavata (of course how could you not). The first day we were there, there was only one other couple and then we had Namale all to ourselves for the 2nd and 3rd day of our trip. By the time we left, the resort was about 50% capacity. We also really enjoyed Vomo. It was perfect for “on your own, do it yourself” types like us, because we could snorkel, kayak, or hike whenever we wanted without really seeing anyone else.

A few comments:
Namale:
Namale was great as always. The Duavata villa was perfect to relax and unwind. It is also worthy to mention that it had a little AC unit in the bedroom, since they do not mention it on their website. We met the new managers (Ron and Margaret), who are nice people (they had only been there a week). The service was even a little better than the last time we were there, such as for special requests, or customized activities. Kay who works in reception (also was the interim resort manager until Ron and Margaret came on board) took us kayaking from her house out to an island where the fruit bats roost. They would ask us if wanted anything special for our meals, or if we wanted any snacks during the day. They have great soups. Probably, the only downer was that we didn’t get kava every night like the previous visits. Instead, it was only offered twice while were there. We were going to ask the managers what their plan is for that, since everyone seems to enjoy the kava evenings.

Vomo:
We really enjoyed Vomo. It was cloudy pretty much the whole time we were in Namale, so we didn’t go snorkeling there. We could have still snorkeled, but we knew we would have plenty of time to do that on Vomo. That was okay because we had plenty of other stuff to do in addition to just relaxing. However, it was nice to get some sun on Vomo. Vomo was perfect for us because most of the guest would spend their time hanging around the pool, so it was like having an entire island to ourselves. The island is beautiful and we saw several reef sharks around the island. The food was good although, we ordered cheese burgers off the kid’s menu a couple of times. The bures had excellent air conditioning units (probably the best that we have had). The only knock that we really had on the bure was the bed because our bed consisted of two twin beds combined so that left a dip in the middle. It took a couple of nights to adjust after staying in the awesome Duavata bed. However, we managed. There we a lot of families so we definitely appreciate you making sure we got a free standing bure. However, the kids were not a big deal for us since the island provided plenty of room to get away. Since we had plenty of places to go on our own, we liked Vomo better than say, some place like Qamea, although we don’t feel it is necessarily worth $/night, which is what it would have been if you were unable to get us the stay 5/pay 4 deal. However, Vomo is a place that we will definitely return to someday.

In summary, we really thought it worked great to include time in the Mamanuca's along with a Namale stay so that we had a good variety in our stay. We would definitely recommend it to others. As always, we are happy to provide additional information should you have future clients who have questions about the resort, or this type of itinerary.

Thanks again,
C & A. Stump
Prescott, AZ

July 22, 2009
~ Great Fiji Vacation ~

Hi Melissa & Holly,
I wanted to let you know that the trip worked out great. We had a great time. It was very relaxing and Tokoriki was beautiful. One of the best things about the island was the people at the resort. We meet some good people and also people staying at the resort from other parts of the world. We took a trip to the Island where the Fijians lived and also got a look at the Island where Castaway was filmed.

The trip back home was long and one suggestion is that if we could have checked out later before leaving it would have been better. We had to check out at 10am but the Helicopter did not pick us up until 4:30pm so the wait without doing anything was long. Otherwise this was a great trip and we will definitely use you again if we travel to other destinations. Thank you for all of your support and help arranging this trip for me.

Thank you for your time and attention,

L. Smith
Longmont, CO

July 15, 2009
~ Fabulous Fiji ~

Dear Lori & Mike,

We had the entire place to ourselves the whole time! We were the only guests! With that the managers and staff pulled off a remarkable balance of making us feel like family, but in a ‘perfect host’ sort of way, giving us space when we wanted it, and letting us into theirs when we wanted that, too. As always in Fiji, the staff were immeasurably kind and gentle, thoughtful and thorough. Our dive master Zachariah was a hoot and eminently trustworthy underwater, especially for Oliver.

The place itself was pristine and manicured and immaculately maintained. Have you toured the Royal Bure? Our jaws dropped when we saw it from the outside. They stayed dropped after walking through the door and realizing it would be home for ten days. No accommodation we’ve stayed in Fiji is in the same galaxy, certainly not Turtle Island at seven times the cost. The house lived up to its monarchical name with all of its appointments and furnishings and bathrooms and decks. In the end we brought a friend with us for five days, and they didn’t even charge us for his room, just a nominal fee for food.

We found the food outstanding, by the way. As good as anywhere we’ve had in that country. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t order off a menu because we liked everything they brought us, and they brought it in ridiculously huge amounts. I shared a few likes and dislikes before we arrived and they remembered everything without having to be asked. Though copious and yummy the food was always healthy—okay maybe not the coconut batter-fried chicken—and fresh as fresh, like eating in the home of the most gracious country host. You know about their dishes, right? Annalise’s massive china collection on which the meals are served? It was too Out of Africa for words.

“Gracious” also describes the management and staff, in spades. Elisabeth was warm and flexible and accommodating without fault. Whatever we wanted she made happen with a great joviality. She was terribly generous about spontaneously offering to waive charges, like for our dive equipment rental and Oliver’s bubble course, which ended up turning into a full Junior certification. We wanted to help a couple of the nearby villages with their water problems, so Elisabeth boated over an American Peace Corps volunteer posted on Kadavu to manage that very thing. She put him up and fed him just so he could meet with us, and she offered to be the conduit through which the equipment is purchased. On a similar score we wanted to sponsor for scuba certification the young man they found to buddy around with Oliver (didn’t charge us for him either). Elisabeth made the arrangements, but in the end wouldn’t let us pay for it, covering it out of pocket instead. Overall the pricing at the place is unbeatable.

Can I say how wonderful it was to have a full-time RN on site in the form of Lydia? She checked me out every morning before my (shallow) dives to give approval. You may know that Annalise has her there for guests and the villagers. What a thing. The staff and locals speak of Annalise with exceptional respect and appreciation. Annalise’s contributions come with no eccentricity or expectations, and they, the contributions, seem to be endless.

Thanks, as always, for hooking us up.

Yours,
The Kohen family
Nelson, New Zealand

July 10, 2009
~ Fiji Vacation ~

Hi (Bula) Faye,
The trip went great, and without too many hitches. Lalati, is undergoing a transformation with the new ownership, and have a few things to still work out. With that said, they did everything they could to make us happy, and it was a great experience in the end. I gave them some feedback that they were already working on to improve. The people there were amazing, and the culture was fantastic. I really enjoyed taking a trip to a nearby village and being able to share in the culture and there way of life.

Thanks again, and I look forward to booking again with you!!

M. Teitsort
Windsor, CA

July 09, 2009

Aloha Mike!

Thank you for all of your professionalism and personal touches - we are very impressed and certainly would be booking with you in the future , as well as recommending you to our friends and family :). I'm off to California (south Bay Area/Santa Cruz) tomorrow to see my family in a whirlwind of a summer for this teacher.

I meant to say more about how nice and woodsy with shells, books, tapa cloth, etc.. the Dive Kadavu lodge was (both lodges and bures were fine). Really everything was great. Most important to us was the DIVING which was out of thiis world! We hope to return soon and check some more islands. Thanks again for a great job - we will be in touch. PS - we really enjoy reading your ongoing information and updates!

Sincerely,
L. Baldridge & S. Menor
Kapaa, HI

July 07, 2009

Thank you so very much Faye,

You are truly the best!!! How did we ever get so lucky to find such an awesome travel agent.....

p.s. the dive magazines that PADI sends us are chalk full of destinations we now want to go. Will be contacting you to book Belize, Virgin Islands and/or Philippines!!!!

A Million Thanks!
M. Norian
Castaic, CA

July 07, 2009

Hey Lori,

I just wanted to drop a quick note to say Thank you for such a well put together trip.. It was great even though we had 4 hrs of sun.. Luckily it was a high overcast with little rain so it didn't hold us back. Sarah and I both loved the diving and it looks like she is hooked.. The accommodations were great but the people are definitely what made it memorable.. We are already thinking of where to dive next.. but we know there will be a return to Fiji and we will definitely book thru you. Thanks again for everything, we will always have great memories and friends from going to Qamea..

Thank You Again,

H. Fox
Broken Arrow, OK

July 07, 2009

Bula Mike,

Thanks for your help Mike, we had a great time! Tokoriki was great, the people were really nice and the pool was great. Arrangements with Rosie's went really well - logistically a great trip

Cheers,
K. Greengrove
Raleigh, NC

July 03, 2009

Aloha and Bula Bula Mike!

We are still unpacking from our fabulous trip to Fiji - thank you very much for steering us to the two great dive resorts. Incredible diving - only unfortunate was the weather wasn't very good for our first week at Beqa Lagoon Resort, but with the scuba diving activity it was all fine . Loved our little oceanfront bure - as you know, the food was European influenced and fabulous - especially the desserts at Beqa (although didn't lose the weight we thought we would!).. Did the shark dive which was amazing to end the week and bought the DVD which is fun to have (well done). The staff was so nice and very professional. They are almost finished with a new massage and spa area - Sue said will be done in a couple of weeks. Overall, Beqa Lagoon Resort is a very professionally run dive resort , although the weather there might be alittle more overcast, but I think a big low pressure was hanging over the whole state that week - even the Yasawas someone said.

Dive Kadavu was more campy - we were the only ones there that week! We had the scuba boat all to ourselves , the sun came out, and they dropped us off at a beautiful long deserted beach to look for shells in between dives which was really nice (dive sights closer). Unfortunately too rough to get to the other side to see the manta rays. The managers, Mere and David, provided a homey and friendly atmosphere (although harder to understand David's accent). The villages next door did not allow for as much privacy (their path went right through and around our bure), although made a very authentic experience (we learned not to leave our shoes by the path - one pair went missing). Our only suggestion would be to upgrade the bathrooms . The diving was not as "valet" in terms of setting up your own equipment etc....was fine for us, but for some divers they may prefer. The Namalate reef there was very fun - but don't know how it would have compared to the Astrolabe reef I read about as it was too far away from this resort.

Thank you again for your excellent service in setting up our vacation , and we look forward to booking with you again in the near future. Next time we will be ready for the Somosomo straits, rainbow reef, and Taveuni now that we are intermediate divers! Maybe also a few days in Mamanucas/Yasawas.

PS - there is now just started, Mere and David said, twice daily plane service from Suva to Kadavu which would be shorter than going all the way back to Nadi.

Aloha for now and vinaka naka levu !!!!!!
D. Menor
Kapaa, HI

June 30, 2009

Hi Robin!

We are back from Fiji and we wanted to share with you. There was an unusual amount of rain, but everything was beautiful and one of the few days of sunshine happened to be on our wedding day. Mere and Maravu was just wonderful, I was so thankful for her.

Thanks again for all your help. It as truly wonderful!

K. Mulhall
West Chicago, IL

June 30, 2009

Bula Lori,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back with you. Things have been quite hectic since we have been back. We had a great time, thank you. Our wedding turned out beautiful. The photographers were great. I would definitely recommend them to anyone who is having a wedding. We enjoyed both islands. If we were to do it over again, I think we would do 5 nights at Matamanoa, 5 nights at Qamea and then 5 nights at a nice hotel on the main island. The staff was very friendly and wonderful, but the service isn't what we were are used to in the States. The massage therapists at Qamea were fantastic, probably the best we've had. Jordan and I got many massages. Overall, we had a nice time. Thank you for all of your help planning our Wedding and Honeymoon.

Thank You Again,
N. Bedard
Richmond, VA

June 23, 2009

Bula Lori,

I've been so busy with school the past couple days i haven't had time to get to you. I can't thank you enough for you work and attention to Kayla and I and wanted to share my experience to show you how grateful for you we are

With all the wedding planning i was only given two jobs and one was the honeymoon. I had never before dealt with a travel agent as I have always travel inside the 48 continuous states up until this point. I had been given dozens of names, agencies, tips, cautions etc. and was very overwhelmed. I did as much research as possible before I was ready to start talking to people but was still rather clueless. On the day that I began to give my information to travel sites on the web McCoy was one of the first because you're company was one of the recommendations I had received. Obviously being a normal American consumer I looked at many different sites to find the best price. After sharing info with 'Tripology' 'South Seas Adventures' Travel Wizards' ' Fiji-Honeymoons' and about 6-8 others, I sat back and waited to see if anyone would call me unprovoked as I don't Email when I don't have to. I feel an actual conversation is more personal. 2 people did call though I received about 5 other emails. You were the 2nd person to call me which automatically pushed the other man to the top of my list until I found out the time zone difference and realized that you called FIRST THING in the morning where as it took him half the day to get to me. Not a huge deal all things considered but this is my honeymoon and I want to be treated like it's the biggest thing in the world even from the beginning because to us, it is. All told I talked to 6 trip planners in the next three days, as some didn't bother to call or email at all, all the while still planning to get the best deal possible. That, however, didn't last long because your service far exceeded the competition for many reasons.

As I mentioned before, you the quickest to call me back which spoke volumes to me being that I hate waiting and especially with the excitement I had about my first overseas trip. I knew everyone I talked to would have worlds of info about Fiji otherwise they wouldn't have the job they do and was correct. Every person I talked to 'knew' resorts and had plenty of knowledge to offer. Having already looked at more than 50 resort myself before all of this thought I had a great idea of what I was looking for and had already narrowed it down to 5. Three of the other people I talked to did nothing but try to discourage me from where I wanted to go. One in fact insisted on other resort so much I had to hang up on her because she would not listen to me. You did. My fiance and I wanted to stay in one resort for 12 days. We DID NOT want to island hop. We're there for relaxing, not packing and unpacking every couple days. It seems to me that if you're planning a trip for someone you may want to listen to what they want. Call me crazy I guess. Others insisted on strict itineraries that included hikes and village visits. Again not listening! We wanted to hang out with nothing to do except what we want to at that time. Spontaneity! You listened, YOU cared, YOU wanted us to what we wanted to do where we wanted to do it, and worked QUICKLY to ensure we could do so. The only other person out of six that agreed to put us where we wanted to go said he'd call me back "in 4 weeks and go from there." I did get a few quotes from other people but not for what we wanted. I even had one lady that spent the first 20 minutes of MY cell minutes talking about her rate. Really? I know you don't do this for free!

After you called with our final quote and we hung up the phone I talked with my fiance and both said instantly we wanted to go with you no matter how much cheaper anyone else could get it for. We simply didn't care at this point because YOU did. We felt like we were your only client! You really made everything easy and fun. We are both VERY 'brand loyal' people who love to travel. I am graduating for Radiology school the month before our marriage and trip to Fiji and will be traveling quite a bit in the future and because of our experience with you on this trip, NO ONE but you or someone at McCoy that you recommend will be helping us plan. I cant thank you enough for your help Lori and I hope you continue the outstanding work.

Vinaka,
J. Janosik
Richmond, VA

June 19, 2009

Faye,

Everything was just wonderful on our trip. I could not recommend Taveuni Palms any higher to anyone else. They were absolutely wonderful! Our experience was phenomenol with them. I have traveled many places over seas and usually I am glad that I went, but then am ready to explore other places later.....but honestly, this is one place I would go back again and again. Kelly and Tony's staff was so attentive and the place was so peaceful and quiet. We did feel so spoiled and like we were their most important people. Kelly was so helpful with so many things. We felt right at home.

I also want to thank you for all of your information and for helping us with everything. Matt and I are both very controlling and making sure every detail is handled, and with you....you took care of everything and that was so comforting to us. We thank you for making this time in our lives the absolute best it could be!

If there was any one thing I could change, it would be to have stayed in Taveuni that extra night instead of overnighting in Nadi. Their next clients didn't come in until the next morning, so although our original plan was to leave there and then get on our plane....then the plane go changed to the next day....it would have been nice to have just stayed there since they weren't expecting people until the next day anyway. Other than that, we really had a fantastic time and great start to our live together.

Thank you again, and Taveuni Palms is really the best place to connect and feel pampered with the one you love!

Thanks again!
E. & M. Colyer.
Farmington, NM

June 16, 2009

Bula Mike,

I wanted to thank you so so so much for arranging our Fiji wedding/vacation/honeymoon. We had an absolutely fantastic time. It was beyond our expectations. You were right about Vomo, we absolutely LOVED it. They are the friendliest people in the world. They went above and beyond anything we could have imagined for our wedding. Having our wedding on Thursday before Lovo night was fantastic, as they made us feel as if it was wedding celebration. David got to be Chief, and of course, every guest offered him cava, so he was feeling good :) hehehe.

We are already talking about going back to Vomo, it was just absolutely fantastic. I am so glad we got married there. It was absolutely spectacular. The folks at Vomo were so excited about our wedding, we were treated like royalty the whole time. They even surprised us one night decorating our bure with candles and flowers. And we also got a surprise champagne breakfast the day we departed (they even wrote our names on top of our cappuccinos). They trully made the time we spent there unforgettable.

As promised below are pictures, so in case you need to show anybody what a Vomo wedding looks like. Yoshi did an amazing job, he is phenomenal.

Likuliku was also very nice. The facilities are fabulous and the staff very friendly (although nothing like the folks at Vomo, they are hands down the best). Food in both places was spectacular, thus I have to say I enjoyed Vomo's better as they had more seafood in the menu.

Thank you for the tip on getting some wine at the Airport, this was good call.

Panto the Rosie's driver is such a sweetheart, and speaks very highly of you and Melissa McCoy. He also told us where you go to get your beef pies that you like .. hehe.

Anyway, take a look at the pictures and I hope that it will help convince other couples for a fantastic wedding celebration at Vomo.

Thank you so much for arranging all of this for us, we had the wedding of our dreams! Thank you for making that possible.

Monica

Aloha,
M. Echezuria
Falls Church, VA

June 16, 2009

Hi Lori,

Thank you so much for all of your work to create such wonderful and lasting memories for Daniel and I. This was a dream honeymoon! Thank you for all of your work to ensure that we had a terrific time, your personal touch was evident in how you took care of every detail for us. We loved Qamea and our stay at the resort. We are looking forward to returning one day.

We stayed in the honeymoon bure the last two nights of our stay and were so grateful for this added luxury and experience. Thank you for checking on this, it was incredible! We did meet Jordan and Nicole on the last few days of their stay. Danny and Jordan played volleyball together one of the afternoons on the island.

Thank you again for all of your work in creating this honeymoon for us. We'll have memories for the rest of our lives!

Many Thanks,
E. Macias
Gaithersberg. MD

June 7, 2009

Faye,

Thank you so much for your card. We are here and made it with no problem. We are so very tired, but this place seems to be bringing us back to life with no problems. We are so happy this is the way we could begin our marriage and are so grateful to you for making it so stress free and taking so much time to personalized this and care about us. You are truly wonderful! Except that I will l blame you for the extra ten pounds I know I am going to gain here. The food is insanely good and we have only had a couple of meals so far. Wow!

Thanks again!
E. & M. Colyer.
Farmington, NM

May 28, 2009

Dear Faye,

We had such a wonderful time! The resort was great and our vale was beautiful. All worth it! What a wonderful way to spend our birthdays...they really made it special at the resort. A very quiet resort...there was one day I think Frank and I were the only guests. I think the top numbers of guests were 12 people which makes it very private - we felt like we had our own private island. The food was very good. I think I gained 10 pounds! The activities..Frank and I went snorkeling (which is beautiful), jet ski to another island, we did the sandspit (which is separate little island in the middle of the ocean, white sand, and had a picnic - the weather was a bit crazy...but we still had fun!). Julie and Daryl the management team was great - they made sure everything was going ok - they were very personable and got to know us.

The airline from San Jose to LA and LA to Nadi - all worked out great...no issues. Frank and I did get exit seats on the flight to and from LA/Nadi - which really helped! The only thing I would say to be cautious about...is the flight from Nadi to Pacific Harbor - it all worked out all ok...but there just seemed to be some confusion - we talked to Julie the resort manager and she said they have had challenges - they have purchased a plane so they will have more control over that. The boat ride to the resort was fine and on time.

The day we left...we were a bit confused we thought we were going to leave at 11:30 then do the tour on Nadi but they let us stay until 4pm which was wonderful then they got us to the pacific harbor by 5pm and then to the airport around 5:30pm - which all worked out great. Rosie's lounge was GREAT! that was so nice to go there to refresh ourselves and get ready for the long flight.

I will definitely refer you to my family and friends for any travel plans.

My sister and I are already thinking about next year....we want to rent a villa in Italy or France...we are brainstorming now :-) on ideas.

Thanks again!
Susan D.
San Jose, CA

May 20, 2009

Dear Melissa,

I am writing to let you know how extremely pleased we are with our travel plans to Fiji this summer and it wouldn't have been at all possible without the outstanding help and service provided by Faye. She is so informative, professional, sweet and helpful. I couldn't have asked for a better agent to help me book this trip and organize all the details. I can't thank her enough for all of her help and ideas.
She is truly the best,

Thank You,
M. Norian
Castaic, CA

May 20, 2009

Greetings Mike!

We're so very excited about out castaway vacation ! Thank you for making it extra great with that fabulous room upgrade , wow , for sure we won't want to be coming home anytime soon!

We'll definitely also make sure to go on the Manta Ray dive after reading about it, sounds like a can't miss .

You have been so helpful ,descriptive and efficient thanks again for arranging all .

P.S. I'm sure you'll soon be enjoying your " lifestyles of the rich and famous " vacation very soon .

Aloha,
D. Menor & L. Baldridge
Kapaa, HI

May 18, 2009

Hi Mike!

Mike you are wonderful. I don't know if we'll do this itinerary but I hope we can do business with you soon as you are so nice. Deanie

Thanks,
D. Martino
Dallas, TX

May 14, 2009

Hi Mike!

A friend gave me your name and said you are an amazing travel agent!!! Kate and I work together on Treximet and our submission won the award for the trip. She mentioned that you might be able to help me out with some insight into Fiji and which island to go to, where to stay, etc..

Our travel itinerary is listed below. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Thanks,
K. Olivia
North Carolina

May 13, 2009

Hi Lori,

We just want to thank you for your guidance while researching our trip. We are filled with the beautiful spirit of the Fijians and sunny memories of the islands. We are very grateful you steered us in the right direction and absolutely loved our accommodations. Mana and Qamea was a great combination. We could not imagine a better, more beautiful place for a honeymoon!

Vinaka,
P. & L. Ribeiro
Evanston. IL

May 12, 2009

Hi Lori,

I am very happy to be able to write this letter regarding McCoy Travel (i.e. Lori Evans). When my son decided to marry, we, as a family, strongly considered Maui. We phoned numerous travel agencies for information and advice.

It was ONLY after finding McCoy Travel and speaking to Lori that we cinched the deal. I was a nervous mom of the groom and was most concerned about my only son's honeymoon being a huge and fabulous adventure for him and my new daughter in law. Lori is by far, more than an agent, even more than a friend, more like a member of the family. She calmed my nerves and went through the whole program with me.....more than once. She went above and beyond, letting me know she was there, only a phone call away if any concerns should arise. And they did (even if in my own mind, and she was there).

I don't know about other mom's. but in this day and time, feeling comfortable about your children being so far away is PRICELESS and knowing Lori was there, right there...............helped me sleep at night.

She is absolutely wonderful and I would highly recommend her for your travel needs. I would love to recommend her and would be glad to have you phone me for any information. Believe me, I know the questions you would ask.

Most Sincerely,

C. Lomax
San Antonio, Texas

Hey Lori, thanks so much for the messages and the great gift baskets-- we did receive both. This honeymoon is definitely perfect and we couldn't ask for anything more. We had an incredible time here and I have a feeling we will be back. Thanks so much for your help and ideas on our honeymoon, they were much appreciated. Thanks.

The Lomax's

April 30, 2009

Hi Lori,

It was so nice speaking with you and we Thank You SO much for helping us with our Fiji trip. I wanted to send some photos of us just in case one day you decide you want to adopt two more kids and some baby great danes!

It has been a pleasure working with you,
Thanks so much!

Sincerely,
H. & S. Fox
Broken Arrow, OK

April 30, 2009

Dear Mike,

You da man. If you need any objective information about our experience, call anytime. But, we were satisfied, and feel that you did well.

Bless you,
P. Oconnor
Irvine, CA

April 26, 2009

Melissa,
Thanks for the message you sent. We LOVED the resort! It was amazing. Great service, friendly, wonderful beach wedding and honeymoon. The deluxe bure was great and then we made it to the point for the last 3 days, Aahhhhhhh! We saw your name in the guest book, too! It was so beautiful there. We hated to leave after 9 days of luxury and relaxation.

Overall, we were happy with most things. We would recommend your travel service to our friends.

Most memorable experiences - our beach wedding, The Point stay and butler service there, the friendly staff.

Best wishes,
M. & M. Yonan
Chicago, IL

April 7, 2009

Bula Melissa,

The trip was fantastic. Many, many things done right. Mike was great, tolerating my frequent mind changes in the planning process. His suggestion or Raffles for a day room was good too – they just opened a new pool which is actually pretty nice for a “crash pad” level room.

Diving had to be the highlight, although the accommodations are a close second, followed by the quality of snorkeling around Davui.

We were more or less the only divers there at the time so we had essentially a personal boat driver and dive master. Even if there were a few more people, it beats the cattle boats from the big dive resorts. Mini, the dive master was excellent and a lot of fun to spend time with. The night dive just off the island reef was a highlight. Definitely a different set of critters out at night, and a couple sharks in the dark… Did the big fish encounter – good, checked the box, a bit like a zoo under water, without bars. Glad we did it, but the small reef sharks appearing out of the darkness and disappearing just as fast on the night diver were more impressive/a little unnerving. On a related topic – snorkeling is amazing – the colors in the coral are innumerable, throw in the vertical wall dropping down to about 30 feet, cool shells and I spent hours just kicking around the island.

The rooms at Davui are great. They do have a resort map now with locations. If I had that to overlay with sun/shade times of each, it would have been the ULTIMATE. We started with an upgrade Mike arranged (Valle 3) that for our time of the year, great sun/shade mix and evening sunsets. Then moved over to 6, which turns the corner and only got sun on the splash pool for about an hour – not a huge deal and since I picked it over Valle 1, oh well (1’s pool overlooks the boat area and thus a little less private). Bottom line though, the rooms are great and for the rainier season, we were lucky enough to have perfect weather right up the day we left, which rained and made it just a hair easier to leave, but only just.

After reading reviews, we had already determined that we weren’t the kind of people likely to write a disaster story review and nothing changed after the trip. It was a little humorous to see how some of the things people thought disastrous weren’t (at least to us). Mosquitoes, yes, we got bit. Inside and outside the netting, sometimes at dinner – its tropical. We had very, very strong repellent we brought with us – it helps a lot but still… the mangers were in transition but seemed to recognize that and went a little extra to make sure they weren’t missing an element we needed. They were good about setting some expectations up front as well – such as letting us know if there was ANYTHING we needed to ask, and yet reminded us that we were on an island and although they would always do their very best, sometimes they would not be able to accommodate certain food requests, etc. They had a smoked tuna breakfast sandwich that they never got the tuna in for, but they did know I had inquired about it a couple times and seemed to genuinely try and get it but could not. They substituted with smoked Salmon they were able to get. On the topic of food, it was amazing. In particular the fish, which seemed available at every meal in some form including the breakfast sandwich I mentioned. I read a very contrary review online about them never having fish before going so who knows why when that happened. It was definitely NOT an issue and it always seemed extra fresh.

One other pleasant, and not minor surprise, all drinks (except alcohol) WERE included. They don’t list it as that on their website that way (I think they say tea, coffee and water is). Probably saved us a little bit and kept us more hydrated than we otherwise may have. It also means that with a bottle or two from duty free in Nadi and the minibar stocked with coke, tonic, club soda, etc – we didn’t have to have drinks delivered, ordered, etc.

Staff was very friendly and mostly fast. We learned that if you get to know them a little better, ask them questions, etc, they seemed more at ease and more in tune with what you liked – by the end, they knew that I LOVED the fresh baked bread (they made a pesto bread, kind of swirl of pesto inside – to die for…), and got a kick out of keeping me well stocked at meals.

Airline was good – upstairs in the air pacific 747, bulkhead seat was KEY on the way there. The little commuter 3 seater plane Davui used was a kick. If you have any fear of flying or small plans though, watch out. I have great photos from the plane, including out the front window landing. But then I like flying, and small planes. If they have any reservations about it, a car from Nadi takes a little longer – but you do get to see the country and I think is a little cheaper, and does offer more options for departure/arrival time. I’m sure they like to keep boat trips from Davui to Pacific Harbor to a minimum so if multiple people arrive on the same day, the plane is a charter. We enjoyed it as I said. On the way back, we were on a United plane – luckily had economy plus so leg room was tolerable there too. Upgrades on the united plane was crazy expensive despite plenty of room. US air lines – Oh well.

Have I left anything off? I could probably go on for a lot longer...

Thanks again for a wonderful vacation.
J. & A. Lunzer
Hermosa Beach, CA

March 23, 2009

Hello Melissa & Robin!

We had a wonderful trip. Rosie's had everything arranged (multiple taxis etc) just right. They were helpful indeed. We recommend highly Blue Lagoon Cruises - the crew is fantastic and they REALLY go the extra mile to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable.

The Anchorage (where we only stayed 1 night) was also pleasant.

Air Pacific was fine. I bought an upgrade to fly Business on the way back (Nadi to LAX). Wow - was it ever worth it. The only thing we were not pleased with were the internet usage charges and meals at one of our stop-overs. All in all - a great time, and I would DEFINITELY use McCoy travel in the future.

Vinaka!
B. & S. Guza
San Diego, CA

March 21, 2009

Hi Lori,

Got back from Fiji last Sunday, the place is amazing! You were right, Qamea was the perfect place, splitting the week between the beachfront bure and premium villa was perfect, and the food was great. The premium villa was wonderful (having the meals brought to the villa was so luxurious). We had a bright sunny day for the wedding, in fact the day of the wedding was the only day without rain in Qamea while we were there. The Sofitel was the definitely the best place to stay in Denarau. I have sent you a link for our photo album online. Please feel free to share the photos with other couples we are thinking of getting married in fiji so as they can have a better idea as to what its like and how qamea is a great spot. I would also highly recommend the Sofitel for staying in Denarau and the Novotel as a stopover hotel in Nadi. Our stay was definitely luxury in paradise!!

Thank you again for assistance in our perfect paradise weddingmoon!!

Sincerely,
L. & D. Healy
Dublin, Ireland

March 5, 2009

Bula Mike!
The trip was fabulous! Thank you for taking care of all the details --everything worked out great! The upgrade to Paradise Taveuni was wonderful! It's a beautiful resort and a well run dive operation and we would recommend it highly. We're already talking about our next trip to the Pacific, so keep us in mind for any tantalizing deals out there!
Vinaka vaka levu!
Marie and Peter

Warmest,
M. & P. Gentele
Harrisburg, PA

March 4, 2009

Hello Melissa & Robin,

Matamanoa was awesome, we loved every minute of it, and the staff they were awesome and Rosies did an awesome job. Thanks for your part in our vacation.

Vinaka!
B. & B. Christie
Grand Prarie, AL

Feb 16, 2009

Mike, Bula Bula Bula and Aloha!

Mahalo and Denaka for your help on my trip.

Fiji was absolutely magical...

The best thing you did was be the foil in my lodging selections, and recommend the Fiji sailing "adventure". Without the give-and-take on the lodgings, I would have not found the ones I found, or made the same decisions. Thank you!!!

Fiji was also other worldly. A very different pace and place. Stopping for one night in Honolulu and Nadi on the way out was good for the time adjustment, and to break up the flight times. The first nite in Nadi, on the way west, the Mercure was great. Newly remodeled with good food, good pool and a great respite for the night. I visited Nadi and ate at an OK curry/seafood place with a wonderful owner/waitress. Visiting Nadi for several hours was an eye opener to their politics, economics, and very welcoming cultures (Indian and Fijian).

Capt. Cook's sailing was the best. I had no expectations at all. It wasn't really sailing, but a nice slow paced cruise around the islands with lots of snorkeling. I brought a bottle of wine for each nite and shared with the other guests (2 Aussies, 2 Dutch, 2 Canucks, 2 Coloradans) and the extremely warm and friendly staff. The coral and fish were better than anything I had seen since the 70's in the Carribean. The village we visited was heart-warming and heart-wrenching. The people were so open and friendly and kind and sweet (where is my thesaurus?). The on-island setup was a bit primitive, but I would not change a thing. Very camp-like. By the time we left I was relaxed. (It only took one bottle of wine, jungle drinks and snorkeling everyday to calm a type A personality down, hmmm.) Again, I could have stayed twice as long....with half the days just lounging around the base-camp island. Capt. Cook is a marvelous organization: everyone was the "bestest" person I ever met....but then all the Fijians (in Nadi too) I met were.

Many Thanks,
D. Brown
Aspen, Colorado

Feb 12, 2009

Hi Faye,

All of your planning and tickets, etc. went very well. We were met by Rosie's and by the others who were supoosed to do so. The Fijians were all so nice we really enjoyed the country. We were very pleased with our choices of the Tui Tai and Moody's Namena. The snorkeling and diving in Fiji were amazing and our only disappointment was the weather.

Unfortunately we had terrible weather ("worst floods in a century") which literally put a dampener on the trip.

On Tui Tai we were 3 of only 6 passengers on a boat holding 22 passengers and with a crew of about 20. We were very well looked after!. The weather meant our snorkeling and diving were severly curtailed. They had planned 4 shore excurions, 3 to villages and one to a waterfall. With a bit of adjustment we were able to do them all and were very glad they were planned. Seeing the villages was a real treat and added a lot to our trip.

The Tui Tai was fine. Not normal weather. The boat felt very seaworthy, even during our night of 6-8 foot seas. The captain was very good.

Moody's was another adventure that we enjoyed. It is a mile long island, holding about 12 guests (we were the only 3), and surrounded by a reef, with at least 24 dive spots. Due to the weather we had only 1/2 hour on the reef. Our accomodations were fine, and simple lifestyle was the correct description. Our bedside reading lamps were powered by solar, and the room lights were gas lamps. The toilets use salt water and the fresh water showers had individual hot wter heaters. They worked fine. All water is catchment but shortages were not a problem to us!
Tom and Joan Moody were very interesting and we enjoyed being there. We would defintely go there again.

We went to Palau last year in early Jan and had rainy weather so next time (maybe next year) we will go later in the year.

All for now,
K. McLeod (Melvin Village, North Carolina)

Jan 23, 2009

Hi Mike,

Well, I've been meaning to do this for a long time and finally have a quiet moment. I decided not to send you a bunch of pictures from our honeymoon since you definitely know what everything looks like. Instead, I'm sending a picture of RJ and me because you don't know what we look like. This was taken at Taveuni before dinner one night.

Anyway, I don't know if I ever formally thanked you for all your help with planning our honeymoon. We really had the absolute dream honeymoon, and I loved that all we had to do was show up. Everything was taken care of for us, and we didn't have to figure out anything. That was soooo nice. You did a wonderful job of arranging and rearranging everything for us. Thank you so much!

Taveuni Island Resort was the best place I have ever stayed - from the privacy to the accommodations to the food and staff - it was perfect. We weren't thrilled with the beach but found plenty other stuff to do. Likuliku was fun too but we really just hung out by the pool the entire time we were there.

I really don't know why so many people refuse to use travel agents in the age of the Internet. You guys are so helpful, and the Internet isn't always cheaper. Plus, for someone like me who hates logistics, you guys are super heroes.

Ok, that's it. I'll definitely be keeping you in my contact list for future island excursions.

Thanks,
A. Pales (Oak Park, Illinois)

Dec 28, 2008

Hello Lori,

We had a blast, Vatulele has to be the most beautiful place we have seen, complete perfection!! Thanks so much for your help it was really appreciated.

Once again thanks, we know now that if we go back to Hawaii or anywhere in the Pacific Ocean, we will call you first. The trip was so worth every dollar. We even meet a couple from Australia who booked through your company, they were in the Bure next to ours.

Happy New Year

Aloha,
K. Franco (San Jose, California)

Dec 14, 2008

Lori -

Good evening. The trip was amazing. It was very relaxing, and the calm atmosphere was just what we needed.

I thought the flight in was great, it really let's you see part of the island that you wouldn't see from the coast. We were also glad to have taken a car on our return trip, it gave us an interesting view of the villages and locals. We had an Indian driver that was very knowledgeable.

The resort was great, we had Thanksgiving dinner with the GM and the owner who were both gracious. They asked us how we had heard about the resort and we told them your name. They were very aware of the number of guest you send them.

The resort itself was great, the rooms were very clean and nice, and the plunge pools really made the place fantastic. The employees were extremely nice and that added touch made our stay even more enjoyable.

From an activity stand point, we did everything we could, my daughter went zip lining and I did the shark dive. All 3 of us went out to the resort owned island for a day of snorkeling. My wife and I saw a 6 ft reef shark swim under us, right before we had our grilled lobster and chicken lunch.

If there was any negative feed back we had, it would be the snorkeling right off the beach of the resort and the water quality. We didn't know that most of the rivers are polluted on the main island and that most of the reef is dead on the coast. The only other item that was unexpected was the set up at the resort. It seemed like the resort wasn't really sure what it wanted to be, a resort or property development company. While we very much enjoyed the resort, it seemed as if the owner had changed their direction and wanted to sell the property rather then focus on the "Resort experience". The only down side here was that the food was somewhat average.

We made some great friends, but we don't know if the resort will be there in the next few years to return.

My family and I agree that we would go back to Fiji again, but we would want to stay on an island with a lot a reef around it that we could just walk into the water and snorkel for hours. I'm sure there are a lot of resorts like this, in fact if I recall you recommended we try two places....my bad! :)

We are already starting to plan our next trip, I enjoyed working with you and hopefully you can help us on our next adventure.

I think you can sum up what we are looking for in two things, a really nice resort with great food, and untouched reefs that are warm and thriving with life that can be accessed right in front of the resort.

Thanks again for all of your advice, the resort over all was great and very cost effective.

I believe you also specialize in Tahiti, please feel free to send me any recommendations you might have.

Have a great holiday!!!

D. Cameron (Aliso Viejo, California)

Dec 03, 2008

Hey Michael,

We had such an amazing time! the people were so sweet and fun. the only downside was that we only had a week to spend there. Thanks for all of your help organizing the trip to Fiji!
C. & E. Speron (San Clemente, California)

Nov 26, 2008

Hi Hiapo!

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for the wonderful experience we had in Fiji with your arrangements. The Hotel was beautiful, all the pickups and transfers went perfectly and everyone was so helpful. Let's say my husband was very surprised because we had a lot of transferring and moving around to do.

We love Fiji - I fell in love with Naigani Island and we will definitely return. If someone is looking for the more primitive "Gilligan Island" style of Fiji, enjoys meeting people and making friends and wants a truly special experience meeting the Chief and people of the village - this is the place for them. And I must say, I really got into the whole Kava thing! :o)

The Extra bonus was we were the only divers so everyday was just us and the dive master - perfect!

Thank you so much for helping to make our experience stress free and well organized. I am so glad I found you!

I will be in touch when we get ready to return!

Happy Thanksgiving wishing you a wonderful holiday season

Sincerely,
C. & R. Oxford (Oxnard, California)

Nov 18, 2008

Dear Melissa,
Wow, what can we say, but all wonderful things of our recent trip to Fiji. Mike booked us a fabulous Weddingmoon at two properties, and everything went extremely well. From Air/ground/water transport to the 2 week stay at both Lovely Resorts. What was there not to love about Fiji?

The First Resort was amazing: They were there to collect us when we landed in Taveuni (no waiting) and took us straight away to the water transport. Sia was there to greet us when we arrived and she did an incredible job with the orientation, and our wedding arrangements. We would definitely consider another visit there. The staff were all wonderful!

The second Resort: We had a wonderful up-grade to a Premium Vale, and what an incredible place to snorkel and spend our week honeymooning. We were both very sad to leave.

We haven't used the services of a travel agency in a very long time (generally book our own travels via Internet), but since this was such a special occasion, we decided to go the Fiji Experts: McCoy Travel. All booking arrangements were spot on. All email correspondence was answered very quickly and in a timely fashion. Mike did a fabulous job providing us with several resort options and choices, and the before and after the trip follow-up has been tremendous.

We have both worked in the service/travel industry, and McCoy gets top ratings from us!

Kind Regards,
M.& D. Osualdini (Edmonton, AB Canada)

Nov 14, 2008

Hi Faye, We had an absolutely beautiful wedding and honeymoon in Fiji. The day was perfect, made only more special by all the dramas with customs... and the staff in Fiji were fabulous having got to know us pretty well and what we were going through by the big day! I managed to hold back the tears and we got some stunning photographs, and the day was over all too quickly!! We then spent a couple of weeks cruising around the Yasawa Islands which was amazing. I'm sure we will return to Fiji one day, a good excuse to celebrate an anniversary out there!!!

Take care,
C. & D. Govan (United Kingdom)

Bula Mark,
The trip has been exactly what I expected….and the surprise was a full one for Laure, she enjoyed a lot each day, each moment and the Fiji area is wonderful - a small paradise in nowhere!! The 2 resorts were more than great and the selection was the right one for the 2 weeks we spent over there.

On both service level, food quality level and team site level were absolutely perfect.

I must congratulate you for your follow-up during the preparation since the beginning and all your recommendations. Thanks for your professionalism and I will recommend your contact for any far away trip like Fiji.

Sorry I have been meaning to write back to you. Yes we had a wonderful time and our expectations were exceeded.

The Radisson was a perfect stopover point especially for young families as they have a variety of pools, a washer / dryer in some of the rooms and a great kids menu. The food was very good too.

Vomo Island was excellent. The villa was amazing. It was really two villas – one with a parent’s room and lounge / kitchen and one with 2 bed and bathrooms. The service was excellent and nothing was too much trouble. The chef even organized a bbq at the villa for us one night. They had a Fijian night one night which I think is Thursday which is well worth staying for. We loved it and would recommend it.

We enjoyed our stay very much. We loved the remote escape and came to view the Resort staff as family. Millie and her team took amazing care of us. The food was fantastic! The intimate setting also allowed us to make great friends from around the world. The visit to the school was a priceless experience. I loved the ability to do as much, or as little as we wanted! We sailed the Hobie Cat, took out glass-bottom kayaks, snorkeled, saw the Blue Lagoon caves and even learned to dive. We enjoyed a couple's massage overlooking the beach and I took full advantage of the Spa treatments. My favorite activity was the Private Picnic. There is nothing like knowing the only footprints on the beach are your own. As a language lover, I was thrilled that they gave us a new Fijian word to learn every day. We also enjoyed the Garden of the Sleeping Giant near Novotel.

This is our 3rd year in a row in Fiji. What can I say? It is the most magical place on earth for me and my family! With an agent like Lori every place could be that! She is by far the best travel agent I have worked with in the past 20 years.

This year we went back to Fiji Resort. We feel this is our home away from home. Everyone knew us and we feel at one with "the people". The days seem to merge into another like a beautiful quilt. The calm of the resort, the island breeze, and the amazing residents of Fiji beckon you. There is never any stress (!) or pressure. No t.v. or phone is an added bonus.

The best experience for us is always the sea plane. This is an experience that everyone must enjoy at least once in their lifetime. There is nothing like it! A bit noisy at first but then it is like gliding. Oh and the landing is as smooth as butter!

We hope that next year we will be fortunate enough to return to Fiji. We can not get enough. You can say we are addicted. We try and spread the Fiji islands to everyone we come in contact with (whether they want to or not). So much so that this past August we brought 2 more families to discover Fiji. They loved it so much they are too longing to return next year.

Finally, Lori is an amazing woman. A travel agent with so much attention to detail. So patient (thank you Lori). So caring. This is a rarity in our world today. A world where everything is done on line and there is no contact with a "live" person. I am thankful each day that I "met" Lori. A simple search on the internet 3 years ago led me to her. She is the best "buy" I ever made on line.

Just wanted to thank you and McCoy for your help in choosing and booking Fiji as our honeymoon destination. Fiji is completely overwhelming – both in beauty and most of all, the Fijian people themselves. Comparing #1 (Mamanuca Island Resort) to #2 (Vanua Levu Fiji Resort) is difficult, as both differ in location and style. Overall, Resort #1 got our vote for beauty and Resort #2 for the incredible service. The food in both resorts was fabulous and the quality of accommodation was unique in the world. But, of course, it's the people who work at both resorts who make you feel part of the family as soon as you arrive.

I hope we'll get the opportunity to return one day as it's not THAT far. If Air Pacific introduces a fleet which has more legroom, that would be a plus.

As for the trip - we absolutely loved our time in Fiji, we are convinced that we were at the best of the best resorts! The quality of the bures, the food, the view, the water... all were top notch and more than we had experienced anywhere before. What makes the resort is most definitely the staff. The Fijian's we interacted with at the resort knew our names by dinner (within 6 hours of arriving!), and not just our names, but we arrived with three other couples and they knew each and everyone of us! Percy is a special staff member, one I know for a fact that all of the guests build a kinship with.

The food...good God the food! We have never eaten so much fresh food in my life, and every time we turned around it seemed it was time to eat. The manner in which we are served, the atmosphere, the presentation, and the quality are top notch each and every meal.

Our time was spent snorkeling, we snorkeled everyday except one (it rained). Amanda and I went on the waterfall tour which is a must do for any couple!

Honeymoon beach was a great opportunity for us to get away and enjoy some time alone. We did some snorkeling, ate lunch, read a bit, swam, and enjoyed our time together before Sam picked us up at the scheduled time.

We enjoyed our complimentary massage and Amanda returned for another treatment before we left.

The village tour and church were great cultural experiences and interacting with the Fijian people gave both of us a much greater appreciation for the culture and the way they live...awesome experience that anyone who goes should attend- these two things are what help make the resort as great as it is!

I could go one for hours about our positive experience, and if it is in the cards we would certainly go back in the future.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! We have compared stories with our friends who have recently honeymooned and we are more than confident that our experience was far superior and more than worth the few extra bucks.

Thank you (Vinaka) for your help and expertise in helping us plan what is sure to be a trip worth a lifetime of memories!

Thank you very much. We had an incredible time. The staff was incredible, felt like family. We will definitely go back.

We had a great time at the Westin! Our honeymoon was fantastic and we plan on returning there again!

Well, why didn't you just come out and tell me right away that you were the coolest travel agent ever? Thanks again, you were terrific!!

Back from Fiji today. I can now understand why the Fiji Resort is your most popular package and one that you sell with the most confidence. It is truly spectacular in every which way. We had the best time.

Thanks for the note Melissa, we have booked two awesome trips through your company. Mike our agent has been the best. It is difficult with so many options in today's travel and cost limitations to get the best bang for your buck. Mike was able to give us our dream vacation in Fiji for my wife and I, and then help us book the best family vacation in the Mayan Rivera. Your company didn't let one ball drop. In fact, they were above our expectations. We feel like we finally have found a travel agency that is there to service the client and not just trying to get another commission and on to the next person. We felt like we were the number one client. We save our money to travel to great places. We want our experience to be great from start to finish. McCoy Travel Agency provides great service from start to finish. I have also be able to recommend several other people to your company with great pride, because I know you will not drop the ball. Thank you again. My only negative is that I'm jealous every time you send me an email of your wonderful vacations to Fiji and Tahiti. You make me want to go.

We had a fabulous time. We joked that the brochure for the resort didn't do it justice. We were the only people staying at the resort for more than half our stay. The accommodations were superior and the diving was also very good. All our flights were on time or close. Mike was very helpful in orchestrating all the flights and arrangements. By far, the staff at the resort was equal to the best we have ever encountered. Everyone had a blast.

Yes, indeed our travel experience was beyond an explanation in words. We are still amazed that we actually traveled across the world all the way to Fiji. Air Pacific was wonderful as well....we actually enjoyed the 10 hour plane ride across the Pacific.

Our single most favorite part of the vacation was befriending a local and visiting his village and then being invited to their church for Sunday morning services. It was so nice to be able to interact with the Fijians. They are by far the friendliest people I have ever met. We loved them. Leaving the island was bittersweet, as we missed family and friends and "home" in general, but hated leaving our new friends.

Our trip was super and we hope to return in the future sometime. I would love to bring my family to let them have an experience of a lifetime! Thank you again for all that you have done!

Thought you might appreciate some feedback as we're past half way through our honeymoon. We fell in love with the Fiji Resort - deserves all the praise possible as it's an amazing location, beautifully designed and the staff are extraordinary. Lots to do in, on or out of water and buzzing with seaplanes/helicopters arriving and changes of guests. Bures are beautiful too and central area with pool is perfect place to relax and watch sunsets. It's the singing and smiling staff that really make the place.

We're now at the second Fiji Resort which is at the opposite end of the spectrum. Long journey to get here but that was expected. Staff here are very friendly too, but we find it more pretentious as there are only about 14 guests and the place is huge. Compared to 1st resort, it looks a bit 'worn' in my opinion. Bures in 1st resort better for sure.

We miss having a proper beach and view of coral sea and islands opposite and the to-ing and fro-ing of boats. Service here is out of this world of course, but maybe just a bit over the top as resort #1 proved how naturally generous and helpful Fijians are without needing to go over the top. So, Fiji Resort #1 gets our vote for being the paradise destination at considerably less cost - if I could wave a magic wand, we'd go back tomorrow for the rest of our honeymoon. Resort #2 is great for people who want to be waited on hand and foot and have the option to dive but Resort #1 wins hands down for the 'wow' factor and the pure beauty of the Fijian islands.

Fiji was a fabulous romantic place and was really a dream come true. Thank you for all your help in arranging our transfers and assisting us with ideas of how and where we went whilst we were there.

The Fiji people were so friendly and nice and always wanted to spread their warmth and hospitality, even if they were complete strangers.

We hope to go back to Fiji to celebrate our 5 or 10 yr anniversary. If we are planning another trip to NZ, Australia, or other nearby countries, we will definitely use your services again Faye.

Rosies was a very professional company and their drivers were really informative and friendly. For all of the transfers the drivers were always there promptly and offered advice and local knowledge.

Hi Mark,
Thank you so much.....You are making everything so very easy and I appreciate that. I am using you from now on...:)

The setting was absolutely stunning - very nice, too, to be welcomed upon arrival by singing musicians and the same upon leaving - it appeared to be one of the few resorts doing this. We loved kayaking each day and snorkeling around the island. We took advantage of the parasailing, which was awesome. The visit to the neighboring island was interesting but I personally felt we were imposing on a very impoverished community.

The meals were generally very good. The meals off the menu (which were often separate from the meal plan) were outstanding.

The trip to Fiji was exceptional. Sue M.. did a great job and our honeymoon was even more than we expected. The Fiji resort was a fabulous place and the staff from the manger all the way down to the grounds keeper were wonderful and fun. We will definitely go back and will highly recommend you and the Fiji resort to our friends and anyone else that asks.

Melissa,
Thanks so much for a wonderful trip. Lori did a wonderful job as always. The Fiji resort has changed a bit since last year and everything was great. Last year we had an issue with the linens but this year all was perfect. The resort and staff went out of their way and we had no issues. The food was even better this year and the service was tops. I will always upgrade to a beach front from now on.

Hi Melissa!
We're having loads of fun coming up on our last night at the first Fiji Resort! We wanted to thank you for the upgrade to the Nanise bure. Wow! It is gorgeous. We're enjoying all of the activities that the resort has to offer. Last night we soaked in the Moonlight Magic at the spa.

We cannot wait to see the next Fiji Resort although it will be sad leaving the first class service we have received here. Thanks again for everything.

Mark,
I thought I had some idea of what Fiji would be like from pictures and video, but when the seaplane flew over those sparkling blue waters and we saw the lagoon and overwater bures I was really speechless. The staff was as warm and welcoming. From day one, everybody knew our names and we were eating, snorkeling, and laughing like we had been there for a week. No transition time, seamless.

The ceremony itself was amazing. The Fijian warriors walked in front of me and my father. Our mothers were waiting next to the lush green arch with tropical flowers and a heart lined on the floor with coconuts. The weather was perfect, sunny with just a little bit of breeze. It was just too much beauty...

The rest of the time, the food was outstanding! So many flavors and colors, we were surprised each and every time we went to eat. Really top-notch. My mother says that the wedding cake (the hummingbird) was the most delicious dessert she had ever tasted.

Our mothers and my dad's transfers were perfect. You thought of everything there.

All in all, the wedding was nearly perfect. The Fiji resort was beyond our dreams, and I fear that no other vacation will be able to live up to it now!

Tim and I are looking forward to visiting Fiji again for our one year anniversary. This time, Tim is interested in taking a cruise to see even more of the islands and beaches perhaps ending with three or four days at the resort. Maybe you can help us with that when the time is right?

Mark, you not only saved our wedding at the last minute, but you put together a wedding and honeymoon that will live on in our hearts forever. We really want to thank you for making everything so seamless and easy. In terms of travel agents, you are our man! I can't wait to start planning our next vacation with you.

Bula Mike,
Wonderful trip. I want to thank you so much for your great service to us. We felt it in Fiji when the resort did some special birthday event for us. And, we appreciated all your careful attention to helping plan our trip with the exceptional energy and always timely answers to questions from us. Also, all the resorts we stayed at were wonderful about providing excellent varieties of vegetarian and vegan meals. Each place was different and suited our needs very well. Of course , that was a big concern for us and they communicated to us that they had heard our requests from you.

The travel connections were perfect, and easy and we thank you for that. The diving was amazing and your advice about which places to go was great.

Most of all, I felt that you carefully listened to our particular needs and tried to help us figure out for ourselves a three week long trip in a far flung destination. And, of course, when you were out of the office the travel agency was very efficient.

Of course, you will hear from us again when we are able to do another amazing vacation!

Great!!! Thank you so much for your fantastic, always positive, attitude & your wonderful extra help Mike.

Thanks for the follow up phone call to find out how our holiday and wedding went.

We all had a wonderful time, the resort was everything I had hoped it would be. The staff were really very friendly, as all Fijian people are, and we were welcomed into the family. The food was good, always offering fish, meat and a vegetarian option for lunch and dinner. There was certainly lots of it too! Then just in case you did feel hungry in between, there were always the cookies in your room, the cake in the afternoon or the never ending supply of cookies in the dining area.

I must admit I was a little worried about the wedding as we had had lots and lots of really heavy rain, but Kay said "have faith as everything always works out for the special day", and it did. We had glorious sunshine and everything was absolutely perfect.

Yosi took our photos and he is a very good photographer, I would recommend him to anyone. I dived quite a lot and enjoyed every one, Bale the dive master really looked after me. I think he was sad to see me go and so was Kay. I really did not want to leave and shed more than a tear as we were going. I have been home now for 3 days and apart from seeing my cats I can still say I still do not want to be here. My heart is in Fiji.

Hiapo, just got back. Thanks for the perfect honeymoon! Everything went perfect and your planning was flawless.

We, once again, enjoyed our trip that was arranged through your awesome agents. This trip, to the Fiji Island Resort, was quite a topper. We've never had a trip like this. This place is surreal. Service there was incredible. I can go on all day. We want to go again when we celebrate my husband's retirement in approx 11 yrs. Meanwhile we'll be looking at other areas to visit. But we just can't say enough about this Fiji Resort. Air Pacific services were great once again, the flight time is rough but it was better than last time. We're still trying to adjust back to Pacific Coast time. Please let us know whenever the resort offers a blue light special!!!

We took some beautiful pictures as we celebrated our 25 wedding anniversary. The Resort Staff took care of all the details for our vow renewal ceremony. It was just out of this world.

Our trip was FABULOUS!!! It was everything we expected and more. The resort was amazing. On our flight to Tavenui from Nadi we met the owners on that scary little plane ride and took the van and boat ride with them to the island. We shared many laughs with them at the bar at night and with the rest of the guests. Everything went very smoothly and I can not say enough great things about the Fiji Resort. My friends and family are sick of hearing about it.

Thank you so much for the recommendation and for your help with our travels. I would highly recommend you and the resort to anyone who is thinking about traveling!!!!

Thanks for all your help in organizing everything and for answering all of my questions as they have come up. Thanks for booking us a complimentary room in Nadi, Fiji. G. and I very much look forward to our honeymoon in Fiji. I appreciate all your hardwork and very freindly service.

Bula Hiapo:
Mahalo for a great family vacation. You did a fantastic job planning for every little detail and anticipating our needs. The Fiji Resort was superb even the friend liked it. The family loved it.

The trip was absolutely amazing. Fiji's climate, waters, reefs people and especially their children were spectacularly gorgeous. The cruise itself was amazing. It was wonderful being able to be so personable and knowing that you were definitely going to see the same people every day. It made the cruise seem more like an extended family get away and we have tons of email addresses to prove it.

By far and away the best part of the cruise was seeing the faces of the children who seemed honestly thrilled to have us there. Their love for laughing, dancing (and digital cameras) was beautiful. Thank you so much for all your efforts, allowing us to successfully travel to, from and amongst the Fijian archipelago.

Before I dive into the spectacular time we had at the Fiji Resort, I’d like to mention the person that helped us find this place, Lori at McCoy Travel. We had worked with a few other agencies before finally booking with McCoy and we wouldn’t recommend anyone else! She is a regular at the Fiji Resort and was much like a celebrity there, so we knew we were in good hands. We changed our plans quite a bit, booking a Hawaii vacation on the way to Fiji, and she had no problem accommodating us in every way, keeping us updated all the time. Thank you Lori for putting together the most perfect anniversary! You set us up for having the most beautiful memories for life!

We upgraded to one of the premium villas and it was well worth the money. It has an indoor & outdoor shower along with a separate living area. It has a private pool; I'm guessing 10'x20' and approx 6' in the deep end. It is fully covered by the deck's dawning so it is much cooler than the resort's pool. The sun gets brutal if you're lying-out so a quick dip in the pool is very refreshing. I was in there every day. Also, the premium villas have what I thought to be the best hammock at the resort. Each bure/villa has its own hammock but the premium villa has one between two trees right over the beach. During high tide you'd be lying in the hammock only to have the ocean's waves break right under you. Now that is my definition of paradise!

The entire staff knows your name instantly. While on the subject of staff… you must get one of William's drinks! He can make a mean drink and his smile is contagious. The Band Boys are astounding! Try some kava with them and listen to their stories. If you do play the guitar they will definitely enjoy jamming with you. One of the people we met had an amazing voice and played guitar. She played a song with the band one night while one of the guys was improv jamming with her, it was wonderful. Everyone made our trip truly memorable, especially their stories.

Although we didn't get out on any of the excursions (read above about William's drinks and you can figure out why), we did greatly enjoy the Meke ceremony. The stories told by the village's kids with song and dance were wonderful and everyone seemed to be having a great time. They also had a kava ceremony with local villagers which was very exciting.

My favorite part was cocktail hour before dinner. This is where you get to meet everyone else staying at the resort. One night at dinner we were pleasantly surprised when a cake lit with candles was brought out as the band played. We had been wondering whose birthday it was only to have the cake brought directly to us, realizing then that the band was singing Happy Anniversary! My husband had mentioned our anniversary to one of the guests, only to have a staff member overhear and prepare this the same night. A complete surprise!

It was truly an amazing trip. I could go on forever here but you really have to experience everything for yourself. Again, we would like to thank the owners for putting together such a wonderful resort and friendly staff as well as McCoy Travel for directing us to this slice of paradise. Vinaka Vakalevu!!!

I have been meaning to write you since we returned from our trip. Our trip was nothing short of perfect. The Fiji resort was everything we were hoping for and more. The resort itself was beautiful and we loved the honeymoon villa since it was set back a bit from the other bures and it did not have as much foot traffic in front. We relaxed more than we participated in the activities but we loved the fact we could do as much or as little as we wanted to while we were there and we did go on the village visit, waterfall hike and a couple of snorkeling excursions - all of which we loved. Perhaps the best thing about the whole experience was the STAFF! Everyone was so friendly and helpful and they were amazing! We have nothing bad to say about anything and we are so glad we chose this Fiji resort for our honeymoon. Thank you for recommending it over the others we were looking at. Also, thank you for helping us plan and book the trip - the process was so easy and great and I will definitely contact you for our future trips to see if you can be of any assistance. We already said we will go back in 5 or 10 years but we'll be planning our first anniversary trip before you know it! THANKS AGAIN!!!