Comments
from recent guests staying at Marau Vale:
¨
"Given our extended stay
on the island, we had a wonderful time. You
have a wonderful piece of paradise. Hope we
can return for an anniversary in future years."
[G. Daniels, Cedar Knolls, NJ]
"As far as Tomasi,
HE WAS WONDERFUL. He fulfilled our every wish
and more... he was great and we can't wait
until we can visit the Marau Vale again. This
place was absolutely the best! It was everything
we dreamed of and made our dreams come true."
". [T. Cruz, Los Angeles, CA]
"Neither the photographs
I have seen nor the words I have read had
prepared me for the true beauty of this place.
When we walked into the house, Marau Vale,
and stepped out onto the porch, we were just
amazed - for once speechless! Tomasi was a
gracious host and a wonderful cook. This has
truly been one of our most memorable vacations."
[B. Garland, Hillsbourough NC]
"Jon and I wanted
to find a special place for our honeymoon
and we did -- right here on Taveuni Island.
Marau Vale is wonderful. It will be a memory
we shall never forget." [F. Myers, Media
PA]
"Just wrapped up a wonderful honeymoon
at the 'Happy House'. We fell in love with
Taveuni and stayed an extra week. We hope
everyone enjoys their stay as much as we did.
A truly amazing place." [G. Daniel, New
York NY]
"Tom and I found this to be one of the best
trips we have ever taken. It wasn't resort-like,
but more of a personal, relaxing, remote and
friendly atmosphere. We found all the activities
and the people very entertaining. The singing
at the local church on Sunday was exceptional.
What an experience! We also had a wonderful
time at the waterfalls, honeymoon island,
and the waterslide. The people were the best
part of the trip. They are all so friendly.
To top off the entire vacation was Tomasi.
What a cook, massage therapist, and friend.
We never left the house without him. He is
quite the tour guide. The house is beautiful.
We will definitely be back to enjoy your island
once again." [H & T Spade, Morgan Hill, CA]
¨
"We have truly enjoyed our stay here at Marau
Vale. It is the 'Happy House". My favorite
things to do: sitting on the verandah and
watching the sunrise, listening to all the
birds, watching the many parrots around sunset,
and most of all the view - spectacular!! The
waterfalls at Bouma are not to be missed.
The waterside - something I will never forget.
Tomasi - What a pleasure. So many special
parts of Taveuni - the people are definitely
the nicest in the world. The island is so
very lush. This place truly is paradise. Everything
about the house was wonderful for us. Relax
and enjoy the tranquil surroundings. Walks
on the beach under the moon with my new husband
were the best. We are having such a fantastic
trip. Thank you for opening your home for
such a wonderful experience. Thank you to
Taveuni for welcoming us to your island. Thank
you to the house staff for truly making our
stay adventurous, fun and memorable. We will
be back again someday!! We love it. Oh, the
outside shower is unreal - take a shower under
the moon - one of our favorite things to do.
Your new work on the house is beautiful. Renovations
of great improvement. The pictures on the
internet and in your brochure don't do this
beautiful place justice". [E & S Rei, North
Carolina] ¨
"We had a wonderful time in Fiji and loved
the house. The outdoor shower was wonderful,
a spectacular addition to the place! We are
planning on a similar shower for our backyard
here, the view won't be as spectacular but
we at least have the memories to fantasize
about! Vinaka for a great stay!" [L. West,
Plano, Texas] ¨
"We had a great time on Taveuni. Your place
is terrific, and we hope to soon visit again."
[D. Jasper, New York, NY] ¨ "Fiji has been
truly sublime, and this house in particular
has been spectacular. Tomasi [the caretaker]
really made sure our trip and stay at 'Happy
House' was truly happy. Thank you for the
memories." [D. Musgrave, Seattle, WA] ¨
"What a beautiful and lovely stage from which
to emerse one's self into the enchanted Fiji
known as Taveuni. No brochure, web page, etc.
could do this wonderful place justice. I hope
all who stay find the pleasures to the senses
this magical island has to offer." [J. Felix,
Woodland Hills, CA] ¨
"Words are completely inadequate to tell you
how much we enjoyed being in your lovely home
on Taveuni!" [E. Engleman - Denver, CO] More
guests comments: ¨
"A GREAT visit to Marau Vale and Taveuni.
We really enjoyed ourselves and our visit
with all of the wonderful folks on Taveuni.
Marau Vale was at least as good as you described
it to us in your letters and in the information
on your web site. As with most descriptions,
seeing the whole package in person makes the
pictures appear inadequate. It is truly a
beautiful setting, very nice accommodations
and really wonderful people in the village
of Matei. Tomasi is a real treasure. His culinary
skills and reputation are well deserved. Each
meal was truly a delight. We all agreed that
the meals Tom prepared were better than any
we sampled at the local spots. Tom was helpful
and available without being intrusive and
assisted us with all the details of orchestrating
a myriad of daily adventures. We thoroughly
enjoyed his company and sense of humor during
our stay. The grounds are beautiful and we
all really enjoyed meeting and talking with
Lepani. Max is truly a 'wonder dog' and true
to form, accompanied us on all of our evening
jaunts. He is indeed a local celebrity!! We
were able to visit and experience many of
the wonders of Taveuni.... at a pace that
was perfect for our group of combination explorers/loungers.
The kayaks were a real asset for us, and I
would suggest them for all visitors who want
to be active. Thanks again for sharing your
piece of paradise with us. We all were sorry
to leave. Our visit was unforgettable...and
hopefully will be repeated in the future.
Again, vinaka vakalevu Bob!" [George Small
& family - Chapel Hill NC] ¨
"Terrific!!! I feel like I know you a little
better having stayed at your wonderful place.
I can't imagine staying for less than a month-what
a unique opportunity to get to know the community
a little and sit back and relax in our favorite
spots (i.e. the 2 verandas, the outdoor shower)
without having to run around like crazy seeing
everything at once. We did, of course, do
a lot of the recommended island activities
- all wonderful adventures. As for Tomasi,
we can't imagine our vacation without him
(and we realize how lucky you are to have
him working for you compared to other caretakers
we have seen). We lacked for nothing and when
he cooked for us, it was usually enough for
days. His cooking is out of this world. Our
kids got along famously with Tomasi and spent
almost every waking moment together on the
beach, in snorkeling and hermit crab heaven.
Needless to say, we all fell in love with
Max 'the wonder dog'. We thoroughly enjoyed
the quiet, gentle Lepani. He is an amazing
gardener-we realize now how much work it takes
to keep your fabulous gardens looking so luxurious
and inviting. Your place was the perfect inspiration
for me to begin drawing again. I'd add that
to your recommendations-if one's an artist
at heart, bring watercolors-I would have gone
crazy trying to capture all the shapes, colors
and lushness of the grounds and water. We'd
be happy to be references but don't know if
you need any. Thank you, thank you." [Abbe
Salk & Tom, Sophia and Zoe Keskey - Tacoma,
WA] ¨
"Talk about wonderful experiences! Our two-week
stay at Marau Vale was close to an 'Out of
this World' experience. The beauty of the
island and the warmth and friendliness of
the Fijian people alone would have made it
worth the trip. Top that off with Tomasi's
gourmet cooking and Lapani's exceptional care
of us and the gorgeous yard plus sweet 'protector,
'Max the Wonder Dog' --- one could hardly
wish for more. We had many special adventures:
trips to the near and far islands to picnic
and snorkel, which Tomasi arranged, a visit
to a native church to hear beautiful, enthusiastic
singing, and watching dolphin playfully jumping
around our boat. We saw flying fish, the most
beautiful coral we've ever seen and spectacular
sunrises and sunsets. I would be remiss if
I didn't mention the wonderful outdoor shower.
What a delight!" [Fran & Art Bates - Lincoln,
NE] ¨
"Tom and I found this to be one of the best
trips we have ever taken. It wasn't resort-like,
but more of a personal, relaxing, remote and
friendly atmosphere. We found all the activities
and the people very entertaining. The singing
at the local church on Sunday was exceptional.
What an experience! We also had a wonderful
time at the waterfalls, honeymoon island,
and the waterslide. The people were the best
part of the trip. They are all so friendly.
To top off the entire vacation was Tomasi.
What a cook, massage therapist, and friend.
We never left the house without him. He is
quite the tour guide. The house is beautiful.
We will definitely be back to enjoy your island
once again." [H & T Spade, Morgan Hill, CA]
¨
"We have enjoyed your beautiful home here
and Tom has become a dear friend. You are
more fortunate than you can possibly imagine
to have him as your employee. He put on a
beautiful lovo for Richard's 60th birthday,
and invited about 20 guests from the Matei
community. Perhaps another score of Fijians
were involved in the preparation and enjoyed
the bountiful "leftovers." Our visit has truly
been a memorable experience that we will always
cherish. We look forward to a return visit,
perhaps in August, 2003 Thanks for everything."
[R & J Moore, Fairburn, GA] ?
"Our stay in Marau Vale was a trip to heaven!
We have dived all over the world, and without
a doubt, Marau Vale was the best place we
have ever stayed. I have visited many beautiful
botanical gardens, but I never thought I would
live in one for a week. The many artifacts
you have collected from all over the world
and used to decorate Marau Vale, made us feel
like we were staying in an exotic museum.
Lapani, the groundskeeper, has done a marvelous
job of turning your lawn into a botanical
garden. When I show pictures of Marau Vale
to friends, they comment repeatedly over the
beauty of the grounds. Tomasi, the housekeeper
and cook, is absolutely tops. The meals were
gourmet and custom made at our request. Much
to our surprise and pleasure, Tomasi is also
a very good massage therapist. Our daily schedule
was ideal. They started with either diving
or hiking to a beautiful waterfall in the
morning. In the afternoon we came home to
a marvelous massage. In the evening we ate
gourmet meals. Marau Vale is the closest we
have ever been to heaven. We were on the Fiji
Aggressor for one week before coming to Marau
Vale, and I can honestly say that the diving
on Taveuni in the Somosomo Straits is much
better. Whenever I went for walks, Max the
"Wonder Dog" always accompanied me. Everyone
in the area knows Max. One night I walked
into the Tovotovo restaurant with Max at my
side. The locals said, "You are with Max.
You must be staying at Bob's place." I recently
received an email from a German couple I met
at Tovotovo. They said, "We met you with Max
the "Wonder Dog." Everyone remembers Max.
Thanks very much for making all of the arrangements
for a very memorable week in a botanical garden
with a gourmet chef/massage therapist." [G.
Sharp, Boca Raton FL] ?
"I can't even begin to tell you what a great
time we experienced. It was by far the best
vacation my family has ever had. No worries
from the time we arrived till we left. And
as for Tom, that man would be a great asset
to anyone. There wasn't anything he couldn't
cook or anything he couldn't take care of
for us. We would be interested in rescheduling
for the same time next year if it's open.
Just let me know. [T. Roseberry, Dillon Beach,
CA]
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