Has anyone stayed at Safari Lodge in Fiji and Kite surfed, trip advisor and other sites have a wide range of views on the place

When are you thinking of going

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cauncy said..
When are you thinking of going

before or after it's built?

According the the reviews warren the owner sexually assaults his staff fires them if they dont drink with him and doesnt pay them if they dont entertain his advances etc etc the reviews all say such crazy **** how can there be hundreds of bad reviews like this but every year you just read more and more. I even read one where a dive student was refused to be given her idc because she wasnt intrested in him or some ****.

Just google him or safari island lodge or click the 1 and 2 star trip advisor ratings.

I mean everyplace seems to get a couple strange 1 star ratings but theres just so many. And its really crazy **** like withheld pay or one person said when they were fired he refused to let him off the island? So he had to get off island on a fishing boat stuff like that but the constant sexual harassment complaints seems much worse. Why would you try **** a guests wife? Or your employees or trainees etc just seems like such a bad thing to do for your business.

I've been there, the reviews are true. Avoid!

Thanks everyone for feedback, will have to look somewhere else in July.

If anyone has a good suggestion for family place as novice kiters would be interested

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IRH said..
Thanks everyone for feedback, will have to look somewhere else in July.

If anyone has a good suggestion for family place as novice kiters would be interested

Have a look a Sanur in Bali. Not everyone's cup of tea but heap of us go late July each year.

Thanks re Sanur, We went there last year and no issue with the place and the kite school but no wind for 5 days so I was trying to locate a place where the wind likelihood is greater. My real issue is trying to match school holidays times with kite surfing.

Tonga is an option - windy season April - November. Check out kitesurftonga.com if your keen

cairns in july, add port douglas

you won't go wrong there

Had many friends go there, I wouldn't go.

Wouldn't go to Tonga or Cairns?

2015 saw another growth season - thanks to all the kiters that come back again and the new kiters that found us! More lessons than we have ever done in previous years, more wind and loads of fun!


I'm not going to even bother to reply to the negative comments......your right- it is absurd!

thanks
Warren















FIJI 2016 details have been released.....PM me for more info!

thanks
Warren

Have you looked at Cocos Island? Expensive flights though..

You guys are a tough crowd almost scared to post. Fiji is great for kite surfing , this is a promo video I did for the Fiji Beachouse Sup surfing and kiteing with Keahi de Aboitiz. Kiteing starts around 2.25min. All this is straight out front of the resort. Super cheap place to stay with a really cool vibe. Our winter is the best time for wind and waves but arvo sessions still produce good wind in summer. Jetstar now fly direct from the Gold Coast to Fiji. I picked up flights 2nd week in January 2016 for $179 each way. Flame suit on.

To be fair I don't think anyone has any issues with Fiji .... Every time I have been its been bloody awesome. Uncrowded waves and some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

I think you will find that people have taken umbrage with Safari Lodge... There are certain reviews on well know travel sites that seem to paint a somewhat unappealing picture. I personally have never stayed there (I'm more after waves )
In fairness people often only go the the effort of posting on the travel sites if they have had a negative experience and for every negative experience there have probably been ten positive experiences that you never read about.
The above notwithstanding some of the documented negative experiences sound quite disturbing.

Livio, Livio!
I still remember those words being called by various kiters, instructors, Safari Lodge Staff, and even me.
Livio and his friend Clemente were 2 Italians having a kiting holiday at Safari Lodge the same time we were there with one of our groups.
It turned out that Livio was in the throws of Changing jobs. From Marketing manager for Ducati southern Europe, where his job duties included HAVING to take a different Ducati model for a 1 hour ride each day around the hills of Italy. To Marketing manager for the new(then) Milano soccer stadium.
So if you are thinking Livio was crazy for leaving that Ducati job. Hell Yea! Livio was just plain crazy.
the 2 of them turned up with about 3 sets of equipment of which all were somehow broken, Thanks of course to Livio. And both were still only at the body dragging stage.
Livio even broke a bar on one of his body drags at Kite point. At one time they could only muster together one 13m Best Waroo to use but on a 25kt day.
So told to watch and sit it out. Not Livio. he coerced Clemente in helping him set up out of line of sight.
We were focusing on our own students when that sickening sound came. The OOOOOOh!'s of the crowd. here's Livio 5m high traveling horizontal over dry ground upside down and head first aiming(or not) for the water just over the reef. I truly thought that when he hit the water head first upside down that it would be a headless body coming up. But no, up he pops, waves and yells he is fine. I then suggested to Warren that it should take some time for us to get the boat and rescue him. Anyway we had a nice session then with the others, peace and quiet. Clemente suggested we only recover his Kite.

You could right a book about Livio and his antics that holiday. one story was when we all went to the outer reef to snorkel. There were 2 aussie girls that coped the full brunt of Livio's Italian Stallion libido. And to show of Livio declared he didn't need flippers so snorkelled along flat out freestyle stroke. Cause he didn't see many fish. at the end he decided that it would impress the girls no end if he swam back to Safari Lodge. "'Of you go" I said. anything for some more peace and quiet.
So here we all are motoring back and there ahead about 50m is Livio, looking a bit tired, and only maybe a couple of K's to go. I direct everyone to look to other side of boat and call out his name as if we were searching for him. at this point Livio had stopped and was desperately waving to be picked up.
if You had seen the look on his face as we drove past. Gotta love that Aussie sense of humour.

If it wasn't for the Canadians (who lack that sense of humour) we would have had even more fun.

Now Livio only wanted to pull a F16 (kiteloop back roll) but we had to keep telling him that first you have to actually be able to get up on the board.
It may have been the last day he was with us but we hooted when Livio finally got up and planing on his board for the first time. probably less than 5 secs later Livio deliberately tried his first F16.

Livio! Livio!

I have been going to Safari Lodge since 2004 and seen it grow. and over those years amassed heaps of these fun stories.

^^^^^So the place is also full of crazy loud mouth libido driven Italians that you spent half your time trying to get away from. Good times

Just haven a laugh, the mad crazy crew you meet on the travel is half the adventure.

Did he land the F-16?? You would have to be semi nuts to go to that Safari Lodge with all the negative reviews.

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Piros said..
Flame suit on.

Dude, Why?

It ain't the lodge! HaHa!

Actually looks pretty awesome!

I've been there with a group about 3 yrs ago and had a great time. Plenty of time on the water with constant wind and boats on the ready for anyone that needed assistance.

The only issue I had was cold showers at the bunk house but to be fair it had been a very dry season and water needed to be used wisely. But you could always walk down to the main house and use the hot shower there. Not an issue to worry about on a kiting trip - long as there is wind all is good.

We are going to Fiji in second week of January too!