Delicious food for 15Fjd/meal, free kayaks for the river (beautiful views from down there), and lots of activities. Pool table, kitchen (15-20fjd per day used), and a great host who knows the best card games.

Stayed in August 2025

It was all good

Especially liked kayaking on the river

Stayed in August 2025

A quiet luxury!

Stayed in July 2025

Everything!l was amazing! Access to the river, long walks, the views, quietness. The staff were real gems. Was just a treat.

Stayed in July 2025

Lai and Neta where amazing hosts. It’s hard to describe this place . There are simple no frills rooms with cold showers , but the river, the food and Lai’s singing more than make up for it. We only stayed two nights but would gladly come back and stay more . The food is well priced and super tasty traditional Fijian . Love the relaxed slow days we had here.

Stayed in July 2025

The road for reach the Hotel it's not easy, but worth after all

The staff is amazing and the location is a must, food is taste. Love the experience. See you my friend lai

Stayed in June 2025

A lovely time had with super friendly staff, and you receive a fijian experience, fijian foods, tubing down river, horse riding, guitar music, and carva drinking all in a natural setting. Bonfire night Was fun! cabins are plain, with cold showers in bures noted at the time when we stayed however slept, felt safe and enjoyed a very local experience.

Stayed in June 2025

From the moment we arrived, we were struck by the peaceful setting—lush greenery, rolling hills, and a calming atmosphere that instantly put us at ease. The place is rustic but has everything you need to unwind. What truly sets Outback Retreat apart is the incredible hospitality. The owners and staff are genuinely welcoming and full of local knowledge, sharing stories and ensuring every need is met. Lai and Neta went above and beyond to make us feel at home. The meals were a highlight—freshly prepared with local ingredients, full of flavor, and served with care. We enjoyed hiking by the river and gazing at the stars.

Stayed in May 2025

AJ, the host, is wonderful and friendly!

Stayed in March 2025

Booking.com said the property takes American Express. Ajay, the owner, explicitly stated that he doesn't take Amex. Bookong.com should change that to avoid creating very difficult situations for Ajay and guests

Stayed in March 2025

Rained most of the time.

Remoteness and staff.

Stayed in February 2025

The place was clean, but we found a cockroach crawling on the bed at night.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Outback retreat. Very peaceful and quiet place, AJ explained us everything about this place he started from nothing 2 years ago. Very nice stay at his family, especially the dinner with his whole family. Food was so delicious. And the breakfast also !

Stayed in February 2025

Love, love, love. This place is fantastic. From the get-go I felt like arriving home. AJ and his family are super inclusive. We shared a traditional meal straight from the hot stones. We had few drinks, played pool and just had a great time hanging out. The rooms are spacious, comfy and mosquito proof. Bathrooms were clean. The perfect spot to wind down in the Fiji highlands. I'd only recommend arriving during day time, as the road ain't the greatest, but even my small corolla made it without any issues. Just drive slow. I'll be coming back for sure ;)

Stayed in January 2025

In some areas in and around the hotel there was a bit of trash (plastic bottles, washing machine etc). It didn't bother us a lot but just doesn't look so nice. The dining area (in- and outside) doesn't look so comfy and inviting yet (furniture, lighting), but AJ has a lot of great ideas in his mind, so this might change in the future.

It was great to spend a few days with AJ and his family & the boys that are working there. The food was AMAZING, we loved it a lot! Our room was ok. Bed and sheets were comfy and overall the room was clean. We also liked the river and the waterfall nearby. The view into nature and the mountains are very beautiful from the hotel!

Stayed in December 2024

If I have to say something it will be that they run on 'Fiji time', which is normally not a big deal but if you have young hungry or tired baby boys like us, timing is everything ;)

AJ and his family took this place over in januari 2024 so please only read recent ratings! We had a really nice time, such a lovely family. We drove inland al the way from Sigatoka and the views were amazing. There are 6 simple bungalows on his farm. Lots of mango trees and 1 minute walk to the river where you can easily swim. He offers a lot more activities but we weren't able to do them because of our 1 and 3 year old boys. AJ is so welcoming, his daughter Jess is the nicest little host and the food was lovely. They made sure our boys had some nice meals as well. AJ is putting in the work to renovate the property but as of now everything is functional and for us it was perfect!

Stayed in November 2024

Such an authentic experience! AJ and his family are so welcoming and instantly make you feel at home. Travelling on my own as a young female I was slightly nervous but AJ and his family made me feel very comfortable, I had my own space which was very cosy. The activities are did including, horse riding, watching a circus, hiking to waterfall and lunch in a village were all amazing!!

Stayed in November 2024

The road from BA Town to the Outback is off-road, so need to drive carefully, but it's no need 4WD car. But it can be difficult to drive on rain. Since the area is rich in nature, it's need mosquito spray. Also, beware of bees.

The staff is very friendly and offers useful suggestions. The rooms are individual villas, clean and comfortable. The meals is very good and can get breakfast, lunch and dinner at reasonable prices.($10-15 per meal) The surrounding natural environment is wonderful and activities such as river swimming, climbing and horse riding are available.

Stayed in October 2024

The only problem for me was the mosquitos! Worse or better at different times of year.

This was just what I wanted. Personal and peaceful. The host Ajay couldn't do enough for me. It's a lovely place if you want to relax, ride a horse or bath in a river. There were cats, dogs and children. I really felt like a guest of the family and community. As the name implies, Its a simple place. If you want a resort or a hotel with lots of facilities near shops and restaurants then Fiji has those places. This is different and (for me) far more interesting and memorable. I'm sure plenty of places say they offer the 'Real Fiji ' but this really is just that.

Stayed in October 2024

This was a last minute booking for us but turned out to be our favourite part of our whole trip. AJ and his family are so lovely and welcoming and we had a great time getting to know them. The hotel is right in the mountains so the views are stunning and it’s so peaceful. Going to the lake and horse riding were so much fun. We only stayed 2 nights but wished we stayed longer, Thanks AJ we will be back!!!

Stayed in October 2024

An amazing opportunity to see the real Fiji, tobacco farms, old sugarcane tracks snake their way through wild hillsides, friendly helpful people. Loved the meals prepared by AJ’s wife..

Stayed in September 2024

AJ and his family are the loveliest hosts. They really take care of you. Beautiful place to stay and relax. Excellent food, too. I recommend a walk up the mountain with AJ. Would definitely stay there again.

Stayed in September 2024

Our arrival was unexpected. Even though we had a booking confirmation the hotel had no idea that we were coming. Sadly the facilities have become very run down and need upgrading. We expected it to be back packer standard but it didn’t quite meet this

The location is superb and our host Lai was extremely helpful and accomodating. Our arrival was unexpected as he’d not got any booking through from booking . Com. The river is beautiful and a great place for swimming .

Stayed in August 2025

The road in is definitely a challenge in a small car but doable in daylight. The operators are quite new and it is obvious that facilities are improving

Lovely staff. Unique location by the Ba River. Lovely ambience

Stayed in August 2025

RED ALERT !!!! RED ALERT !!! The property and business is NOT hosted by AJ and Family Reviews for AJ and Family is nice and we have heard they were perfect host. Sadly we missed our chance to be hosted by them.

The Breakfast was good Location is super Its a RED ALERT GUYS

Stayed in April 2025

Rooms still need work, since there was no hot water (not enough sun for solar?) and no furniture in room other than bed. Fan was also not working in our room but AC did work. Lots of mosquitos (maybe because rainy season).

Owner was very friendly and helpful. He is restoring rundown hotel in rural area. The food was good and wifi connection in reception area was good. River is just a short walk away.

Stayed in February 2025