This was a gorgeous place to stay. Me and my sister went and stayed there for one night (as it was fully booked out every other night). When we turned up every thing was fantastic about the place. We were given a free cocktail on arrival and our bags were brought around to us.

Our fale was in a great position as we were not able to see anyone else. It felt like a private island.

One query was about the sheets being too short to fit the big bed. Not sure if this was because of the netting or what that was about. Although we never got much sleep as we got a bit paranoid about the geckos that were in the room. hehe. I suggest if you are scared of geckos or those kinda creatures - this would not be the best place to stay.

Overall, a great experience. I would definitely go back there again if I was ever in Tonga.

What can I say?
It was by pure luck googling the Internet that I discovered this island paradise. We have been recommending it to everyone we know and if there is anyway possible we will return!

FAFA Island - our experience
Although we arrived very late (courtesy of Virgin Airlines) we were found at the airport quite easily by the allocated driver and transported by mini bus to the awaiting sailboat for a trip across to FAFA.

Don't be put off by the standard of the mini bus. It is independently owned and by no means a reflection of the Island and the FAFA staff.

Once on the boat we travelled about 30 minutes out to sea, it was total blackness and although none of us had any idea where we were going, we now know, we were in very good hands. :-)

We were greeted by several staff with torches and lanterns and welcomed to the island. From here we were escorted to our fale with the finer details of operation explained to us. Things like, where the lights were, what time breakfast was etc.

Several of the guest who arrived at the same time, were a little disappointed that we were not able to have access to any food (not even a piece of fruit) on arrival (myself included) - my advice - make sure you eat on the plane if you are arriving on the Virgin Pacific flight from Sydney Australia that gets in after 9.30pm.

The room was beautiful in its simplicity, with a huge bed surrounded in a very effective mosquito net. A small table, cane chairs and day bed. There was a doorway to a "change room" and other to the bathroom. YES just like the photos shown on the web site.

At the time we really did not take it all in, we simply wanted to crawl into bed and rest. It’s a long day between time zones.

The next morning when we woke around 11.00am we were greeted with the most amazing surroundings and we really did believe we were on a deserted island. No TV, No radio and No mobile telephone service but birds chirping, blue sky’s and coconut trees a plenty.

Showering in the open-air bathroom was initially a little "risqué" but with such beautiful surroundings, flowering hibiscus and breathtaking bougainvillea it all soon felt exhilarating.

It didn't matter that we had missed breakfast and were starving from the night before. We simply took our time and wandered down to check out the beach and our own little private surroundings.

From here we made our way over to the restaurant and were greeted by smiling faces and given our choice of tables overlooking the most incredible beech and blue lagoon and shown the lunchtime menu. - Each day there was something new to try and all of excellent quality.

We decided to venture back across to the main island of Tonga to undertake a tour of the blowholes, royal tombs and the other mysteries that were on offer. We thought there is no way you could travel to Tonga and not see all it had to offer. We visited the markets and bought a few gifts for the family, necklaces, sarongs and some sandals. We were very hesitant to purchase much in fear of it being taken on our return to Australia. There was a lot of lovely woven placemats and handbags although we did not purchase any we watched them be passed through customs with ease. So as long as you select carefully and declare you should be able to bring most things back to Australia. Anyway back to our tour of the main island. It was worth seeing and the blowholes were fantastic. Sadly it was the same tour operator who picked us up from the airport and although the driver was lovely and very helpful we were disappointed with what was offered, we were expecting a full day tour and instead we were rushed at most locations and were dropped off at the wharf 2 hours early which was a boring wait and an unpleasant way to end our tour of Tonga.

Upon our return, the FAFA owners enquired about our tour and were very concerned when we told them of our experience. I will tell you it was dealt with in a very professional manner and we were more than compensated for any inconvenience and we were still pleased that we had the opportunity to see Tonga and that which is important to the Tongan people **Please note we spoke with another couple that participated in a Sunday Tour and they said it was a very pleasurable and leisurely day with an exceptional Sunday Feast all delivered by the same company and driver.

From here every day got better as we slowly let go of the busy world we had left behind and slipped into "Tongan Time". We were never under any pressure, the staff were of quality service, able to carry plates without placing their fingers over the edge and placed and cleared our plates with minimal fuss and all with a Tongan Islander feel.

While on the island you feel like you are the only couple in existence and then by chance you may meet other people staying on the island while out walking or snorkelling and you have a bit of a chat and then move on to continue your own days events.

My hardest decision was what was I going to have for my next meal or where should I sit or lay to read my book. The hammock, the day beds the sun lounge under the trees or the one down by the beach. For my husband he spent time snorkelling, Kayaking or exploring the reef surrounding the Island. We did take the time to walk around the whole island one day after lunch - it did not take long but was worth the stroll.

COSTS
We did not use the meal plan and so our total stay for two people including accommodation for 7 nights and airport transfers it was approximately $2,400 AU. Add your flight costs to this and it was a value for money experience. Any of the Island resorts in Australia are equal to or in excess of this. So for the total relaxation experience and romantic escape do not go past FAFA Island.

We stayed in one of the deluxe fales and couldn't rave about the place enough. The fales are very cute and the outdoor bathrooms are gorgeous (once you get used to them!!) Each fale has it's own hammock, beach loungers etc and quite a lot of space between the fales so you feel like you have your own piece of island to relax on. Snorkelling on western side of the island is great. Food was lovely and cheap. We were recommended by the island not to get the meal deal and this was certainly right. The meals (as far as I am concerned) were very reasonably priced. When I queried prices with the island (we booked our holiday direct with them) they very kindly emailed me a breakfast and tea menu which shows prices so you can work it out for yourself. All in all, the staff were lovely and very helpful, island beautiful and experience fantastic. I would be back there in a flash and would recommend it to all (especially couples wanting a quiet and relaxing holiday).

When I started looking into our perfect 'post-baby' holiday, I had a few conditions that I took into account before scouring our neck of the woods a) It must be close to the beach and b) not be too "resorty" so there would be little temptation to do absolutely anything but relax and enjoy my time with my family. By this I mean no large-scale tourist mecca with powered aquatic activities etc. spoiling the peace and quiet...Fafa ticked all the above boxes and exceeded our expectations beyond belief. It was intimate and private but also there were enough people and attention from staff not to feel alone and isolated. It was just the perfect blend.

I truly feel the website undersells the experience at Fafa either though it's fairly comprehensive and impressive looking to start with. There are so many little touches that have been thought of to make your stay on the island an unforgettable one. To start with, at dawn a pot of boiling water is delivered to your balcony door for that 1st heart-starter coffee/tea of the morning while you watch the sunrise on your private beach garden. And as the sun goes down an old kerosene lamp is delivered for trips to and from your fale through the lush gardens to the restaurant.

FALE (accommodation) - We stayed in the "DELUXE" Fale which is comprised of the main room and a smaller room attached via a small hallway. This is the main difference between the superior and deluxe and also the deluxe has more decking for sunbaking etc. All the Fale's are traditionally made including thatched walls and local hardwood timbers that are beautifully and tastefully exposed throughout. The beds are extremely comfortable and linens are changed discreetly every day (the pillows are a tad too hard for my liking however). The mosquito nets were unobtrusive and thankfully unecessary for October (I think they begin to emerge Nov/Dec). Our daughter slept in a lovely cot provided by the island in the master fale with us and it too had a mosquito net provided. The garden shower is heavenly and surrounded by exotic flowers. The hot water is solar powered and even on the one overcast day we had was sufficiently hot from the day before for a morning shower. The seperate room can accomodate 2 children and is a lot simpler affair than the master room. It's surrounded by glass louvres on 2 sides which compensates for a lack of fan (a problem for the hotter months I'd assume Nov/Dec onwards I'd assume). Ours was a West facing fale which seemed a lot more sheltered than the Northern side. You can also watch the sun set on this side which was magical.

PRIVATE GARDEN/BEACH - Each fale has an excellent private garden, although some are more private than others. The "deluxes" are located together it seems and share a large garden even though it still feels very private. The advantage of this I believe is for children to have a much wider space to play under the watchful eyes of parents. A lot of the superior fales had very private gardens surrounded by lush vegetation on both sides which also looked very inviting. There are plenty of options for you to enjoy your space as there is a table and chairs setting on your balcony, sunbed's on your decking, a hammock strung up between coconut trees in the garden and 2 more permanent sunbeds set up on the beach. This meant we constantly moved from one to the other depending on our mood and the weather. PERFECT. The beach is lovely. The sand is coarse but clean. The water gets a little cloudy a times as there is a sediment under the sand that gets kicked up and murky. This is due to the fact that the coral reef just out from the island makes it a little 'lagoon' like. Also at low-tide you have to wade out past the sea-grass bed to get to a decent swimming spot. Besides this small negative it's the perfect beach to relax on...Snorkelling is OK (clown fish, angel fish) don't expect the Great Barrier Reef or Ningaloo and you'll be fine.

RESTAURANT / STAFF - I've read some complaints about the pricing on the island but to be quite honest I totally disagree with them. I DO NOT RECOMMEND the meal plan (drink's not included) and was in fact encouraged not to by staff. To make my point we met a couple who paid in advance for the meal plan from Australia. They paid roughly $87AUD each! That's roughly $175AUD for food only for the entire day. Now everything on the island is in Tongan so a lunch main was T$24 and dessert T$10 and similarly ENTREE $14, MAIN T$34-39 and DESSERT T$12 for Dinner. So that's say T$45 for breakfast (2xeggs, toast, juice), $70 (2 mains, 2 desserts) and T$120 (2 entrees, 2 mains, 2 desserts). So all and all alot of food and converted to AUD is about $110 ($170 on the meal plan). So you see it's alot cheaper to not get the meal plan as you would literally have to eat 2 of everything to make it worth your while. Beers are T$5 ($2.80 AUD) and cocktails T$20-30 ($13-15 AUD). All in all respectably priced considering you are in the middle of nowhere at one of the best resorts in Tonga. The food itself is a mix of European and Polynesian which we enjoyed immensely (the bread fruit french fries were a highlight). You may want to bring your own snacks from home and skip lunch which a lot of people seemed to do. The restaurant was always full at night and the staff were very attentive and when not busy, were fighting over themselves to mind our child whilst we ate. AHH bliss.

Hope this fills in some blanks as I've tried to be as thorough as possible as a payback for all the others who have posted using this awesome site! If it weren't for them I wouldn't have had the perfect holiday I was looking for. Happy travels.