Reef Resort Vava'u

We had the pleasure of staying 2 weeks at the Reef Resort in late August and early September as part of a swim with humpback whales photography tour. It was a wonderful experience made even better by the owner (Herwig) and staff of the Reef Resort. The Reef Resort has large, individual cabins with modern amenities and great views. It has a private dock which means you can walk from your room directly to the whale swim boat, and from the whale swim boat to a hot shower after a day of being in the water. While the location and rooms are great, the best part of the Reef Resort is the food. Each season, Herwig employs a different European chef that uses local ingredients to prepare wonderful 3 course dinners. As owners of a US based commercial fishing business, we are very picky about our seafood and the seafood we had at the Reef Resort was outstanding (as were the non-seafood meals). If you are going to Vavau for whale swimming or other activities, I highly recommend the Reef Resort.

We just had the most magical experience dining at the Reef Resort. We are traveling by sailboat and heard from other cruisers that they had an amazing dinner at the resort so we decided to try it for our wedding anniversary. When we reached out to the resort the owner, Herwig, shared that the restaurant was closed because they were in between resort guests but they would open it for just for us in honor of our anniversary. From that initial email, to the welcome we received at their dock, the beautiful dining room and place settings, the service throughout our meal and the quality of their innovative and sublime 4 course meal prepared with only freshest ingredients, we felt like celebrities. As an additional note, though my husband is an omnivore I am vegan. Chef Jürgen clearly went out of his way to accommodate my diet by preparing a special meal that anyone would rate as 5 star. If this is the way the Reef Resort treats 2 drenched sailors (our evening out coincided with a very wet and windy weather pattern) we can only imagine how they treat resort guests! Heartfelt thanks to Herwig, Ana and Chef Jürgen for an unforgettable evening with truly amazing food in a warm and romantic setting.

We spent a week here and it proved to be the perfect place for the boat operator to pick us up and drop us off. The rooms are clean and very spacious. The resort is small and intimate, and Herwig is a congenial host. This was our fourth time to Tonga, and its important to understand Tonga is not Hawaii nor Fiji in terms of being a sophisticated tourist destination. But what it does have is the sort of gobsmacking natural beauty that places like Bora Bora have (not that Vava'u looks like Bora Bora, just that they both seem to have been allocated a disproportionate amount of natural beauty compared to many places in the world). The remoteness of Tonga can make sourcing of food items a bit of a challenge, and Herwig addresses this by employing a European chef for the season, who creates innovate meals based on the ingredients available. The three course dinners were the best quality food we have ever had in Tonga, by a long margin. The daily afternoon cake was sublime.

Our group LOVED this resort. We had an ocean front bungalow which allowed us to watch the unbelievably colorful sunrise from bed. The room was spacious and very comfortable. Stargazing up on the grassy hill was really something and I saw several shooting stars! Herwig and his team went above and beyond to make our stay amazing. I have a dietary restriction (gluten) and Herwig personally saw to it that the chef was well stocked and prepared to make dishes that were absolutely delicious! The breakfasts were tasty and the dinners were definitely something to look forward to. The portions were quite large and we never went hungry with the afternoon cakes and coffees. I can't say enough about the impeccable service and the over the top friendly staff. Thank you for a wonderful stay!

I thank Herwig, his family and team for making sure my recent trip to Tonga was just fantastic. Herwig made everything easy including pick up from airport, a very warm welcome, easy pick ups for tours ie scuba diving and whale swimming and of course, anything you may need was delivered with a smile. I was sick while I was there and Herwig and daughter could not do more for me: hot water bottle, herbal teas, water, check-ins etc and food just perfect such as soups. The team was very caring and couldn't do enough for me. Mattijs, the Chef, was brilliant, his four course meals for dinner could not be faulted and every night something completely different. Very creative! and Yum! The rooms are large with a big four-post bed, the mattresses so comfortable - so easy sleeping. Large dining/lounge area for drinks by the water and relaxation while watching for the whales. Access to good quality snorkelling right in front of the resort, the Japanese Garden was just beautiful. Kayaks and Paddle-boards available as part of the room rate. A gorgeous lagoon just a 10-15 minutes walk up through village and along the road/forest, was also very convenient. Overall, a high quality but authentic experience. You feel like you are in Tonga but with home comforts.

This recently reopened resort after years closed (because of Covid, etc.) it’s a gem in this paradisiac area. Thanks to Herwig for his efforts to continue his activity. The place is fantastic. It still miss some small improvement in the rooms to reach 5 stars but it will reach it thanks to Herwig capability. A special mention for Jochen the best chef of all South Pacific area

What a magical hotel! Herwig and his team at Reef Resort took such good care of us for 5 days when we came in August to visit the whales. The food was excellent (especially the plantain chips in the afternoon!) and Herwig set us up with the best operator who made sure we saw a ton of whales while both in the water and on the boat. We loved kayaking to swallows cave and snorkeling in Japanese Gardens and our room was immaculate and comfortable. We'll be back!

One of the best times of my life My husband and I, together with a friend, spent 3 days at this reef resort. It was like paradise. The owner kindly helped us to organise a swim with the whales which was hilarious. The boat picked us up at the hotels jetty so we didn’t even have to bother about any transport. The same was upon arriving at the airport. The resort itself is small, private and the bungalows are big and well equipped. Staff is warm-hearted and friendly. Rumours say it is the best kitchen in the region, which may very well be true. We ate wonderfully. 3 days was not enough as the owner said he could organise more trips beyond the whale swimming. I (we) will for sure come back.

This is a great place to stay if you are planning to do some snorkelling with the Humpbacks. Herwig and his chef Jurgen and the team really went out of their way to provide a lovely experience. Chalets are very well appointed and given Tongas isolation and the recent Covid/volcano setbacks the stay exceeded our expectations. Tonga is out of the way so dont expect everything to be perfect, but the food was outstanding for such a small outfit, and all the trips were well organised by the resort, which made thigns very easy Well done guys - you made our visit a truly memorable experience!