Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Resort earns 2012 Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence

Honoured as a Highly Rated Resort as Reviewed by Travellers on the World’s Largest Travel Site

KADAVU, FIJI – 24th May 2012 – Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort today announced that it has received a TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Lees than 10 percent of accommodations listed on TripAdvisor receive this prestigious award.

To qualify for the Certificate of Excellence, businesses must maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travellers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the last 12 months.

“Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort is delighted to receive a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence,” said Stuart Gow, Director at Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort. “We strive to offer our customers a memorable eco-resort experience, and this accolade is evidence that our hard work is translating into positive traveller reviews on TripAdvisor.”

“TripAdvisor is pleased to honor exceptional businesses for consistent excellence, as reviewed by travellers on the site,” said Christine Petersen, president of TripAdvisor for Business. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives highly rated establishments around the world the recognition they deserve. From exceptional accommodations in Beijing to remarkable restaurants in Boston, we want to applaud these businesses for offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.”

About Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava – Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI Dive 5 Star Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian ‘bures’ with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views

About TripAdvisor®

is the world’s largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor’s millions of monthly visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 69 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor’s travel media brands include www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com,

www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

mediarelationsta@tripadvisor.com

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, January 2012

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, January 2012

©2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE TripAdvisor
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• Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava Resort 2012 Tripadvisor Certificate of Excellence

The Bamboo Spa - a sanctuary on the island of Kadavu | Matava

Matava - Fiji's Premier eco Adventure Resort is proud to have opened the first full service Pure Fiji Spa on the island of Kadavu.

The Bamboo Spa is the first and only full service Spa facility on Kadavu. We decided to partner with Pure Fijias our environmental policies and missions are so much in line.

We are proud to have Ms Channel Joy join our management team as our Spa Manager and Senior Beauty Therapist since opening. Chanel has been a professional in the spa industry in Fiji since the 1990's and was one of the designers and managers of the Pure Fiji Spa at Pure fiji;s headquarters in Fiji.

Matava Resort is proud to have installed this Spa purely using the alternative power already available at the resort. All water heating and lighting is supplied by purely solar systems. 

The Bamboo Spa

- a sanctuary on the island of Kadavu

Step lightly over the gateway to relaxation - a symbolic beginning to your journey through this oasis - leaving behind cares and the outside world as if on a far distant shore. Each guest's journey is unique... 

Chanel and client in the Frangipani Room

As part of our full body rituals, your path begins with another soothing experience rich with symbolic meaning - a warm foot soak in fragrant coconut milk bath... a welcoming and cleansing gesture which will leave you feeling serene.

Choose your path through this sanctuary, with a promising selection of natural treatments lovingly made with uniquely Fijian plant extracts - heavenly massages and wraps, miraculous facials, and the most luxurious of spa pedicures and manicures. 

Indulge your body with one of our unique signature treatments; experience all of our world-class facilities for a total spa escape and ritual.

With flowers freshly picked from the Resort's gardens and the exotic fragrances emanating from the spa’s entrance and hidden gardens you realise you’re in for a truly unique experience. The tranquil surroundings and discreet staff lend a sense of peace and harmony in balance with nature.  

Not only will skin and body be refreshed and revived - but every choice on this journey will leave your heart a little lighter, your spirit a little brighter until we at the Bamboo Spa welcome you once again.

The Bamboo Spa features the nourishing products of Pure Fiji.

Pure Fiji is committed to quality and embodies a passion for the beautiful people, traditions, and environments of Fiji.

Pure Fiji employs nearly 500 people from seven rural villages, a human network that produces cold pressed nut oils and natural packaging materials. Hand-made paper made from natural fibers, traditional masi bark cloth, woven baskets, and nut oil production provide these communities with sustainable income while perpetuating honored traditions and unique skills.

Pure coconut oil, the base ingredient for all of Pure Fiji's products, has been used for hair care, skin care, and massage for generations. Pure Fiji's natural bath and beauty products include luxurious body butter, hydrating body lotion, coconut sugar rub, shampoo and conditioner, coconut milk bath soak, and nourishing body oil.  

Pure Fiji

discover the south pacific secret for beautiful skin and hair

For centuries South Pacific and Fiji islanders have used pure coconut oil and flower extracts to nourish, moisturize and beautify both skin and hair. Pure Fiji brings you the best of these traditional blends for today's natural bath and body care. Discover intensive hydrating body oils, creamy coconut lotions, nourishing hand made soaps and fresh sugar scrubs that will get your skin glowing.

Protecting the Environment & Reducing our Carbon Footprint

Pure Fiji is committed to sustainable manufacturing and reducing its carbon footprint. Botanical ingredients such as the blend of nut oils are wild-harvested 

This reduces our requirement for energy dependent irrigation and fertilization methods thus limiting our carbon impact. Bottles used in packaging are PET which are an environmentally responsible choice as they require 24% less energy to produce and generate 40% less solid waste than glass bottles. Gift packaging is made by hand using natural fibers such as handmade paper or in delightful woven baskets.

What are we doing right now to improve conservation?

Eco-smart production

Sustainable Raw Materials

Botanical ingredients produced in Fiji are harvested sustainably without impact on the plants themselves or the surrounding environment.

Processing of several of the ingredients used in formulations rely on hand-operated cold pressing of nuts into oil. This limits the carbon impact on the environment while creating employment opportunities for rural communities.

Some of the methods employed in processing the ingredients use a natural source of energy such as passive solar dryers. This eliminates the need to use bio-mass, electric resistance, or liquid fuel-fired heaters.

By-products from coconut husks and the shell material from oil bearing nuts are recycled as mulch and fertiliser.

The structures which support these enterprises are often made of local, environmentally low-impact materials such as plaited sago palm roofing. Such buildings are bright, airy, and cool, eliminating the need for artificial lighting or ventilating. Some suppliers of the processed botanicals minimise any environmental impact by running generators etc on natural, unrefined coconut oil.

Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava - Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI Dive 5 Star Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator.  Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian 'bures' with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views.

 www.Matava.com

Pure Fiji is a natural bath and body products manufacturer which caters to the exclusive spa and salon industry. Founded 12 years ago by Gaëtane Austin and her daughter Andrée, Pure Fiji began research, development, and production of their uniquely Fijian products around the family kitchen table. Organics and natural products are popular now, but Pure Fiji has always appreciated the numerous benefits of coconut oil and the myriad of botanical and herbal curatives and remedies that have been utilized by the Fijian people for hundreds of years. Having pioneered the use of local nuts and botanical extracts into true South Pacific therapies, their spa located within the grounds of the factory premises serves as a invaluable research and development tool for both the products and the uniquely Pacific spa therapies which complement them.  

www.PureFiji.com

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The Bamboo Spa - a sanctuary on the island of Kadavu | Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort:

The Bamboo Spa - a sanctuary on the island of Kadavu

The Best Yoga View Ever ?

How's this for a view from your early morning Yoga matt ?

The front deck at Matava Eco-Adventure Resort on Kadavu Island, Fiji Islands.

Asia Pacific’s first PADI Green Star Award awarded to Matava

We’re pleased to announce that Matava – Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort has received the first PADI Green Star award in the Asia Pacific region in November 2011 for our sustainable and eco-conscious environmental activities and business practices.

The program helps PADI Dive Centers and Resorts identify practical actions they can take to protect and preserve the environment. Because they choose which conservation actions they would like to implement, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can completely customize the program for their businesses.

“There’s more to going green than simply jumping on the eco bandwagon,” says Bob Coleman, Vice President of Sales, Retailer and Resort Association, PADI Americas, Latin America and Canada. “Well-organized conservation initiatives can reduce costs while strengthening your brand, especially when you strategically introduce them into your overall business plan.

Earning the PADI Green Star Award shows customers that you care about the environment and are taking action to protect it. With today’s environmentally-conscious divers, going green can be an important competitive advantage.”

Richard Akhtar of Matava and Mike Holme of PADI Asia Pacific

The PADI Green Star award requires dive operators and resorts to conduct an objective audit of their facility and business practices and assesses performance in water and energy use, transportation, waste management and conservation leadership.

“We hope other dive operations and tourism providers in the Asia Pacific region follow our example and help to protect their local environment and achieve sustainable business practises in a green and clean manner!” said Mr Stuart Gow, one of Matava’s Directors.

“We are extremely proud to win this award. We have been lucky to win overseas and global awards for our environmental policy in the past year, but it is especially gratifying to be recognised at home by our colleagues in Fiji.” he continued .

Richard Akhtar, Managing Director of Matava -- Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort said “At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding environmental efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji’s leading role and efforts in this regard especially.”

PADI Green Star Award presented to Stuart Gow of Matava by Drew Richardson, President of PADI at DEMA 2012 (Danny Dwyer, Drew Richardson, Stuart Gow, Hendrick Nimb, Mike Holme)

“At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious global award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding similar efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji’s leading role and efforts in this regard especially in our our region of the South Pacific.”

Mr Akhtar finished by saying “Matava -- Fiji’s Premier Eco-Adventure Resort has again proved that it is indeed among the leaders in environmentally sensitive resorts worldwide, and this latest award solidifies our position as an example of how resorts can operate AND help maintain and improve the surrounding environment”

The Green Star award was presented to us during DEMA week in November 2011 by PADI’s Project Aware and PADI President Mr Drew Richardson.

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Notes to editors

About Matava -- Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava -- Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava -- Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. With more than 12 years experience in the Fiji Islands, Matava is recognized as a leading educational dive centre. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian ‘bures’ with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views.

For interviews, images or further information please contact Stuart Gow, Stuart@Matava.com, t: 679-997-5416

About PADI Green Star Awards:

PADI Dive Centers and Resorts have a powerful new tool to help organize and implement environmental conservation programs -- and be recognized for their efforts -- with the PADI Green Star Award. The program helps PADI Dive Centers and Resorts identify practical actions they can take to protect and preserve the environment. Because they choose which conservation actions they would like to implement, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can completely customize the program for their businesses. For additional information, contact Roger Josselyn at 800 729 7234 (US and Canada) or +1 949 858 7234 ext. 2519.

Asia Pacific’s first PADI Green Star Award awarded to Matava, Fiji | Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Take a Friend to Fiji for 50% off Matava package: 2nd Person Half Price on Land and Air! | Matava - Fijis Premier Eco Adventure Resort

Matava Summer Special

2nd Person 50% off

Escape to Fiji to Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort and the Second Person stays Half Price !

Valid for travel between 1st December 2011 – 29th February 2012

Details:

• valid for double / twin share
• ANY Matava Dive, Romance or Adventure Package
• 5 nights stay or longer
• All meals and airport transfers included
• Complimentary Snorkelling on Critter Junction
• Waterfall hike and village afternoon
• Lovo feast and kava ceremony

Additions:

• Extra night – 2nd person half price (based on double occupancy)
• Extra days diving – 2nd person half price
• Single Supplement – Waived
• Based on published package and add on rates
• Excludes gamefishing and kayaking packages
• Travel through 29th February 2011 subject to availability
• Blackout period: travel Between 23rd December 2011 and 29th December 2011 excluded

Air Pacific Special

Take a Friend to Fiji for Half Price Air special.

Discover the wonders of Matava in Fiji and save money on the second person.

For a limited time, 2nd passenger gets 50 % off airfare from Los Angeles on Air Pacific.

From now until March 31, 2012 travel to fabulous Fiji and the second passenger travels for 50% off airfare!

TRAVEL DATES: valid 1 Oct 2011 through 31 March 2012
Sale ends Dec. 31

(No travel on the special airfare permitted during the blackout of 15-Dec-11 to 15-Jan-12)

—

Book your Escape to Fiji to Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort and the Second Person stays Half Price !

Click here to book your private haven in a Honeymoon Bure today and see the panoramas and vista for yourself from your own private deck in Kadavu, Fiji!!

Book Now by Contacting Us!

Take a Friend to Fiji for 50% off Matava package: 2nd Person Half Price on Land and Air!

Anusara Yoga Retreat @ Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort with Susan Wiens

The turquoise waters of the South Pacific in The Fiji Islands are your backdrop for a week of yoga, play, and relaxation. Susan Wiens, one of California's most loved and respected teachers, guides you into a magical, healing, and life-changing retreat.

Journey deeper into alignment, pranayama, and meditation while enjoying the company of like-minded hearts.

You will emerge refreshed, rejuvenated, and primed ready for the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas season ahead!

Enjoy two yoga sessions daily, long walks on the beach and in the pristine rainforest, waterfalls, traditional Fijian culture, and the Pure Fiji spa experience.

Savor delicious, organic (and healthy!) cuisine as you share laughter and life stories with your fellow yogis, even as you drop more easily into your true self.

We welcome yogis from everywhere and all levels to join us as we return to this extraordinary paradise.

Date

Saturday Oct 22^nd to Saturday Oct 29^th, 2011

We leave Los Angeles on Thursday 20^th October for an overnight flight to Nadi in Fiji, crossing the date line and landing on Saturday morning. Then a short flight across to the island of Kadavu.

Investment

US$ 1,650 dbl occ
US$ 500 single supplement
Includes 7 nights and 6 days of yoga, adventure, and nourishing cuisine

Daily Schedule

Remember ALL activities are optional—this is your retreat!

• 7:00am: coffee, tea, yogurt, granola, delicious fresh tropical fruit.
  
  • Morning meditation on the deck or in the Main Bure
    
• 9:00-11:00am: Yoga
  
• 11:00am: Incredible brunch/lunch with fresh organic salad from the Retreat's gardens.
  
• 12:00-5:00pm: Free Time! The beautiful ocean and amazing waterfall treks beckon.
  
  • Scuba Dive on the Great Astrolabe Reef,
    
  • snorkel in the marine reserve
    
  • trek to see the native parrots and bird life and more
    
  • or pamper yourself with a spa treatment!
    
• 5:00-6:30pm Yoga
  
• 7pm- Dinner featuring local specialities, including fresh local fish and produce and the tastiest Matava Mojitos in the South Pacific!
  
• 10:00ish - fall asleep to the sound of the ocean right outside your door….
  

Susan Wiens

Professional Background

I stepped into my first yoga class twelve years ago and fell in love with the playfulness of it. I had no idea what I was doing. I continued to practice, found an Anusara class and everything changed. I was so inspired six years ago I took my immersion and teachers' training with Noah Maze and Naime Jezzeny. The rest is history. I am hooked on teaching, watching yogis of all ages find the same happiness I did. I continue to study with Noah and now Dr. Douglas Brooks who has opened my eyes to the philosophy side and has helped me become a better practitioner and teacher.

Yoga Background

I have been an Anusara Inspired teacher since 2006. I enjoy teaching in the Pasadena area. I have met so many wonder yogis along the way. Everyone in some way has contributed to my teachings. What a great job I have.

Matava – The Retreat

Matava is the genuine eco-adventure lodge, beautifully set off the beaten track, minutes from the Great Astrolabe Reef on Kadavu Island.
Our intimate Retreat has beautiful, comfortable bures, outstanding cuisine and offers a full range of adventure and cultural activities.
Dive or take a course with our PADI dive professionals. Experience fantastic fish, pristine corals, Mantas and sharks. Try fishing, snorkeling, sailing, sea kayaking, trekking, and join in authentic cultural and village events!
No roads, solar power, low carbon footprint make Matava the ideal and environmentally responsible location to host this Yoga Retreat with Susan.

The Island

Fiji’s fourth largest island, Kadavu is situated 60 miles south of the main island Viti Levu and is one of the few remaining undeveloped islands in Fiji today.
Having maintained its strong cultural values the general population leads fairly subsistent lifestyles in sleepy coastal villages dwarfed by mountainous jungles and waterfalls plummeting from the hilltops. The islands deeply indented bays, fringed by coral reefs and mangrove forest provide habitat to a host of birds including the endemic Kadavu musk parrot. Forest openings reveal lizards basking on rocks, and butterflies spiraling skyward in a lazy dance.
The striking Astrolabe Reef and the Kadavu group of islands have both been created by past volcanic activity and tectonic movements. Matava is right on the doorstep of this magnificent living organism, home to an abundance of marine life unequalled in Fiji. Divers and snorkellers can expect a diversity of fish life and corals of every conceivable colour and hue.

Anusara Yoga

Anusara Yoga® is a powerful method of hatha yoga which integrates biomechanical principles of alignment with the celebration of the heart and spirit.
Developed by John Friend in 1996, Anusara Yoga® offers a dynamic synthesis of asana technique, yoga philosophy, and the celebration of good company.
Anusara Yoga invites students to explore all aspects of themselves: their bodies, their minds, and their hearts. By tapping into the best in ourselves, we simultaneously open the pathways to connect to others and to the world around us.
Restoring hatha yoga to its roots in Tantric philosophy, Anusara teaches that we need not turn our backs on our worldly existence in our search for Spirit. Indeed, this life is the ground of any spiritual journey. Human life is a gift of Grace, an opportunity to discover the divine within us and around us.
As we cultivate our bodies through yoga postures, our breath through pranayama, and our minds through meditation, we grow our ability to see the good and to celebrate. This “yoga from the inside out” begins with an intention to open one’s heart and allow Grace to flow in. Anusara Yoga’s Universal Principles of Alignment, the result of years of study of modern biomechanics and kinesiology, restore health and prevent injuries.
This fusion of heart and body distinguishes Anusara Yoga from all other styles, and explains why Anusara has attracted thousands of students worldwide since its creation in 1997.
For more on Anusara Yoga, please visit the following website:

• www.Anusara.com: information on Anusara Yoga worldwide
  

THE DEAL

This life-changing retreat comes in 3 sizes—you choose the one that’s right for you!
All 3 programs include:

• 7 nights accommodations
  
• All meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, unlimited tea/coffee)
  
• Traditional Fijian lovo feast and kava ceremony
  
• snorkelling and kayaking
  
• guided waterfall hike
  
• 1 spa treatment
  
• airport transfers
  
• all taxes and service fees
  

Round-trip airfare to Fiji and Kadavu not included but easily booked through our own travel agent.

YOGA VACATION

Includes 12 yoga classes, practice and study of Anusara Yoga ideas, breathwork and meditation.

Double US$ 1,650 per person for 7 nights

Single Supplement US$ 500

The Ultimate Guide to Yoga Travel: 100 Essential Tips

While you might think a vacation means seeing tourist sites and sipping drinks on the beach, adding yoga into the mix can make it a life-changing and spiritual experience you'll never forget. There are many ways to engage in travel yoga from structured retreats to scenic trips with a little yoga thrown in and just as many resources online to help make sure you plan a trip that suits your needs and desires. Here are a few great tips and resources to help you get well on your way to embracing a healthy, yoga-filled vacation in a destination that engages your body and spirit.

The Ultimate Guide to Yoga Travel: 100 Essential Tips, Tools, & Links