Ratua Private Island Resort

This property has the opportunity to be a 10/10 destination as it’s truely one of the more unique places I’ve stayed. Loved the beach villa, the horses, the water, the bikes, and the onsite snorkelling. We did a few tours like the best of santo and the Mount hope river float and loved those.

The service was really poor at times some of the worst I’ve experienced. Genuinely started to develop trust issues and had to follow up several times for basic requests. Would have preferred more variety with the food and them playing more music the ambiance was lacking at times. But I am an avid traveller and am used to five star.

the location is amazing- really sheltered and stunning beach. great water activities available

buildings lovely and interesting although very dark inside and noisy under foot - squeaky floorboards. my son was sick while we were there and because the floorboards were so squeaky I was very noisy overnight. staff a little inflexible with actives and timing . never clear about what was included and what was extra also cost of extras not made clear.

Wonderful staff who were so eager to please. We were welcomed by a guitar player, fresh coconut juice and wet towels on arrival. The food was excellent and plentiful with 3 full meals a day. The scallops and tuna were divine and the santo beef was so tender. It is so peaceful and relaxing with lovely scenery and sunsets. Each villa has their own little private beach. When we were departing, all the staff turned up and sang a lovely song to farewell us. As my friend had some difficulty getting into the boat to come to the island, they sent and extra staff member to assist her getting into and out of the boat.

Wifi was not very good at the villas but was good in the main dining/lounge area. Note that the villas may be a bit of a walk from the dining area and the path can be uneven. Definitely not suitable for people with mobility issues. Transfer from Santo was 30 mins by a small boat with outboard motor. We had to step from a floating jetty that was bobbing into a boat that was also bobbing.

Loved the rustic charm of the accomodation, loved the colourful coral reef right outside our bedrooms and the giant turtles we saw snorkelling

For coffee lovers an upgrade of the coffee machine would make a difference