Holiday Inn Suva

Most visitors to Fiji fly into Nadi and head directly to a resort. Suva — Fiji’s capital city, home to over 100,000 people, the seat of government, and the country’s main cultural and commercial hub — is routinely skipped. That’s a mistake. Suva has a colonial waterfront, a functioning city economy, one of the best museums in the South Pacific, a market worth getting up early for, botanical gardens laid out during the British colonial era, and a food scene that has nothing to do with hotel buffets. The Holiday Inn Suva sits on Victoria Parade, the city’s main waterfront road, has been completely re-imagined in recent years, and holds the top ranking among 13 hotels in Suva. If you’re going to spend time in Suva, this is the clearest practical choice for where to stay.

Holiday Inn Suva is a 3-star IHG-managed hotel on Victoria Parade, Suva — rated 4.3/5 from 1,031 reviews and ranked #1 of 13 hotels in the city, with rates from $136 per night. Rooms have been fully modernised with harbour views and private balconies, and the hotel’s outdoor pool, fitness centre, Sirocco Restaurant, Tapa Bar, and 24-hour in-room dining are matched by free WiFi, free parking, and free breakfast with many rates. Conference and meeting facilities make it the natural base for business travellers, while IHG One Rewards members earn and redeem points here. One notable distinction: the hotel is pet-friendly, making it one of the very few properties in Fiji that accepts animals.

This guide covers what the hotel actually offers, what Suva is worth your time for, and how to get there from Nadi.

Rooms

The rooms at Holiday Inn Suva were part of a full property renovation described by the hotel as a complete re-imagining of the space. The result is a genuinely modern mid-range hotel room that looks like it belongs to 2024 rather than 2004 — a distinction that matters in Suva, where ageing infrastructure is a common complaint at competing properties. All rooms include air conditioning, flat-screen TV, private balcony, in-room safe, bottled water, and free WiFi. Room service is available around the clock.

The harbour-facing rooms are the rooms worth booking. Suva Harbour is a working port with a broad, active waterfront, and the views from the balconies looking out over the water are a clear asset. Suva does not have the turquoise-lagoon aesthetics of the Mamanuca Islands, but the harbour at dusk — container ships, fishing boats, the green hills of the Rewa delta in the distance — has its own atmosphere.

Standard Rooms cover the practical core of the offering: a queen or king bed, full amenity set, balcony, and harbour or garden outlook. Clean, well-maintained, and fit for purpose for both business and leisure stays. For a solo traveller or couple in Suva for a few nights, these rooms cover everything required.

Suites offer expanded floor space, a more complete room setup, and are the right call for longer stays or guests who want a residential feel. Business travellers on week-long Suva postings or government visitors who need a functional workspace beyond the desk in a standard room will find the suite configuration better suited to their needs.

Family Rooms and Interconnected Rooms are available for families travelling with children. The interconnected room configuration — two rooms with a connecting internal door — is genuinely useful for families who want the children in a separate room without being a full corridor apart. The hotel also offers babysitting services and has children’s activity programmes, which makes it a workable family base for parents who want to spend time in Suva during the day while children have structured activities at the hotel.

The hotel also has non-smoking floors throughout and suites available for guests with specific requirements. IHG One Rewards members receive the standard programme benefits including point-earning and eligible status perks.

Sirocco Restaurant & Tapa Bar

Sirocco Restaurant is the hotel’s main dining space and handles breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The breakfast buffet is generous in range, well-prepared, and a legitimate reason to choose the included breakfast rate over room-only. The buffet format means you can assemble a proper meal before a day of meetings or sightseeing rather than relying on cafe options nearby.

The dinner menu at Sirocco covers a diverse spread — Fijian dishes alongside international options — and the kitchen handles both with enough confidence to make the restaurant a genuine differentiator from lower-ranked alternatives in Suva.

The staff at Holiday Inn Suva bring an unusually warm approach to the hotel floor — the warmth of traditional Fijian hospitality that is not always present at urban hotels that prioritise efficiency over connection. The team has a reputation for recognising repeat guests and for going out of their way on practical requests. This quality of personal attention is consistent across the hotel, not just in the restaurant.

The Tapa Bar is the hotel bar, handling cocktails, beer, wine, and spirits. The name references tapa cloth — the traditional Fijian and Pacific bark fabric used in ceremonies and decoration — which gives the bar a local identity rather than a generic hotel bar feel. The bar is a reasonable spot for a drink before dinner or an end-of-evening wind-down.

24-hour in-room dining is available for guests arriving on late-night flights from other Fiji islands or international connections who want to eat in their room without dealing with restaurant hours.

The restaurant also offers:

• Kid-friendly buffet options
• Kids meals
• Special diet menus for guests with dietary requirements
• Poolside bar service at the outdoor pool

Free breakfast is included in several rate types — confirm whether your booking includes breakfast before assuming it’s additional.

Swimming Pool & Fitness

The outdoor pool at Holiday Inn Suva is a genuine asset in a city setting. Suva sits at a higher elevation than the western side of Viti Levu and is generally wetter and slightly cooler than Nadi — but the temperature still justifies a pool, and during the dry season (May to October) the weather in Suva is excellent. Sun loungers and beach chairs line the pool area, and the sun terrace gives the space a proper outdoor leisure area rather than a token splash zone.

The poolside bar means you can order drinks without leaving the pool area — a reasonable arrangement for an afternoon when you’ve finished the day’s business or sightseeing and want somewhere to decompress.

The fitness centre covers standard business hotel equipment: cardio machines, free weights, and resistance equipment sufficient for maintaining a regular routine. For guests on extended Suva postings who need to stay active, or leisure travellers who like to exercise while travelling, it covers the bases without pretending to be a premium wellness facility.

Business Facilities

Holiday Inn Suva is the most consistently recommended hotel in Suva for business travellers, and the reviews reflect this clearly. Suva is where Fiji’s government operates, where the Pacific’s regional organisations are headquartered, where legal and financial institutions have their main offices, and where most of the country’s corporate activity is concentrated. The people who come to Suva for work need conference rooms, reliable WiFi, a business centre with printing and admin facilities, and a hotel that functions at a professional standard.

The hotel has:

• Multiple conference and banquet rooms for meetings, presentations, and functions
• A dedicated Business Center with admin support facilities
• Express check-in and check-out for guests on tight schedules
• 24-hour front desk
• Concierge services for arranging transport, meeting logistics, and local requirements
• Currency exchange on-site
• Car hire and taxi service available through the hotel

For IHG One Rewards members who travel regularly to Suva on business, this is the obvious property to be headquartered in. The loyalty programme integration, combined with the clear #1 ranking in the city and the full business facilities offering, makes it the default choice for corporate travellers who want consistency.

The hotel also handles groups and functions — the conference/banquet facilities can accommodate events beyond small internal meetings, which matters for delegations, government-adjacent work, and regional organisations that hold functions in Suva regularly.

Exploring Suva From Holiday Inn

Victoria Parade is Suva’s main waterfront road, and the Holiday Inn’s position on it is one of the property’s most underappreciated practical advantages. From the hotel, most of Suva’s main attractions are within walking distance or a very short taxi ride.

Fiji Museum — approximately 8 minutes on foot through Thurston Gardens. This is the oldest museum in the South Pacific, opened in 1904, and it holds a collection spanning 3,700 years of Pacific history. The exhibits cover pre-colonial Fijian culture, archaeological material, objects related to the sandalwood and beche-de-mer trades, the indenture period (when Indian labourers were brought to work the cane fields), and items from the Bounty mutiny — including the rudder from HMS Bounty itself. Admission is approximately FJ$10 for adults (around USD $5). Opening hours are Monday to Thursday 9:30am–4:30pm, Friday 9:30am–4:00pm, and Saturday 9:30am–4:30pm. The museum is closed on Sundays. Guided tours cost FJ$13 per person and can be arranged in advance. For anyone with a genuine interest in Pacific history, this is worth an extended morning.

Thurston Botanical Gardens — directly adjacent to the Fiji Museum and a short walk from the hotel. The gardens were established in 1870 during the British colonial period and contain over 500 plant species, including tropical trees, flowering plants, and some rare regional species. The grounds are well-maintained and have a quiet, Colonial-era character that feels distinct from the commercial centre nearby. Worth a slow walk before or after the museum.

Albert Park — a large, open sports ground in central Suva, directly opposite the Grand Pacific Hotel (the historic hotel next door to the Holiday Inn on Victoria Parade). Albert Park has hosted significant moments in Fiji’s history and is still used for major events and sports. It’s large enough to get a proper sense of space in a dense city, and it’s free to walk around.

Suva Municipal Market — approximately 17 minutes on foot from the hotel, or a short taxi ride. The market is one of the best reasons to visit Suva at all. It operates every day from early morning until late afternoon and is a working food market for the people of Suva — not a tourist craft market. The ground floor handles fresh produce: tropical fruits, root vegetables, chillies, herbs, and seafood. Upper sections have cooked food stalls serving Fijian and Indo-Fijian food at local prices. The handicraft section has woven baskets, tapa cloth items, and traditional Fijian crafts. Arrive in the morning for the widest selection and the most activity.

Parliament of Fiji — visible and accessible from the hotel area on Victoria Parade. The colonial-era Parliament building is opposite the hotel, giving the location a sense of civic centrality that genuinely reflects Suva’s role as the capital.

Presidential Palace — a short drive from the hotel along Victoria Parade. The Government House, the official residence of the President of Fiji, is set in formal grounds and is worth a slow drive-by for the colonial architecture.

MHCC (Marks Harbour City Commercial) Mall — the most accessible shopping mall to the hotel and the only major mall in central Suva that opens on Sundays. When the market is closed and you need supplies, toiletries, or general shopping, MHCC is the practical option.

Coffee Hub — one of the better-reviewed local cafes in Suva, worth knowing about for an early breakfast alternative or a morning coffee before heading to the museum. Opens from 8am.

Cafe Moments — a well-regarded lunch option in Suva city centre, a short taxi or walk from the hotel. Useful to know if you want to eat away from the hotel at midday.

Cummins Street — Suva’s main commercial street, a short walk from the hotel, lined with shops, money changers, bakeries, and the general commercial activity of a functioning Pacific capital. Worth walking through to get a sense of the city.

Getting to Suva

The most important practical consideration for visiting Suva is distance from Nadi. Most international flights land at Nadi International Airport — Suva is on the opposite side of Viti Levu, and getting there takes time.

By road (Queens Road): The most common option. The Queens Road follows the southern coast of Viti Levu from Nadi to Suva — 190 kilometres, typically 3 to 3.5 hours depending on traffic and any stops along the way. The road is well-maintained, sealed, and passes through a varied landscape: sugar cane fields near Nadi, the Pacific Harbour area (a popular adventure activity hub about an hour from Suva), and the Coral Coast resorts. It is a legitimate scenic drive.

The Holiday Inn Suva offers private airport transportation. A private driver round-trip for two passengers from Nadi Airport to the hotel costs approximately FJD $408. Book through the hotel concierge in advance. This is the most convenient option if you don’t want to self-drive or manage public transport with luggage.

By bus: Express bus services operate from Nadi to Suva along the Queens Road. Sunbeam Transport and Pacific Transport both run this route with services every few hours, with the journey taking approximately 3.5 hours and tickets costing around FJD $15–20 per person (approximately USD $6–10). The buses are air-conditioned and reliable. This is a sensible option for independent travellers or budget-conscious visitors who aren’t in a hurry.

By domestic flight: Fiji Airways and Northern Air operate domestic flights between Nadi International Airport (NAN) and Nausori Airport (SUV), which serves Suva. Nausori Airport is approximately 23 kilometres from Suva city centre — about 30 to 45 minutes by taxi. The flight takes around 30 minutes and removes the cross-island road journey entirely. If your time in Fiji is limited and you want to spend it in Suva rather than in a car, flying is the efficient option. Check fares directly with Fiji Airways, as domestic pricing varies significantly by booking timing.

Taxi or private hire from Nadi: Independent taxi drivers can be arranged from Nadi for the same Queens Road journey. Negotiate the fare before departure. Prices are broadly similar to the hotel’s private transfer pricing; the difference is level of coordination and reliability.

Final Thoughts

Suva is genuinely worth your time. The travellers who skip it in favour of a second or third beach day are missing the part of Fiji that has depth — cultural, historical, and culinary. The Fiji Museum alone justifies a half-day; the market, the botanical gardens, and the colonial waterfront fill out the rest of it. Suva functions as a real city, and that has a specific kind of appeal for travellers who want to understand where they are rather than just decompress on a beach.

The Holiday Inn Suva is the obvious choice for a base. It’s the top-ranked hotel in the city for a reason: the rooms have been properly modernised, the restaurant and bar are solid, the location on Victoria Parade puts you in the middle of everything walkable, and the staff quality holds up across every guest category from first-time visitors to IHG loyalty members who return regularly. There is no serious competition at this end of the Suva market.

For business travellers coming to Suva regularly, it’s the IHG property closest to where you need to be. For leisure travellers making a deliberate stop in Fiji’s capital, it provides everything you need to make the most of the city. The rate from $136 per night with breakfast included — in a modernised room with a harbour view balcony, at the top-ranked property in the city — represents genuine value for what it delivers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Holiday Inn Suva located?

Holiday Inn Suva is on Victoria Parade in central Suva, Fiji’s capital city. Victoria Parade is the city’s main waterfront road, running along Suva Harbour. The location puts the hotel within walking distance of the Fiji Museum, Thurston Botanical Gardens, Albert Park, Parliament, and Suva’s commercial centre. The Suva Municipal Market is approximately 17 minutes on foot.

What is the ranking for Holiday Inn Suva?

Holiday Inn Suva is ranked #1 of 13 hotels in Suva, with a 4.3/5 rating from 1,031 reviews. It is the top-ranked hotel in Fiji’s capital city.

Does Holiday Inn Suva include breakfast?

Free breakfast is available with certain room rates and is frequently included in the hotel’s standard pricing. The breakfast buffet at Sirocco Restaurant is generous in range and quality. Confirm whether your specific booking rate includes breakfast before finalising the reservation.

Is Holiday Inn Suva good for business travellers?

Yes — it is the most consistently recommended property in Suva for business travellers. The hotel has conference and banquet facilities, a Business Center, express check-in and check-out, 24-hour front desk, concierge services, car hire, taxi service, and currency exchange. It participates in IHG One Rewards, which matters for frequent corporate travellers. Suva is the centre of Fiji’s government, legal, and commercial activity, and this hotel is the standard choice for the business community that comes to the city.

How far is Holiday Inn Suva from Nadi Airport?

Nadi International Airport is approximately 190 kilometres from Suva by road — roughly 3 to 3.5 hours along the Queens Road. The hotel offers private airport transfers for approximately FJD $408 round trip for two passengers. Domestic flights from Nadi to Nausori Airport (which serves Suva, approximately 30–45 minutes from the hotel by taxi) take around 30 minutes and are available through Fiji Airways.

Is Holiday Inn Suva pet-friendly?

Yes. Holiday Inn Suva accepts dogs and other pets, making it one of the very few hotels in Fiji that does. This is relatively unusual in the Fijian accommodation market and is a significant consideration for travellers relocating to Fiji or visiting with animals.

What restaurants does Holiday Inn Suva have?

The hotel has two main food and drink options: Sirocco Restaurant, which handles the breakfast buffet, lunch, and dinner with a diverse menu including Fijian and international dishes; and the Tapa Bar, the hotel’s bar. 24-hour room service is also available. Sirocco offers kid-friendly buffet options, kids meals, and special diet menus. A poolside bar operates at the outdoor pool during the day.

Does Holiday Inn Suva have a pool?

Yes. The hotel has an outdoor pool with a surrounding sun terrace, sun loungers, and a poolside bar. Given Suva’s tropical climate — warm year-round, with a dry season from May to October — the pool is a genuine asset rather than a token amenity.

What is there to do within walking distance of Holiday Inn Suva?

From the hotel on Victoria Parade, you can walk to the Fiji Museum (approximately 8 minutes, through Thurston Botanical Gardens), Albert Park, the Parliament building, and Suva’s commercial centre. The Suva Municipal Market is approximately 17 minutes on foot. The Thurston Gardens are directly adjacent to the museum and make for an easy combined visit. MHCC Mall is the closest major mall and the only one open on Sundays.

What is the best time of year to visit Suva?

Suva’s dry season runs from May to October — this is when rainfall is lower, temperatures are comfortable (typically 26–28°C), and outdoor exploring is easiest. Suva receives significantly more rainfall than the western side of Viti Levu year-round due to its position on the wet side of the island, so some rain is possible even in the dry season. The wet season (November to April) brings heavier and more frequent rain but also lower hotel rates. For a first visit, the dry season months — June through September in particular — are the most reliable.

By: Sarika Nand