Name: Fema Lodge
Address: Tarawa, South Tarawa, South Tarawa, South Tarawa, 000, Kiribati
Rating: 7

Shopping on site

Air conditioning

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Garden

Television in lobby

Private check-in/check-out

No elevators

Reception desk

General

Non-smoking rooms

Room service

Wardrobe/Closet

Rooms

Ironing

Laundry

Concierge services

Dry-cleaning

Luggage storage

Services and amenities

Diet menu (on request)

Breakfast

Common kitchen

Restaurant

Microwave oven

Bottled water (at extra charge)

Meals

Internet

Car rental

Airport transportation

Transfer

Tour assistance

Tourist services

Free parking

Free Parking on Premises

Parking

Fax and copy machine

Meeting and presentation facilities

Business

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Extra decontamination measures

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Bonriki Airport

Fema Lodge

South Tarawa

Good location. A lot of mould on ceiling. Poorly maintained and facilities not available (no cups in room, TV not working).Restaurant was great when open.

I stayed in the old front part that was meant to have a fully operational kitchen (as I was there for 10days). How wrong I was. It had a verily old fridge that did not operate or function well at all. There was no stove or oven and all that was sullied was a single butane gas cooker. The jug didn’t work so you had to boil water on the cooker. There was NO running hot water in my room for showers or in the kitchen. The TV in the lounge did not work. The bedroom/room was incredibly basic. The curtains were very thin and all the security lighting at night lit up the room like it was daylight! I found the switch after they told me they couldn’t turn off and turned it off myself each night. The backboards on the shower/bath were rotten and mould everywhere. That block def needs some living care and attention. I won’t be staying there again. 

Very basic and needs urgent attention !! 

Comfort?? The bed was okay BUT this is very basic accommodation. I had Room 1. Whilst they say kitchen facilities, it was a shared kitchen with a single element outdoor gas cooker to cook on and boil water for a coffee. The jug did not work even though they said they fixed it. Totally inadequate. There was a TV lounge BUT the TV had a damaged screen and did not work. My bathroom was a mess. Shower over bath and the tap backboards were rotten and falling apart. There was NO running hot water for my entire stay in the bathroom or kitchen. So, if you like cold showers in a 1950s style rotting bathroom, this is the place for you!! The curtains in the bedroom were very thin fabric. They leave the lights on high in the driveway each night, it's like daylight in your room all the time. I eventually managed, after snooping around, to find the switch myself and at nights, I turned them off because the staff or security guard wouldn't, so at least the last 5-6 nights, I slept in darkness!! The only good thing was the aircon... but I had to clean the filters as they were totally full of dust and particles. A Legionnaires disease breeding ground.

Disappointing accommodation

Stayed here for 2 weeks quarantine. I stayed in the upstairs new wing. The room I stayed in was one of the best I've seen in Tarawa. Spacious ensuite, modern, air-conditioned with sliding doors & a balcony with garden view. The room has black out curtains. Great for sleeping in. Food delivery was on time.

Private & quiet location though it's right next to the main road. The lagoon is across the road.

At Fema Lodge, they say “your comfort is our priority”. Well, there is not much comfort at the place. On the positive side, they provide free airport transfers that was very handy. But for the rest, there is not much good to say. The rooms, even the “deluxe” ones are very basic and there are virtually no common areas or facilities. Nowhere one can sit and relax. The restaurant is an indoor neon den with staff who seem to prefer you to leave. The first night they could not serve any food as the chef had not showed up. There were three women “working”, doing nothing to solve the problem. We went to Koa Koa across the street, very nice, and we enjoyed all remaining meals there. The best thing about Fema Lodge is that is located next to Koa Koa, as other reviewers have said as well.

The reception sells wifi at a high price, but either it is very slow or it does not work. They turn it off when reception closes around 9 pm. One day I had to fix their router in order to get a minimum of wifi. At the rip-off price of 25 AUD for 24 hours one would expect a connection that works just to some extent.
Fema Lodge is a money machine. They charge for everything: laundry is absolutely horrendous, they charge per piece, for instance 7 AUD for a T-shirt and 8 AUD for a pair of underpants! We told them, we could get a whole meal of fresh cerviche on the other side of the street for that price. They did not see the point as the women in the reception seemed to have no idea about prices or the value of money. In general, they just seemed to want to be left alone. One exception was the very nice young women from Tuvalu, who spoke and understood English, was service-minded and drove us to the airport.

Basic rooms, no facilities and service from the other side of the Moon!

Accommodation is limited in Tarawa. We looked at all the main choices and were happy with our four night stay at Fema Lodge. it is well located in the middle of South Tarawa. Ask for a second floor room for a nice aspect. Rooms were clean and comfortable. The staff are very nice. They put us in touch with a local tour guide named Molly (mollybrown413@gmail.com) and we did two day trips with her -one of South Tarawa, and one of North Tarawa, accessed by boat.

A good, friendly place to stay

Fema is a pleasant hotel with a newer extension where we stayed. Although there was a steep set of stairs to our room, it was quite modern, with ensuite and a balcony. Hotel is on the main road but fairly quite. The small restaurant has good meals and cold drinks, including a reasonable selection of alcohol. Free airport pick up and drop off as well as regular local mini-vans out the front. A few shops, stalls and a little lagoon side restaurant opposite. Friendly, helpful staff with good communication skills. Book via direct via website.

Good Location

Kiribati has few options this is the best you will find tourist frequent travelers , big organizations staff 
Air conditioner is good 
The transfer is included and  it is like 35 min drive 
For kiribati is good , it is like Marshall Islands accommodations are normal 
Humble and clean 
They have a rat with good price . I also tried one 2 minutes walk from there 
The buses will go upon the front for 1 Australian dollar can go most places 


Great transfer 

Definitely the best choice in South Tarawa of the few options available.  Transport to/from the airport includes which is pretty critical given the time many flights arrive and leave.

Basic but clean rooms, with the new block at the back having its own power supply which is useful given island power cuts.

On site restaurant doesn’t always have everything on the menu but is not bad.  There is a small restaurant down the street (turn left from hotel, 100m on lagoon side) if you want variety.  A couple of reasonable small shops nearby too.

WiFi is available, charged for and reasonable quality.

Minibuses to any destination on the island only cost 80c but frankly there is not much to see beyond soaking up the island atmosphere (a little tough).

Best in South Tarawa

I stayed in FEMA lodge for a week and enjoyed it very much. My room (in the new wing) was large and cool with air condition, there was a patio, the bed was comfortable. All is  very clean. Staff was very helpful. They assisted me in hiring a guide in Tarawa, and even organize a trip to another atoll, Aranuka. The hotel is conveniently located in the middle of South Tarawa, and public transportation (minivan) comes often and easy to use. The restaurant serves good food, and across the street is another restaurant, Koakoa, also with good food and beautiful sunset views.

Fema Lodge

Main amenities of the hostel

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Available rooms

Location

Description of the hostel

What other amenities are there?

Policies

Check-in terms and conditions

Paid on the spot

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