“A lovely place to stay while exploring the amazing sea life, just please get rid of the cockroaches!”
The hotel answered every question and arranged a speed‑boat ticket for us. We were picked up at the harbour and taken in a buggy to the hotel, where we were greeted with a free coconut drink and chilled wet towels after travel. It was great to learn the hotel accepts old dollars (pre‑2009), which not all Maldives places do. The host was warm and helpful, and even took us on a short island tour to show us everything. Rooms were cleaned daily; the bathroom had shampoo and shower gel, though no bar soap, toothbrushes, or toothpaste – we brought our own, so it wasn’t a problem. Plenty of towels (including beach ones) were changed daily. The room had an electric kettle, tea bags, sugar, and coffee sticks. Water was always available and free coffee was offered whenever we wanted. The room was spacious enough for all our belongings. The hotel has its own loungers on the beach, so we didn’t need to arrive early to get one. A cool feature was unlimited free fins and masks, which let us watch colorful fish, small sharks, rays, dolphins, and sea turtles right off the beach. The hotel also offers excursions to the nearby UNESCO biosphere reserve. Prices were high, but I was lucky to see about 25 manta rays and even a Whale Shark, so it felt worth it. My friend went another day and saw only 5 mantas and no shark. Guides monitor activity in real time, so you can ask in advance about chances. Overall, it was an amazing stay and I want to thank all the staff, the host, and the guides.
A major drawback was that large cockroaches appeared twice in our bathroom behind the toilet, even though all windows were closed. We called the manager, who removed them, sprayed the area, left the spray for us, and apologized, but it was still unpleasant and we hope the hotel will prevent future incidents. Minor issues: 1) We were told a hotel representative would meet us at the airport with a sign bearing our names, but among many people with signs, none had our names or the hotel’s name. Some helpful people pointed us in the right direction and contacted the hotel, so it was sorted out. 2) We booked two separate twin beds, confirmed on Booking, but arrived with the beds combined into a king‑size bed. The staff fixed it once we pointed it out. 3) I got the impression from Booking that the included breakfast would be a buffet, but we stayed 8 days and only got a buffet on the 5th day when more guests arrived. Until then we had the same simple breakfast each day – mas huni, omelette, bread, muffins, fruit, water, juice, tea/coffee. The buffet eventually included sausages and chicken nuggets, which was a nice addition, but it would have been better to have that from the start.
Ann·Il y a 3 mois