The reef was spectacular, sitting right off the beach villa – super convenient – and if you pick the newer water villas, stick to the right side for sunset views and deeper water to swim close to the reef, which also boasts a beautiful coral garden with big creatures. The island may be small, but it features a lovely garden full of flowers, birds and flying foxes, plenty of greenery and gorgeous palms. The food was varied and generally good; one evening I couldn’t find anything I liked for dinner until they kindly prepared a steak for me, which was wonderful. The shower cosmetics were high‑quality, which mattered because of my long hair. The best villa was the new solar‑powered one with its own pool; it’s brand‑new, while the rest of the property feels dated. I appreciated the smooth logistics and the staff’s quick service during a rather inconvenient transfer, escorting us to the VIP lounge and even helping with flight check‑in. Thanks for the pleasant experience.
The transfer from Malé took 1.5 hours on a local plane that stopped en route, followed by a 30‑minute boat ride. The hotel felt more German than international, with evening entertainment and performers all speaking German. The sauna was unusable because German guests used it completely nude, both men and women together. The beach villas were dark, very old, with hard sleeping pillows and ancient beds; the mosquito netting was tied with bandages – a nightmare. There was no comfortable fitness room with air‑conditioning or new equipment, only a small outdoor workout area near the sauna that looked as worn as the older buildings. The all‑inclusive alcohol selection was fairly diverse, but the dinner wine was cheap Spanish that tasted more like alcohol than wine, making it undrinkable; I survived with Baileys shots during the German evening program. An overly pushy, short‑statured Maldivian waiter from the main restaurant kept sharing his personal problems and whining, which was quite unpleasant. The second “problematic character” was a Turkish animator who acted like a bad actor, was overly intrusive, rude and completely unnecessary for a five‑star resort. Both of them tried to get me to talk with them privately, which felt like a red flag and compromised my sense of safety.
Elena·6か月前