Best of the Best-hotell

Wow what a fab resort, it was near on perfect for our honeymoon. From the minute you arrive by boat at the welcome jetty you are treated like a vip. Our Host Patrice was superb and spent time with us explaining the resort, in addition, she had added in some activities to our app which she thought we might like and explained how we could change, cancel or add to them. (Point to note, you will need to download the OBLU app as all your activities etc are run through it, including check in! As such you’re probably best advised to download and fill in as much detail as possible before you get to Male as the wifi at the airport is very slow). In addition, no reception desk on the island, instead your host will set up a WhatsApp group with you - a really great idea that worked very well. Our water villa with pool was fantastic, with luxurious products a fab bed and pillow menu plus lots of lovely little touches which made the stay that little bit more special and if there was anything we needed we only had to message Patrice and she would sort it out for us. Nothing was too much trouble Our 2 week stay meant that we were able to enjoy 3 spa sessions, 3 visits to the underwater restaurant and 3 to the beachside food truck, plus 3 excursions. You also had access to all the non motorised water sports plus you were able to collect snorkelling gear for the length of your stay. The food was absolutely fantastic with a huge choice of top quality meals. I’d say comparable to top uk restaurants. Breakfast and lunch were a combination of buffet and cooking stations with dinner being a la carte. But if you fancied something different or off menu nothing was too much trouble for the team. Drinks were great with the team in the Swing bar getting to know your preferences very quickly. As per the food, if you wanted something off menu for example a cocktail then they would sort it out for you, there was no drama or raised eyebrows they just did everything they could to help make your stay a little bit extra special. The swimming pool was gorgeous, an infinity one that overlooked the Indian Ocean and the sunsets. Beds were plentiful whether it was round the pool or on the beach you could always find one. At 4.30 each day they had a DJ playing and they then brought out some traditional Maldivian snacks to enjoy. My one complaint was that the DJ set seemed to be the same each day and after a couple of days that started to get a little annoying. Perhaps she could mix it up a bit? The beaches were great although as a few other people have said you might want to take some water shoes as the last few steps into the ocean can sometime be a bit sharp! Once you were in, the water was glorious and if you took your snorkelling stuff with you the sights underwater were breathtaking. The island itself is small intimate and immaculately kept. Staff were always looking after the grounds, whether it was the sand road the beaches or the gardens people were constantly keeping everything neat and tidy. One of the very best things about the island was the staff. They were always smiling they were always polite and they are always hard working. Within a very short space of time they got to know you, your name, your likes and dislikes. For example even in the sweltering heat of the pool area they would see you had finished or nearly finished your drink and would be out with a top up without you even having to ask! In fact I’d say that the staff made the holiday for us. From Patrice our host through to Maya, Sara and Divya in the swing bar plus Cris, Julia, Jenny and Rachelle in the Ylang restaurant everyone of them was superb and credit to Oblu.

Going into this holiday and every holiday I take, I am research girl. I trawl through everything I can find about a hotel so naturally with the reviews so good for the hotel my expectations were high! They were definitely met though and in some cases surpassed! Here is a break down of my thoughts: Location Really conveniently located from Male, especially if you aren’t staying a particularly long time. Not having to work around seaplane schedules was a definite bonus for us as we’re just able to arrive and get settled in quickly. Despite not having a huge amount of reef at the property there is an abundance of marine life and we saw plenty of fish, rays, sharks and even an octopus at the hotel. The hotel offers trips to a nearby reef as part of the AI packages as well. Room We were located in one of the Nest overwater villas. The room was a great size, the outdoor terrace was more spacious than it appeared in pictures and the bathroom I need in my house! Everything was quiet and you could only hear some noise from the walkway outside when using the bathroom (took a bit of getting used to haha) but this really didn’t bother us at all. Everything you need is provided, including a hair dryer, shampoo/conditioner/shower gel, amenity kits with toothbrushes and razors in the bathroom. Mini bar is well stocked and all the glassware you need is provided. The team ask daily about replenishments and even helpfully switched out cokes for coke zeros on request which was great! Food The food was absolutely amazing here. Me and my partner are vegetarian and so I tend to limit my expectations when travelling and I am normally happy with whatever I can get. Whilst the island has really one restaurant for meals (thought you have the underwater, food truck and other island as options too) the variety of what’s on offer really didn’t make it feel as if it was one restaurant at all! Lunch and breakfast are buffet style and dinner is more a la carte style with a selection of menus to choose from- though you can mix and match if you wish! This was a real treat, there were loads of delicious options for us everyday and on every menu. The chefs are more than happy to take requests and make recommendations - this really was a foodie’s dream! We didn’t have one bad meal, the team really understand flavour and with the sheer variety of cuisines it was really impressive. The chefs clearly have a real passion for what they do and it really shows. I have eaten in some incredible places and this really is on par. We finished every day with full stomachs and happy smiles thanks to this incredible team! The underwater restaurant was something else, the food was delicious, service amazing and the environment was spectacular. We even forgot to eat a few times as we were being entertained by an octopus! The fact that a meal here is included in your AI package is incredible and such good value when other resorts have this as an added extra for $200+ I highly recommend trying the food truck as well. This is at an extra charge but it was so worth it. The food was delicious and there was plenty of it and you sit out on the beach under the stars! We didn’t try the neighbouring island’s food options but it is great to know you can utilise this if you want, especially on longer stays. We did however use the shop over there and purchased a few extra snacks to have in our room when we fancied something different to what’s provided. Service I think pretty much everyone has spoken about the amazing service here and I definitely agree. Our Island hostess Kate was so incredibly helpful, planning out our time perfectly and making sure anything we needed. She made our experience effortless so thank you! Kate even arranged for a special message of congratulations with a delicious cake for our engagement which was a really unexpected but lovely touch! Every member of the team was friendly and took the time to ask us how we were ans how our stay was, it was difficult to remember everyone’s names but a special shout out to Rahul on the chef’s team and Krishna working at the restaurant- you were both so friendly ans helpful so thank you! The Lobi Plan The AI package at this hotel is very good value for money with no hidden costs. The food options as mentioned above were great and the added extras of the other island and underwater restaurant were a great touch. The drinks package (along with your in room mini bar) includes many names brands and cocktails (they will even make cocktails not listed on the menu!). The free excursions were lovely and really added to the value of the package with snorkelling trips and sunset cruises adding extra experiences to our trip. They also offer fishing but as veggies we swapped this for another snorkelling session instead! I cannot believe the spa treatment we had was included in this too. This was an amazing massage that I would easily of paid £70 upwards for the UK. All these extras really do feel like you are getting value for your money here. Overall, for me this hotel really did live up to the hype. The team clearly work extremely hard to create an amazing holiday experience for their guests and it really does show. The island is very pretty but the people make it a beautiful. The managers should be extremely proud of their staff and the exceptional service they are providing!

This was a combined 50th birthday and anniversary holiday for us It was incredible. The moment we left the airport to the moment to when we returned to passport control , Everything was taken care of . Speedboat ride to and from the airport to the island resort was only 15.minuites and hair rasing We were greeted by hostess Rina who introduced herself as our personal host . She created a WhatsApp group and she was at our beckoned call. Nothing was too much trouble and was dealt with swiftly and with no judgement. We could text her and tell her it's raining please can we get a lift to the redtutant which was 200m from our over water villa , and she would turn up in an electric golf buggy! We never did . It was a small island you can walk from one end ie where the over water villas were to the other end - the connecting bridge to the othe other island for families, in 15 minutes strolling. Agree with othe reviews about lots to do in terms of optional arranged activities , go snorkellying /swimming or simply sit around the pool and be waited on by the bar staff Amazing selection of food at buffet breakfasts and lunch and table service with 4 menus at dinner . They have a dinner buffet on a Monday night "gala night"where they have 4 stations of different foods and a dessert table which is impressive . Golden sands , clear water . Palm trees. No shops no need to lift a finger. It was truly a physically relaxing holiday away from stress and responsibility . The underwater restuarant was incredible and definitely not ro be missed . You can see tropical fish and sharks in their natural environment I'm not going going to go into detail about the villa or the facilities as they have been mentioned several times I would like to take the time to say the best thing about this resort are the staff who are an example of hospitality at its best There were so so many people I cannot remember them all . I will cite those I can Of course Rina our hostess who was professional and excellent at her job. Jocina our housekeeper who not only serviced our rooms constantly but left us sweet birthday/ anniversary and goodbye messages meticulously cut and fashioned out of palm tree leaves on our bed The swing bar staff who made it my favourite place Sara, Sally Sureshi Dilki Scothy and others Food and beverages Sudha Sapna Julia Chrysleen Ani Hina and the amazing chef ( I forget his name) who made us Maldivian food especially by request and delicious Indian food every day . And so many more who's interactions may have been less but still exemplary A few notes ....... All the water villas with pools face west if you like like the sun in the afternoon and want to see the sun set from your villa pick these. We actually preferred the non pool villas all east facing because we did not get the hot direct sun after midday and we chose to watch the sunset every evening at the Swing Bar 🍸 Suggest take US dollars with you If you wish to tip as there are no ATM s on the island . There is no obligation to tip at all . The staff were amazing and this made us want to tip at the end of the holiday