We stayed at Gili for 4 nights in November in a spa suite, and had an incredible time. I couldn't fault a single aspect of the hotel throughout our stay, and it is without doubt one of my favourite hotels in the world

Our suite was unbelievable, in terms of both size and amenities. It retained that Robinson Crusoe charm, while being equiped with state of the art amenities including the Bose sound system and TV (not that we felt the need to use the latter)

From the moment we arrived we felt completely relaxed, and the staff could not have done more to make our stay perfect. From our Mr Friday who was always on hand to attend to our every need, to the friendly and knowledgeable staff in the bar and restaurants, they could not be faulted - if only we got service like this at hotels in the UK

We dined in both the main restaurant and the 'By The Sea' restaurant and were delighted with the breadth of the food on offer. Two of our meals in the main restaurant came on themed nights, where there was a Mediterranean and Asian buffet. Don't let the word buffet put you off, this was unlike any buffet I've ever seen before! On both nights, there must have been at least a dozen different food stations where you could get whatever you wanted, cooked from fresh to your personal specification in front of your very eyes. There was something to suit everyone, no matter how picky their tastes, and we never left feeling hungry! The By The Sea restaurant was also excellent with the food being as good as, if not better than the best London has to offer. One afternoon we did the sushi making class, and would highly recommend it to anyone who likes Japanese food - great sushi, highly entertaining, beautiful setting and you get to eat the spoils of your labour at the end of it!

We also enjoyed spa treatments which were great, and incredibly relaxing in their over-water setting

Our only regret was that we only spent 4 nights there!

My husband and I stayed at Gili for 6 nights over New Years and what an amazing holiday it was.
Absolute 5 star food/dining, some of the best food we have ever had. Compliments to Chef John!
I miss having my mango and strawberry smoothies for breakfast.
My husband and I took a cooking class with Chef John which was just amazing. The chef cooked up a feast whilst the rest of us watched and drank wine.
The sunset Dolphin cruise was just amazing too, we were lucky enough to see a number of baby Dolphin pods put on a spectaculr show for us. Gasim sang and danced on the boat which entertained us as well. What a great guy.
Our Mr Friday (Gasim) was excellent, as well as Prasana who worked in the beach resturant. They were both always happy to help with anything and always did it with a smile.
The beds were sooo comfortable, I've never slept so well in a resort/hotel before. It was like sleeping on clouds. The room cleaners were fabulous too. They would literally wait at the end of the jetty on their bikes every morning, waiting for us to leave our room and they'd be in there straight away whilst we had breakfast, so by the time we finished breakfast our room was already clean when we got back to it. The service was incredible. 5 star.

A special thanks to Iian, Chef John, Gasim and Prasana for fulfilling our special requests and making our stay so wonderful.
We cannot wait to come back in the near future.

Only thing I would recommend is paying for meals/expenses on a daily basis (at the end of each day) so you don't forget what you ordered. A number of items popped up on our bill when we went to pay our final bill upon checking out. Items which we didn't order or had already been paid for in the package deal with the travel agent. I'm sure they were simple mistakes which were deducted off the bill when I questioned them.
Otherwise complete luxury, I can't wait to go back.

I can't begin to say enough wonderful things about this resort!

Upon arrival my husband and I were very ill (unrelated to the Gili Resort). The hotel could not be more accomodating, kind and worried about us the entire stay. Our "Mr.Friday" (his name was Shifaz- HIGHLY recommend requesting him if you plan to stay at this resort) was very attentive and constantly checked in on us, brought us medicine from the mainland in Male and ensured we were provided with the best level of service throughout our stay.

The "No Shoes No News" policy of the hotel made for a relaxing experience during our honeymoon. Our over the water villa was upgraded, at no fee, to include a private gym, steam room, jacuzzi and 2 sun deck- upstairs and downstairs. The sea life that we saw was out of this world! There was no need to even snorkle based on the sea life thatw as basically at our front "porch" every morning and night.

The over the water villa set-up...
The bathroom was detached from the bedroom which was a nice touch. The bedroom was very spacious, as well as the bathroom. This is indeed a honeymoon or family resort. However, i would highly recommed it for anyone considering vacationing in the Maldives try this very authentic bare foot resort.

Peace, quiet, luxury, excellent standards, excellent service, excellent accommodation, beautiful beaches. Everyone knows what to expect in the Maldives – and this resort offers all of the above and bit more too.

The best way to describe Gilli is “understated luxury”. Absolute perfection of service, food, facilities and accommodation without the stuffiness and dressiness of other top class resorts. They take your shoes when you arrive. There is no front desk – you have your own “Mr Friday” who is on call (ours was called Atheef and was superb). It doesn’t take long for the staff to know you by name but it’s also easy to keep your anonymity if you want. Shorts and t-shirts are acceptable attire at any time, anywhere on the island. Everyone is so friendly and genuinely wants to help and make sure you have a great experience, all under the watchful, attentive and superb eye of the Resort Manager - the wonderful Alec!

Gili has a reputation amongst locals as the ‘one to work for’ because staff are valued and cared for. This is probably the ‘secret sauce’ that makes for a very genuine and enjoyable environment. That, and the fact that the owners injected significant amounts to improve back-of-house facilities. Note that there are 300 staff for a maximum of 100 guests.

Things to try are: a massage (ask for Tree), morning yoga with Dave (although I’m sure he’s not really called Dave), wine tasting with Rohan (what a great guy), Dolphin spotting (hope you get lucky – we did and it was amazing), snorkelling (wow)!

When it comes to food, the breakfast is superb (from sushi to congee to bacon to curry to porridge to croissant to (lots of) fresh fruit...you get the picture). Everything is fresh and prepared on site from top quality ingredients. I recommend the wholemeal pan au chocolate. There are two evening buffets each week: the Mediterranean and the Asian. I never thought I’d actually enjoy kebabs as much as I did at the Mediterranean buffet – you have to try the schwarma. The Asian buffet, however, deserves a special mention. Chefs are invited to represent their home country’s cuisine or one they particularly love. The buffet is set up as a street market with food from The Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, China, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan etc. The chefs pour their hearts into the cooking and are delighted when guests want to learn more about their dishes – the origins, ingredients, how is it cooked, why it was chosen. In that brief moment, the chefs are at the centre of the magic of Gilli – it is their moment. Under candle light and to the sound of the gently lapping waves in the background, guests are merely bystanders in the wonder of this culinary expression of national pride and tradition.