Because our trip to the Maldives was part of a larger holiday and our time there limited, we did careful research to find the best option. On arrival at the airport we had to wait about 45 minutes for the next boat to the island, and the very scenic journey went smoothly and took just under an hour. As we disembarked from the boat, we saw the first of many reef sharks, and we knew we made the choice staying at Meeru.

We were booked into Jacuzzi water villa 339, which was in a spectacular location near the end of the jetty and relatively close to the edge of the atoll. The splurge was worth it. The villa was spacious, comfortable and very conducive to relaxing. To the left of the entrance was a dressing/storage area with shelves, hanging space and drawers. This area also featured a well-stocked though pricey mini-bar/refreshment area with a mini-fridge and a Nespresso maker.

The bathroom was located off the dressing area, which also had an entrance to the Jacuzzi area. The bathroom itself was massive, and featured a large wetroom area with a rain shower. The toiletries included eco-friendly pots of shampoo and shower gel. The bathroom led directly to the Jacuzzi area, so while there was a door from the hallway, there was not one at the end of the bathroom near the shower. This took a bit of getting used to, though the walls of the back deck were high enough to ensure privacy. There was a bad storm during our stay, so we did have to remove the towels and other items so they didn’t get soaked or blow around. The Jacuzzi area had a double sun-lounger and an umbrella for shade. The Jacuzzi was extremely relaxing, particularly at night looking up at the stars above and hearing the waves crashing below.

The bedroom area was to the left of the entrance. It was quite large, featuring a king-sized platform bed, nightstands, desk, tv, coffee table and settee. The bedroom opened onto the front deck and had amazing views of the ocean, particularly as the villa was so close to the edge of the atoll. The deck had a pair of sun-loungers as well as a table and a couple of chairs. From here, you could take the stairs directly into the ocean. There are floodlights on the end of the deck, which attracted a plethora of marine life at night, including rays and sharks as well as smaller species like squid and trigger fish. Being able to snorkel around our villa and watch the marine life below from the stairs and deck was a truly memorable experience.

Meeru has a lot to offer, including a variety of excursions and recreational activities. We opted to do our own thing and explore the island, snorkel and spend some time in the infinity pool – all of which were very enjoyable. The beaches are lovely, and the island really does look like something off a postcard.

We opted for the full board package, and the food at the restaurant we were assigned to was excellent, with a fantastic variety of options. The deserts were particularly inventive. The downside to not taking the all-inclusive package was that drinks do not come cheap, though for us the AI option would have been a bit of a waste.

The only negatives to our stay were a couple of service/staff issues. First, despite providing details of our return flight so we could catch the boat to the airport, we were not on the list of departures, which is posted the day before guests leave. The staff claimed our flight didn’t exist (we were independent travellers and not there on a package), so this resulted in a frantic morning sorting out arrangements and incurring a $10 internet charge for 5 minutes online to prove that our flight [a regularly scheduled Sri Lankan Air flight] was still scheduled. The second issue occurred the night before our departure when two beers that we definitely didn’t drink were charged to our account by the room attendant. We spent 20 minutes waiting around the reception area for the staff to sort things out, though in the end they removed the charge.

Overall though, Meeru is paradise and we had a wonderful time. We would definitely stay here again.

My Wife and I have just returned from Meeru where I celebrated my 70th Birthday, we first visited the Island in 2009 and thought that it ticked all the boxes for a quiet relaxing Holiday with good food, caring staff and a wonderful location. We were once again over whelmed by the wonderful staff, the excellant food and the tropical Island setting, it started by being personally met by a member of staff and guided to a table where we were served a drink which was in a coconut and given a cold flannel to help wipe away some of our travel weariness. Our villa was in the 650's a surperb location, in the Villa was a Welcome back to Meeru Message and a wonderful selection of tropical fruits. On my Birthday I received a card from the staff accompanied by another selection of fruit and a small cake wishing me A Happy Birthday, our room boy ( Mohamod) did an exquisete job of decorating our bed, we rounded off the day with a wonderful meal in the Asian Wok which is a resturant over the water with it's own special ambience . Truly a holiday to remember and maybe another visit is on the cards.

There is no word to describe this holiday. It was simply out of this world. It was our first time to Maldives and we were there from 20th-27th Oct and later regretted that should have come for two weeks! We had booked Jacuzzi beach villa but on arrival were upgraded to the jacuzzi water villa for two nights. What an experience and I know for sure next time will always go for jacuzzi water villas. Also, we were on inclusive package and glad we had it as majority of the drinks (alcoholic & non-alcoholic) drinks were included and also use of kayaking, golf course etc. Snorkelling was amazing and we saw many beautiful corals and fishes just whilst snorkelling in the beach. With $6 price, they took us to the in-house reef point on a boat and what a beautiful marine life it had! Every night they have some entertainment in the bar such as crab racing, Maldivian folk dance, DJ night, live band music etc. There is a tailor also and he stitched two wonderful dresses for me for $29 each. There is a small shop and you can get anything you would ideally need for a beach holiday! The food was absolutely brilliant and waiters were friendly. Nobody expects a tip but I suggest tipping your waiter (you will have the same waiter for the length of your stay) and your room boy. We tipped $20 each. If you are not travelling with children, then I suggest opt for the northern side of the beach as you will then be given the Mallan restuarant which is adult only and is much much nicer than the other one. It is just by the beach ;) Asian Wok is a must to go as the food is amazing and it is a good experience dining in the water restaurant. It is not very pricey either. We went for spa treatment too but weren't impressed by the massage. But again a good experience. We wish we could go back every year!

we stayed at meeru island from 28th september-12th october and loved every single minute! when we arrived we were told our water villa wasnt available and were offered a 3 day, 2 night cruise.after much deliberation we decided to go for it.it was the best decision..we met 4 other couples on the boat and had the best time.if you get offered this,do it,you wont regret it.im not keen on boats at all but it truly was amazing .lots of snorkelling(take your own equipment),swam with turtles,stopped off at a couple of islands,enjoyed a romantic night time meal on a beach,entertainment was provided by the boat staff who were GREAT! they couldnt do enough for you and were so friendly,we had plenty of laughs! when the cruise was over we were taken to our water villa,number 515 and it was breath taking..would recommend these without a doubt:-) spent so much time sat on the lower deck watching the rays,eels,sharks swim by.outside bathroom was a novelty which i got use to in the end..having a shower looking up at the stars on a night..wow! room was kept lovely,clean beach towels and bathroom towels every day.we booked full board and was going to upgrade to all inclusive at meeru but because of our villa not being ready we were upgraded for nothing:-) had several walks around the island stopping off for drinks at the bars..the iced coffees are addictive! our allocated restaurant was the maalan,the food here was brilliant..hence me putting on 8lb :-D overall service on the island was very good..spent most of our nights in the uthuru bar watching the sun set with a nice glass of rose wine.we also loved the pavillion bar on an evening,sat in the nice big bucket chairs.the infinity pool was breath taking,couldnt believe how quiet it was around there some days..saw lots of gheckos and friut bats,loved watching them,also saw a few rats,but as soon as they clocked us,they were off into the bushes..DO NOT let this spoil your decision of going to meeru though because you will regret it..kayaked around the island once(hubbys decision).that was enough exercise for me! we ate in the asian wok once,wow,what a place.the service was FIRST CLASS from entering to leaving! the food was good but jeeze,did you get a lot!our meal was $170 for the 2 of us..we then stuck to eating in the maalan because we thought the food there was just as good.it was nice to have that treat though.i am a total sun worshipper but even i struggled some days with the heat..took lots of factor 30 and burnt..my forehaed and nose burnt(never happened before) so please be aware of how HOT it is..the only shoes we took were "beach shoes" because the coral in the sea and on the sand can be rough..next time(we are defo going again) i will maybe take 1 pair of flip flops for the evening because some of the walkways were hard to walk on.think thats just me being a wimp though:-) had to visit the doctor during our stay.he was great.$45 to see him and get some tablets and medicine but it was worth it,felt soo much better the next day. overall,our dream holiday was just that..it was meant to be a once in a lifetime trip..but ive already been pricing up for next year.