Direct flight from Heathrow to Male and met by a Taj representative on arrival and escorted to the speedboat for the 40 minute transfer to the resort. Once docked we were met by the hotel staff and presented with a cold drink before being giving a short tour of the island and then shown to our room. We had chosen a beach villa (224) for our stay and it came with a large bedroom, large bathroom including a second shower in an outside annex and large deck leading to the ocean. Just beyond the decking there were two sun loungers and a hammock, perfect for watching the sunset from, with a cold glass of something. The room came with a stocked minibar (refreshed once a day), fully air conditioned and was serviced twice a day by the excellent housekeeping team. The island is small (5mins to walk from one side to the other) but has everything you need. Nicely equipped gym with cardio machines and free weights, Dive centre covering everything from PADI dive to snorkelling for beginners, Spa centre with a range of treatments and the activity centre for kayak, windsurfing, jet ski etc. Whilst some things are included within your package anything extra costs and the price does add up if you do a lot. There is also a full list of excursions including Whale Sharks, Manta Rays, Turtles, Island hopping etc. And lastly you come to the pool. The pool area overlooks the ocean across an infinity pool and has a number of sun-beds and parasols with plenty of towels provided. There is also a jacuzzi style pool with both being at 30c. The pools are not life guarded. To the side of the pool there is an access to the sea and inner lagoon reef. This is an area that is protected from the main ocean, very little current and suitable for all ages to snorkel or swim in. There are a number of small coral reefs with the lagoon with many fish from small “nemo” size up to a tuna and manta ray. The lagoon is a great area to safely snorkel but if you wanted to venture further you can. There are exits from the lagoon into the main ocean and it leads to one of the best coral reefs we have seen. The island is surrounded by a reef and just leaving the lagoon you are met with a landscape of colourful reef and thousands of fish and numerous shoals of fish all within touching distance. The resort has each guest sign a disclaimer that they will wear a life jacket when snorkelling but this is not enforced and we swam (like many others) without one with no difficulties. Be aware that the currents can be strong and the sea conditions did change quite quickly at times (waves increased etc) but if you are a confident swimmer you are not in danger. Be prepared to see some large fish, a tuna close up takes your breath away and then there are the sharks. White and Black tip reef sharks were common and although technically “A Shark” they are not interested in humans and carry on with their day. It is possible to swim around the whole island (watch out for currents) and we did this on a couple of occasions, highly recommended. The reef on the pool side of the island is by far the best and there is even a sunken wreck for those who scuba dive to explore. Just off from the pool is the bar which is open from 11am until late and includes a table tennis and pool table for some healthy competition between guests and staff. The all inclusive package has a large range of drinks, cocktails, beers etc and there is no need to spend extra. Ibrahim served us most days and has a memory for people and drinks, often 2 bottles of water would appear as we enter the bar from the pool or Sea Breeze cocktail would arrive as we sat down in the evening. Want a cocktail that you cannot see on the menu, don’t worry Ibrahim knows how to make it and before you know it you have had 3 Expresso Martinis and can no longer see the pool balls :-). The service from all the bar team was excellent, nothing is too much trouble and they are always happy and willing to chat. You can also have lunch in the bar or on the beach in front each day. Nice varied menu from Dips to pasta, handmade burgers to stone baked pizzas through to desserts, all freshly cooked and served to you whilst you watch the ocean. We were served by Bheen Singh Rana most days and he is a fountain of knowledge about the island, the wild life and food and drink. The main restaurant faces the ocean with the breeze cooling you down at breakfast, lunch or dinner. We ate here every night, a couple of times for lunch and always for breakfast. The service from the whole team is excellent throughout, customer service is impeccable and again they are there to ensure your stay is the best. Ahmed Tariq or just Tariq, became our main person each time we entered the restaurant. Tariq is a people person and very good at it. He remembers your name, whether you have tea or coffee, like spicy food, orange or watermelon juice and most importantly what wine you like. Tariqs knowledge of wine is excellent (I recommend the Pinotage) and your glass is never empty during your meal. The team around Tariq is superb and throughout our 11 nights we never saw an issue, a raised voice or problem, just a team of people working together to ensure we were ok. And then we came to the food (Chef by trade). The menu is extensive and it caters for all nationalities at every sitting. Breakfast was 3 pages of choices from a Miso Soup to Waffles with fruit to Omelette with bacon, sausage and hash browns. There is also a full buffet of cakes, breads, fresh fruit, cheeses and more to ensure your day starts correctly. The Lunch/Dinner menu covers 5 pages and numerous parts of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Russia, Italy, England,Maldives etc. Small and large plate options and a large selection of vegetarian dishes to ensure all guests are catered for. Everything is prepared and cooked on the island which is no small feat considering the number of dishes on offer. We met the Executive Chef, Dinesh, who heads up a team of 30 chefs across all the food outlets and from listening to his passion and knowledge it was clear why the standard of cuisine is so high on the island. For 4 nights during our stay Dinesh took the time to cook specific dishes from different regions of India and Sri Lanka and present to us. It was a honour to receive these dishes from his childhood and chef travels and it was all done because he wanted to. There are a number of dishes on the menu that come with a supplement, Lobster, Wagyu Steak etc and if that’s what you want go for it but in my experience the non supplement dishes on the menu (and there are many) are amazing and I recommend that you try them because you will not be disappointed. So 11 nights, 5 Star resort, Excellent staff, Excellent food and drink, perfect weather and a fantastic reef. A perfect holiday, no complaints and a wish to return at some point in the future. Not often you can say that…….…
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.