I am writing to thank all the staff at the residence Maldives and specially for the attention paid by Shanyz, he had organised everything for us and it was just perfect. To end, just mention that i didnt see appropiated that the housekeeping staff came Before our departing, we were still there at the villa and it was a Bit awkward, i Guess it was for getting the tip. Once he saw the money, he didnt seem to be happy with the amount and he change his attitude with us, even he didnt say thanks, which is not mandatory but talks about manners. In my opinion, tips are voluntary and guests must Not feel forced to give any money and live umcomfortable situations, because of that, once we have paid a big amount of money to have our holidays there. But again, everything was perfect, what i mentioned before Its Not a general behaviour at the residence.…
We’ve been to some great hotels over the years and the Residence Maldives is certainly up there so much so that this is the first review I’ve written whilst still on vacation. The internal flight and speedboat was straight forward with residence staff on hand all the way. Check in was a breeze. Travelling around both islands is fun on the bikes and buggies always available when you don’t fancy the cycle. Availability of restaurants is good and the fine dining options are a class above. Quality of food is great. The beach bar is our favourite haunt and the cocktails on offer is extensive and good quality. Mounesh, Deepak, Raja etc. are always on hand and nothing is too much trouble. We also enjoyed the ‘Just the two of us’ package at the spa which was excellent. Mia and Sungay were so professional and we walked out of there so relaxed. Highly recommended. Snorkelling from the beach is great too. Within our first few days we seen turtles, black tip sharks and also a leopard shark (very lucky). We will be sad to leave this gem of a place.…
If you are thinking of booking this hotel ….. do it you won’t be disappointed! Having the use of two islands is a big plus and in the middle of the 1km bridge is castaway island with fantastic sandy beaches and shallow waters with plenty of areas for snorkelling. You can see turtles and baby sharks from the bridge. On arrival at Male we were met by the Residence staff and taken to the lounge it was extremely well organised and we didn’t wait to long before the flight to Koodoo island and then onto the boat and warmly welcomed to the island where we stayed for 10 nights. The island is well laid out and all the beach villas are extremely private. We stayed in Over Water Pool villa number 327, it was huge!! We had our own pool and sun deck and we could watch turtles, sharks & stingrays. Huge great bed with a gorgeous view of the sea and massive bathroom with outside shower room. Sadly we didn’t have the best weather during our stay but we amused ourselves by exploring the islands using our bikes. This is a truly fabulous way to get around. I haven’t ridden a bike for years but how much fun, even in the rain! There are sand paths throughout the islands it’s so easy to get around. Due to the location of our villa we used them to go to breakfast. From our sunset villa we could walk in shallow waters to the reef in the mornings where we could snorkel, due to the weather we could only do this on the last few days but it was amazing to see so many colourful fish nearby. This side of the island had a lovely breeze but when the heavy storm came for a few days it did get extremely windy and the sea was quite rough so do bear that in mind. The wind literally was howling at times! It was extremely beautiful on the other days and when the tide was out on the morning we had a sandbank next to our villa. Bear in mind the steps down to the sea are metal & very steep. The All inclusive was excellent valve. I was thinking of upgrading to premium but we didn’t and I am glad we didn’t as it wasn’t necessary. I was a bit confused before we arrived about the allocation of dollars per evening meals which was 50 US dollars on the basic package so had thought we might spend more, however both Falhuma the French restaurant and Li Bai the Italian both offered a choice of three set menus which you could choose mix and match from any menu. I was impressed with this as thought it may have been a limited choice but was it truly great valve and some excellent choices. All the food was fantastic even the main Dining Room offered A La Carte choices and no buffets which we loved as we are not keen on buffets. Our favourite restaurant was Falhuma we did pay extra one night for lobster and a wagu steak which was fantastic. We found it easy to re book and both celebrated our birthdays while there they decorated the table beautifully. You can pre book restaurants before you go. Lunches were at the Beach Bar with an a la Carte menu or at the Dinning room again a la Carte or the beach bar at Digurah the other island which was great as it had a difference menu for a change. We certainly didn’t go hungry and often missed breakfast as we were two full! We took full use of the spa on both islands. We had two massages each 90 mins ….. bliss! Happy on Falhumfushi was truly amazing. Both spas are overwater. We did the Dolphin sunset cruise which was lovely and we did finally get to see the dolphins on the traditional Maldivian boat. Finally the most important thing is the staff, we were really treated like royalty on both islands. We both had birthdays whilst on the island and had beautiful birthday cakes, everyone seemed to know it was our birthdays! The staff are exceptional from day one we were greeted by Laxman and his team, they always looked after us so well. Abigash at the beach bar with the fantastic cocktails. Ahmed at the French restaurant was a delight to talk to and told us a lovely story on the last night about the islands. Nadia & Yardish also lovely to chat to. Vicky and the team at Li bai on Digruah were also so kind, we visited many times as they looked after us so well. Gracia, Yna and Jonny too. Joynal looked after our room and did fabulous decorations on the bed and the guy who replenished the mini bar always so friendly. As you were biking around everyone said good morning and held their hand to their heart as a gesture. It was so endearing. Everyone so kind and so thoughtful this truly does make this island special. This island isn’t full of soft sandy beaches like some other islands we have visited but Castaway island is perfect for the beach. It’s truly a magical place and worth the time travelling to get there. A big thank you to everyone who made our holiday so special love Sarah & Gary x…
We visited for 10 nights as a family with two teenage girls age 13 & 15. We stayed in a 2 bedroom overwater suite number 129. I e mailed the Island shortly after booking to request room number 332 on the sun set side of the Island. I was initially disappointed to find out we’d been put on the opposite side to our request …. however this turned out to be a blessing in disguise! We were greeted at Male by a representative of the Island and everything was explained and she saw us through the check in for the domestic flight. We waiting in the lounge for about an hour and a half and was away to the Island. Sadly we were sold the domestic flight as an hour direct flight, it was not. We had to land, drop off and pick up other passengers and take off at a neighbouring island making it closer to 1hr and 45 mins, sadly my youngest child was sick on this flight due to the long journey we’d made from England and I don’t think I’d have chosen this Island had I have known in advance it wasn’t a direct flight and the additional time we’d need to wait to take off. This is our third visit to the Maldives and have previously flown by sea plane. Should we ever return, I’d definitely pick an Island with a quick speed boat ride from Male, the additional waiting times for internal or sea planes really does take it toll after such a long journey from England via Dubai. We were greeted at the domestic airport and quickly put on a speedboat to the Island. Check in was swift and professional and allowed us to get some well needed sleep asap. Our Villa 129 was lovely, very large and more than accommodating for 4 people. The pool is enormous, the largest we’ve experienced! The view was lovely, however privacy was compromised from the decking and pool as anyone in the a la cart restaurant had a good view with the villa being so close the the beach. This is definitely the calmer side of the Island for sure! We took a walk over to 332 and the waves and wind were horrendous. We were so pleased we were not on that side of the Island. We did visit during Monsoon season and did have a few full days and evening of torrential rain and winds, however the rest of the time was glorious. We got the sun on our deck until 3pm and that was long enough for us! The heat is immense, so not underestimate the strength of the sun here! Snorkelling off our deck took us a few days to figure out. Day one we went in at high tide, the currents around this Island are like no other Maldivian Island we’ve been to before! We are all strong swimmers but was quickly swept away, thankfully to a sand bank! Be very very careful! We soon realised the best time to go snorkelling was when the tide was retreating, either first thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon. The snorkelling is good once you find where to go. We saw many sharks, turtles, rays and fish. There are lion fish and stone fish we also saw so keep your eye out! We did try snorkelling off the arrival jetty and on the house reef, as recommended by the Island, but found those areas to be very poor in comparison to our other Maldivian Islands, so we stuck to our lagoon! All the staff are lovely, professional and go the extra mile. We tipped everyone we could even though we were All Inclusive as I feel it’s important. They work very long hours and all do a fantastic job! We used the bikes to go over the bridge to the buffet restaurant and was well looked after by Tumin (apologies if spelt wrong) and the restaurant manager was fantastic too! On the evenings it rained we called the buggy, never waiting very long. Food was lovely and we can’t complain, some was repetitive but we all put on weight and never struggled. It was my birthday whilst there and I got a lovely bed decoration and cake and wine, thank you! We also got invited to several parties but we tend to keep ourselves to ourselves on holiday. There are a few areas in which I feel the Island could improve as we can’t help but compare it to the other 5* Islands we’ve been to. 1. The terrible smell in the master toilet was not good! We reported this and an engineer came straight away. Sadly they just stuffed paper down the drains and sprayed something down it. They said if the smell retuned the toilet would need removing. However there was already paper stuffed down there on our arrival and the smell was constant throughout our stay. The Island obviously know about the problem and are choosing not to fix it. 2. Flys and Mosquitos. Never had a problem on any other Island, yet here the flies were all over the breakfast which is buffet style. Whilst I appreciate the restaurant is open to the outside, this was the same as the other Islands we’ve visited and they didn’t suffer the same. It’s quite off putting. We also all got eaten alive whilst sat in the breakfast/a la cart restaurant by mosquitoes! Even the staff were covered in bites! The candles on the tables are obviously not sufficient and something needs to be done. 3. Our Domestic flight was delayed on our return due to the weather. However we were left alone at the airport with no information about when it would turn up and there is no area to buy refreshments. Thankfully we only waited an hour and it arrived but more information is needed. We had connecting flights to catch and it was worrying having no information. The toilets in this area are disgusting! All in all a very enjoyable holiday was had. Thank you to everyone we had the pleasure of meeting on the Island.…
First time in Maldives n never regretted choosing Residence Falhumaafushi. Service was impeccable, food is top tier fine dining style for the full board inclusive meals. Celebrated my birthday there with my partner and they arranged a special celebration just for me. Whole resort was clean, well maintained and every single staff is helpful too. Huge thanks to Bar manager - Lashmer, F&B manager - Ibrahim, Ops manager - Nisha and executive chef - Erwan - who helped to arrange all the celebrations. The team is passionate about their job and is constantly willing to improve by asking for customer feedback and most importantly, puts a personal touch when serving customers. Thank you for such a wonderful experience, we will be back for sure!
We just enjoyed our vacation in the Residence Maldives in early August. Initially it was a bumpy trip to the island as check in system in the Males International Airport was down, however the hotel staff had been helpful ever since we stepped in the airport: helped us with the luggages, queued for us in front of the counter, arranged lounge for us to rest during the few hours wait. Things just got better and better after we had reached the resort. There were multiple staff waiting for us (even we ended up reaching the resort at 3am), room was well prepared, spacious and they even prepared wine, snacks and fruit platter for us to enjoy after the long journey. The bedding was clean, pillow and mattress were so comfy that we had a good rest and got ready for the countless activities waiting for us. The room was facing the beautiful ocean that is so clear and we were able to see many wildlife (stingray, sharks tortoise.. you name it). The surrounding was so peaceful and quiet and we could truly relax. I also want to highlight how amazing their service is. All the staff are all cheerful and helpful, they will always smile and say hello to us, chat with us and share about local life in Maldives. It was a monsoon season and they even helped us to change room when the wind was too strong. Special thanks to Shanyz (and many others sorry if I cannot name them one by one) who took care of us when we moved around and always text to check on us. Food is also amazing with multiple dining options, the dining room serves buffet with a wide variety, FALHUMAA and LONG ISLAND are my favourite which the former served French food and latter served Italian food. Long Island is also known as Li Bai which was serving Cantonese food but not now (but I heard you can reserve Cantonese food if needed) but the western food is really good. Fresh ingredients and nice representation. We went for full board so don’t need to worry about eating too much haha. We also signed up for different free activities. The most popular one would be the house reef orientation, which the instructor showed us where the reef and there we can see the most biodiversity. We also went for sunset yoga which made us feel so detoxed afterwards. There are also other paid activities that I wanted to join but I couldn’t coz im pregnant (ps the staff took special care of me and I really appreciate it) like jet skiing, aqua yoga, Scuba diving..etc Another highlight was the Spa by Clarins, we went three times coz it was sooo good that I fell asleep (remember to get the triple relaxation package $200 for three massages, worth it) I also tried the facial which my face radiated afterwards hah There is a mother to be treatment which I highly recommend as the therapist was so skilful and gentle and I can tell my baby was enjoying it too. They also hosted a management cocktail session with free drinks, live performance in the beautiful castaway island, we witnessed the sunset in the island. It was so romantic!! All the guests were enjoying themselves with laughters and dance. Highly recommend !!…
We had an amazing vacation at the Residence Maldives Falhumaafusi. Can't even start to describe how heavenly it was. Starting from the rooms: The rooms are huge and very spacious. We stayed both on a beach pool villa and over water pool villa. Both villas were huge, had a living room, bed room, bathroom including outdoor shower, indoor shower, and a bath, a large sundeck, and a nice pool. The rooms are well maintained, and include any amenity you may require. Free mineral water is available throughout the resort. The WIFI service was working smoothly and high speed. The service: The service of the hotel staff was impeccable, any request that we had was immediately fulfilled always with a smile and always with a can do approach. The staff always remembered us and our preferences and they really made our stay memorable. We had the best time at the resort and we highly recommend it. We specially would like to thank Mr. Amit, the housekeeping manager, Sasha from the front desk, Joynal from housekeeping, Gracia from the Dining room, and Yanis. You guys really made our visit extra special…
I thought pictures of the Maldives were photoshopped but I was wrong. The water is picturesque blue and it is as beautiful as it seems. The Residence was fantastic. Great staff, beautiful food, spacious rooms with picturesque views. We had an all inclusive package with all your food and drink (including top shelf alcohol) included.
This was a flawless holiday, everything was perfect. The service was great, our every need was accommodated. The villas were gorgeous with beautiful views. There were fantastic amenities and the food in all the restaurants was delicious. Scuba diving is a must! (My only suggestion is that if the weather is stormy perhaps consider an inland villa.)
If you are looking for a romantic escape to start married life, the Residence is perfect. We stayed 10 nights and it was so beautiful and relaxing. All of the staff sensational and the food and beverage outlets are all amazing. Highly recommend the all inclusive package, Jet ski safari and dolphin sunset cruise. The over water rooms a must. Thank you to the whole team at the Residence for making our honeymoon so memorable.
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