Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Embudu Village Situated in South Male’ Atoll, it takes 20 minutes’ speedboat ride from Velana International Airport to reach the island. This simple yet naturally beautiful private island is 3 km long and takes about 20 minutes to walk from one end to the other. Blessed with a beautiful white sandy beach, the island itself is an idyllic natural hideaway, with lush tropical vegetation and opal white beaches which can be considered as one of the most affordable resorts to enjoy the natural beauty of the Maldives. The hotel features beautiful 122 cozy rooms including Beach Bungalows and Water Villas. Being one of the first resorts in the Maldives, Embudu is famous for its stunning house reef and spectacular world class dive sites which 35 of them are in close proximity. Rays, sharks, turtles, morays and many other amazing creatures can be found in the house reef alone. With some of the most experienced dive instructors in the industry; Diverland – Embudu offers extensive range of scuba
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Embudu Village captivates many guests with its welcoming service and pristine cleanliness, ensuring a paradise-like retreat with well-maintained grounds and daily room cleaning. The hotel's amenities, including diverse dining options and excellent snorkeling opportunities, are highly appreciated, although there's a call for updates to rooms and sunbeds.
While some travelers find the water bungalows romantic, others suggest the atmosphere can be affected by noise. Offering basic yet clean rooms with essential amenities, the hotel is regarded as providing reasonable value, despite some additional costs.
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Basic
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Pristine
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Satisfactory
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We stayed in Embudu the first week of January. Despite the weather was not the best (two and a half days of rain out of 7) we left it with great nostalgia and desire to return. The structure is quite simple and a bit dated, however organized very well and accessible. Bungalows are located all around the perimeter and most have sea views protected partially by mangroves, which makes it quite wild and charming. Rooms are basic and spacious just right. Nothing is missing. The comfortable beds. The patio is equipped with two comfortable armchairs + a wooden structure where you can leave beach equipment (fins, masks, towels etc) and a small private outdoor area with tap to rinse off the sand before entering the room. Access to the reef is very convenient, there are 4 marked points from which to enter to explore the reef all around the island. Unfortunately corals are bleached (as unfortunately everywhere in those areas) but fish are in abundance, including turtles and reef sharks. The food is excellent, both as a presentation and as a quality. A special note for desserts, always different and in great variety with each meal. All the staff are friendly and helpful. Impeccable cleanliness both in the rooms and in the common areas, including the beach. Quiet evenings in the resort's only bar, often accompanied by live music from local artists. Independent diving center that we used for a couple of boat trips. Alternatively, every day the resort organizes excursions, for a fee, which we have not used. Spectacular sunsets from the jetty .SUPER RECOMMENDED. P.S. The Over water do not have a private staircase but an access from the back and a closed front terrace. Therefore I would recommend the bungalow at the beach.
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Date of stay: January 2025
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Embudu is a wonderful place. We stayed in a superior beach bungalow on full board and it was simply perfect.
From the moment we boarded the speedboat transfer at Male we found the staff to be attentive, welcoming and helpful. Within less than an hour we were being welcomed onto Embudu and checking in.
Rooms are basic but were all we needed. A fridge, saferty deposit box, kettle, two free bottles of water per day. No TV unless you are in a water bungalow, but who cares? This is paradise, so no TV is required. The surroundings beat any TV screen. Rooms are attended every day by the staff to clean if required and deliver the days free water. The man who looked after us in room 82 was brilliant. A big thank you to him.
My partner and I had a massage at Serena Spa. That was beautifully relaxing. My masseur immediately identified a shoulder problem I've had for a while but didn't mention. She really worked on it and it eased up a lot afterwards. Thank you ladies. We would definitely recommend booking a session at Serena Spa. I think it was the first time I'd relaxed properly since 2017.
The food on offer at Embudu is lovely. Plenty of variety to suit pretty much all tastes. My partner is vegetarian and still found the variety on offer to be very good. Do say hello to the wonderful Mr. Narinjana in the food hall and bar areas if you stay on Embudu. He is one seriously welcoming man and a credit to the resort. Always smiling, always helpful, always kind, despite the fact I think he works 25 hours a day.
All the staff we encountered at Embudu were amazing. The lads in the main bar are a joy to be around. It's almost unfair to name just one, because they were all fantastic.
I'd suggest taking a torch with you to Embudu. Some areas can be a little dark at night when you are walking to and from the restaurant and bar areas. A torch is also good for shark spotting from the jetty at night. I took a basic hammock, the type made from parachute material and can be bought online for about £20. I put this up in the coconut trees and had an absolutely wonderful time relaxing there. Oh, also take a quality mosquito spray. Most people seemed unaffected, but I was bitten many times. Also don't get complacent with the suncream. I used factor 50 and I still got burnt when snorkelling. The sun there takes no prisoners. Talking about the sun; make sure you check out the sunset at least once while you are there. In the right conditions it's stunning.
The natural habitat on Embudu is beautiful. A nice variety of trees and plants. You'll see geckos and small iguanas on land, flying foxes (fruit bats) flying over at dusk and an absolute wonderland under the ocean if you take your snorkelling or diving equipment. There are all kinds of tropical fish, reef sharks, turtles, Moray eels, rays and a whole lot more. Although we didn't use the Dive Centre we spoke to others who did. There are some nice diving/snorkelling trips on offer and the Dive Centre has a good reputation.
It's worth saying that Embudu is not a pretentious Maldives resort. If you want butlers fawning all over you then Embudu is not for you. But if you want to stay on a beautiful island in paradise, with genuinely good, welcoming and professional staff. If you just want to relax with other laid back holiday makers then Embudu is simply perfect and could be right up your street.
We've been to some amazing places over the years, but our time at Embudu has been the best of them all.
Thank you to everyone at Embudu Village who helped make our time there so special. We'll never forget you or your beautiful corner of paradise.
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Date of stay: March 2023
Value
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Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Take mosquito spray, high factor sun cream. Maybe a torch for getting around after dark.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mohamed Rasheed, Guest Services / Front Office at Embudu Village
Responded Mar 31, 2023
Dear David It was indeed our pleasure to have you stay with us at Embudu Village Maldives and We truly cannot thank you enough for such a lovely review you have shared about your recent with us. It always motivates us when our guests appreciate the efforts made by our team to provide a pleasant and memorable experience during their stay. It gives us great joy to know that you were impressed with the tranquil atmosphere and the natural beauty of our beautiful resort. We are very happy to know that we were able to deliver the best hospitality and go above and beyond your expectations. We are also grateful for your compliments towards our staff, whose kindness and helpfulness in extending brilliant service to you. We greatly appreciate your comments regarding the hospitality, service standard and fantastic food and beverage choices. Creating awesome memories for all our guests with unique experiences is what we strive for and getting to know that we achieved that with you is very special. Your kind words of appreciation towards our team means a lot to all of us. It truly feels wonderful to receive such feedback from our guests. I have shared your encouraging feedback with our entire team. I can assure you that this will motivate all of us to strive further for creating fantastic experiences for all our guests. Once again thank you for your kind words towards our property & team exceptional service. We look forward to the pleasure of your continued more visits and assure you of our best attention at all times. Rasheed Reservations Manager
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We had over an hour waiting at Malé airport for others to arrive. After standing for some time, we were ushered to some seating. It was hot and noisy and there was little information about what was going on. This time could have been used to fill in the card reception required (despite all the details having been provided when booking) rather than the minute you arrive on the island. There is no gangplank for getting on and off the speedboat transfer to the island. The crew were helpful in getting passengers on / off the bobbing boat. Our room was fairly spartan. The bed was hard. The bathroom was large. There was a large crack in the basin. It was good to sit on the patio and look at the sea through the trees. Our room had a better outlook than some and we were pleased to be far from the generator. Watching 5 groundsmen raking up every leaf the morning after a storm was interesting. The grounds are well maintained with sand to walk on everywhere except the dining room. The foot wash for each room is a great idea. We are not divers but could walk into the lagoon and snorkel. Despite all the signs about trying to be eco-friendly, no free water in glass bottles, as in the room, is available in the dining area - you must buy water in plastic bottles. Embudu is the only place we have ever stayed where “ordinary water” is not freely available. The limitation of 2 bottles of water per room per day is a downside of the resort. The food was very good with a wide selection. Something is freshly cooked at each meal, eg omelette, fish BBQ, wok noodles. The dessert selection takes things to the next level making it difficult to decide which to try. The accommodation with meals is reasonable but everything else costs, priced in $US. We were able to stay in our room until 30 minutes before departure (mid afternoon) which was great.
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Date of stay: July 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Mohamed Rasheed, Guest Services / Front Office at Embudu Village
Responded Aug 28, 2024
Dear Guest It was our pleasure in having you stay with us at Embudu Village Maldives. We thank you for taking a valuable time to share about your recent stay with us. It is great to know that your recent experience with us was great.The natural beauty and tranquil atmosphere of the island contributed to a peaceful stay for you and were able to enjoy the features of our beautiful resort, your appreciation for the quality and variety of food served by our talented chefs are highly valued. On the other hand, we sincerely apologize for any discomfort you may have experienced at the airport. Normally we have combined transfers if we have passengers arriving from other international flights landing at a similar time. However, our guest's comfort is of highest priority and we apologize for any inconvenience that you faced during your stay. Once again Thank you for your feedback, and We hope your next stay in Embudu Village will be more pleasant and look forward to welcoming you back again in the near future. Rasheed Reservations Manager
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I'm currently staying at this hotel. As everyone has posted, the fish are the best.
However, when my son chased a crab or stood on a rock in the sea, Westerners were so sensitive that they told him not to stand on the coral (even on the sand) and not to disturb the sea creatures. , Perhaps because I'm Asian, I was bombarded with profane language that I won't write about here. I couldn't resist, so I purposely stood in the sand and they said something to me, so it's sand! If you don't believe me, come check this out. As much as I said...! Even when Western children jump into the sea from dangerous places, they don't say anything... Even when we were the only ones swimming, we felt like we were being watched and monitored by Westerners all the time...It was so uncomfortable that we reported it to the reception.
We were 95% Westerners and we were the only Asians, and although the hotel's natural environment is nice, I feel like the guests are ruining their trip. It's been a long time since I've been to a hotel where there were only Westerners, but I felt like there was some kind of prejudice against Asians. My son was scared and said he didn't want to go snorkeling anymore.
The hotel rooms are simple. You must bring your own slippers, toothbrush, shampoo, etc. Also, I made a big mistake by bringing insect repellent! This was to be expected since it was a natural place, but there were a lot of ants the moment I entered the room on the first day, so I sprayed them to deal with them. Just one push of spray every day is fine. If you ask the reception, they will also lend you a spray.
Another disappointment was that I had booked a full board, but I was planning to go fishing and couldn't have breakfast, so I asked for takeout, but the only thing I got was a sandwich with cheese...and ham as well. There was no tomato, just a big sandwich the size of a piece of white bread, just cheese, so I couldn't eat it at all. There are so many dishes on the breakfast buffet, so why is it like this for takeout? It's a shame.
Unlike other resorts, this one also accepts ships from outside. This is a hotel where you can stay even if you are planning to go fishing or do other tours. There were no hotels that would accept me, so that was a big help.
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Date of stay: March 2024
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Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:西洋人だらけです。アジア人は、ほぼいません。
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I travelled with Ethiad, stopover at Abudabi. It is not the first time I choose this company and it is always one of the best. Transport from Male to the island by fast boat was well organized. Fifteen minutes timed and you get to Embudu, a small island that you visit in ten minutes. Unfortunately, the beaches that surround it are not all easily bathed and the small strip of sand that you can see from the photos that tour operators propose, due to erosion, is no longer there. But I knew this in advance because it is my habit to consult satellite images that always remain the most reliable. The reef surrounding the island is very close, in some places it is a few meters away. This facilitates sightings of large fish even near the shore. Despite being small the island has a thick vegetation, perhaps a little uncontrolled, so much so that the mangroves prevent, in some cases, both the entry into the water and the view of the sea from the BOUNGALOWS. The most accessible points are those near the wharves and the east end (beach sheltered from the wind at least for the wet monsoon). The west end instead (where there was the tongue of sand) is very windy. You can see Evil in the distance. The whole structure, despite being dated, is well maintained and is very clean. The rooms are basic, but do not have the typical Maldivian outdoor bathroom. Wi-Fi works well throughout the island; in the rooms there is both air conditioning and fan with blades and two bottles of water every day. The bottles are made of glass with an airtight cap....which leaves us thinking and hoping that they will be disinfected after using the guests. The room is cleaned once a day with complete change of bath towels. The staff is attentive and friendly. There is no entertainment whatsoever on the island, only little music in the evening at the bar. The buffet restaurant impressed us for the variety of food, even for those who do not like the cuisine too spicy. The presentation of the dishes and the attention to hygiene are of a 4 star, therefore good. Overall it is a very basic island and for those seeking relaxation, without great pretensions, it is perfect. My husband and I visited 10 Maldives resorts in all (all between 3 and 4 stars) and had fun compiling a ranking, well Embudu ranks 5th; that is to say I would definitely stay there again. “Hi Embudu I left you with a little emotion because you are a silent, charming and romantic island.”
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Date of stay: November 2024
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Scegli quest’isola se non hai grandi pretese
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Embudu an amazing place, we stayed in a superior beach bungalow all-inclusive, and it was perfect. From boarding the speedboat transfer to the resort within less than 60 minutes we were welcomed and checked in by the friendliest attentive staff.
Our bungalow No 17 was a perfect location a few steps from the sea, rooms are clean with a comfortable bed and great aircon also including a fridge, safe, kettle, two free bottles of water per day.
The food on offer at Embudu is lovely, having your own set table for the stay is a fantastic idea and feels more personal. All the staff at Embudu were fabulous. The staff in the main bar are funny, brilliant, and extremely good cocktail makers.
The Dive Centre have some great snorkelling trips which are great and reasonable priced, the stingray city was brilliant. Embudu is not a pretentious Maldives resort, relaxing and simply perfect. Thank you to everyone for our little bit of paradise.
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Date of stay: February 2024
Value
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Service
Room Tip:room 17 great location
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent a week in this village. Let's start from the positive aspects, the food is of excellent quality, the choice is very varied, I repeat and underline the food is truly excellent with particular attention to the desserts. The beaches are well-kept, the uncovered parts are maintained very meticulously on a daily basis. I advise you not to be assigned rooms that overlook the Malé side. The negative aspects concern the rooms, which in my opinion are a little dated and should be cleaned thoroughly. I highly recommend not buying the drinks package unless you are a heavy drinker, the drinks prices are reasonable.
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Se cercate una vacanza di puro relax questo villaggio è il posto giusto.
Il villaggio è privo di...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stay during New Year's week. Small-sized resort with always well-kept and clean gardens, half an hour by speed boat from the airport. The structure is not very new but well looked after and clean. In the New Year's week, mostly Italian and German customers are polite and calm. Attentive and kind staff: our waiter was Karthik, a young man of great refinement. Excellent cuisine, with a vast choice and continuous supply of sutlers and trays. Everything very fresh and quality raw materials, never had any problems of any kind. Pasta is prepared almost every day. The spicy Asian dishes that some mention are there and they are really good, but they are also easily avoidable with the other options. Very beautiful sea and beach (photo). The reef is reforming after the double disaster Nino 1998 and Tsunami 2005 and is very rich in colorful fauna (photo). Excursions at reasonable prices: the one for the sharks was carried out. Only suggestion: even if the agency insists on having it done, avoid the All Inclusive formula. The AI formula is limited compared to the overall one, the list prices of soft drinks and cocktails are reasonable and the list price of water (obviously also included in the AI) costs less than 3 Euros for one and a half liter bottles. In essence, AI is only worthwhile if you are a heavy drinker of beer and spirits. In conclusion, I certainly recommend it to those looking for a beautiful sea, beautiful fish, good (international) cuisine, a peaceful, well-kept and silent environment. Thanks, Embudu!
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Date of stay: December 2023
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Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Evitare All Inclusive.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
First time in the Maldives and first time in a resort.. I chose Embudu after reading numerous reviews and comparing it with other structures, compared to which it seemed to excel in terms of quality/price ratio. And I did well. Rooms a stone's throw from the water, clean, spacious and comfortable, equipped with fan, air conditioning, water (1l per person per day), kettle with coffee and tea bags. Towels are changed daily, as are beach towels, while linen is changed every three days. The buffet is rich and varied, with different proposals every day (themed evenings), with a wide choice of vegetables, meat, fish, rice, pasta and desserts of every variety. The monster package was full board (not all inclusive) so drinks were excluded (for example 1.5l of water $3). The staff is the icing on the cake of this magical place: smiling, polite and always available. In the resort the staff speaks English and German. The currencies accepted are, in addition to rupees obviously, dollars and euros (even if the exchange rate is not exactly precise) and the cards accepted are Visa and Mastercard (we used Postepay evolution to pay the bill the evening before departure) . The coral reef surrounds the island, sometimes more extensive and others less so, but there is no point where you don't see corals or fish, even if we admired the greatest variety near the Watervilles (including sharks and a turtle ), where there isn't even electricity to bother you. I recommend shoes and/or fins for accessing the water and obviously a snorkeling mask (or snorkel), as well as - it is worth specifying - sun cream (30/50 protection because it takes just a moment to get burned and buying it in the souvenir shop costs between $3840 😨). Finally, we stayed 7 nights in Embudu, but if I had to recommend the ideal stay, in my opinion, it would be 8/9 nights. For the rest, if you have the desire to leave, don't waste any more time because it is worth it, from every point of view
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed 12 days on this wonderful island of peace, relaxation and great food. It is a 20-minute ferry ride from Malè and surrounded by a coral reef rich in fish and coral. White sandy beach, clean sea and lots of vegetation. Bungalows are simple, but there is everything you need: personal hygiene products, towels, mini fridge and two bottles of water every day. The Resort has a large restaurant, a bar and a diving center where interesting excursions can be booked. We had Full Pension and it was more than enough. Extras are paid separately, for example beer costs $6, soft drinks $4, a glass of wine $7 and a large bottle of still water $3. Meals are buffet style and there is always a wide choice, all exquisite and plentiful. There's always a part of the buffet dedicated to local food, a little spicy but very tasty. There are often theme nights to enjoy different types of cuisine. Some evenings are dedicated to live concerts and music at the bar where you can also find a billiard table, table tennis, table football and darts. The staff is always friendly and helpful for anything. Thank you very much.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
There are more places to choose from in the Embudu area.
PRICE RANGE
$241 - $524 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
embudu village hotel emboodhu finolhu, embudu village male, embudu village hotel male
LOCATION
MaldivesKaafu AtollSouth Male AtollEmbudu
NUMBER OF ROOMS
122
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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