JA MANAFARU

Travel safe during COVID-19

What you can expect during your stay

All linens sanitized in high-temperature wash
Face masks required for guests in public areas
Face masks required for staff in public areas
Hand sanitizer available to guests & staff
Regularly sanitized high-traffic areas
Staff required to regularly wash hands

Updated 05/30/21 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.

A note from JA Manafaru

About

5.0

Excellent

1,529 reviews

Location

Cleanliness

Service

Value

Travelers' Choice

JA Manafaru is a soulful sanctuary and lush private island resort at the most northern tip of the Maldives. Positioned at the pinnacle of the Haa Alifu Atoll, JA Manafaru offers privacy and distance from other islands, sitting idyllically where the Arabian Sea meets the vast Indian Ocean. Steeped in deep multicultural history, the resort emanates an intoxicating blend of Eastern spirituality and Arabic hospitality, offering explorative and authentic tropical island experiences that celebrate Maldivian history. Our multi-award-winning resort and chic enclave features 84 spacious and serene Beach villas, Water Villas and Residences, each with their own private pool and in some cases two. The accommodation options range from 135 sqm to 2000 sqm, providing complete serenity, with even entry level options showcasing a larger area than most deluxe categories in the Maldives. The breathtakingly picturesque accommodations provide a unique experience and create unforgettable memories. With exceptional, personalised service complimenting the natural appeal of the island, JA Manafaru is synonymous with modern wellness – a seamless and serene tropical getaway, where guests experience the ultimate true luxury –rejuvenation of body, soul and mind.

Property amenities

Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)

Pool

Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room

Free breakfast

Beach

Badminton

Children's playground

Children's television networks

Wifi

Pool / beach towels

Infinity pool

Pool with view

Outdoor pool

Private pool

Plunge pool

Shallow end in pool

Yoga classes

Yoga room

Fitness / spa locker rooms

Sauna

Bar / lounge

Coffee shop

Restaurant

Breakfast available

Breakfast buffet

Breakfast in the room

Complimentary instant cofffee

Complimentary tea

Complimentary welcome drink

Kids' meals

Outdoor dining area

Wine / champagne

Poolside bar

Bicycles available

Boating

Canoeing

Diving

Game room

Snorkeling

Tennis court

Water sport equipment rentals

Windsurfing

Billiards

Evening entertainment

Fishing

Patio

Table tennis

Board games / puzzles

Video game console

Indoor play area for children

Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)

Kids pool

Kids' outdoor play equipment

Highchairs available

Strollers

Airport transportation

Spa

Couples massage

Facial treatments

Foot massage

Full body massage

Head massage

Manicure

Massage

Massage chair

Neck massage

Open-air bath

Pedicure

Steam room

24-hour security

Baggage storage

Chapel / shrine

Concierge

Executive lounge access

Gift shop

Mosquito net

Outdoor furniture

Picnic area

Shared lounge / TV area

Sun deck

Sun loungers / beach chairs

Sun terrace

Sun umbrellas

Butler service

First aid kit

Infirmary

Umbrella

24-hour front desk

Private check-in / check-out

Laundry service

Ironing service

Shoeshine

Room features

Blackout curtains

Bathrobes

Air conditioning

Private beach

Coffee / tea maker

Cable / satellite TV

Extra long beds

Bidet

Desk

Dining area

Housekeeping

Private balcony

Room service

Safe

Seating area

Separate dining area

Sofa

Telephone

Wardrobe / closet

Bottled water

Laptop safe

Private bathrooms

Tile / marble floor

Wake-up service / alarm clock

Minibar

Electric kettle

Flatscreen TV

Radio

iPod docking station

Sofa bed

Walk-in shower

Whirlpool bathtub

Bath / shower

Complimentary toiletries

Hair dryer

Room types

Ocean view

Pool view

Non-smoking rooms

Suites

Family rooms

Good to know

HOTEL CLASS

HOTEL STYLE

Great View

Languages Spoken

English, Russian, Spanish, Arabic and 8 more

Location

Full view

Contact

Haa Alifu Atoll, Upper North Province, Republic of Maldives

Getting there

Male Intl Airport198 miSee all flights

Hanimaadhoo Airport23 miSee all flights

Rental CarsSee all Manafaru Island rental cars

See all nearby hotels

Nearby restaurants

See all nearby restaurants

1529Reviews211Q+A100Room tips

Reviews

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Mohamed R wrote a review Sep 21

1 contribution

Heaven on the earth

JAManafaru Maldives is one of the most beautiful places the that I have visited so far. This is my first time to the Maldives. The team here are so friendly and the island is very green and natural The water in the lagoon Is amazing. This is truly heaven on the earth.

Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Traveled on business

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Response from Karen Merrick, General Manager at JA Manafaru

Responded 5 days ago

Dear Guest, you are so very kind and your review is very much appreciated. I agree, Maldives is truly special and I am so very grateful to you for choosing JA Manafaru. There are many resorts in Maldives but very few where literally you are surrounded by mostly uninhabited islands and without any other resorts on the horizon. Our team are a mixture of Maldivians from all over the archipelago as well as foreign team members, but the one true thing is that we are a family doing our best to give our guests an authentic hospitality experience in one of the most beautiful islands on earth. We look forward to welcoming you back to paradise at anytime. Warmly, Karen on behalf of the JA Manafaru Family

Alessia wrote a review Sep 11

London, United Kingdom33 contributions9 helpful votes

+1

Ja Manafaru

This was our first time in the Maldives. We visited Ja Manafaru just before Covid hit globally (February 2020). We spent there 10 days. Food and service were impeccable. I am afraid I was sick for part of the holiday but the island’s doctor gave me everything to recover (antibiotics and all) and Melania (the executive assistant manager) always checked that I had what I needed and even before I got ill she always made sure that her guests were happy. There were my husband and 2 children (7 and 8 years old) and they all loved the island. My kids’ favourite experience was definitely the sunset fishing trip, that we highly suggest. It was my birthday and we had a breathtaking private dinner on the beach. It was just surreal. If you are in doubt whether to have it or not, go for it. It’s well worth it. All around the island there was a chilled atmosphere, perfect for a relaxing holiday. We were a bit disappointed to not being able to see the sea turtles during our snorkelling trip, but that is far from the hotel responsibility, just be aware that this can happen. The kids club has beautiful facilities but the activities were less exciting than others clubs we visited in other resorts (not Maldives). My husband was hoping to be able to use the hobie cat (which is his favourite thing to do when on holidays) but there seemed always to be ‘problems’ and he was never able to use it. Would I go back to Jamanafaru? Definitely yes! The minor downside were well overshadowed by all the positives.…

Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Traveled with family

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Response from Karen Merrick, General Manager at JA Manafaru

Responded 2 weeks ago

Dear Guest, Thank you so very much for taking the time to write the review on our little paradise... especially since your visit the whole world has changed/adapted to the new normal... it's very kind of you to remember us and we are so very grateful to you for sharing your review with others. We continue to grow and adapt our little island under this new normal and have enhanced and revised most of our offerings, catering to what guests told us they liked and am delighted to tell you that currently we have a minimum of 4 nesting turtle sites on the island... so if this continues you will hopefully also be able to see them (respectfully distanced) a lot closer up. The Hobie's, I believe are all now in working order and the kids space has taken on a new theme with additions around the island to keep the entire family entertained rather than a traditional drop off. I am so very pleased Mel looked after you during your illness and she and our resident Doctor were able to assist and that you made a full recovery. We look forward to welcoming you back to paradise anytime you need to breathe and escape from the outside world for a time. warmly and with gratitude... Karen on behalf of the JA Manafaru Family

Biju A wrote a review Sep 11

1 contribution

Wonder Experience

Thank you very much for the hospitality given to me on my short visit here and this I will never forget. The island is like a paradise and the people are so friendly here. I wish I could stay here longer . Definitely I will come back also ask my friends to visit JA Manafaru.

Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Traveled on business

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Response from Karen Merrick, General Manager at JA Manafaru

Responded 2 weeks ago

Dear Guest, you are so very kind to chare your experience and we are delighted you enjoyed your time with us. We are only a flight away and look forward to welcoming you back to paradise. with gratitude, Karen on behalf of the JA Manafaru Family

Nektomozg wrote a review Sep 2

Moscow, Russia105 contributions113 helpful votes

My fourth trip to Maldives - best so far!

We spent 10 days here in August 2021 - and already booked a trip to come back in January! Vacation was next to perfect - we had more than what we hoped for, and paid less than expected. I had been to Conrad and Shangri La before - and Ja M is almost as good as these two at half the price. So a no-brainer pick for me now in Maldives. Service - amazing! Everyone on the island was trying really hard to make us happy. Mangal was our host - and he was there all the time when we might need him - but always in the most polite and unobtrusive way. Miguel the manager was accessible and super-friendly every day. Raj turned out to be one of the best yoga instructors I ever had - even though sessions were free and it was just two us there. Satheesh at the White Orchid bar was the most friendly barkeep you ever meet. Overall the entire staff seems to know how you like your drinks by day two - thanks to all! Make sure to leave good tips to all the staff ;-) Villas - we tried both sunset and sunrise water villas. I personally liked sunrise better as it has less wind (but that might depend on summer vs winter season), and because we loved waking up at 6am to the beaming sun - and run off to do yoga at 7am. Villas have plenty of space, have great bed, have a great plunge pool, and the swings on the patio are perfect for a nap outdoors. I also think its a much better idea to watch the sunset at the bar on the water than in your villa. We saw the beach villas too - will try the delux beach villa in Jan 2022. Food - was great. There were probably 25-30 guests on the entire island - yet all restaurants had the full menu available. We had probably tried everything on the menu - and it was all to a very high standard and very fresh. Most greens are grown on the island - so as fresh as it comes. My advice - ask for sashimi made from fresh caught tuna - its not in the menu, but chefs will make it for you - it will be best sashimi you ever tried as fish was caught that morning. All-inclusive - if you drink alcohol its a no-brainer. Pretty much everything on a food menu is included into it - and whats not (like fresh lobster) will be 50% off. Alcohol selection is kinda limited - basically 4 white, 4 reds, two roses and one prosecco. Yet you will def find smth you will like. And there are always great cocktails to be had at the bars. Dive center - I did my first Padi course here - and loved it! Mathis made the course very comfortable and we did all of it in the ocean - none of those stupid pool lessons. Plenty of fish and turtles to see around the hotel. Activities - we did the big game fish trip - and I got lucky and caught a 20 kilo tuna. Great experience if you like to fish. And then you can ask for steaks to be made out of it for your right away for lunch - lots of fun! What I would improve upon: 1) better internet in the villas - all of us need to do some long video calls - and its frustrating when wifi connection keeps dropping every 10-15 minutes even if you sit right next to wifi router. Think easy to fix by upgrading to new better routers. Or at least do a super-fast stable wifi at the dedicated office area above the reception if need to make a few important video calls during the trip. 2) TVs - reception was just terrible. I think a cheap Apple TV would fix that and give guests opportunity to watch their Netflix etc. Or new Smart TVs with built in Netflix. But obviously would need fast and reliable internet for that. 3) offer more sushi and sashimi style dishes. After all you have all that fresh fish caught daily - guests will love it! 4) Bicycles - each villa has fat-tyre bikes which are a great idea - but the seats on them are those tiny sporty ones which hurt your butt after 2 minutes. Replacing them with leasure seats would be a great improvement 5) transfer - last but not least I would suggest hotel makes it very clear that seaplane transfer is NOT guaranteed. There is a very real chance you would have to take a 40 minute domestic flight ( which is OK except the wait), and than you would take a 45 minute boat ride in possibly very choppy waters. We had that on way in and way out. If you get sea-sick - maybe not your hotel then. I heard that a new airport will be opened 15 minutes away from the hotel soon - that would be a game changer - so ask about that when booking!…

Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Traveled as a couple

Room Tip: Transfer - read in my review!

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1 Helpful vote

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Response from Karen Merrick, General Manager at JA Manafaru

Responded 3 weeks ago

Dear Guests, Thank you so very, very much for the wonderfully helpful review....delighted you enjoyed our little island and thought we were on par with two of the world best international brands... high accolades indeed! I am so very glad you touched on the All Inclusive Meal Plan.... we have gone over and above to ensure that we have provided an exceptional offering that is perfectly in tune with the needs of our guests and more, even down to a full bottle of branded Champagne as a welcome gift from us (some guests also told me recently they were in a very exclusive other barefoot luxury property before coming to us and got a half bottle non-branded label that was available in their local supermarket back home) so I am very pleased you felt the offering excellent value for money - especially as alcohol is so expensive for resorts to bring into Maldives. Thank you for the constructive criticism... all things we have in play and are/will be rectified before the end of the year... as you may know we are closing for a few weeks to address some of these primary issues and the transfer... yes, after 15 years and 7 of them as JA Manafaru we will finally be able to resolve some of the transportation issue with a small new airport closer to the island. As with the rest of the world Maldives businesses have also had to downsize and adapt due to the limited tourists coming into Maldives... less than 2/3rds of the normal inflow and our airline partners are no exception. However, we have also made a decision to keep our guest numbers more private and to offer a more bespoke and personal private island experience until more of our inbound travelers are vaccinated and the pandemic situation reduces. We thank you kindly for the incredibly helpful review and look forward to welcoming you "Home" in January.... only a few months away. with gratitude, Karen on behalf of the JA Manafaru family

FAIZU28 wrote a review Aug 2021

1 contribution

+1

Thanks JA manafaru resort

Staying at JA manafaru was an excellent experience,i stayed at a beach villa, which is a private villa, Room was spacious, beautifully decorated,comfortable bed with lux linens,having my own mini bar,personal pool , jacuzzi and a scenic personal white sanded beach The services provided was upto the mark ,had an amazing food at KaKUni and OCEAN GRILL restaurant with a wide variety of selections one can barely resist food at ANDIAMO BISTRO one of the finest place to chill at with an indoor pool, can't forget a beautiful sunset at infinity pool... All the staff was attentive,effecient, professional,respectful and friendly, hats off to house keeping for their exceptional work in keeping the villa so presentable and luxurious,... In a very short time Experienced my life upto full with such an astonishing and scenic viewe, A memorable stay thanks alot JA MANAFARU RESORT…

Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Traveled solo

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Response from Karen Merrick, General Manager at JA Manafaru

Responded 3 weeks ago

Dear Guest, You are so very welcome and we are truly delighted you felt at home and looked after on our little island paradise. We have tried to think of everything we would like or need in a villa to ensure you relax and and everything is at hand, so very glad our vision is working and also a huge thank you for your nice comments about the Housekeeping team... it is not easy to work in this heat and ensure all Covid Guidelines are adopted to keep both the guests and associates safer and I agree they do a fantastic job and truly care about the outcome. Food and different offerings is something we have worked hard on to suit everyone's palate and wishes (as much as we can) with the different flavours and hope in the near future to be able to add to this with our ongoing organic garden food concept to tie in with the Dosha menus Miguel, Chef and our Ayurvedic team are putting together. We look forward to welcoming you back to paradise in the near future and being of assistance. We are only a few hours away. with gratitude on behalf of the entire team, Karen

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