Bandos Maldives

We choosed this hotel to celebrate our birthday. From the Airport to check-in, everything was fine. The Reception staff were very friendly and explained things to us gently and easily understood. The hotel room was big and clean, the green garden and the beautiful pool view were the plus points. Here we go to the bad things about this hotel. Yes!! From Gallery Restaurant! On the first day we celebrated my friend's birthday, everything was fine, and some of the staff sang together. But on the second day, right on my birthday, they showed us to our table, there was already a cake there and thank you for beautiful table decoration. Here the problem started, We were about to finish eating, not a single waiter or staff came to us to at least light my birthday candle. I had to ask for a lighter to blow my candle. I don't understand the birthday celebration system here. You just imagine they celebrated your friend birthday but not you!! Just imagine how you feel!! And the worse thing is the SOP in this restaurant!! Everything is self-service, some guests even set up their tables by themself. There are lots of empty plates and glasses on the table that haven't been cleaned, the table setting is very narrow, there are so many people that it's even difficult to walk. I didn't see any interaction from the waiter/s to the guests, I mean at least asking if everything was okay during our meal. We were shocked by this kind of hospitality, no greeting, no real smile showing to us or even to other guests. As someone who has visited more than 5 resorts in the Maldives and work in hospitality industry, this resort is the worst in our opinion. So, if you are looking for a hotel that is truly self-service and not friendly and caring to you, this hotel might be suitable for you. I don't say this hotel is very bad because there are also a good things for example in Huvan Restaurant, we really enjoyed our meal and the waiter was very friendly (sorry i forgot his name). Reception, Housekeeping (Thankyou for beautiful bed decoration), Souvenir Shop and Watersports their staffs were very friendly. Sorry to say but worse service from Gallery Restaurant!! Will never come back and never recommend this hotel to our friends or family!!

We had an amazing time at Bandos, as a big family of 8 people. We were taken good care of by all the staff who were all super friendly. We had full board, and that was worth it for us. The food was amazing. Special thanks to Swapan, Samul and Hana in Gallery Restaurant❤️ Also great diving and medical facilities! We also enjoyed the gym, although it is a bit simple and outdated. Snorkling was incredible, beautiful things to see everywhere 😍🪸🏝️ We only dream of coming back in the future!

This was a holiday we will never forget. Me and my children have travelled to many places and by far this has been one of the best holidays. The staff at the airport, the hotel, tour guides and the speed boat crew were so kind and welcoming. Upon arrival at the resort, we were greeted by Gene, who is a lovely young lady, throughout our stay she was so helpful and kind she even made sure of and helped my eldest daughter organize a birthday dinner for me and my youngest child. Which was the whole reason for this trip. I waited 25 years to go to the Maldives, and I made it happen for my 50th and my youngest 18th. It was a shame we didn’t say goodbye to gene before we left. During our stay I would like to say thank you to Arif, the housekeeper, who made sure our rooms were clean and tidy twice a day and everything was clean and topped every morning and evening. Thank you, Arif, and Mirdaha for Always giving us a ride back to our rooms or to the main reception. Whenever you saw us on the way to reception and dinner you would always offer us that ride or if you knew we were at reception waiting to go back to our rooms you were always quick to take us back. You both took time out to chat with us and have a laugh on our journey. Mirdaha you were a good tour guide who showed us around the local village an excursion which everyone visiting should experience. The souvenier shop you took us to had so many lovely things wish we had more time to explore. Thank you, Hussain, for looking after me and the girls at breakfast it was a pleasure seeing you every morning always smiling and asking if we were having a lovely stay. I would also like to thank you for taking my girls snorkeling, they loved every moment of it. You also made the stay even more welcoming when you saw us around the resort, you would always wait till we were closer for you to say hello and have that little chat. Thank you, Reehan, for teaching my girls how to snorkel and encouraging them to learn and explore the ocean. One of my daughters wasn’t comfortable with the ocean but you managed to take her out of her comfort zone and now she misses it. I hope we can come back one day so you can teach them to dive next. Afran Thank you so much for making dinner a laugh and making us feel at home. When we came to dinner it was like visiting a relative, we were comfortable sharing our day activity stories with you and many other stories having those little debates just a laugh. We sometimes did not even notice how much time flew by quickly. Thank you to the team at Huvan they always seated us at the best spot for the sunset and thank you to the chef Piyantha for making a special chilli sauce for us. He knew we loved spicy chilli sauce with our meal. It was also nice of him to check if our meals were good and if we were enjoying our evening. Ifham, Ibrahim and Zuhair thank you guys for all the water activities, jet ski, kayaking etc you made sure the girls were safe and got to explore the ocean some more. I was afraid of trying to snorkel if it wasn’t for you reassuring me it would be ok; I would have never tried it. Thank you for making me take the chance and trying it. The rest of the holiday I learnt to swim and snorkel a little further into the ocean. Thank you to the team who took us night fishing, it was an exciting adventure and to the team who also took us for the big fish fishing. Lastly Thank you to the managers Aman, Ibrahim and mustafa for helping us with any issues we had during our stay. Everything was resolved with kindness. Sorry if I got the spellings wrong or the names I forgot to take notes of them. Ibrahim, thank you for making sure we were happy with everything at the end of our holiday, it was a pleasure to thank you and say goodbye personally when we were leaving. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone who has a family with young or older children. The island has so much to offer from activities to great food. They even screened every game of the world cup, so we didn’t miss a game. The staff are so welcoming they make you feel at home and safe, especially in the evenings I was scared of the lizards and bats lol the buggy rides saved my life lol. 2 and half weeks was not enough we miss the place so much.

From the moment we arrived at Bandos, we received a warm welcome and were shown to our rooms, which were spacious and ready in good time.The beach is beautiful and very clean. I would recommend bringing sea shoes as there is quite a lot of coral around the island.The snorkelling was amazing. We saw all kinds of fish, sharks up close, and even turtles. One thing I really appreciated was that the hotel provided life jackets free of charge, which was a great bonus.The food has been very good with plenty of options to cater for everyone. This is a special trip for us as our child is celebrating their first birthday. We are a group of 13 people, and the staff have done a fantastic job making sure we are all well looked after.I would especially like to mention our waiter at the Gallery Restaurant, Hussain Rashid. He is genuinely one of the most humble, friendly, helpful and kind people we have met during our stay. His service has been outstanding.Other staff members who deserve recognition:Arif (Porter) – Always willing to help with our children's buggy, always positive, and constantly keeping us smiling and laughing.Pankaj (Pool Bar) – A lovely person who always made sure we were comfortable and well looked after.Shiv Singh – Always ensured that special food requirements were taken care of and that everything was ready when needed.Amar (Management) – Thank you for taking such good care of our group throughout our stay.We also really enjoyed the fishing trip, which was a great experience.Another positive is that the hotel is only around 20 minutes by boat from the airport, making the transfer quick and easy.We still have one day left of our holiday, but we already know we are going to miss this place. Thank you to everyone at Bandos for making our family trip so memorable.