Eriyadu Island Resort

WHAT WE LOVED: Fantastic house reef, great breakfasts, affordability, service, and the dive shop. If excellent snorkeling and affordability are your top criteria, Eriyadu is the best choice. Snorkeling was spectacular! Tons of fish in all the colors of the rainbow, usually there were 50-100 fish in sight at any moment. We also saw about a dozen black-tip sharks. While scuba diving, we also saw a 5 foot nurse shark. WHAT WE DIDN'T LOVE: (1) The first night we were put in a room with very loud construction in the bungalow next to ours, maybe 15 feet away. By 8pm, we were done listening to the non-stop electric grinder noise. We felt like…we paid $1600 for four nights of this?!?! We went to reception, complained and the workers stopped. On the other hand, kudos to staff member Nuf who initially walked us to our room, heard the construction noise, and immediately said he would try to move us to a better room. We were switched to room 331 the following day, and the stretch of rooms from 321-331 were perfectly situated. (2) Lunch and dinners were only OK (we'd give it a 5 out of 10). I didn’t see photos of dishes offered in any other review so I’ve posted some here. Our biggest complaint is that all of the meats were overcooked and tough. (3) Water pressure and hot water wasn't great. It wouldn’t stop us from going back to Eriyadu, but the shower definitely dribbled and it got worse if I wanted a very hot shower.

We were not sure what to expect because we have another favourite island (Embudu) that we had been to six times. But Eriyadu has given us a good experience from the start: someone was waiting for us at the airport and showed us the way to the boat. We only had a wait of about 90 minutes, then we were off, together with another ten people. Staff at reception were very helpful and allocated us bungalow 204 which is on the south side of the island. Yes, as we had heard before, the finishing of the room is very dated but the bed was huge and very comfortable and the bathroom had two sinks, a bath/shower and a separate shower with an open roof. There were two entrace doors, one to the bathroom which was very convenient when you came in from a swim. Room service was excellent, no request was too much trouble. There was a fridge and a kettle - and a TV. What the TV was for I do not know because there were no channels. But then who wants to watch TV when you are on a beautiful island? Being on the south side meant that during the day the front of the bungalow got very hot. Our room did not have a suitable tree or easy access to the water, so we spent the afternoon in the room with the airconditioning on. The food was very good with lots of options. If you are not happy with what is on offer, then you would be a very spoiled person! The only point I would make is that we would have expected a larger choice in fish. Tuna is an absolutely wonderful fish to eat but it was the only type of fish offered, every lunch and dinner. I am very much aware that tuna is loaded with a lot of heavy metal like mercury because it is at the top of the food chain and should not be eaten too often. All other types of fish had to be ordered and paid for separately, even white fish. We had a lovely waiter, Ali, who knew exactly what drinks we wanted and made sure they were always ready for us. At the time we were on Eriyadu, Ramadan was still on and my thoughts go out to the Muslim staff who had to wait on us whilst fasting all day. Thank you! We would spend the evenings in the bar playing cards. Every night there was some entertainment, some pleasant, some very good, some difficult to bear. Alas, this is down to personal taste. Personally, I don't like things so loud that I cannot hear myself think any more. We had the occasional cocktail/drink in the bar but we were very put off by the stiff prices. Luckily water and soft drinks were included with the meals which compensated somewhat for the other drinks you might order. Excursions were also horrendously expensive. There were lots of different excursions on offer but we were not tempted to spend $250 to go to see the mantas (which we saw in Embudu for $30). We were very curious what the snorkelling would reveal. It was very good! You could snorkel all round the island. The current was just about manageable or you could just turn around. Access was no problem. We saw lots of things from eagle ray, three types of sharks, turtles,eels and absolute huge shoals of fish to sweetlips, snappers and trevally. I also liked the lagoon between jetty and dive centre which had a lot of dead coral but was full of baby fish of all types. Whenever I snorkeled there it was like a voyage of discovery with the added benefit that you are very close to them. The water temperature was a balmy 29 degrees which was heaven. One day we spent one hour sitting in the water near the beach (in the lagoon) surrounded by a large shoal of tiny fish when a large school of trevallies teamed up with five young sharks to hunt them. We were right in the middle of things with tiny fish crashing into us in their panic or beaching themselves. At the same time the heron took advantage as well as a flock of sea birds. It felt like a documentary by David Attenborough. After one hour of this we tore ourselves away but will always remember this experience! We were very pleased to hear that there is a resident doctor on the island. My husband suffered from a swollen ankle which turned out to be arthritis related rather than a blood clot from the flight which was our worry. His help and advice was very much appreciated. The island has lovely vegetation with lots of shade. In the centre of the island they grow a lot of young plants of all kinds, from trees to vegetables. They have a proper nursery, I was very impressed. Staff were all very nice and helpful without being subservient - I liked that very much. There is work going on to refurbish some of the bungalows. The two that were already completed looked very nice, light and modern. We did not get to see what the bathrooms are like though. My worry is that this improvement will bump up the prices and will take Eriyadu out of our price range. And that would be a shame because I would like to visit again...

We have just returned from Eriyadu after spending a week on this paradise island as a group of 14. We had booked this resort as we were celebrating some special big birthdays and had researched extensively the best place for snorkelling with an easily accessible house reef. We were slightly nervous about what to expect having read some of the negative reviews and having been to the Maldives 3 times previously in much more “luxurious” resorts. However, Eriyadu was a huge surprise. The island is simple, authentic and the staff are wonderful. Noor our waiter was exceptional and we felt truly spoilt throughout our stay - he even went to great lengths to ensure those celebrating their birthdays had the most special day. The rest of the staff couldn’t do enough for us. The food was incredible - very traditional and freshly cooked each day. Lots of fresh fruit, salads and fish each day. Chefs cooked fresh food 3 meals a day. The rooms are clean albeit simple. We stayed in the deluxe beach bungalows that were perfect. There was some building work going on but it didn’t bother any of us. I highly recommend the manta ray trip - was worth every penny. We also did the lucky dolphin trip but seen no dolphins but enjoyed the boat and sunset regardless. Our family and friends highly recommended the dive school. The snorkelling in the house reef was amazing- lots of fish, several turtles and nursery sharks. Be far the best snorkelling I have experienced so far in the Maldives but sadly as we are seeing across the Maldives the coral is struggling albeit some work to support this is ongoing. All of us had fantastic massages at the spa. We went all inclusive and this covered most cocktails and food. House wine is lovely. We did however buy coffees (only Nescafé available on the AI offer) and purchased some milkshakes etc (which are delicious!). I didn’t understand previous comments about beach bar not being opened - we went there every single day and it was always opened! If you are seeking a shiny hotel, butler service and a hotel that serves pizza and chips then this isn’t for you. You also cannot expect the luxury of the other islands when this is so much less expensive - I fear people are booking this island expecting the usual luxury that other resorts offers. I wouldn’t for example stay here as a couple celebrating our honeymoon. However, if you are wanting a truly authentic Maldives experience with wonderful sea life then Eriyadu is absolutely perfect. This island is receiving a make over with building work due to complete in 2029 - I just hope it doesn’t lose its charm in an attempt to keep up with the higher end resorts. I also expect that the prices will reflect those changes so get to the island before then! It’s been truly amazing and I can’t thank the staff enough. The new general manager is a true gentleman with a commitment to make positive changes to the island and I believe he will be a huge asset to Eriyadu. I wish him every success with his plans. A truly wonderful resort that provided all of us with the most incredible memories. Thank you