Filitheyo Island Resort

WHAT WE LOVED: the food, the over-water villa, most aspects of the snorkeling, and the affordability. We saw huge schools of fish, a 4 foot long moray eel, a 3 foot eagle ray, a turtle, many black tip sharks, a nurse shark and a white tip shark. Filitheyo is one of the best bargain resorts for an awesome house reef (even though we had to pay $40 for a Sim card at the airport, and pay for water and soft drinks at meals.) WHAT WE DID NOT LOVE: (1) The current! Swimming against the current was usually too difficult. When we snorkeled we had to get in at exit 4 and swim out at exit 7 (or vice versa, depending on current direction) and then walk back to pick up our towels and stuff. The current was like being on a lazy river water ride, but sometimes 2 or 3 times as fast. We saw a lot of cool sea life and because of that we’d consider coming here again, if we don’t, it will 100% be because of the current. (2) The hot water/water pressure was not great in the superior villa, but we eventually discovered that we had to let the water run for 5-10 minutes to get hot. TIP: Bring USD or Euros for tips. It was a little more obvious at this resort that staff was hoping for a tip, and we didn’t bring enough cash. Reception only let us use our credit card for a max of $20 USD cash. ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: *Be aware that bottled water and soft drinks are not included, even if you pay for half board or full board. It’s about $4-5 for a big bottle of water or a can of soda, and about $6.50 for draft beer. *The resort no longer feeds nurse sharks, but they hang out at the dock near the dive shop. *They have fruit bats! We were excited to see one on the north side of the island. * Don’t be nervous about the sharks, they buzz right past you and don’t give you a second glance.

We can wholeheartedly recommend Filitheyo. The island is exactly how you imagine the Maldives: stunning vegetation, white sandy beaches, and simply paradise. We traveled as a family with a 5-year-old child, and I have never encountered such child-friendly staff anywhere before. At the reception, he always got a high five, various waiters would constantly give him little gifts, and everyone always asked how he was doing. They even remembered his name immediately! At the pool bar, he would always get some cocktail cherries to snack on and often a little extra drink. The staff were incredibly kind and attentive. One time, after swimming, he was feeling cold, and without us even asking, someone immediately brought him a large towel to keep him warm—even though we didn’t have a lounger there. As a mom, this completely won my heart. But beyond that, everything was perfect for us. The food is excellent (the ice cream is amazing!!), the rooms are beautiful, and the house reef is simply fantastic. All in all, an amazing vacation. A huge thank you to the entire Filitheyo team!

I stayed at this resort on an all-inclusive plan, expecting a smooth and relaxing experience — but was left disappointed by a poorly handled situation and the hotel’s lack of responsibility. One afternoon, I enjoyed my afternoon tea and then left the venue. No one — not the staff at the restaurant, nor the front desk — ever informed me that I needed to sign anything. I had no idea there was a bill to sign, especially considering my plan was all-inclusive and the amount on the bill was $0. However, as I was already outside, a male server stopped me rather abruptly and demanded that I sign the bill. His tone was direct and impolite, which made the whole situation feel very uncomfortable and embarrassing — as if I had done something wrong. Again, this was a misunderstanding entirely caused by the hotel’s failure to communicate. I brought this issue to the attention of hotel management, hoping they would show concern or at least offer a basic apology. Unfortunately, they did absolutely nothing — no explanation, no follow-up, no apology. While the facilities may look beautiful, this experience shows that the resort lacks proper communication and accountability. If something goes wrong, even if it’s caused by their own process, they simply ignore it. That is unacceptable, especially for a hotel in this price range. For these reasons, I do not recommend staying here. If you’re looking for a place that truly cares about guest experience and takes responsibility when issues arise, you might want to look elsewhere.

It’s our first time in Maldives and found this resort to be one of the best resorts we have been to. I highly recommend stayin on the water villa. Exotic fishes are literally at your footsteps going down the ocean from your villa! It was amazing! The staff are all friendly and pleasant. Very helpful too! I will definitely come back! Attached are some photos I took during our first day. We had a half board but would recommend doing the all inclusive.

In January 2025, we decided to book a villa for 11 nights. The reservation process was handled through sales@unlimitedislands.com (their other businesses are: weekends.mv and Joyful Holidays) , an agency that collaborates with the resort. While their offer was good, it was not the best, so we decided to verify the agency’s credibility directly with AAAA Resorts, the owner of the resort. They assured us that booking through this agent was safe and even mentioned that they had received numerous reservations from them. However, just one week before our arrival, we received an email from the law firm CLA-PARTNERS, informing us that our reservation had been canceled because the agency had failed to transfer the payment to the resort. As a result, we had to cancel our flights and lost all the money we had paid to the agency. Then we understood we were just scammed. Upon further investigation, we discovered that many other travelers had fallen victim to the exact same scam, which has reportedly been ongoing for over two years. Both the attorney representing the agency, the police, and even the Ministry of Tourism in the Maldives are aware of this fraudulent activity. We are currently compiling a detailed list of individuals involved in this scam, which we plan to publish soon. The resort will likely claim that they are not responsible—but why do they continue to assure new guests that this agency is trustworthy? There is no logical explanation for this. We strongly advise future travelers to exercise extreme caution and verify all bookings directly with the resort to avoid becoming the next victims.