JA Manafaru

Amazing island. Wonderful sea and the beach. Beautiful beach villa with so nice small pool inside. Very private property and it makes you feel super relaxed. Spa is incredible. So tasty food especially in Ocean Grill and in Kakuni restaurants. Asian night is the best. A lot of thanks to Chef Santosh. Service is excellent. Special thanks to our batler Sabaah. Really great person. Also many thanks to Ashraf event manager. Waiters Shahid, Ismail and other very good persons, sorry not remember the names. Its far to go but it worth it.

Best holiday ever third time to Maldives and it got better every time 5 star accommodations makes all the difference the staff were very attentive whatever restaurant we dined in. Would definitely recommend this island to our friends and family

We have just returned from a 14 night stay and would go back tomorrow. We have been to the Maldives 5 times but not for 5 years. Our resort expectations were based on Kandolhu and OK Konatta (now closed) and happily Manafaru more than met these. Looking through TA reviews and the extensive, downloadable information on the hotel website gives you a real feel of what to expect. We also downloaded the resort app which enabled us to book dinner reservations before arrival ( my wife considers me to be sad) The island Arrival and departure procedures were flawlessly run by the resort and no effort was required by us. I had requested the 200s water villas to be close to suggested snorkel spots but we were placed in the sunset 500s WVs which was far better as it was closer to all facilities bar the Andiamo restaurant. We made use of the villa bicycles regularly for breakfast and lunch, the island was bigger than I expected. Our villa was modern with a real contemporary feel and very well equipped. I have returned home Toblerone shaped from constant raiding of the minibar. There were comments about the water villas looking “tired” but we didn’t think this. The wood was bleached as you’d expect from the environment but there were constantly teams working on maintenance of the grounds an jetties. Activities We snorkelled, walked and biked around the island and on a cooler day walked along the beaches around the island. We also took part in the cocktail master class at the Veli Bar, the sunset cruise and snorkel adventure. There are 2 interesting museums on Maldivian culture and the ocean environment close to reception and in the recreation centre. Sabaah, our Thakaru, took us on a house tour, it’s always interesting to see the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep everything running. Restaurants The food was flawless and it’s always a good sign if you’d be happy to be served it at a high end restaurant at home. Lots of favourites and difficult to choose but I think Ocean Grill was our favourite for toes in the sand and great range. I really enjoyed the Fihunu Mas (whole reef fish cooked in spices and coconut wrapped in banana leaf). Every time we went Kakuni for lunch we’d order the coconut prawns in tempura- fantastic! The theme night were enjoyable with my favourite the Seafood BBQ which we attended twice - so many varieties of fresh fish and other seafood . The staff They really enhanced our experience from the arrival staff at the airport right until departure. So many names so just a few mentions. There are apparently 28 nationalities working and it was really interesting to talk and find out about families and life away from the resort Sabaah - the thakaru/host, who helped with various arrangements and took us on the house tour Bars- Imran ,Raphael and Chathura who worked in the Veli Bar and Infinity Bar. We attended the cocktail master class with Imran which was fun and informative. Bar staff were attentive and served great cocktails. We also tended to see Tuchar , our Bacardi contact , a relatively new manager , at Veli Bar and he was always open for a chat. Restaurants- Pranita, Mausch (Mickey, great fun wherever we saw him),Katchey,Rosa, Nim, Ziyaad, Saad ,who did such a great job at Ocean Grill ,Katchei and Mohammed who we tended to see at Ocean Grill. Room - Inesh, polite and quiet, who did such a good job keeping our room clean, twice daily. Management- we were please to see and chat with Jason, the manager, Rita, the spa manger and Martina, the manager who seemed to be everywhere, helping out always with a big smile on her face. It was interesting to hear Jason’s philosophy regarding the staff and resort and he seems a pretty grounded, motivated individual. So many others! Snorkelling This was my main reason for returning to the Maldives and I was a little disappointed to be honest. We never had the millpond like sea we have experienced at other resorts. There were constantly choppy seas and quite strong currents, not sure if this just seasonal or linked to the island position in the atoll. However, the snorkelling knocks spots off our Carribean experiences and there is an amazing spot at the drop off opposite the end of the sunset 500s water villas. This is called “Fishingham Palace) and there are shoals of Humpback and Yellow snappers and Orientalsweet lips just drifting around. We are fairly confident swimmers and tried most areas but it was hard work and we kept returning to this one area, practically opposite our Villa. We didn’t fare much better on the snorkel adventure with choppy sea and strong currents. Memorable Experiences The Cellar Dinner for our anniversary, great food and service from Nim The Sunset Cruise- about to turn back after an hour of sailing then about 60 dolphins swimming around the boat - magical Nurse sharks swimming around the arrival jetty after 8pm Practically every meal ! The daily beautiful views. Observations There was a previous post stating that reviewers should take their “rose coloured glasses off and tell it how it is” Well if 95% people, including experienced Maldives visitors like us and many more say it’s excellent- that’s not a rose coloured view! The first week we were there it was very quiet with about 4 children but the second week the number was 40. This changed the ambience, not worse but busier and different. The children were well behaved but some of the parents behaviour was poor. One American couple, part of a group of 6 seemed to need their conversation to be listened to at both ends of the island - a real lack of self awareness and a real bug bear of mine. We had a number of bites during our stay despite repellent, it was suggested this was due to a caterpillar infestation which they were working to control There were comments that the Veli Bar was quiet with no atmosphere. We found it an ideal place for a quiet pre dinner drink and sometimes a night cap. Attendance varied and I think it serves a really good purpose especially with the attentive bar staff. To sum up we highly recommend this resort for the first time visitor or Maldives returner.

Beautiful totally unspoilt island. With many food options. Lovely beaches, staff are so happy and courteous to their guests. The over water villas could benefit from more shade. The rooms are so clean and well appointed The food theme nights are a delight to the pallet.