Riu Atoll - All Inclusive

Where do i start. From the moment we arrived in Male we were met by a representative from the hotel who took us through every step to get us and our luggage to the island safely. We arrived in darkness so couldn't see the full beauty until the following day.. we were taken to our room our luggage was already there waiting. After a quick freshen up we headed to the restaurant. We were met by the most wonderful staff Phillip one of the chefs also came and introduced himself to us. Offering any assistance we needed to make sure we were able to feed our baby who is Dairy free. This continued for the whole stay always asking if there was anything we needed For him... a special shout out to Shifaz from the moment we arrived this man was wonderful he was so helpful and always made sure we had everything we needed he really went above and beyond. All the restaurant staff were wonderful but a Special thanks to Thaney, Ranjith, Shaariz Kashrista and Hunmu who were all wonderful especially with out little boy Tommy always making sure he was happy.. we celebrated our wedding anniversary here they laid a special table for our with flowers and made us a cake this was a wonderful touch we weren't expecting it was a wonderful surprise Rooms. Our room opened right on to the beach we stayed in 1601 the room was lovely and spacious spotlessly clean every day. When we opened the door in the morning we had a first wow moment this place really is paradise. The Riu bar when the nightly entertainment is has plenty of seating inside and out and always has something going on the staff there Torry & Roshan are wonderful as are The pool is lovely here and always had something going on tp keep everyone entertained the staff at the swim up bar are fantastic especially Jessica & Nico from. The first visit there until the last they remembered the drinks orders. I also want to give a special thank you to Amiee from the entertainment team. She was amazing with our little one who at just 20mths old had the most amazing time here they allowed him to try the magic carpet over the pool which he done several times until he was confident to do it on his own with my husband standing beside him at the pool.. the staff here helped make a wonderful holiday even more magical. We hope to return here soon and would highly recommend this resort to anyone thinking of going to the Maldives. Once again thank you for an amazing stay in paradise for out 10th wedding anniversary.

We have just returned from 12 nights at the wonderful Riu Atoll. We came to celebrate our silver wedding and this holiday exceeded our expectations. From the moment we were greeted on the jetty to the staff waving us off at the end we were well looked after. The hotel is a typical RIU style hotel but what makes this place work is the staff. Every single member of staff go over and above to ensure guests are happy. I have stayed in many RIU hotels (you sort of know what to expect and feel quite safe wherever you are in the world) but the staff here far exceeded other trips purely for the experience due to the friendly, welcoming but always professional staff. We It is a long journey from UK to get here but we managed better than we thought. Arrived in Male about 12.15pm and finally got to the hotel around 4pm. Look for the RIU desk at Male airport and their representative will take you to the domestic terminal and then they follow you through to a comfy waiting area where you can get complimentary food and drinks whilst waiting for your flight. Then after a short flight of about 45mins you get to Dhaalu where staff help you get your bags and take you to the minibus which takes you round the corner to the boat which gets you to the hotel. It was all very well organised. Hardest bits was finding the RIU desk (it was on the far right as you look in the hall at the desks). Then you can relax! Another reason for booking this hotel was the various activities they offer as I feared my husband would get bored being stuck on one island. They have the usual various RIU fit and RIU fun activities but again the staff that run them totally exceeded our expectations, they are welcoming but not pushy and offer quite a variety of exercises (I tried suspension training as had seen it online and always wondered what it would be like and Sanjay was so welcoming. It was clearly not the exercise for me (I have since been told that it is one of the hardest types of training) but he was so patient and let me carry on for as long as I could so I could at least get a bit of a feel for it. They also do aero yoga which looked good and then stretching and total body workout but I didn’t try those (think there are a couple of other activities on too). Then there is aqua fit/gym/fun which I loved! Sanjoo and Vladim made this so much fun but I did actually do some proper aqua exercises in the meantime. Aimee was also fab entertaining guests but she is so lovely and friendly and working in the intense heat of the sun I do not know how they can constantly keep a smile on their faces. It must be such hard work so hats off to them all! Then you are surrounded by the beautiful lagoon of the Indian Ocean. The snorkelling opportunities must be taken up, the marine life in the house reef is so varied and interesting. I was lucky enough to win a trip out with the resident marine biologist who was excellent touring us around the reef so we could spot various marine life and she also explained the reef conservation project, showing us the nurseries where they grow new coral and attach it to the more damaged coral. It was so interesting. She also does a little talk about it on a Sunday night which is really interesting then you can play kahoot to try and win a trip. I think other activities offer this as a prize too. Well worth trying as this trip was one of the best parts of my holiday. The Scuba Caribe water sports centre offer various activities and trips too. Paddle boarding, kayaking and pedaloes plus hire of snorkel equipment is included for AI then they have the I aqua and jet skis as payable extras plus a few boat trips. We did the snorkelling tour out to Leopard reef which personally I also found very enjoyable. The marine life is less varied but we were in the open sea and it was a different experience to house reef. We also did the sunset cruise which was pleasant, it is just a boat ride out to get a different view in the sunset but it was interesting just sailing past the different islands and seeing the flying fish as we went (sadly no dolphins). The team also offer free scuba diving demonstrations in the pool every so often which I thought was an excellent idea so you can get a bit of a feel for it before paying for a proper session. I tried this and again they were so good but due to my DVT history I was not sure if I would be insured to do the proper thing so did not do that but I would certainly trust they do a fab lesson and dive in the house reef. Our room was in block 1500, I felt this was ideal for us, a little quieter but not too far to walk to the main hub of hotel. The hotel layout has the bars, restaurants and pools etc as you enter the island then the villa accommodation is situated spaced out walking towards the other end of the island. The villas hold about 8-10 rooms I guess so it is pretty quiet and then each villa overlooks the beach and has sunbeds so you can chill in the peace away from the activities if you choose. If you have a ground floor room you can walk out from your terrace to the beach directly which is ideal if you want to pop back for drinks/toilet etc. It was so peaceful lying here and we chose to do this most afternoons walking left and snorkelling in the house reef which is also situated at the other end (if you want to be situated near the reef I would recommend asking for a higher number room, think it might be 2000ish block but ask for reef side as villas are on the other side too which are very peaceful by the look of it as less people walk that way). Then at the very end of the island they have a few hammocks and sunbeds in between the trees which does give the look and feel of a deserted island I suppose and this is so peaceful. Our room was always meticulously cleaned daily and stocked up with water and sodas (no alcohol except from beers), tea and coffee. Room was right size for us with a large double bed, settee and coffee table, good size bathroom with large shower. The restaurant and bars did not disappoint either. We did just eat in the main restaurant as I could not see any veggie options in the specialty Italian or Steak house but we were not bothered really as we were well catered for and looked after by the lovely restaurant staff (thank you Annabella - you knew exactly what we liked and were so lovely but professional finding us a table in our favourite area and making sure we never ran dry with drinks). The food was in my opinion very good, plenty of choice and variety to cater for everyone. The counters are set out with various dietary styles such as Asian, Mediterranean, Maldivian etc. Then there are salads, cheeses and fruits in the middle. The chefs (especially on the Asian counter) were so proud of their dishes and he always helped me knowing I was vegetarian. I tried all sorts of different foods there and thought they were high quality, especially for an AI resort. There are signs to explain the foods too, marking the type of meat or if vegan etc, but the chefs will explain a little more as to the style and taste of a food and how it is made if you ask. The puddings are varied too, I recommend the dish in the silver container as these were really tasty and I think more local at times. There is probably not so much fresh fruit as I expected, mainly pineapple, melon, bananas and oranges but I expect that might be due to availability to them. The fruit that was there though was tasty, especially the oranges. Shivaz and the other waiters kept a constant presence overseeing everything and they ran the restaurant well I believe. They tried so hard to cater for everyone, even big groups coming in arranging tables so everyone can sit where they want. The bars were well run too. The pool bar with lovely Niko and Jessica - they are so friendly and Niko constantly checks you are ‘good’ and updates you with what is going on in the hotel that day so you don’t miss anything. He also remembers your name, even after not seeing him for a couple of days. Then the bartenders the other side of the pool bar were so good too and remember your favourite drinks, can’t remember the lads name, Ash I think he was really good. Then there is the sports bar which is well ran too and the evening bar and entertainment area. This was well set up I think partly inside with a stage where RIUland and some other entertainment is based and then it flows outside on to. ‘Beach style’ area with sand on the ground and rattan chairs and sofas dotted around under the palms with a stage which is where the main parties are hosted from. Thanks to Nagenda whom I think oversees all the bar areas, he is super professional but very friendly and got to know we liked a cup of milk at bedtime for our tea that night and morning and would make sure we had some to go back with! Thank you. He also keeps a constant eye on the guests checking we are okay and also looking out for any possible trouble if someone has drunk too much (we didn’t experience anything like this but expect he would nip in bud if it did which was reassuring). Lastly I need to mention the lovely, kind gentleman that oversaw the cleanliness of the toilets, I especially saw him in the area between the sports and evening bar. What a lovely, gentle gentleman! He keep those toilets so clean constantly throughout the night and greeted you as you would pop in. Literally every single member of staff should be rewarded for their exemplary work ethic as I have never seen anything like before. They all seem to work together as a team too, coming from various parts of the world and getting on so well. Overall I would definitely recommend this resort. If you are considering the Palace or Atoll I think the Palace is probably quieter as I think most of the activities (including water sports etc) are all held in the Atoll area so you would need to get the buggy or walk down the jetty to participate in those. Personally I was very happy in the Atoll area and I normally sway towards a quieter hotel as there are plenty of spaces away from everyone if you want but then I didn’t enter the Palace area to be able to compare. Thank you again to everyone, wish I could mention all your names as if I could not read your name badge your efforts certainly did not go unnoticed. We have made some fantastic memories here and I hope to return.