We first visited this island in 2019. Hubby is a keen snorkeller so hence booking again. We booked in January 2025 for two weeks in january 26. We didn't know it had had a make over so was pleasantly surprised with all of the building changes.
We were greeted with a cool drink and face towel, check in was quick and easy and then we were shown to our room, 322. Wow oh wow, freshly decorated after refurbishment, it was lovely. It was a large room, no squeezing past each other and the bathroom was spacious also. The shower was great, although we found that the hot water didnt last very long in the evening so it was early showers to get the best of the hot water. The terrace was a good size with comfortable chairs and we had our own designated sun loungers. The loungers I have to say were very uncomfortable and need some sort of padded mattress. I have a back problem and had to borrow cushions from elswere to make use of them. Our room Boy, Sugat was a delight. He was always cheerful and chatty and did our room to a high standard. He also came and did a turndown service in the evening and left fresh beach towels for the following day.
The dining room was beautiful, the decoration very tasteful and sand under your feet, bliss! There was enough of a food choice and it it was cooked to a very good standard. We found the waiting staff wonderful, they were attentive and cheery apart from one. Nooh. I do not know what the problem was but he didn't acknowledge you when spoken to, didn't seem to do half the work the others did and what he did was at his pace. We were quite relieved when, we assume, he went on leave towards the end of our holiday. He just seemed to resent being there. I must do a shout out to some of the others, Nazar. she was simply amazing. so pleasant and attentive. I watched her with many guests, she would have a chat but always had her eye on her surroundings at all times so no other guest was left unattended. Ali was also excellent and Allishe was very good and helpful.
The Sip and Dip bar was again tastefully renovated and had a sand floor inside, you certainly didn't need shoes on this island, just bare feet. It was a good place to catch the sunset, and again all the staff were attentive.
The entertainment. well that didnt go down well with us unfortunately. The singers and bands were generally in keeping with the vibe of the island but the DJ's? By all means have a disco with music that everybody recognises and would get up and dance but this? This was very very loud clubbing music. The sort of thing you would expect late at night in a city cellar not an ideallic island. We gave it a miss but heard it in our room. They set up in the afternoons and had a rehearsal but even then had it so loud, we had to move with our drinks as we couldnt have a conversation.
The spa is still having some work done. I didn't use it but the photos looked lovely.
There is a new dive centre, where there are plenty of trips on offer to other reefs etc but there is a charge.
The island advertises a pristine reef, unfortunately this is not the case. There are plenty of fish but no coral garden although I understand they have planted some new coral, but a lot more needs to be done. The renovations have caused their own eco problems. The dismantling of an old jetty and reducing the length of the main one, has disturbed the family of nurse sharks that used to sleep there during the day. It also means that everything comes onto the island via that one short jetty so it can get quite busy. Because there are so many boats coming in on this stretch you can no longer snorkel there, this was devastating as this is the calmest side of the island, The other side where our bungalow was, the sea was choppy making snorkelling very difficult. It was very windy on this side too.
There has been a lot of work done to try and protect the island, new sea defences and additional sand added. but I suspect this will need to be ongoing as it can soon be washed away.
This island is beautiful, there are plenty of birds and fruit bats. The staff are great and the views beautiful. It will be increasing in size with the addition of 38 water villas possibly next year.
Would I go back? Me absolutely, I dont snorkel so some of the things mentioned didn't affect me. My hubby, no. He loves his snorkelling, and was disappointed with what has been done to the reef and the sea conditions. This review is just our opinion and how the holiday worked for us at that moment in time.
