JA Manafaru Maldives

The second we stepped off the seaplane, we were welcomed by the most attentive team and left all stress behind. What an unreal location to celebrate our honeymoon! I could write a short novel of why anyone thinking about visiting the Maldives should choose to stay here, but will keep it short - Ja Manafaru is the epitome of paradise! White beaches, clear waters, delicious food (some of the best fish we’ve ever tasted), and a team who truly want you to enjoy every single second! We were extremely lucky to have Nishan as our hotel rep and were blown away with his kindness and care. No request was too big or too small, and he booked everything from dinners to activities for us. Side note, if you do get the pleasure of meeting him, ask him to show you his art… he is a fantastic painter! I couldn’t write a review without recommending the ‘Teppanyaki experience’. Chef was hilarious, extremely talented, and the food was mouthwatering! Biggest regret? Not spending more time there. 7-10 days would be an optimal time at Ja Manafaru. Thanks to the entire team for making our honeymoon unforgettable! Read less

We had a thoroughly enjoyable stay at JA Manafaru. This was our fourth visit to the Maldives and comfortably believe this was the best of our visits yet. Highlights The Food was exceptional. High up our priority list is food and different options for dining. We are also not fans of buffet and like a “smaller” resort and this really limits options but this resort ticked every box. The theme nights are excellent, not traditional buffet and in any event their a la carte Italian (Andiamo) was available to eat as an alternative. The food quality was of a very high standard and some of the best food we have eaten in a resort. The settings for dinner are all different - Andiamo by a lagoon pool, White Orchid over-water and Ocean Grill on the beach. For lunch, the Italian Andiamo and Kakuni (our preference) was very good. I believe most nights all three places were open. The menus are extensive and this resort really does well to cater to different food preferences or tolerances, with vegan, low carb and dairy free versions of almost everything available (separated on a different menu). We stayed in a Beach Villa which was nice and looked fresh and clean with colours which gave a modern feel. The room had a small pool in the rear as part of an extended bathroom which we thought was unusual but actually really liked. The stretch of beach we were on was not particularly wide (believe this changes throughout the seasons) but was wide enough for loungers and therefore only a few steps away from the water. The sand was incredibly soft and powdery and the water warm, shallow and clear. We did not snorkel but saw hundreds of very large sharks off one of the jetty’s at night. The staff here are really good. They know when to chat and they know when to leave you alone. They genuinely seemed to be interested in your experience and what they could do to help. Special mentions to (apologies as I know the spellings will not be correct) - Shaad, Imran, Katchey, Tony (room cleaning), Nizan and Vipan. It feels cruel to not mention more of the staff as everyone was excellent, but these stood out and we couldn’t write everyone’s name down! They have a cocktail event on the beach once a week (which I know isnt uncommon at resorts) but this was really well done with lovely drinks and snacks. The management are all available to chat to and it was really nice to meet the team. Special thanks to Musa, the Executive Chef who has an incredible team and is remarkably approachable to discuss anything food related. He is always keen for feedback and we enjoyed chatting to him about the challenges of catering for so many nationalities on a tiny island a long way from Male! Thanks also to Mohamed who I think is General Manager (or equivalent). He was everywhere and spoke to us most days and whilst we never had any issues, I have no doubt whatsoever he would have solved any. We cannot comment on excursions as we were so relaxed we really could not be bothered to do anything (and have done many of the usual trips before at other resorts) so instead preferred to just relax. The island is almost entirely walkable on just the beach (aside from a little bit where you need to get your feet wet!) and can be walked in 20 minutes at a slow pace - we did this several times a day. The hotel was very low occupancy and as a result of this (I think) the infinity pool was closed. This wasn’t a major issue for us and to be honest made no difference to the holiday (cant miss something you haven’t had!) but I know its marketed well on the photographs so just check its open if this bothers you which I am sure it will be soon (they said it was for renovations, but the hotel was so quiet it wouldn’t have been used anyway - so if it was renovations then they picked the right time). They opened a small beach club area with bar as an alternative which was fine, but not heavily used. The seaplane transfers were really excellent and allowed us to maximise our time on the island which we were grateful for. The staff at Male for both arrival and departure were great. Finally, we were on the all inclusive dine around plan which felt genuinely terrific value and also a little bit too good to be true at times (it wasn’t). All drinks were included (save for a very few with ridiculously low supplements - such as Corona at 2USD supp) and almost everything on the menus was included (again excluding some very small supplements to a few items). We didn’t order anything at all with a supplement because we didn’t fancy anything which had one, but the costs were so low it wouldn’t have put us off. Mini bar was included and stocked daily and the theme nights also included. Drinks were of a very high quality and (some evenings a little too..) plentiful! Summary It is really hard to find any issues with this resort. The All Inclusive Dine Around, in addition to the excellent food, wellness/dietary menus and all a la carte dining is very difficult to find in the Maldives and this resort ticks every box on that front. It’s far from a new resort but the rooms still felt modern and incredibly well maintained. The island is lush green and very well maintained. Transferring to the island is really not a problem (especially if via seaplane) so don’t be put off my the 1hr 20 journey - its nothing in the grand scheme of things and the Hotel will maximise your time on the island anyway. We vowed never to return to a resort in the Maldives due to the options, but we didn’t expect to find a resort which ticked so many boxes either. So we will return. Read less