Kuredu Island Resort & Spa

The staff were extremely helpful and efficient, effective and attentive to me. Mohamed, the room concierge, kept my room meticulous twice a day. Qurat the rep was also incredible. When I fell ill for a couple of days she always checked in with me to see if I needed help. The chefs , reception staff were all amazing. Thank you for all your help in making my holiday unforgettable. Read less

The island has changed dramatically. We used to go back to Kuredu time and time again and we especially loved the Christmas time on the island before, but it is nothing like it used to be. We were in shock and will never go back! First and foremost, if you are booking for Christmas, beware that the good old times with an exquisite Christmas Eve Gala dinner that used to be held on the beach with all bells and whistles is no longer provided. Instead, it has been replaced by a dinner served in your allocated restaurant, but you still pay the same supplement premium cost and the event is still called Christmas Eve Gala dinner, which is misleading, as there is nothing “gala” about this event. Yes, it has some extra food items and the restaurant is decorated, but it is nothing compared to what it used to be like when it was held on the beach. Before, stalls with additional and festive foods were brought to the beach and many foods were cooked by the chefs there and then in front of you. Tables and chairs for guests were thoughtfully arranged and spread apart on the beach, all candle lit, just steps away from the lapping seashore. The atmosphere was completed with an on-beach live choir singing Christmas carols. It was an incredibly serene, lavish and sumptuous event then. Now, it is held inside the allocated restaurant, which is completely overcrowded and filled with smoke from the barbeque grills, which not only makes you cough but makes your clothes smell too. There is no real festive music, just noisy modern records blasted from the speakers. Moreover, there are large queues to get to each food station and generally, there is a large crowd of guests around in the restaurant, carelessly passing by, squeezing past, etc. with unattended children running around and weaving through the queues, serving themselves hot food and carrying hot plates through a very busy restaurant. There is no organisation and the children are free to roam and do as they please. There is absolutely no etiquette and it is complete chaos. It is obvious that hosting the gala dinner inside the restaurant, in a confined space, would result in such overcrowding, which is a terrible experience to content with on a Christmas Eve. Oh, and don’t forget to leave your Bible at home as it is BANNED, even though they want you to come and pay the premium for the Christmas experience. Secondly, the management decided to carry out major works involving heavy machinery on the island SPECIFICALLY during the three holy days at Christmas (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day). The resort decided to have their “road” relayed to fill in the deep pot holes. We were horrified to hear and then to see a big digger right outside our beach bungalow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day morning (see a photo evidence attached). Furthermore, on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, whilst the roadwork continued, there were also substantial works carried out involving a heavy-duty angle grinder nearby the restaurant. Again, this caused a lot of noise pollution and prevented us from having a peaceful Christmas Day breakfast in the restaurant. We have a videographic evidence to support this too. It is shocking and completely disrespectful and inconsiderate for the resort to choose those three particular Christmas days for such heavy works to be carried out. After these three days, the works miraculously stopped. Go figure! Thirdly, toxic plastic burning takes place on the island. The island has an incinerator to deal with natural debris materials (e.g. paper, leaves, etc). It is located close to the football pitch, which is just behind the O Resort beach villas. However, it is not uncommon to smell plastic being burnt (especially in the late hours of the evening and throughout the night). On two occasions, we were unable to use our bathroom because it was filled with the toxic fumes and we had to have the air con off and keep our doors securely closed, with the towels underneath the gap at the bottom of the door. It was horrific. When we complained about it, the manager said that the presence of plastic might have been accidental and seemed to take it as “not a big deal” and “can happen” kind of thing. The manager also commented that perhaps we were “sensitive”, which is why we could smell the plastic in the burnt material. We were shocked by his initial blasé response and we explained to him that it was a serious matter, as the fumes containing burnt plastic material are extremely harmful to everyone, and should they have an asthmatic guest on the island, they could have even more immediate, health critical incident on their hands. We made it clear that we were not going to put up with breathing in fumes so distinctively containing burning plastic and that we were prepared to leave the island. At this point, the manager promised us that he would investigate and have a word with the incinerator staff to make sure that they pay closer attention at sorting, so that plastic does not end up going into the incinerator. Having been to Kuredu before, the island used to be a very serene and beautiful place, mainly aimed and enjoyed by honeymooners and couples. We were therefore very surprised to see the amount of families with small children on the island. Ordinarily, we have nothing against families, but the children were often unsupervised, running around the tables in the restaurant during meals, as well as running around misbehaving in general, including at nights. Moreover, there was an incident that occurred dead outside our bungalow, in the space that is implied to be for our private sunbathing and private enjoyment (i.e. there are sun loungers designated for each bungalow with a private space which is straight outside each bungalow). One day, we were trying to relax after lunch, sitting on the porch outside our bungalow, a time and space which was completely invaded and ruined by two children screaming, chasing and misbehaviour right outside our bungalow. The children’s parents were two bungalows away (so not in an immediate proximity) and were fully aware of the children’s whereabouts as the children at some point ran to the parents and pointed at the palm trees outside our bungalow (as if to ask for permission) and then ran back to those same trees which were located right outside our porch and started to climb them, whilst making a lot of noise. We reported the incident to reception and two members of the security team had to come out to have a word with the parents. However, as soon as the security members were gone, the children were right back outside our bungalow, climbing the trees again. It was absolutely appalling. To come back to the main areas around the resort, although the resort seems to provide specific areas for children to play (such as clubs and a fenced playground area), the children were everywhere, including IN THE ADULT SPACES, during the day and evenings. For example, there were only two pool tables which were designed for adults, but it was almost impossible to find them free at any point during the day or evening (especially when it was raining). All adult aimed activities were completely hijacked by the children and even when we managed to get to the pool table, we had to contend with the children coming up to the table and moving the balls around, whilst the parents were looking on. Moreover, it was extremely difficult to find a space during the evening entertainments, too. There were a lot of children, many of whom were lying on the chairs or sleeping (should have been in bed!), taking up all the spaces. We could not believe our eyes to see little children running up and down the bar area and around the entertainment space, often screaming. Most entertainment nights, we simply walked in and out as there was nowhere to sit and the atmosphere was not an adult entertainment. In our view, children should not be present past 9pm in an adult-aimed entertainment where alcohol is served. We were also shocked to see babies and very little children falling asleep in their parents’ arms during the adult night entertainment. Trying to escape the main entertainment area where most children were, we tried to go to the end of the jetty where it is meant to be a quiet, relaxing space where you can watch the fish and sharks hunting in the light-lit water, but even there, we were disturbed by noisy families, smoking and children’s talk and scream, which quite frankly, were not even interested in looking at the fish, but instead were misbehaving and trying to find their own form of entertainment out of boredom. It completely spoiled our enjoyment and we felt like we had no place to go and often were going back to our bungalow early. We feel that the resort does not have proper management in place resulting in couples without children missing out on the adult entertainment. More importantly, however, we feel that the island is mis-selling itself, yet again. This is not the Kuredu we know and we were not aware or informed that it had become a family oriented island. We noticed that since our last visit, significant cuts took place in the food department. Our allocated restaurant was more of a canteen than a restaurant. Overall, there was a very limited choice of food and the quality was very poor (e.g. the potatoes used for roasting were visibly old, vegetables looked tired, mushrooms looked inedible, tomatoes were unripe, chips and wedges were from a packet with a distinctive chemical like taste when tasted, ice-cream was watery and very basic and there were only ever three flavours recycled on a rotary basis – one flavour one night and then the other the next, etc.). It was obvious that the same ingredients were being used and recycled in other dishes, resulting in a limited variety and choice. Moreover, it was the same dishes every day, A LOT OF curry. Often, we struggled to pick anything to eat and it became a very monotonous event. Yes, they still claim to have different nights (i.e. Italian, French, etc.) but the quality of the food is poor. Service has also taken a strong hit. Every day, we had to wait for a waiter to come and provide us with a basic service; often, we had to go to the waiter’s station to ask for water. In the end, we asked for a bottle of water to be provided for us on the table every meal so that we could serve ourselves, as this was a less stressful experience. Overall, it could be observed that staff were congregating around their station for a chit-chat and, as a result, were not focused nor efficient. On our last day, before catching our sea plane, we went to have a breakfast in a restaurant, there were only a few guests at that time in the morning, but many more staff. Despite the large number of staff, there was no proper service as staff were congregating around their station for a chit-chat. We had to go to them and ask for water, coffee and tea and we were not the only guests that were neglected; we noticed another gentleman who has finished his breakfast and has not even been seen once to be offered tea or coffee. The gentleman in question did actually complained about that to the front desk greeting staff on his way out, but we could see that his complaint was not passed on. When the gentleman left the restaurant, the front desk greeting staff simply looked in the waiters’ direction, smiled and did nothing about it. It was appalling to watch. We were surprised to notice that there was at least double the amount of staff on the island this time and they seem more arrogant. It felt like there was more staff than holidaymakers. Staff often cruises back and forth on often empty golf buggies with some considerable speed, so you need to constantly keep your eyes open, especially if you want to cross the path. We also noticed that they do no stop to offer you a lift. Before, there was only one or two buggies on the island and the staff would always stop and offer you a lift. Now, they drive very carelessly, often on their phones, and is not the same service and is quite stressful looking over your shoulder whilst trying to enjoy the island walking. Anyone blinded by the fake hospitality (which you start to notice after a few visits) should think twice before booking this place. They love your money but that is it. Overall, we feel that the island has grown very arrogant and has got too big for their boots. We tried not to complain, as there was so many things to complain about and we just simply tried to make it through our holiday the best we could. But when we did complain on a couple of occasions, the management were very blasé and stand offish, not taking our complaint seriously. They were satisfied with losing business and did not seem to care to have repeat business, as they felt confident that there will always be people coming to the island first time without having nothing to compare to before, which was a response of one of the managers. To improve the island, the management and staff as well as priorities would need to undergo an overhaul to get back to its former glory. This holiday left us extremely disappointed and frustrated. Kuredu was our go-to island and we have many happy memories from there, but we were absolutely shocked and horrified to see how the standards have dropped. Normally, it would be quite an emotional experience leaving the island, but this time we could not wait to get back home. Read less

We travelled from Male to Kuredu by sea plane, which was an excellent kick start to a wonderful holiday. Upon arrival we were greeted by our hostess and a staff band played drums and clapped to greet us. We were served a much needed welcome drink. The information given was just enough given the long journey we had. We stayed at a beach villa and a water villa, which was fantastic. The perfect location, right on the beach with uninterrupted views of the sea. The buggies were always on hand to help us around the resort. Kuredu resort and spa is an amazing resort with dreamy tropical white sands, clear sea water and waving palms. Friendly, helpful staff made our holiday a memorable enjoyable experience. It was a pleasure talking with them and learning about the Maldives and the resort. An abundance of activities are on offer, which are supported by information sessions. We did snorkelling, windsurfing, golf, kayaking, badminton, paddle tennis, tennis, swimming and snooker. There is an abundance of sea creatures in the lagoon and around the water villas, including reef sharks, turtles, crabs and a variety of fishes. The sunset cruise, included in the all inclusive package, is a “must do” experience. We were fortunate to have dolphins accompany us alongside the boat and occasionally treated us to jumps and flips and with the backdrop of the sunset, was amazing. The room mini bar and all inclusive package offered a wide selection of beverages. - alcohol, cocktails including frozen ones, mocktails, hot and cold drinks. Buffet restaurants offered a good selection of food, which was well labelled to cater for vegans, vegetarians, gluten and milk free diets. Snacks in the afternoon tended to be more meat varieties. Entertainment was good, with a special mention to the live band - Equatic vibes, who had us singing along and dancing well into the night. The photo shoot and decorated table at our last meal was a fitting end to a fantastic holiday. Thank you Kuredu - you will forever be remembered with love in our hearts. Read less

Kuredu is the most special place for me and my family. This was my 7th time at this beautiful place. This time it was me, my sister and mother. We have stayed at O beach villa - our favourite area on the island, and then we have upgraded for 2 nights in Sangu water villa, which was amazing, too. The weather was great. Food and drinks were perfect, great variety. Walks around the island and inside of the island are always special. Golf club is a good experience. Beds in villas and extra bed for 3rd person was very comfy. Our island hostess Chatherine was very helpful. Chef Nathan at O was superb! Guys from pool bar and Babuna: Jewel, Thomas, Balorum, Kiso and Kalpesh; from O: Abhishek and Udaya were just amazing! Dinesh and Krishna very kind and friendly, always coming to say hello. And our superstar and highlight Sobahan from Sangu, he was just next level! He was taking care of us and was surprising us with his attention as soon as we were arriving at the bar. Thank you so much for everything! We will definitely be coming back again! Read less