Sun Siyam is a big operator in the Maldives, and this hotel is beautiful. The experience is, by and large, curated brilliantly in the broad strokes of architecture, placemaking and attention to detail by the staff.
It is a resort in the Maldives which, like many others, is expanding its land mass at the cost of the environment, both for marine life and the tranquillity you seek on a desert island getaway. Like most places in the Maldives, it is also expensive for things that shouldn’t be costly, such as soft drinks and basic necessities.
The staff are wonderful. Mohammed, who waited on us and served us drinks. Dr Ahmed, who patiently listened to me wanting to get back in the sea. Bashir, who made elephants and turtles out of towels for the kids when cleaning the room. And the care shown by the poor hosts who handle WhatsApp messages seemingly at all hours.
The dive centre staff are likewise stocked with brilliant people. Adam, with his smile and sense of humour, guided my daughter through her Open Water course and looked after two older divers, my wife and me. Barack was likewise excellent on a pinnacle drift dive. Yaanu manages a brilliant team and will tell you the night before if a dive is postponed because they haven’t seen the shark that day. Luca received a cuddle for his efforts in taking my nine-year-old on his Discover Scuba experience.
However, senior management leaves something to be desired.
We booked in February and were told there was construction in June, but that it would be finished by the time we arrived. On that basis, we came expecting the crystal-clear water for which the Maldives is famous. Visibility can be 20–60 metres in the Maldives.
Instead, as of 1 November, construction is still very much active, including groundworks. In my experience, this coincides with significant daily silting, which appears to be affecting visibility and presents an obvious concern for the surrounding coral.
The water turns into a foggy soup from around 11 am. At 9 am, visibility at the house reef is around 10–15 metres. You can see your feet and the rays when you enter the water at the steps. By 3 pm, you cannot see below the waterline. A layer of silt blocks the upper three metres of visibility. If you can see a metre in front of you, you’re lucky. Conditions improve somewhat by 7 pm. The timing closely coincides with the construction working hours.
The resident manta knows this better than anyone else, as it only appeared for us on a Friday, when there was no construction, and on Saturday, when there was very limited groundwork.
Compounding this, the resort to the north is being completely rebuilt and probably has a couple of years to go. Expect noise during the day in the Deluxe Overwater Villas from construction trucks and diggers. You can hear the construction from your villa.
The approach to ecology likewise needs to consider the shallow-water coral. The lagoon is stunning from the beach, and the water colour is beautiful. But the watersports appear to come at a cost to the coral. The seabed is visibly degraded and full of broken, shallow staghorn coral. Unless the staff start to care for this and manage the lagoon, I suspect the cycle will continue, with broken coral washing onto the beach and the lagoon remaining a desert during the day.
When the sediment settles, the house reef is visibly alive with pelagic life. There are so many reef sharks at night, Olivia the resident turtle and, of course, the manta on a Friday. The construction to the north hasn’t prevented visitors from enjoying the fringe of shallow coral around the resort, although those areas are also in a terrible state. Each night you can swim with reef sharks and eagle rays.
If these things are important to you, let management know. There is an impression that visitors don’t care.
The facilities are beautifully manicured, and every turn is like a brochure photograph. This brings influencers, cluttering the pools with their costume changes and tripods. Fortunately, they are easy to ignore. The infinity pools, beds, tables and waiters make that easy, and it is so spacious that you never feel there are too many people. I cannot stress how beautiful it is above sea level.
There are issues with attention to detail. The basalt tiles in the pools are all over the place and coming away.
The jacuzzi is a lawsuit waiting to happen. A black pool with a step hidden around a turn led to me falling and grazing my arm on the submerged stools. Four other people fell on the day we were there. Be careful if you use the Milano Jacuzzi.
Staff photographed my injuries and the problem areas. They also told me that senior management had been made aware of the issues but had not acted. The jacuzzi remained open after my fall. I consider this a serious safety concern. I was fortunate that my fall resulted in grazes to my arm rather than a head injury. It could have been considerably worse.
The other pools are stunning: the long pools that fringe the beaches and the Sunrise Bar. You can easily find a space and a bed, and there is always a fresh towel within five minutes.
We had the full-board package, and the food was great in terms of variety. They cater for literally every taste in the main restaurant. Main courses, soups and starters are good, and the Maldivian food is excellent.
Desserts suffer from the usual problems associated with hot weather and milk supply. Fruit is hit and miss. It’s plentiful but rarely full of flavour. They need better suppliers.
You never lack for meat, fish or tuna, and I cannot stress how good the food is for a full-board buffet. They serve a variety of Indian, Chinese, Russian and European dishes. The sushi once a week is good, and we weren’t disappointed or bored. The kids filled their faces and loved it.
The disappointment is that, if you are in a Deluxe Villa, you are a 15-minute bus ride from dinner and lunch. Dream Island only provides breakfast for full-board guests. All-inclusive attracts a greater choice.
Drinks on full board are limited to breakfast: coffee, tea, shakes and juice. For the rest of the day, it’s water. This is a bit poor. Most full-board packages cover soft drinks, even if they are just mixed and carbonated.
Overall, we enjoyed the food. It was great, as were the staff. But don’t make someone pay a premium for a villa and then have them schlep 15 minutes by bus for food.
Arrival and departure are a wonderful experience. The person who collects you from the airport, the boat to and from the island, and the organisation the day before you leave to make sure you catch your flight: it is seamless and very well run. The staff are touching and heartfelt in their goodbyes.
Overall, it is one of the most memorable places I have been to in 46 years of travelling the world. It genuinely feels luxurious, and the staff are wonderful.
If they can fix their impact on the reef and the water that makes the Maldives exceptional, I wouldn’t hesitate to come again.
If you are choosing this or another resort, check Google Maps for construction nearby. This is a problem all over the South Atoll, and resorts need to hear your voices for change to happen.
