Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives

We had a wonderful 13-night family holiday at Cinnamon Dhonveli for our 10th anniversary. There is so much to love: the beautiful beach, stunning views, wonderful spa, relaxed atmosphere, lovely staff and fantastic range of activities. We spent 11 nights in a ground-floor Superior Ocean View Room, which was spacious and perfect for our family of four, with a beautiful sea-view terrace. The only downside was the lack of privacy, as people often came outside our room to photograph the sunsets. We then upgraded to a Water Bungalow for our final two nights. This was an amazing experience and we even saw a turtle. The bungalows are much smaller and better suited to couples, but the bathroom was a real bonus, with a double shower and jacuzzi. One small improvement would be better bathroom lighting in the evening, as it was quite dim for doing make-up; an additional uplight would be ideal. The main disappointment was the food in the main buffet restaurant. We had expected more variety and freshly prepared food after seeing the options advertised in pictures. When we asked if meat or fish could be added to pasta at the pasta station, they wouldn't prepare it. We also found basic items such as fries, crisps and a good selection of vegetables were unavailable. Much of the food was spicy and shellfish was usually served in creamy sauces, making it difficult to find meals everyone enjoyed. Also one other thing in this particular restaurant, there were a number of small flies landing on fruit in the dessert area. We also would have liked more daytime snacks such as ice creams, ice lollies or crisps. The resort shop was extremely expensive – crisps were around $15 + 17% tax, and a pack of 20 nappies was nearly $50 + tax. Thankfully, we found nappies in Huraa for around $15 and also discovered that souvenirs were much better value there. Interestingly, the restaurant available to us when staying in the Water Bungalow was a much more enjoyable experience, despite the food being similar options it seemed better food quality, service and atmosphere was also a marked improvement. Our best meal was the Tex-Mex at the Sunset Bar. In hindsight, we may have chosen not to go all-inclusive so we could have eaten à la carte more often. We enjoyed canoeing, paddleboarding, snorkelling and turtle snorkelling, and our favourite excursion was a trip to Huraa. The guides were knowledgeable, friendly and happy to take photos. We only wished the trip had been longer so we could have eaten lunch and experienced more of the local lifestyle. Our dinner under the stars for our 10th anniversary was another highlight. The four-course meal, anniversary cake and lovely room decoration made it very special. The staff also were happy to make a children’s menu for our children to enjoy this experience. For families, there is an excellent play park and some lovely children’s activities, (the mocktail making was great fun and our 2 year old loved pouring and filling the different coloured liquids). But the resort would really benefit from a dedicated kids’ club, even if this were at an addition cost. We definitely would have paid an additional cost so we could have had a couples massage or done a couples activity. Some advertised kids activities were poorly organised or had no staff present, which was a shame. Top tip: take plenty of insect repellent for trips off the island – we came back with quite a few bites! Overall, we had a fantastic holiday and made wonderful memories! The all inclusive was perhaps not for us but we’d recommend this resort for people who love to surf, couples, people who want a relaxed vibe. But perhaps not for foodies unless you choose to stay in the top accommodations where you get access to the better restaurant and poolside bar. Read less

Easy pickup from airport, fast check in to room 803 .. Ushaam had a great birthday surprise for us .. thank you ! The room is seconds away from snorkelling in the amazing hotel main beachfront. Amenities are really good and plenty to do. Excursions are easily booked.. shark snorkelling was exceptional. Food was amazing and the staff were superb .. one evening even went as far as making us a grilled whole fish. The staff were all amazing and to mention a few: Restaurant - Manoj, Ahmad, kahir, Ruth Water sports - Wizz Room- Hamad Beach -Sattar Read less