Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa Hotel

Beautiful resort, lovely layout. Beaches beautiful. Our over water sunset villa was large and excellent, sea was so calm we saw so many fish from our pool terrace especially in the morning. Staff were friendly and service was excellent nothing too much trouble. A big shout out to our butler Kumar and the head chef at Mediterraneo Restaurant Umui who catered for my husband’s dietary requirements. Surprised the resort does not have its own dedicated seaplane lounge. We have been to the Maldives several times one of our top resorts. Read less

Emerald Faarfushi Resort & Spa We recently stayed at Emerald Faarfushi Resort & Spa with my in-laws and our three girls, and it was truly the most perfect holiday. There is honestly nothing we could fault — every single aspect exceeded our expectations. The food was absolutely incredible, and the all-inclusive drink offerings were of an exceptionally premium standard. Every meal and drink felt thoughtfully curated and indulgent. Tom, Rakshit, Sean and the entire team at the Beach Club were just amazing. Mara, our villa host, was outstanding — so organised and attentive, perfectly arranging all of our meals and excursions and making everything seamless. Nish, Sonu, Akash and the pool bar team were fantastic and always so welcoming. Patrick, the General Manager, was absolutely lovely — warm, genuine, and clearly very present throughout the resort. His care and attention truly reflected the culture of the entire team. All of the staff everywhere were incredible. They made our trip so special and memorable, and they were all absolutely wonderful with our three girls. When Nish came to wave us off, it truly solidified how caring and genuine the staff are. The kids’ club team were amazing, and our girls have such fond memories from their time there. These are memories that will last a lifetime, and we truly cannot wait to return Read less

We stayed in the Maldives for a week and the overall service was excellent, but we would especially like to highlight our personal assistant, Kumar. He was incredibly kind, always available, and highly professional throughout our entire stay. Kumar followed us and assisted us for the whole week, making everything easier and more enjoyable. No request was ever too small, and he was always ready to help with a smile. His attention and care really made a difference. One example of his dedication was when we lost a hat at the restaurant — he immediately took care of it and managed to find it for us right away. It may seem like a small thing, but it shows how attentive and committed he is to his guests. The general service at the resort was very good, but Kumar’s support was truly outstanding. He made our experience even more special and memorable. Read less

Absolutely wonderful stay in paradise. Our water villa was spacious and beautiful, with outstanding daily room service. The lagoon setting was gorgeous, with crystal clear shallow blue/green waters perfect for swimming, snorkelling and kayaking. The six restaurants offered a wide range of delicious food and drinks. A highlight was the Mediterraneo, the food was outstanding. The customer service was second to none - all the staff were exceptionally friendly, polite and helpful, and they made our stay an absolute joy. We enjoyed a complimentary sunset dolphin cruise, and we were so impressed at how respectful the approach was to the dolphins and the environment. An idyllic 12 days, we did not want to leave. 10/10. Read less

My wife and I went to Emerald Faarufushi in the first two weeks of February, and to say that we loved it would be an understatement. It was a joint retirement and 35th anniversary trip, and I am not sure a written review can actually capture how truly magnificent this experience was for us. I am going to try and explain in the following paragraphs, but probably will bounce around in my musings, so would ask that you be patient. Getting there from North America is a lengthy process, and we arrived at Velana Airport in Male somewhat out of sorts, but were promptly greeted by an Emerald Faarufushi representative who whisked us to the seaplane lounge, where we waited in comfort for about an hour, until our flight was ready to depart for the resort. The flight was about 45 minutes, and upon arriving at Faarufushi were escorted by our room host, Elite, to our over-water villa (OWV). Throughout our stay Elite was in contact with us daily, ensuring the stay was wonderful, and he took care of our meal bookings at the a la carte restaurants, as well as specialty tours. He messaged us every day in the morning regarding where we were eating that day, as well as informing us of the activities scheduled. Given our hectic schedules at home, this was very welcome. Our OWV, #317, was luxurious, clean and comfortable, with a wine fridge stocked with four bottles of wine, and a mini-fridge containing some beer, soft drinks and snacks. It was replenished daily, depending on what we used. The infinity pool outside on the deck was used every day, and you are able to walk down a set of stairs into the ocean. Depth of the seawater varied depending on the tide, but never exceeded 1.2 metres. Reaching the house reef from our villa while snorkelling was easy, and there were a lot of colourful fish and coral to view. Villa cleaning services were done twice per day, in the morning and evening. I am not sure what adjectives I can use to describe the food here, other than spectacular. We had dinner at both Aqua, the buffet restaurant, and each of the four specialty places, Carnivorous, Mediterrano, Teppanyaki and Asiatique; all excellent, but my favourite was Asiatique with their outstanding sushi and gyoza. Lunch time was largely spent at the Beach Grill. The wagyu beef burger was so good, they could give North American restaurants a lesson on how to make one. But perhaps the best thing about lunch at Beach Grill was interacting with Sean the sommelier, who was masterful at pairing a nice wine with what we were eating. I will speak more about him later. One of the best meals we had here was at the buffet restaurant on Italian night. I have never been to a buffet where everything, yes everything, was top-notch, until this trip. My only regret is not having more appetite. I highly recommend it. One afternoon I was approached by one of the chefs, who offered to cook whatever I wanted whilst at the Beach Club for lunch. I chose some fresh-caught fish, and what a choice! Not sure I have ever had fish that good in my life, and I am 61 years old, having grown up on the seafood-rich west coast of Canada. This kind of leads into one thing we learned while there: do not be limited by the menu at each specialty restaurant. The cooking staff, with the courtesy of some forewarning, will make you just about anything you want if you ask. For instance, at Carnivorous, we requested a grilled steak one night, which was not on the menu. And just to top that meal off, the chef prepared garlic prawns to go with the steak, again not on the menu. The garlic sauce on the prawns was so good. Probably the highlight of the trip for us was the champagne and wine tasting cruise we took on our last night. One other couple from the UK (hey Andy and Sue) and us took a slow cruise with the head chef and head sommelier, sampling champagne, wine and canapés, during which time we saw dolphins. It was really interesting being able to ask the senior staff at the resort about wine/champagne and pairing foods with them. If you get a chance, do this tour. Incredible! I'm going to conclude my lengthy diatribe by speaking to the quality of the people who served us throughout our stay, and there are so many names I either did not get or cannot recall. Every single person we encountered was friendly and customer-service oriented. The general manager, well I'm not sure he sleeps. We saw him at all hours of the day, checking in with customers and just ensuring things were working as they should. Same with the assistant manager, whose name I cannot remember, but do recall he was from Indonesia. He seemed to be everywhere, and we had some excellent conversations with him. His eye for detail was unsurpassed. Elite, our room host, was great and so concerned that our holiday was seamless. I spoke earlier of Sean the sommelier. Young but wise beyond his years, and we had many interesting conversations about his home and comparing pets. He was bang on with his wine pairings for us, and I learned something new about wine and champagne every time we spoke. Then there was Priyanka at Aqua. She looked after us well, and her frequent suggestions regarding food and drink were always right on the mark. Our only regret with her was that we did not get to say goodbye when leaving. I am hoping that the name, Neera, is correct. She was another sommelier, with whom we interacted at Aqua. She was so friendly and talkative, and made us promise not to tell Sean about the bottle of champagne blowing up on her (sorry Neera). There are so many more staff deserving of kudos, from the chef who checked in on us to ensure our lobster and steak were prepared properly, to the tall assistant sommelier from India who started out quietly but ended up being one of the more interesting persons with whom we interacted, to the server who wants to be a chef and offered us some interesting tips on butter chicken sauce. We may never get back to Emerald Faarufushi, only because of how long it takes to get there from Canada, but we will never forget the place and the people. Truly, if you get a chance to visit this outstanding property, jump at it. It will be something you'll remember for the rest of your life. Read less