Hard Rock Hotel Maldives

For those who aren’t aware, the Hard Rock Hotel forms part of a duo of hotels joined by a 400-metre footbridge across the beautiful Emboodhoo Lagoon. Originally created as an attempt to reinvent the traditional Maldives resort model, the wider CROSSROADS development was part of a huge land-reclamation project that began in 2017. The result is that the beaches, marina, causeways, hotel islands and back-of-house areas fit together more like a master-planned resort town than a conventional Maldivian island. So, if you’re used to the classic desert-island Maldives experience, the setup may come as a bit of a culture shock. Personally, we really like it. Having stayed at Hilton’s Curio Collection SAii Lagoon resort in October last year, which is connected to Hard Rock via the walkway and CROSSROADS Marina, we were excited to return and compare it with the very different vibe of Hard Rock. Having stayed at several Hard Rock hotels previously, we’re big advocates of the vibrancy and energy of the brand. This time we invested heavily and booked a Diamond Overwater Pool Villa, deliberately choosing one facing out towards the open ocean rather than Malé. The room did not disappoint. It was immaculately looked after by our lovely housekeeper, Prabath, who was not only brilliant at his job but exemplified the warmth and soul of the whole resort. From the villa, we could dip into our outdoor plunge pool or walk straight down into the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, where we were regularly accompanied by rays and reef sharks. Pretty difficult to beat. One of the biggest benefits of this destination-resort model became obvious over our 15-night all-inclusive stay: we never ran out of places to eat. Special mentions have to go to the team at Kebab & Kurry on the Marina for great food and wonderfully warm service, the chefs at Miss Olive Oyl and The Elephant & The Butterfly, and the team at Tom Yam at the SAii Beach Club, where we ended up having lunch most days. Service at the first two could occasionally be a little hit and miss, but it was always delivered with genuine warmth. We ate breakfast every day at Sessions. With two young kids, we generally arrived at around 9am, which was invariably pretty chaotic. The staff did what they could to accommodate everyone and keep things moving. Food quality was good rather than exceptional. The egg-ordering system was always something of a lottery, both in terms of what arrived and how it had been cooked, although catering for that volume of people in such a short window is never going to be easy. The island itself is truly beautiful and incredibly well maintained. A special mention should go to the gardeners and landscaping teams. We experienced a couple of days of intense tropical rain and watching them effectively put parts of the island back together afterwards gave us a new appreciation for just how much work goes into keeping a resort like this looking effortless. I’d also strongly recommend escaping the island for a few hours and trying some of the excursions run by Ocean from the Marina. The Signature Snorkelling trip was amazing. We saw around ten sea turtles in their natural habitat, something that will stay with us forever. We also swam with nurse sharks and stingrays, which was simply incredible. A special mention to Maais, who was so warm and lovely with our family. Two other members of the team repeatedly dived down to capture some incredible GoPro footage for us. Shamefully, I didn’t get their names, but I’ll be forever grateful to them. Last but certainly not least, our kids once again adored the SAii Kids Club, particularly Tamii, who remembered both of them from our previous visit. She contributed enormously to their experience and, after two visits, we now genuinely consider her a friend. That kind of connection says a lot about the people working here. As always, though, there’s room for improvement, even in paradise. Given the heat and the roughly 2km distance from one end of the wider resort to the other, and I know because I ran it most days, bikes and buggies become pretty essential. Unfortunately, both systems are a bit of a shambles, in the nicest possible way. Buggies are booked through the web app, but it was often hit and miss whether one would actually turn up. At times that became genuinely frustrating. My suggestion to management: invest in an intelligent product lead and a decent vibe coder and build an Uber-style buggy system. It could probably be done relatively cheaply and would transform the guest experience. Adult bikes were plentiful, but the pick-up-and-ride system means nobody really has ownership of them, and consequently some get treated pretty badly. There also seemed to be a shortage of children’s bikes. Again, there’s a relatively simple fix: rent or allocate them to guests, stick a cheap tracker on them and create some accountability for their condition and whereabouts. Our final niggle was maintenance. During our stay, necessary work was being carried out on the Rock Star Villa to convert it from one to two bedrooms. We were only two villas away and the construction noise became pretty frequent. There’s nothing quite like a circular saw to start your day in paradise. We were pragmatic about it for quite a while, but after nine days we’d had enough and raised our concerns. This is where Hard Rock deserves real credit. The Front of House Manager responded with a goodwill gesture and moved us into a Rock Royalty Two Bedroom Water Villa. These villas are outstanding and genuinely something very special. It’s fair to say the team went above and beyond to right a wrong and enhance the remainder of our experience. Problems happen. What matters is how organisations respond to them, and Hard Rock responded brilliantly, and as a side note, Mohan’s towel art was simply world class :-) One final plea, and this one is aimed at fellow guests rather than the resort. The island seems to attract a small percentage of guests who carry an extraordinary air of entitlement and appear to forget that the hardworking, warm and endlessly accommodating service staff are human beings. On several occasions we watched members of staff being spoken to or treated terribly. Please, be kind. These people work incredibly hard, often thousands of miles away from their own families, to help create the holiday you’re enjoying. Treat them with the respect and humanity they deserve. All in all, we had a fabulous 15 nights on a beautiful, manufactured little piece of paradise. It isn’t the secluded, one-island-one-resort Maldives experience, and it doesn’t pretend to be. What CROSSROADS and Hard Rock offer is something different: more energy, more choice, more variety and a completely different way of experiencing these extraordinary islands. It’s the Maldives, but not as you know it. Read less

We had a truly wonderful and unforgettable trip to the Maldives! A very special thanks to Mr. Shazleen for his exceptional hospitality and genuine care throughout our stay. He always made sure that we, as a family, were well taken care of and comfortable at all times. His attentiveness, kindness, and dedication truly made our experience even more memorable. Our sincere appreciation also goes to his wonderful and helpful team members: Mr. Shuaib, Mr. Rifath (Housekeeping Manager), Mr. Fahil, and Mr. Hyman, who all contributed to making our stay so enjoyable. A huge shout-out as well to Mr. Nazrul, who took excellent care of the duplex where my family and I stayed. Our residence was always beautifully maintained, and we always felt that it was in very good hands. The villa with a private pool was an excellent option for a larger family. It gave us plenty of space and privacy, and having our own pool meant we could enjoy swimming whenever we wanted, even until late in the evening. This was definitely one of the highlights of our stay and made the family experience even more relaxing and enjoyable. I also absolutely loved the idea of having complimentary bicycles available for guests. It was such a fun and convenient way to move around the resort and even cycle over to the neighboring island, The Marina. It added something special to the whole island experience and made exploring the surroundings even more enjoyable. Thank you to the entire team for the wonderful hospitality and for making our family holiday in the Maldives such a special and unforgettable experience. We will certainly cherish the memories! Read less