Stunning Marine Life, Wonderful Staff. But Not Quite the Seamless 5 Star Experience.
Feb 12, 2026 JamesLane Basildon, United Kingdom
Our trip
We stayed for 9 nights, from the 1st Feb to the 10th Feb 2026. Booked via Virgin Atlantic Sunnest Water Villa room (315) with a speed boat transfer.
Arrival at MLE
Arrived into Male airport from the 19:50pm flight, and met our rep which was great, given a cold towel + bottle of water which was appreciated after the long flight, what…
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Our trip
We stayed for 9 nights, from the 1st Feb to the 10th Feb 2026. Booked via Virgin Atlantic Sunnest Water Villa room (315) with a speed boat transfer.
Arrival at MLE
Arrived into Male airport from the 19:50pm flight, and met our rep which was great, given a cold towel + bottle of water which was appreciated after the long flight, what followed was both odd and discombobulating. We were passed through 3 different reps down a corridor. Then told to walk to the end of the corridor to a coffee shop to meet someone who would take us to our boat. We ended up waiting by the incorrect coffee shops, and I walked all the way back to the first rep and was checked our location. Once I returned down said corridor a man found us and took us to our boat transfer. I’m uncertain who manages this handover, be it part of the hotel or the airline but it could have been made a lot simpler with just one member of staff escorting a group of us from A to B.
Speed boat transfer
Our cases were politely taken from us and we were assisted onto the boat. Welcomed onboard, given life jackets etc. Then we set off with about 6 of us. The actual wait time from when we were found wasn’t long at all (10 minutes tops). We were given cold towels and a bottle of cold water which was appreciated.
On disembarking the boat, we were greeted by our hostess Alpi along with a saxophone entrance and guided to the Swing Bar to sit down have a cold drink, and given our key card, had important key information explained, such as restaurants/bars/facilities etc. Our hostess then offered to give us a tour of the island, we decided we would go freshen up first and got a buggy to our Water Villa.
departure/checking out; similar to the entrance in reverse, with the exception of the airport arrival and navigation which was much smoother in nature compared to the arrival.
Location
The location is truly paradise, we saw something amazing nearly each day from our decking. We saw dolphins 4 times during our stay which was magical and 5 different stingrays and lots of black tips sharks all without even getting into the water. Would recommend sitting and just losing yourself in the water off the decking, best times we found were 7am, 11am and 4pm. Given how young the resort is we were pleasantly surprised by the abundance of marine life. Top tip get one of the Water Villas towards the end of the boardwalk.
The beaches all around the island were really pretty. You can easily find a spot to get lost in your own desert island paradise and go for a snorkel or read a book.
The Room
We arrived at our water villa to find a welcome message written on our bed in palm leaves which was lovely. The room itself was spacious and modern. With a very large comfortable bed (we are still playing wave music through our speakers at bedtime). The window on the floor is a really nice touch in the villas showing the ocean which you can enjoy day and night to watch fishes swim past.
The mini bar is well stocked with soft drinks, beer and wine along with chocolate which is all restocked daily along with ample drinking water. We requested fanta orange and beer as which was sorted for us. There is also snacks throughout the room, including crisps/potato chips, nuts etc which again get restocked daily. Alongside this on the turndown service there is 2 cream style chocolates provided under a small glass pot which is cute.
Coffee station has capsule style machine along with various different teas and creamers. The pod coffee machine itself is quite budget and could do with being upgraded to something in the Krups/Nespresso range to give it that 5 star aesthetic as without a proper room service having a good cup of coffee in the morning was important to us.
Opposite the bed is a couple of windows that are close to the adjoining villa. If you want total privacy I recommend pulling the blinds as we were able to see onto the neighbouring villas balcony a little, also recommend asking your maid to not open these if you want that secluded private feel.
Cleanliness was top notch, room always smelt and look immaculate which we 100% put down to Pooja she was so polite and professional even when we were in the room, apologising for interrupting our privacy when she came in and asking if now was okay to clean and being really accommodating, thank you!
The bathroom was so lovely, twin bronze sinks, with backlit mirrors, huge open air shower with good pressure. Lovely hammock to look at the ocean below.
Decking and plunge pool; my wife and I spent every morning for at least an hour sitting on the edge of our decking staring at the ocean with a cup of coffee, it was truly beautiful. The plunge pool was a great size and infinity style with a sofa style seat at the back near the room which comes with a little table that you can move about.
Other notable amenities were the iron and ironing board, a yoga mat, ash tray on the decking, flip flops, beach bag, sun hats and sun cream alongside bits for when it rains such as umbrellas and rain coats as well as life jackets.
A few notable niggles with them room that we experienced during our stay; the air con remote and fan remotes are separate which can be confusing. We also found the air con to be problematic with it not working well the last night we stayed and was woken up with the room being 28c at 2am. Our front door to the villa was unlocked for the first 24 hours of our stay and could open without a key card (this was fixed once reported), the safe didn’t appear to be operational, I didn’t enquire and could need to be setup by staff. Alongside this we are certain my wife got a rash from the plunge pool, which was subsequently cleaned.
Lastly on the shower, If it is the island of love perhaps have two shower heads. Had this in a previous resort and is really lovely to share a shower, so one of you isn’t waiting when you are getting ready. Also one morning the water cut out completely all taps, shower head etc. mid shower, didn’t last long but worth mentioning.
Swing Bar
The Swing Bar was one our favourite places be both day and night. The Staff are exceptional they make you feel at home, it feels familiar instead of like you are with hospitality staff. Huge shout outs to Sara and Vanera be it greeting us after breakfast and having a laugh with us, entertaining our orders of ice teas and street coffees (highly recommend the street style coffee, yum!), both of them made us laugh until our faces hurt. Or in the evening with a Sunset mocktail for my wife and an Old Fashioned cocktail for myself. They truly make this place special and it just wouldn’t have been the same without them looking after us in the bar and around the pool, always smiling, joking and making time to chat.
My only three constructive pieces of feedback on The Swing Bar were;
Firstly around the cocktail quality given that the resort is a 5 star. We would firstly liked to have seen more consistently in the cocktails. As an example I had several Old Fashioned’s during our stay and it different each time and not always to the same quality. Alongside this we would have expected more fresh fruit on hand for both drinks as we have experienced very high quality mixology craftsmanship elsewhere. My recommendation here would be to hire a dedicated mixologist for the evenings or provide more training an example of the standard that we have had in the past where they had staff that had entered and won world championships in cocktail making.
Secondly the quality of day time food between 2-4 the light snacks menu. On the first day due to being a bit sleepy we decided to have lunch at the bar, which was fish/burger chips. The fish was lovely and fresh, you could tell this was freshly made. However the fries were clearly frozen french fries and quite greasy. For a 5 star resort we would have expected something higher quality in food quality and presentation.
And finally the beer selection was quite muted with only Lion (local beer) and Heineken. They did manage to get Tiger from the sister resort, however would expect a little bit more than this perhaps Corona or Asahi for such a high class resort. Although a note here was a male member of the bar staff, unfortunately I didn’t catch his name, offered to go to Male mainland to get us some alternative beer and this was lovely as my wife was really wanting some alcohol free beer. This was above and beyond as we had tried to talk to our Hostess about this but was told outright no after they had asked management, to which when had one of the general managers interrupt our dinner to tell us again it wasn’t possible, so we felt for the remainder of our holiday asking for anything outside of what was on offer was out of the question when it came to the hosting staff. Everyone else was super accommodating across restaurants and bars and we loved them so much.
Overall the Swing Bar was a wonderful place to be, be it to a quiet drink with your partner or to socialise with the guest and staff. In the evening most of the time it gives vibes or a piano bar, sophisticated and relaxed so very much our vibe.
Spa - Elena
Wow, just wow. We had two massages during our stay. We had a 45 minute massage included and decided to upgrade to 60 minutes both times.
Entering the spa, you step up to a seated area surrounded by waterfall fountains. You are given a cold towel and cold black tea shot, which was lovely. You are then given a questionnaire to ask what to focus on.
We were then taken to our private air con couple’s massage room with Komang and Pebri. We were then asked which oils we would prefer and scents for our massages,
and changed into towels. The massage was incredible and so needed after a long flight. Post second massage we went for lunch at the Ylang Ylang wandering around in a daze of relaxation.
After the massage you are taken to a seating area and given chilled water and apple chips to relax until you are ready to leave.
Ylang Ylang Restaurant
This was our favourite place to eat by far, we really got to know the staff. Particular shout outs to Nisha for always keeping us entertained and keeping track of my shirts this made me laugh and her witty and dry sene of humour which we absolutely loved. Haydie & Hanna for looking after us remembering that we loved to sit in the sun in the morning and sit at table 20 in the evenings. Always making sure our drinks were full and we were looked after. Again this part of the resort felt familiar, like you were part of a family which really adds something special.
The food, we are big foodies and were very happy with the vast majority on offer. We loved having a bit of spice in the morning so regularly had the curry followed by pastries. There was plenty of freshly cooked English/American favourites such as fried breakfast, toast, cereal, lots of pastries, yogurt, fruits and cheeses.
The dinner menu was à la carte for starters and main and we enjoyed every dinner we had at Ylang Ylang, lots to choose from covering Pan Asian, Sri Lankan, Maldivian and Malaysian cooking. We had a lot of fish and sea food due to it being so fresh. The prawns and shrimp in this resort are so good, and better than the lobster you can get for an additional charge. Food here seriously rivals and on most cases beats the underwater restaurant.
My wife decided to celebrate her birthday at the Ylang Ylang due to the combination of the familiar feel along with the fantastic food. And she was given a birthday tiara, a chocolate ice cream cake and a lovely little handmade gift from our Hostess Alpi. And the staff gathered to sing happy birthday which was really lovely.
One minor issue at breakfast was some confusion when ordering coffee, with multiple staff asking for our order and it occasionally being missed, meaning we had to follow up.
Only Blu Underwater Restaurant
My wife and I attended a lunch at the Only Blu Underwater Restaurant. I ordered the Scallops to start, followed by the Catch of the day for main with a Creme Brûlée for dessert. My wife ordered the Mushroom Cappuccino soup and the Chicken for main.
A small point of feedback: while the catch of the day was beautifully presented with fresh vegetables and curry sauce, the sauce did not taste freshly prepared, which was a little disappointing given the restaurant’s prestige.
All of the food here was fantastic quality with wine pairings for each dish all of which were lovely. My wife highly recommends the Mushroom Cappuccino soup best soup she has tasted.
The views were fantastic, we saw black tip sharks from where we were eating lots of large schools of fish and was a lovely lunch.
Although the restaurant is shared with the family island, the children present were extremely well behaved and hardly noticeable. The atmosphere inside was very pleasant, though the entrance and walk to the main area felt a little underwhelming and slightly run down for a resort only four years old.
We were given the option to eat twice at this restaurant but only ate there once due to how accommodating and amazing the staff were in the Ylang Ylang resultant and the more relaxed feel it had which suited our holiday vibe.
Gaadiya 17 Food Truck
They serve an A La Carte sit down candle light meal.
Food; my wife and I had the lobster ravioli, which I’m fairly certain wasn’t fresh, and the white sauce on top was bland at best. For mains I had a steak with a selection of fresh roasted vegetables. The steak was below average it wasn’t unpleasant but quite thin cut and heavily seasoned. The mash potato was lovely very creamy and a high end restaurant standard. My wife had the shrimp for main in a butter and garlic sauce, she said this was exceptional. We both had Crème Brûlée for dessert, the best one I’ve had on the island as had a proper torched caramel crack on top.
Overall we thought the food at the truck was okay but we had a second booking to go back but cancelled in preference of the Ylang Ylang restaurant. It felt a bit style without substance in parts.
Staff during the dinner; again the staff were incredible as they were from The Swing Bar mainly. Exceptional staff here.
Music during the dinner; While dining, the music didn’t fully align with the venue’s refined atmosphere, with a number of pop covers being played. A piano or instrumental set would have better suited the overall ambiance, less Ed Sheeran please.
One final point are the menus: sharing a single large polystyrene menu between two people felt out of place given the restaurant’s intended ambiance. Proper or leather-bound menus would better reflect the overall vibe.
Hostess’ and Management Staff
Although amicable we felt that this was one of the main areas that could do with improvements when compared with other resorts we had stayed at with this service previous the concierge/host assigned to a guest etc. We felt that the relationship with our host felt quite transactional and rushed most of the time. I am not sure as to why this is, but I got the feeling that they are extremely busy and perhaps servicing too many guests as when asked about our day it was very short and usually cut off by a wave and the hostess leaving the conversation, this combined with the hostess not really retaining much of the personal based information that we had given her through discussion, likes/dislikes etc. The standard pieces were covered such as helping us book trips and restaurant reservations but it felt a lot of the time like the hostess was waiting to check her phone for other guests or jobs that needed to be done rather than being engaged with us in a genuine fashion.
This combined with interrupting us during dinner to discuss concerns raised which was not appreciated. These types of conversations seemed best placed first thing around the pool rather than when we are unwinding for the evening. Alongside this we had a small fee payable for some extras that were chargeable to the room and were not given the heads up that our hostess was going to be bringing 2x card readers with her and requesting payment (a heads up in our WhatsApp chat would have been appreciated beforehand).
Snorkel Trip & Sunset Cruise
As part of our package we had a few trips that were included as standard. We chose to do the snorkelling and the sunset cruise.
Snorkelling; the snorkelling trip was great fun, we were picked up at 9:30am with around 8 other guests and taken to the house reef. The staff that run this trip were super supportive and looked after our safety throughout this trip. We set off on a 15 min boat ride to the house reef and hopped out of the boat with our flippers and snorkels on following the guides along the house reef. During which we saw large schools of idol fish amongst others. Clown fish within sea anemones, and even a shark (friendly one of course), the time seemed to go in a blink of an eye as me and my wife were having such a good time and really helped build our confidence with snorkelling.
Sunset cruise; of which you are taken on the same boat as the snorkelling but sitting on the top deck of the boat. You are taken to an idyllic spot to watch the sunset and offered refreshments. We had a lovely time and a few laughs. This trip was done around 5pm making it the perfect pre-dinner activity and was quite romantic.
Would recommend both of these trips if you are considering.
Snorkelling in general
I have seen quite a few reviews stating that the snorkelling isn’t that great at this resort and I would say this isn’t that true. Although it’s probably not that developed due to its youthful reef. We saw so much, dolphins, stingrays, puffer fish, barracudas, idol fish, nurse sharks, black tips and beautiful strips of live reef although some was bleached but overall a lovely experience and absolutely beats anything we have experienced outside of the Maldives.
Cocktail Making Class
On one of the Mondays of our stay, I took part in the cocktail making class that was being held at the Swing Bar, this was really good fun and nothing was too much to ask with regards to us making concoctions. I was aided in making a virgin cosmopolitan for my wife and then made a few cocktails for myself. Really good afternoon fun.
Main Pool
The main pool area is lovely, a good mixture of quietness, music (although the pool DJ is quite lacklustre) and fantastic staff along with friendly and sociable guests. Poolside wait service is provided for anyone who needs a drink be it hot or cold, alcohol or no. The pool is really pretty having an infinity view over the ocean and we were lucky enough to see dolphins twice in the ocean off the back of the pool during our stay. Plenty of towels for your beds to grab with no limit.
My one criticism on the pool area is that the fabric sun beds could have been cleaned more often as they are quite grimey at times. And I hadn’t seen them cleaned.
Resort Overall
Without the marine life and the Maldives setting, we would have rated this resort 3 out of 5. What elevates it to a 4 is the exceptional marine life, the warmth and personality of the Swing Bar and Ylang Ylang, and the strong food quality overall. The villas themselves are genuinely 5 star in look and comfort. However, a true 5 star resort anticipates guest needs before they arise, and at times this experience felt more reactive than fluid, with a few moments coming across as abrasive rather than seamless.
One element that detracted from the serenity was the volume of buggies around the island. While accessibility is important, frequent staff traffic interrupted the sense of calm and broke the immersion of the setting.
Would we return? Probably not at this price point. Would we return to the Maldives? Absolutely. Many of the issues feel easily fixable. With improved service flow, more discreet operations, and greater proactive personalisation, this resort has the foundations to deliver a true 5 star experience.
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