OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi

I have visited Ailafushi on multiple times and i would say its everything beyond what i expected. We had an absolutely wonderful and memorable experience at OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi! 🌴💙 From the moment we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and made to feel truly special. The beautiful surroundings, excellent hospitality, delicious food, and the overall atmosphere of the resort made our family getaway truly enjoyable and memorable. A very special and warm thank you to Mr. Mohamed Mansour, General Manager, for his wonderful hospitality and for creating such a welcoming environment for us. His commitment and satisfaction to us was truly appreciated. We would also like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to: Mr. Adam Moosa – Restaurant Manager Thank you for your excellent service, warm hospitality, and for making our dining experiences so enjoyable. Fathimath Saaidha (SHY) – Guest Service Assistant A very special thank you to SHY for her kindness, friendliness, and willingness to assist us throughout our stay. Her warm smile and caring attitude made us feel very welcome. Abubakr Ibrahim Mohamed Ali – Front Office Manager Thank you for your professionalism, assistance, and for ensuring that everything was handled smoothly and efficiently. Mohamed Irufaan Ali – Assistant Front Office Manager Thank you for your support, attentiveness, and for helping make our stay comfortable and hassle-free. And, of course, Mr.Nyaz from restaurant a huge thank you for your warm hospitality and home feel welcoming to us and to every single member of the OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi team. Each and every one of you played a part in making our stay so convenient, comfortable, and enjoyable. Your kindness, smiles, professionalism, and genuine care for guests did not go unnoticed. We are truly grateful for all the arrangements and thoughtful efforts made throughout our stay. Our family had an amazing time, created beautiful memories, and enjoyed every moment of our trip. ❤️ I would highly recommend OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi to anyone looking for a wonderful, relaxing, and memorable getaway. It is truly a place where you can enjoy exceptional hospitality, beautiful surroundings, and an unforgettable experience. Thank you, OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi, for giving us such a wonderful experience. We look forward to visiting again and creating many more beautiful memories! Read less

We had really high hopes for our stay at OBLU Xperience Ailafushi, particularly as this was the final stop of our honeymoon. There are definitely some wonderful things about the resort: the island itself is absolutely beautiful, our water villa was fantastic, we saw an amazing amount of marine life around the island. The food at the buffet was mostly good with lots of choice. The staff are mostly friendly and helpful. However, unfortunately, there are several things that have made the experience feel much less relaxing and luxurious than we expected from a Maldives all-inclusive resort. The biggest issue for us has been how much of the experience feels geared towards additional spending. On the all-inclusive package, the buffet is the only included dining option. The two table-service restaurants come at a very significant additional cost, with the underwater restaurant costing around $300 for two people at a minimum. There is no room service, so the buffet is the only option for all-inclusive guests. As a result, dining there is very busy and hectic, which isn’t the relaxed dining experience we had imagined for our honeymoon. There is also only one bar, which can become very busy, and a number of drinks aren’t included in the all-inclusive package. Excursions and activities are also quite expensive. One particular experience really summed this up for us. We wanted to look at the underwater restaurant before deciding whether to spend around $300+ on dinner there. I explained to the staff member that I can be claustrophobic and therefore wanted to see the restaurant first before committing to the experience. We were told bluntly that we couldn’t go down to look without a reservation. We weren’t asking to use the facilities, take pictures or loiter - simply to see the restaurant for no longer than 30 seconds before deciding whether to spend a significant amount of money. When I raised this with reception they did then offer to show us around, however by that point we’d decided not to book as the initial lack of flexibility had really put us off. So, bear this in mind if booking this based off of the pictures of the underwater restaurant - you’ll need to factor in a minimum of $300 extra per couple to even look at it. We also asked whether anything could be done to acknowledge our honeymoon in the room - even something as simple as towel art. We were told that this was possible, but that prices started at $45. This isn’t about the amount of money itself; it’s the cumulative feeling that almost every additional touch or experience comes at an extra cost. Having just come from different hotels, where every place we stayed in made lovely honeymoon gestures for us without charge, the contrast was particularly noticeable. So, again, just bear in mind that if you’re celebrating a special occasion and want it to be acknowledged, this will come at an additional cost. (It also appears from recent reviews that some people do get decorations placed in their room for free whilst others, like us, don’t. This doesn’t feel particularly fair). An additional note, there is construction work going on around some of the water villas at the minute, meaning there are barriers around parts and often drilling/noise. We weren’t made aware of this before we arrived, and felt this could have been communicated by the hotel to manage expectations. I want to stress that we don’t necessarily think this is a bad resort. The setting is gorgeous, the wildlife is incredible and our villa was excellent. The staff members are mostly great. But for us, the overall experience hasn’t matched what we expected from an all-inclusive Maldives honeymoon. We expected to have paid for our stay and then be able to relax without constantly feeling that we were being encouraged to spend more. Perhaps this resort is better suited to travellers who are happy to pay for additional dining, drinks and activities, but we’d recommend being aware of this before booking if you’re expecting a more traditional, fully inclusive luxury experience. Read less