OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi

This was our first trip to the Maldives. We were not disappointed. Firstly, the location. Only 20 minutes by boat from right outside Arrivals. Then the accommodation - it was a dream. Right over the water with the sound of the waves as a soundtrack. Next, the island. A tiny piece of white sand perfectly maintained. The food - great selection at every meal and of a very high standard. The staff - friendly and helpful at every turn. The whole experience was a delight from start to finish. Read less

# AVOID OBLU XPERIENCE MALDIVES — ABSOLUTELY DISGRACEFUL CUSTOMER SERVICE, REFUND NIGHTMARE AND COMPLETE LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM! **One star is far too generous. If I could give ZERO stars, I absolutely would.** I am writing this review to warn anyone considering booking with OBLU XPERIENCE Maldives. My experience with this resort has been nothing short of an absolute nightmare. Their handling of my cancellation, refund and subsequent complaints was disgraceful, exhausting and completely unacceptable. **BEWARE OF THEIR "FULLY REFUNDABLE" BOOKINGS!** When I made my reservation, OBLU took a **25% payment**, with the booking advertised as fully refundable. Naturally, I trusted that if I cancelled in accordance with the cancellation policy, my money would be returned without unnecessary complications. **HOW WRONG I WAS!** After cancelling my reservation, I expected a straightforward refund. Instead, I was subjected to approximately **TWO AND A HALF MONTHS of chasing, frustration, unanswered emails and broken expectations.** I chased the resort practically EVERY SINGLE DAY. My emails were ignored, and I received no meaningful assistance or satisfactory explanation about where my money was. Eventually, I had no choice but to involve Booking.com. Initially, I was told the refund would take **14 working days**. I waited. Fourteen working days passed, and there was still no refund. When I contacted them again, I was suddenly told it would take **24 working days**! How can a supposedly professional resort and booking service keep changing the refund timescale while holding on to a customer's money? And even after all that, the money STILL did not arrive within the promised timeframe. **IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY TWO AND A HALF MONTHS TO GET MY MONEY BACK!** During this entire ordeal, I had to repeatedly chase Booking.com, contact my credit card provider and ultimately raise a formal payment dispute. Think about that for a moment: I had booked a supposedly fully refundable holiday, yet I had to involve my credit card company and go through a dispute process just to recover money that should have been refunded without this ridiculous ordeal. **AND THE STORY DIDN'T EVEN END THERE!** When the refund finally arrived, it was **£30 LESS than the original amount I had paid!** After spending two and a half months fighting to get my money back, I discovered that I had STILL not received the full amount. I was forced to continue disputing the missing money. This is beyond frustrating and completely unacceptable. A luxury holiday should be about relaxation, enjoyment and peace of mind. Instead, my experience with OBLU was full of stress, wasted time, financial uncertainty and endless chasing. **WHAT KIND OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THIS?** A company that markets itself as a premium Maldives resort should be capable of processing a simple refund, responding to customers and treating people with basic respect. My experience was the complete opposite. I found their communication appalling, their refund handling unacceptable and their lack of accountability deeply concerning. **MY WARNING TO FUTURE CUSTOMERS:** Think very carefully before paying this resort any deposit, particularly if you believe your booking is fully refundable. If something goes wrong or your plans change, you may find yourself spending weeks or months trying to recover your own money, just as I did. **MY FINAL VERDICT:** - Customer service: **0/10** - Communication: **0/10** - Refund handling: **0/10** - Professionalism: **0/10** - Overall experience: **ABSOLUTELY APPALLING** I would NEVER book with OBLU again after this experience. **TWO AND A HALF MONTHS. COUNTLESS EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS. A CREDIT CARD DISPUTE. AND STILL £30 SHORT ON THE REFUND.** This has been one of the worst customer service experiences I have ever encountered. **AVOID THE REFUND NIGHTMARE. THINK TWICE BEFORE BOOKING OBLU XPERIENCE MALDIVES!** Read less

After a busy week travelling around Sri Lanka, we arrived at OBLU Alafuishi, and it exceeded all our expectations! One of the biggest positives was the location and the fact that it was only a 20-minute speedboat transfer from Malé, which was perfect after all the travelling we had done. The resort itself is absolutely beautiful, exceptionally clean and very well maintained. The staff could not have been more accommodating, and the service throughout our stay was second to none. Our room (810) was stunning, with the most amazing views! It was cleaned to an exceptionally high standard every day. Unfortunately, I forgot to make a note of our cleaner’s name, but their hard work and attention to detail certainly deserve a mention. Despite the resort being at full capacity, it never felt busy or overcrowded. There were always sunbeds and chairs available, which made it easy to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Although there was only one buffet restaurant, we felt it offered a fantastic variety of delicious food. The wine could have been better, but you can’t have everything! We also tried the Surf & Turf experience on Wednesday, which was exceptional. The food was superb, the service was outstanding, and the fact that unlimited wine was included in the price made it even better. We felt it was excellent value for money. Our only real negative was the music around the pool. It was very loud and consisted of constant beats throughout the day. We would have preferred a little more variety and a slightly lower volume, as this would have created a more relaxing atmosphere. Overall, we had a fantastic stay and would highly recommend OBLU Alafuishi, especially for families. The beautiful resort, amazing views, excellent food and outstanding staff made it a truly memorable experience. We would happily recommend it to anyone looking for a wonderful Maldivian holiday! Read less