Charlotte B
Bewertet: 2 weeks ago
5/5
It’s no secret that a trip to the Maldives will cost you, so I wanted to make sure everything was absolutely perfect and worth it. I spent weeks and weeks researching all the different resorts, shortlisting places, checking and following resort instagram pages, reading and comparing hundreds of reviews on trip advisor and booking.com, speaking directly with the resorts to check activities and prices and what’s included in all-inclusive etc. and JA Manafaru came out above ALL other resorts in every aspect, so when I arrived I had high expectations given that I couldn’t find a SINGLE bad review. As soon as we arrived, instantly I felt that my expectations had been exceeded. |Staff - every single staff member knows your name, makes you feel like you’re the only people on the island and can’t do enough for you. They will make any drink you like, any food you like, the word ‘no’ is not in their vocabulary.|Food - I knew they had won an award for the best culinary experience in the Maldives and it absolutely shows why. Every meal, breakfast lunch and dinner was perfection. The menus are full of variety and cater to everyone. It is THE best food I have ever in eaten in my life. |All-inclusive - unlike other resorts where there is one restaurant buffet style and perhaps one other restaurant that you can have al a carte but pay for, JA Manafaru go one step further and allow all-inclusive guests to eat in EVERY single restaurant. They have 4 restaurants to choose from for dinner, 3 of which are al a carte and 5* dining at its finest, and the 4th is a buffet style but not your ordinary buffet. Each night is themed and it isn’t your standard all-inclusive buffet, again it’s 5* dining with an outstanding variety. Their seafood BBQ was unbelievable where all the food had been caught same day! Regards the beverages included… wow. The extensive list of cocktails both traditional and carefully constructed JA’s own specialities were just out of this world. There was nothing you didn’t have access to and no worry about having extra charges as most was included such as many premium brands. |Villas - we stayed in an overwater sunset villa and couldn’t have been happier. This was my only apprehension when booking because my 2nd choice resort’s water villas looks outstanding and really modern and sleek, and I was a bit worried that the colour of the villas made it look dated. BUT I was so wrong. The photos don’t do it justice. I was very particular when choosing a resort about making sure the overwater villas received enough sun for sunbathing as some of the decking in various places looked short and covered/in shade. However when we arrived in this villa… we were inundated with sun. The decking was the perfect size, and the villa pool was the perfect size!!!! Many reviews on other hotels said their pool was too small or plunge pool like, but there were no bad reviews on JA’s villa pools and I see why. The bath tub and the views were incredible, with jets and bubbles and even lights underwater for a disco bath! Beds are HUGE and so comfortable. They think of absolutely EVERYTHING. |Beach - clear white sand, like flour or powder. Sea is clear as day. The island is the perfect size - not too big where you feel like you’re on a large chain hotel holiday, and not too small where you get bored. Some reviews on other hotels complained that they only needed a few days because they got bored, but here there is SO much to keep you entertained. They have so many different areas. Me and my partner said we loved the fact that there was so many areas for us to relax … the morning in the villa for a sunbath and swim, then the infinity pool bar with amazing views and drinks, then to the beach for a sunbath, then to the water sports, then to a nature trial. Then to the lagoon pool and sunbath there. Everywhere is so amazing that you can’t stay in one place too long!! |Activities - THE 1 HOUR JETSKI TO SEE DOLPHINS IS A MUST! It was the highlight of our trip. They recommended we went out earlier in the morning around 9:30am for the best change to see dolphins and they were right. We were sat in the ocean SURROUNDED by hundreds of dolphins. SO MANY! They were jumping and playing right infront and next to us. All activities in the Maldives are expensive, so dont let the price put you off because you wouldn’t get it cheaper in another hotel (trust me I’ve looked). It was well worth the money. I highly recommend downloading their App because this shows you everything they have to do, and all the complimentary activities and events they have going on. If you are there on a Tuesday, they will invite you to their Beach cocktail party!!!!! All included so no need to worry about cost, they have a massive selection of cocktails being brought to you and gorgeous canapés! Performers and music and the ambience they create it amazing. |Service - from the moment we arrived in the airport we were greeted straight away by a concierge - he took care of everything!!! Took our luggage and the next time we saw it was in our villa!!! We were whisked off to a private gorgeous lounge where we had access to amazing food and drinks again all included and then taken to our seaplane. |PLEASE DO NOT LET THE EXTRA HOUR SEAPLANE FLIGHT PUT YOU OFF……… some people are put off by the fact that they can stay in a resort much closer to male and not have to do an hour journey. However, there are SOOO many benefits to going a little extra further. You really feel like you are on a secluded private island, we saw the islands close to male and the waters were littered with boats and the sky with planes. You will hear plane noise all day and see boats coming and going to surrounding islands. However, JA Manafaru being out of the way you see none of this. And you truly feel like you are a dot in the ocean. Coming back, we both agreed we had made the best choice going slightly further. Having now been to JA Manafaru and considering the cost, I am actually astounded that it didn’t cost us more for what we got. The value for money is the best I have ever experienced. You feel like royalty and they treat you like royalty. You have your own personal concierge that gives you their WhatsApp number so that they can be on call at any time of day to help with anything. Mangal was our concierge and he was exceptional. He will come and pick you up in the buggy to take you anywhere should you need, however we didn’t make soo much use of this because we LOVED walking barefoot around the sandy trails as everything was within a 5 minute walk. Highly recommend Veli bar for the sunset, we would go there for drinks and watch the sunset before heading off for our dinner. It’s an unreal setting. The villas also come with their own bikes - USE THEM! Me and my partner only used them on the last day because we hadn’t needed to and we thought ‘let’s give it a go’ and we massively regretted not using them sooner!!! They are so much fun and you feel like you’re in a dream riding around in between the trees and trails. |It’s safe to say, we will be returning. |I will be raving about this place forever and anyone who is considering a trip to the Maldives HAS to stay here. I really really really struggle to believe that any other resort is better, my research proved it to myself hence why I booked it, and now that I have experienced it I can see why there are NO bad reviews. Thank you SSOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOO much!!!!!!