Where do i begin….. WOW WOW WOW!!!
Just returned from a 15 night holiday to Kandolhu and (having been to a few Maldivian islands already), I must say that the service my husband and I received throughout our stay was exceptional!
Every member of staff looked after us so well that we felt like part of the family during our stay, nothing was too much trouble. I received a life changing diagnosis last year, and this trip was very much a bucket list dream holiday. Kandolhu was recommended by Julie at Kuoni Meadowhall ( taking account of my limited mobility), and what a perfect recommendation it was.
Our journey there was long but very enjoyable and, as others have mentioned, we were given a very warm welcome on arrival by G and Monica who were so kind throughout our stay to ensure we experienced a wonderful holiday, we felt included and able to enjoy every aspect of life on this beautiful island.
Within a few hours of arrival, as G had seen my struggles with lifting my leg, he organised for the team to build ramps for me to get into our awesome Pool Villa (more later), to get onto the beach and into the Vilu Bar ….exceptional service and offered without me asking for anything!
G and Monica went out of their way to accommodate my difficulties in the Spa, on the sunset cruise and departure, all around the island too which was humbling for me and my husband. They even gave us our own table in the Market restaurant to save me having to climb steps to the other restaurants but allowed us to choose food from every restaurant and served it to us at our table… amazing gesture thank you
The staff on this island are the best we have ever encountered. Everyone we came across was fantastic, Frandi….how gorgeous do you smell every single day, so much fun and a very bad influence! (Mimosas and champagne ha ha), Maan… (Mr decoration designer), such a lovely guy and he looked after us really well especially on the Sunset cruise thank you
Ziham (so cheeky and full of fun), Naveen ( juggler extraordinaire), Gilbert ( for my beautiful flower each day), the new waiter (apologies I forgot his name), Deshan (always there to help me walking… I’m touched and really grateful thank you), the beautiful Finela for my gorgeous Mudslides,
Bagus … so gorgeous and the same age as our son, I wanted to bring him home, my fruit platters at breakfast were incredible sweetheart Thank you! Kris…. Always there to support us and look after us… amazing lady, Jay… it was great hearing about the projects being undertaken on the island regarding sustainability and protection, very interesting gentleman, Irene so welcoming every time we saw her. Our absolute star was Estela… a beautiful soul with a wonderfully kind and fun outlook who anticipated our requirements without us even thinking of things, my apologies if I have missed off anyone as you all looked after us throughout our stay THANK YOU!!
Pool villa… we were given 103 and it was exactly what we wanted, private but with a wonderful view of the sea which was just a few yards away from us too, perfect! We were on the sunrise side which we love, so we had the beautiful sunrise early morning and sun most of the day but also shade when it was really hot, a larger veranda than we expected too which was so good, the plunge pool was a wonderful asset as I struggled quite a lot in the sea but the pool meant I could still cool off when necessary. The footprint of our villa was huge, it had everything we could possibly want, a gorgeous bath tub, indoor and outdoor showers ( you cannot beat showering outside in the warmth, love it!!), the bed was massive and so comfortable with a pillow menu available too. Fully stocked fridge and separate wines (we loved the New Zealand Sauvignons!!) Plenty of wardrobe space for each of us and a complimentary bag of laundry which we took advantage of and which was very nicely packaged when returned… thank you!! Our housekeeper was Irishaad (??) initially ( before his holiday), and he put me some mats in the showers and bathroom to keep me safe when walking with wet feet… again I did not ask for this, it’s another example of the team anticipating my need’s which was awesome!! Hassan then looked after us throughout our stay and he was excellent, our villa was spotless every morning and again at turndown also, he worked really hard every day so a special thanks goes to him. The gardens were raked daily but we never saw the staff who worked very early I guess… thank you, the island was beautiful. We rarely saw anyone other than people snorkelling along the reef so our villa was just what we wanted, to feel as if we were the only people in paradise!
Occasions… we experienced an incredible couples massage which Monica and the team arranged downstairs to allow me to have this at the Spa in a beautiful private setting with mini pools and gorgeous foliage around … Gina and Jenny were superb and worked so hard to make us feel special that day, we loved it thank you
Food…. The food was excellent, Justin spoke with us to ask if we would change anything or needed anything ( loved that!),the food was so fresh, all A la Carte and cooked to order, even pick your fish from the Sea Gril!! ATA Roa tacos were fabulous!! We enjoyed several events (although I too feel that the additional cost was a little high having paid for the ultimate inclusion package), the Wellington night, the Maldivian evening the Indian selection, the Banzai show was something new for us but such an entertaining event, and as a special treat we had an awesome Lobster Platter .. wow!! 5* food throughout but our favourite was the Villa dining we had, we chose our food the day before, the guys (Estela, Maan Ziham and Kris) set everything up at the Villa during the afternoon, the table and lanterns were stunning. Jay’s team brought a fire pit into the garden too…. boy was it spectacular !! The gorgeous Kris served us our meal (running up and down to and from the restaurant all evening bless her), and the food was exceptional, piping hot and beautifully tasting thank you
June is rainy season and yes we had a few days of thunderstorms but ….in the Maldives the rain is warm and soon passes so although we expect rain, it does not spoil our holiday in any way and every villa has umbrellas ha ha
So to sum up… G ( I could listen to your accent all day ha ha) and Monica it has been an absolute joy being on this island, you run an amazing team and you are always on hand to speak with guests especially in the evenings, the villa was fabulous, the island was small which was perfect for us, my husband went around it and swam in the sea daily, we both saw amazing fish and sharks, sadly I struggle now with snorkelling but our fabulous welsh neighbours showed us their go pro footage of turtles and marine life which was awesome, the reception staff including Shaheen (?) were always there to help us with anything we had forgotten (toothpaste can you believe!!) or something we needed so a big thank you to them too. The boat guys looked after me getting on and off without any fuss whatsoever. Our stay was superb and we left with some amazing memories from Kandolhu which will be forever in our hearts!
If you are looking for a true piece of paradise, small, quiet, beautiful, romantic and with outstanding service then Kandolhu has to fit the bill!
