Brent Godfrey
Bewertet: 2 months ago
5/5
I'm from the U.S., and my family (mom, dad, + teen girls 14 and 17) and I had an absolutely wonderful stay at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa. The property is great! It is large enough to offer many activities yet small enough to feel intimate.
There are many good things about the hotel and our stay, but it is really about the staff. The team is great and always very friendly. Certain team members made our stay exceptional.
The assistant front desk manager, Ms. Russel Suarez, is a key team member. We have health considerations because one of my teens has serious food allergies. We also had a last-minute change of travel dates. Russel was incredibly helpful (and confidence-instilling, which took the stress out of our last-minute rescheduling efforts), and our time at the Sheraton Maldives would not have been the same without her expert guidance. My family and I are big fans of Russel's. She is a huge asset to the property!
At the risk of sounding cliche, everyone is very friendly at this hotel. This starts with the many staff members that make up the rooms and deliver filtered bottled water whose names I don't recall. We must mention Tashi, who provides the most amazing massages at the hotel's spa. Her soothing voice and approach make any remaining stress melt away.
The entire pool/bar/restaurant staff was exceptional. It was hot, and their shifts were long, but they worked hard to accommodate guests and always did so pleasantly and with a smile. This is especially true of Mr. Lovely (his name says it all, right?!) at the pool area.
It may not be in everyone's budget, but it is worth paying for an over-water bungalow. You are in the Maldives; you want the full experience.
We ate well, but the buffet breakfast at the hotel was the largest buffet I have ever seen and exceptional. It is massive, outdoors (roof overhead), bugs are not a problem, and the staff is, again, great (we did have a wait for iced coffee some mornings), but that is not the full story. The breakfast buffet comprises several islands of food, each representing a region of the world. Any one of these food islands by themselves would have made for an amazing breakfast buffet. Guests navigate an around-the-world dining experience each morning by visiting the large buffet islands (serving counters under the roof of the large, tented restaurant, not actual islands surrounded by water). The very professional head chef, Riccardo Pinna, often greets guests and checks in with diners during their meals to ensure they have everything they need. Riccardo was especially helpful to my family as we repeatedly inquired about ingredients and the risk of food allergies. He took these matters seriously and was very professional and pleasant to interact with.
Even the groundskeepers who tirelessly sweep, pick up fallen reeds, and rake the sand into beautiful patterns, take time to smile and say hello to passing guests.
I wish to thank the onsite doctor, Sanjog, and nurse Nilima, who were professional and great when my daughter had an anaphylactic food reaction during our stay.
I hope to return and highly recommend the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa.
You might think it is not as exotic as other resorts because it is relatively close to the main island and MLE airport. I can put your mind at ease. It is an awesome 20-minute high-speed boat (it feels like a scene from a James Bond movie) ride to the resort. You leave the airport, walk across the street (you are greeted by a team member holding a Sheraton sign inside the airport to gather and port luggage), and step onto one of the Sheraton's speedboats. Then, just like in the movies, you pull up at the resort's remote boat dock, where several staff members, including front desk agents, are waiving gracefully to welcome you to the resort and the start of your holiday. The bottom line is that the hotel is in a great location and close to snorkeling and other adventures. The planes from MLE are interesting to watch and far enough away that they are no problem.
