We had the most fantastic trip to Siyam World in July. I hope this very long review is useful and objective. It reflects our experience of ten nights at Siyam World.
Booking
We booked through a fab independent travel company called Rock My World travel. They are amazing with first class service from Isobel, Mark and Leanne from start to finish. I’d highly recommend them. We booked in September 2021 before the resort opened and there were some fab deals. Lots of people moaning on here about snags on the island should remember that the hotel has only been open 9 months and there are likely to be snaggings and teething issues as any new build house would have. I’d also say that the prices for the majority of people up to this point have reflected that they are still in the snagging period based on prices for next year being more than we paid by some stretch (we’ve already looked into going back).
Transfer
We went on the seaplane which was seamless. Our flight landed at Male at 8.45 and we were at the resort checking in by 12.45. All our bags were about 20kg each so we didn’t need to pay any excess.
Welcome and Ambassadors
We were greeted on the welcome jetty by a drummer and squad of ambassadors. Lil was our ambassador and was so lovely. She was friendly and smiley and took us to our room where she gave us a quick update on where everything was and what to expect whilst on the island. I think it’s really important to point out that the ambassadors are not our personal butlers!!! You can do most of the things yourself like booking a restaurant on the app or looking at the spa menu. We are quite self sufficient to the point Lil often messaged us asking if we were ok as we hadn’t been in touch for a day whereas we saw and heard other people treating their ambassadors like some sort of hired help which was awkward. Lil was the perfect ambassador- there when we needed her and so kind and helpful. I actually cried when she hugged us goodbye at the seaplane jetty.
The app
Download the Siyam World app before you go and book anything you want to in advance. All the restaurant menus are on there too. It’s super easy. We did everything on it while we were there.
Island Size
We have been to Conrad Rangali and CoCo Palm Bodu Hithi previously and they were smaller, relaxed islands that were great for couples. We chose Siyam World because it was big and had lots to do for all of us (two adults and a ten year old). If you are looking for an intimate typical Maldivian experience then this probably isn’t it for you. If you are looking for loads to do and a brilliant choice of restaurants and activities then you will love this - there is a reason why they call it the world of possibilities. The island is about 5km round the edge and fab service from purple buggies that go round in circles. Wait at a bus stop of flag one when they go past. We witnessed some really rude behaviour toward the super friendly buggy drivers when people didn’t appreciate that they go in different directions. If a driver says he isn’t going your way, wait for the next one rather than give him a mouthful. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a buggy.
The rooms
This is our 3rd time in the Maldives and we have always preferred beach villas to water villas. There is more space indoors and out, direct access to the beach and they have sun and shade in equal measure. We also love the outdoor bathrooms as you get visits from lizards and fruit bats while you have your showers which was cool. We split our time between Sunset Beach Villa 227 (great location and so peaceful) and Beach House 706. They were both lovely in different ways. The Sunset Beach Villas benefit from super close access to the beach and outdoor bathrooms. It was very comfortable for 2 adults and a 10 year old. The beach house was very spacious and pure luxury and we really didn’t want to leave - it was a beautifully designed house on two floors.
The mini bars are well stocked with beer and soft drinks and some chocolate and nuts and they fill up what needs replacing every day. There are plenty of fresh towels and the room was spotless. If you look carefully you might find a few snags that some people have moaned about (like faded paint on a bathroom door?!) but nothing worth spoiling your holiday whining about. The beds were harder than we are used to and in hindsight we might have asked for mattress toppers if we’d known they had them. We had an issue with the bathroom plumbing which was quickly fixed with no hassle and we were happy with the way it was dealt with. No point moaning about things like this on holiday when the staff are so committed to fixing things and looking after you. Please be nice to them if things go wrong - too many people had incredibly bad manners and it was really upsetting to watch at times (more of this later)
The Pools and Snorkelling
The reality was that we we didn’t really use our room pool much at all. We spent most of our time at Orchid or Together pools or the sea and only went to Jungali once. I went to Mint once for an hour without my daughter and loved a bit of adult only peace! There has been lots of chat on here about broken tiles and closed pools. My honest advice would be to chill about about it all. We had read in advance on here that there were some issues with broken tiles and wore pool shoes the whole time whilst they are being fixed which was no big deal at all - I don’t understand why people think this is an outrageous solution? The one time my daughter didn’t (even though we reminded her to) she got a minor cut on her toe which a plaster sorted. I’ve also read some crazy things on here about people demanding upgrades as Jungali was closed when they arrived - these things happen at a new resort and there are plenty of other pools that more than make up for one pool closure. The hotel can’t upgrade rooms for a whole island of people because one pool is shut?!
The sea is so warm. The red flags were up on the sunset side quite a lot but again, it didn’t spoil anything. I’ve attached a map that Thuhu the marine biologist gave us which marks the better snorkel spots with black oval rings. I would say that the snorkelling is not as good as previous places we have visited in the Maldives because of the recent construction at Siyam World but there is still plenty of fish and marine life to see. Go to the marine biologist talk at the sports bar. It’s really interesting.
The weather
I got so bored of reading people on this group moaning about the weather or obsessing about what the weather would be like. Use Google or ask your travel agent before you book to figure out the key seasons! Be aware that the rainy season in this part of the world is May to October (inclusive) so if you go expecting some rain whilst you are there, you won’t be disappointed. It is not surprisingly the cheapest time to go during this season because the weather can be a little unpredictable (you pay a big premium for the Maldives November to March). Rain won’t spoil your holiday unless all you want to do is sunbathe the whole time and if that’s what you want, renting a trip to the Maldives in rainy season and go somewhere else. Because of the proximity to the equator, the sun is really intense especially when cloudy. We wore factor 50 the whole time and still burned a couple of times. Be careful especially with kids….
Mosquitoes
It’s a very big and jungly tropical island and the daily fumigation didn’t have the same effect on controlling the mossies as previous islands we visited. We all took antihistamines (chlorophenamine which is a generic piritin) from a week before we arrived and all the time we were there. We were all badly bitten (on a par with a trip to Kenya) but because we took the piritin they didn’t itch - they just looked horrific. The mossie sprays we bought with us didn’t work. We asked for mossie spray from the room guys and sprayed the room well every night before bed. Don’t let the thought of mossies spoil your holiday.
Food
The food was amazing. We absolutely loved it and couldn’t fault anything. We preferred Barabaru at brekkie as it was quieter and smaller but still had the same selection of food. Lunchtime paella with a glass of rose and the amazing cheesecake at Andalusia and the best sushi we have ever eaten at Arigato were our highlights for sure. The grilled steak and huge prawns at Wahoo were top notch. The Thai food at Takrai and Indian Food at Kurry leaf was authentic and delicious. Jungali was good for burgers, pizza and fast food but we only went there once. We only used the Tempo buffet for lunch twice and once for dinner as we preferred a la carte but the buffet had lots of choice and everything was fresh.
We booked restaurants before we arrived on the app as we wanted to try them all. We made a few changes on the app whilst we were there. If you really want to eat at a particular place book it ahead - some get really booked up (Wahoo for example was generally booked out at lunchtime a couple of days in advance). It’s a huge island with 400+ rooms and lots of people so you can’t always just rock up and expect to get in.
We loved orchid bar the best and went there most of the time. It was quieter than together and we had fun chatting to the bar staff. Mint was nice too though adults only.
ACTIVITIES
We did the complimentary sunset Dolphin cruise and were lucky to see 3 pods of dolphins. We also did the snorkel trip which was quite good but if you are happy to hold your breath and snorkel down to the house reefs on the island it might be a waste of time for you to do the trip. We had bikes for a few days and loved cycling round the island around 5pm when it got cooler. We had spa treatments and loved them - the treatment list, prices and facilities are on a par with some of the other 5* hotels I’ve stayed at around the world. We used the hotel snorkels and flippers that were free. We enjoyed the inflatable assault course (harder than it looks!) and stand up paddle boards/canoes which we’re also free. There are many other chargeable activities which were on the pricey side so we didn’t do any but some people we spoke to who did them said they were great.
The staff
The staff were what made our visit so special. They were incredible. They all smile, say hello, are kind and helpful – nothing seemed too much trouble and you could tell that all of them were happy in their job. The island is pristine, clean and amazingly well kept and credit should particularly go to the unsung heroes like the room guys and those who work so hard in the heat keeping the pathways clear, potholes filled (after the rain) and the jungle trimmed. They work so hard and are happy and cheerful. This is why we were so disgusted to see regular rudeness directed toward them from some guests. Yes people have all paid a lot of money to go to Siyam World but many people clearly left their manners at home or on the plane - if you need to complain you can still be respectful and polite. I was upset seeing large families be outrageously demanding in Arigato and watching the staff handle it so professionally when they must have been hurting inside. I was disappointed to see kids clicking their fingers at staff to get drinks whilst their parents watched on thinking it was acceptable. I was angry seeing a family drop plates on the floor when their table wasn’t cleared quickly enough (yes, really!). I felt deflated every time the cheerful charming bus drivers got a mouthful of abuse because they politely explained that he wasn’t going In a particular direction and to wait for the next buggy. My ten year old daughter learned some valuable lessons about how some people behave on this holiday and how we would never tolerate it in our family.
Here are some of the people who made our holiday awesome. Please look out for them.
LIL – our fabulous ambassador. We were so lucky to have her. She is very perceptive and quickly realised that we are quite a self sufficient family and didn’t need a lot. She would check in every day and say ‘haven’t heard from you. If you need anything please remember I’m here to help’. We only really needed her help a couple of times and she was very responsive and couldn’t do enough for us. And even when we didn’t need anything, she’d pop by to say hi or wave to us enthusiastically from her buggy as she whizzed around. She lives and breathes Siyam World in all she does and says in such a genuine and authentic way.
LUCKY – the charming singing buggy driver with his trademark sunglasses on. Hard to believe he has only been there a short time. He was so interesting to chat to and remembered a lot about things we’d told him so we always had something to talk to him about. We even found ourselves going the long way round to our room a few times so we could continue a conversation about rugby! All of the drivers were really great, but Lucky stood out as being a total pro with a great attitude and cheerful outlook.
NIKHIL & NA-AM IN ANDALUCIA – our paella lunches were so special and such fun. Na-am had the most wonderful dry sense of humour and really made us laugh out loud. And Nikhil was a really thoughtful and attentive waiter. Polite, knowledgeable and so friendly – he remembered our regular order of lunchtime food and drink which became a bit of a standing joke.
GOVIN IN TEMPO – Govin was the calmest and most smiley guy in a very busy restaurant. He rushed around with graceful elegance with a huge smile on his face and could not do enough for us. He really stood out amongst all the staff there.
THE BARTENDERS IN ORCHID – our favourite bar which we discovered on our third day and didn’t really drink anywhere else after that.
- NICK is a total legend. Hard to believe he’s been on the island a month! He was so funny and genuinely led us to believe he was from Glasgow (he’s actually Sri Lankan!). He has a great rapport with all the guests and we really enjoyed hanging out at the bar chatting to him whilst he made drinks. Our daughter loved his jokes and silly stories and his cheeky sense of humour – and all the accents he could do! He went out of his way to get Oreo’s to make a milkshake for our daughter when she said they were her favourite.
- JAI.JV was also great. Super friendly and made great drinks and always remembered what we wanted even before we ordered it. We always got a really warm welcome from him
- SARVESH – went above and beyond to help us located my husband’s lost phone and made us some fantastic cocktails.
- PARAS – a really knowledgeable bar tender who knew so much about so many types of drinks. My husband and I worked in the spirits industry for many years and we had a great chat with Paras about Gin and Whisky. He’s a superstar in the making for sure….
RICHARD IN TAKRAI – we really enjoyed talking to Richard about how the island had been developed and what some of the future plans are. He could not speak more highly of working at Siyam World and was a brilliant ambassador for the resort
CHOTU IN TAKRAI – he kept our drinks topped up with a smile and was a lovely chap
PRINCE IN BARABAARU – what a helpful and smiley guy. Nothing was too much trouble.
CHAI IN WAHOO – what a wonderful chap. So friendly and greeted us like long lost friends every time we saw him.
NIHAO – with a title of Chief Happiness Officer he has a lot resting on his shoulders with over a thousand guests on the island! He was the ultimate professional and every time he saw us would make a point of asking how we were getting on and if we had enjoyed our holiday.
PRAKASH – our room guy in room 706. He’s a treasure. Our house was immaculate and he made so much effort from the bed art, the little notes and getting us mosquito spray when he could see how bitten we’d been. Quiet but perceptive and he was another great example of someone who never stopped smiling.
JUDY In the spa was the perfect welcoming host. She had a big beaming smile and a lovely manner. I really enjoyed chatting with her. And HENI (who I believe is also quite new) did the most fantastic massage which really helped get some bad knots out of my stiff back. I felt ten feet tall afterwards. The spa was absolutely beautiful and worth a visit to treat yourself
And last but not least. Our wonderful friends at ARIGATO. By the end of the holiday, they felt like family!
- HERMES JR. GARCIA is a very talented chef and a really lovely guy. For lunch and dinner, he chose us some of his favourite dishes which was a lovely surprise. The food was some of the best we’ve ever eaten
- RENU who was our favourite waitress of the whole trip. She had a wonderful air of calm and kindness about her. She is intelligent, knowledgeable and provides a service that went above and beyond. Perceptive, pre-emptive and so thoughtful – on a number of occasions she decorated the table with lovely messages. She was so kind to our daughter too.
- AHMED, RAHUL AND SUDHA were the perfect guys to work alongside Renu. They made a brilliant team. Their smiles and enthusiasm were infectious and we loved seeing them for breakfast at Arigato during our time in the Beach House Collection
IN SUMMARY
You can always judge a holiday by whether you’d go back not by whether it is 5* or 4* or whether drinks were slow to be served or spa treatments were expensive. And we would return in a heartbeat. For the first time in my life (and I’ve travelled extensively) I had tears in my eyes as we left the island. It may have had a few small teething troubles having been open less than 9 months but nothing that would spoil our holiday. The staff and food were particularly brilliant. Don’t read and internalise all the negative reviews. Perfection is hard to find even on an expensive holiday so be kind if there are a few hiccups as the island is still very new
