Naladhu Private Island personifies luxury, warmth, attention to detail and more. Our holiday in this private but easily accessible resort has left an awe-inspiring experience and beautiful memories that my family will cherish for a very long time. Having been looked after nothing short of royalty throughout the 6 nights we were there, I felt it was the least I could do by writing a detailed feedback about our stay. I hope whoever plans to visit Maldives will find this review extremely useful in choosing Naladhu. It's worth it.
To put things in perspective, I travelled to Maldives from London during the February half term holidays. I was accompanied by my wife and two children aged 11 and 4. Weather-wise it is the best time to visit Maldives before the rainy season begins.
Travel to Resort – Naladhu had a well air-conditioned and equipped yacht waiting for us to be picked from Male airport. Their service started as soon as we were on the yacht by offering us drinks and cool towels which was extremely refreshing after a long journey. The ride to the resort was about 40 mins from the airport. Those who suffer from motion sickness can be rest assured the trip is short enough to avoid any sickness. Moreover, the crew constantly checked our well-being throughout the ride.
Villa and Facilities - We stayed at the Ocean House with Pool and Private Beach Cabana number 7. It comes well equipped with an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, his and hers bathroom, outdoor and indoor showers, and freestanding bathtub. It is worth noting that all the villas have been through a complete makeover last year by a leading interior designer. The new look is very contemporary, spacious, airy and has the most breath-taking panoramic views of the ocean. Nothing comes in the way of views between you and the ocean apart from corals which are visible during low tides. Although the ocean side is not accessible for swimming due to strong waves and corals, my wife and I spent hours during the day taking in the most beautiful views of the ocean especially the majestic sunrises every morning. We even saw some visitors swimming close to the villa like white tipped reed sharks, crabs, and a variety of colourful fish. The private beach cabana is only 5 mins walk from the villa and is equipped with everything you need at the beach like beach towels, drinking water and snorkeling gear. The island also has kayaks which we thoroughly enjoyed using. The island also has a larger public pool and gym with TechnoGym equipment.
Staff - Naladhu provides a butler service throughout your stay. The Kuwaanu (butler) takes care of all your needs. We were fortunate to have two Kuwaanus during our stay named Aslam and Sulvaan. My family became so close to them that we really felt sad to leave them. Apart from them, special mention of Shaaz and all staff who made our stay extra special.
Dining - We chose full board option so that we could have the option of trying different cuisines during our stay. Wow! were we not disappointed. Naladhu has the 'Living Room' restaurant which has a no-menu concept meaning you can order anything you like. Chef Raj and his team will turn those culinary delights into reality. Chef Raj personally came several times to check on our food and always asked what we liked to have the next day. The quality of food can also be said about the other restaurants available in the sister islands Dhigu and Veli. We had meals at the Aqua Bar (Pub food), Baan Huraa (Thai), Fushi Cafe (Buffet), Origami (Japanese), Sea.Fire.Salt (Grill) and 73 Degrees (Italian). Each of those restaurants had a unique menu that was a delight to our taste buds. I'd recommend booking the Teppanyaki live experience in Origami in advance as it is most sought after. All restaurants cater to vegetarians and vegans. The best part is the chefs were happy to customize non-veg dishes to cater to vegetarian requirements.
Cleanliness and Covid Safety - As we live in unprecedented times, cleanliness, hygiene and covid safety were always on our minds. Naladhu’s record is top notch in this regard. All staff wore masks throughout our stay. Rooms were cleaned and disinfected twice a day. Towels were also changed every day.
Lagoon - The lagoon is shared with the sister islands Dhigu and Veli. However, it's so large that there is no way you are going to bump into anyone from either island let alone from Naladhu. It almost felt like our own private beach. There are a few coral reefs that can be explored within the lagoon. We were amazed to find a turtle and a variety of fish.
Activities - During our stay we booked the Glass Bottom Boat Trip, Shark Snorkeling and Dolphin Sunset Cruise apart from many other activities available. All three were amazing experiences. The Glass bottom boat trip was great for kids so they could see the coral reefs and fish up to 40 feet below. The Shark Snorkeling was a lifetime experience where you swim with Nurse sharks that are the most innocent of its kind. There is far greater risk in humans hurting them rather than the other way around. The Dolphin Sunset Cruise was a surreal experience especially when you get to see Dolphins’ swimming and playing in their natural habitat and of course the gorgeous sunset.
Surprise - Having been spoilt throughout the holiday, the Naladhu team had a surprise for us on the last day. Whilst the usual checkout time is 12pm, our flight back to UK was late at night. Rather than checking us out, the Naladhu team moved us to their flagship Two Bedroom Residence which is the most luxurious 600sqm property I have ever seen. We were allowed to use all the facilities in the villa until it was time to leave for the airport. I've added some photos of the stunning property. Sulvaan even gifted us with a photo of our family when we first arrived on the island, special cookies that my kids relished and baggage tags with our names on it. A heart-warming gesture!
Travel Representative – Naladhu had a travel representative waiting for us at Male airport navigating us and our luggage through the endless queues. The representative stayed with us until we made it to immigration.
As you can see this resort takes care of the finest of details. Overall, this has been the most memorable holiday I’ve ever been. Usually when I go on a holiday, by the end of it, I can't wait to come home. This definitely wasn't like that. Naladhu felt like home away from home and its staff became more like family. We can't wait to visit them again in the not-so-distant future.
