Pros: There were a number of things that we especially liked:
1. Attention to detail - prior to our arrival, we received a detailed preference questionnaire, which massively aided in customizing our stay to our needs. We were traveling with an infant, and accordingly we had extensive equipment and dietary requirements. The room was fully equipped with all essential equipment (baby monitor, sterilizer, bottle warmer, changing table, bathing tub, etc.) and it truly felt that we never left home. Moreover, our Khateeb (i.e., personal assistant), Mariam, went out of her way to ensure that our requirements (especially out baby's dietary requirements) were met throughout our stay.
2. Dining experience - we were worried about the cuisine variety and food quality prior to our stay. We were on a half-board meal plan, and were massively pleased with our choice. The breakfast was a mixture of buffet and a la carte, which was diverse, delicious, and satisfying. For dinner, the resort rotates which restaurants are open each given night, which allowed us to try all the cuisines on offer. The food at all the restaurants was amazing, however we especially loved Feeling Koi (we ended up dining there twice during our stay). The half board plan allowed us to select practically any item from the menus (a nominal charge was imposed on certain premium dishes).
3. Room - we stayed at the Reef Villa, and we were not disappointed with our selection. The villa is directly situated over the island's reef, which allowed us to snorkel at our convenience. Our snorkeling experience was always enjoyable, but our highlight was spotting black tip sharks on a number of occasions. We were even lucky to spot them a couple of times while out of water.
Cons: We thought that all services offered by the resort were adequately priced. However, the pricing of the photography services was ridiculous (even for a premium resort). All guests are offered a complimentary 30-minute photoshoot, after which they can receive one free printed picture. The charge for 5 and 10 digital copies is $200, and $300, respectively. Unfortunately, as our photoshoot was one day before our departure, we did not have a chance to select the free printed picture. Instead we were promised a complimentary digital picture, which we are yet to receive as at the date of writing. The resort noted that the photography services are outsourced to a 3rd party, accordingly they have no control over pricing. We find it hard that the resort has no influence on a 3rd party that it has specifically selected. We thought that the entire matter reflected very poorly on the resort, especially when considering how well they handled everything else during our stay
The seaplane transfer was pretty convenient for the most part. However, if you are traveling with infants, this experience could be tiring due to the following:
1. It gets pretty loud inside the cabin, so young travelers will have to wear earmuffs (we brought our own with us, but the operator also provided us with a very good set). It was difficult keeping the earmuffs on our baby for the duration of the trip.
2. While the plane is stationary, it got pretty hot inside the cabin. While it is tolerable for adults, it got a bit uncomfortable for our baby.
3. Our inbound and outbound flights made stops along the way, which exacerbated the issues mentioned above.
If you traveling without any infants all the issues mentioned above are tolerable.
