Relaxing and rejuvenating holidays are in a Bandos resort. The resort is located on an area of more than one hectare of palm-shaped white sand, corals, and reef. The complex has 117 rooms with air conditioning, TV, mini-bar, telephone, safe (at the reception), swimming pool, and Jacuzzi. The medical staff is equipped to take care of your health. From flowers and desk cards to the drinks menu and room service – you will be 100% satisfied!
Bandos has in total 215 rooms. Here you can find Standard Rooms, Deluxe Rooms, Garden Villas, Jacuzzi Beach Villas, Jacuzzi Pool Villa, and Water Villas.
At Bandos Maldives, our resort’s philosophy is based on the concept of comfort and it can be seen in our spacious and airy dining venues. From the bar menu to the high-quality buffet dining, everything is designed especially for you. Bandos Maldives provides its guests with five restaurants, a pool bar, and 24-hour in-room dining. In the water, you’ll find an on-site "gourmet" restaurant, overlooking expansive Indian Ocean views
The house reef adjacent to the resort is home to a great variety of tropical fish. The nearby bays and atolls hold many sites to keep divers busy for days, including historical wreck sites and coral caves brimming with marine life.
Orchid Spa is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing massage and experience a renewal of body and mind. All of our therapists are trained in various massage techniques that relieve muscle tension, improve circulation and aid in other wellness treatments. Our staff is dedicated to providing our guests with the ultimate spa experience while on retreat.
The island can be reached by speed boat from Velana Airport in a 20-minute ride.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the Gallery Restaurant during meal times. Meals from other outlets will be at an extra charge.
Non-carbonated bottled water is served at all Food & Beverage outlets.
Regular tea and coffee (hot/cold) are served at Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
Soft drinks and canned fruit juices are served at the Sand Bar, Pool Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Fresh fruit juice will be at an extra charge.
House wine is served at the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of wine and all sparkling wine are chargeable.
Draught beer is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
House spirit (gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey) is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of spirits are available at an extra charge.
Select cocktails and mocktails are available from the Sand Bar and Huvan.
Select sparkling wine is served by the glass at the Sand Bar and Huvan
Daily tea, coffee and snacks, served on display, are available from Sea Breeze Café from 1530hrs – 1700hrs.
All drinks are served one glass at a time.
Sand Bar options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:30hrs daily.
Pool Bar options are available from 10:00hrs – 20:00hrs daily.
Huvan options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:00hrs daily.
Windsurfing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Canoeing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Table tennis and billiards are included in the package, along with equipment.
Gymnasium, fitness center, spinning, step classes, steam room, and sauna are included.
Daylight tennis facilities with equipment are available.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the Gallery Restaurant during meal times. Meals from other outlets will be at an extra charge.
Non-carbonated bottled water is served at all Food & Beverage outlets.
Regular tea and coffee (hot/cold) are served at Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
Soft drinks and canned fruit juices are served at the Sand Bar, Pool Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Fresh fruit juice will be at an extra charge.
House wine is served at the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of wine and all sparkling wine are chargeable.
Draught beer is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
House spirit (gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey) is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of spirits are available at an extra charge.
Select cocktails and mocktails are available from the Sand Bar and Huvan.
Select sparkling wine is served by the glass at the Sand Bar and Huvan
Daily tea, coffee and snacks, served on display, are available from Sea Breeze Café from 1530hrs – 1700hrs.
All drinks are served one glass at a time.
Sand Bar options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:30hrs daily.
Pool Bar options are available from 10:00hrs – 20:00hrs daily.
Huvan options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:00hrs daily.
Windsurfing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Canoeing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Table tennis and billiards are included in the package, along with equipment.
Gymnasium, fitness center, spinning, step classes, steam room, and sauna are included.
Daylight tennis facilities with equipment are available.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the Gallery Restaurant during meal times. Meals from other outlets will be at an extra charge.
Non-carbonated bottled water is served at all Food & Beverage outlets.
Regular tea and coffee (hot/cold) are served at Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
Soft drinks and canned fruit juices are served at the Sand Bar, Pool Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Fresh fruit juice will be at an extra charge.
House wine is served at the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of wine and all sparkling wine are chargeable.
Draught beer is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
House spirit (gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey) is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of spirits are available at an extra charge.
Select cocktails and mocktails are available from the Sand Bar and Huvan.
Select sparkling wine is served by the glass at the Sand Bar and Huvan
Daily tea, coffee and snacks, served on display, are available from Sea Breeze Café from 1530hrs – 1700hrs.
All drinks are served one glass at a time.
Sand Bar options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:30hrs daily.
Pool Bar options are available from 10:00hrs – 20:00hrs daily.
Huvan options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:00hrs daily.
Windsurfing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Canoeing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Table tennis and billiards are included in the package, along with equipment.
Gymnasium, fitness center, spinning, step classes, steam room, and sauna are included.
Daylight tennis facilities with equipment are available.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the Gallery Restaurant during meal times. Meals from other outlets will be at an extra charge.
Non-carbonated bottled water is served at all Food & Beverage outlets.
Regular tea and coffee (hot/cold) are served at Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
Soft drinks and canned fruit juices are served at the Sand Bar, Pool Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Fresh fruit juice will be at an extra charge.
House wine is served at the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of wine and all sparkling wine are chargeable.
Draught beer is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
House spirit (gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey) is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of spirits are available at an extra charge.
Select cocktails and mocktails are available from the Sand Bar and Huvan.
Select sparkling wine is served by the glass at the Sand Bar and Huvan
Daily tea, coffee and snacks, served on display, are available from Sea Breeze Café from 1530hrs – 1700hrs.
All drinks are served one glass at a time.
Sand Bar options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:30hrs daily.
Pool Bar options are available from 10:00hrs – 20:00hrs daily.
Huvan options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:00hrs daily.
Windsurfing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Canoeing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Table tennis and billiards are included in the package, along with equipment.
Gymnasium, fitness center, spinning, step classes, steam room, and sauna are included.
Daylight tennis facilities with equipment are available.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the Gallery Restaurant during meal times. Meals from other outlets will be at an extra charge.
Non-carbonated bottled water is served at all Food & Beverage outlets.
Regular tea and coffee (hot/cold) are served at Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
Soft drinks and canned fruit juices are served at the Sand Bar, Pool Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Fresh fruit juice will be at an extra charge.
House wine is served at the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of wine and all sparkling wine are chargeable.
Draught beer is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
House spirit (gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey) is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of spirits are available at an extra charge.
Select cocktails and mocktails are available from the Sand Bar and Huvan.
Select sparkling wine is served by the glass at the Sand Bar and Huvan
Daily tea, coffee and snacks, served on display, are available from Sea Breeze Café from 1530hrs – 1700hrs.
All drinks are served one glass at a time.
Sand Bar options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:30hrs daily.
Pool Bar options are available from 10:00hrs – 20:00hrs daily.
Huvan options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:00hrs daily.
Windsurfing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Canoeing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Table tennis and billiards are included in the package, along with equipment.
Gymnasium, fitness center, spinning, step classes, steam room, and sauna are included.
Daylight tennis facilities with equipment are available.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the Gallery Restaurant during meal times. Meals from other outlets will be at an extra charge.
Non-carbonated bottled water is served at all Food & Beverage outlets.
Regular tea and coffee (hot/cold) are served at Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
Soft drinks and canned fruit juices are served at the Sand Bar, Pool Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Fresh fruit juice will be at an extra charge.
House wine is served at the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of wine and all sparkling wine are chargeable.
Draught beer is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan, and Gallery Restaurant.
House spirit (gin, vodka, rum, and whiskey) is available from the Sand Bar, Huvan and Gallery Restaurant. Premium brands of spirits are available at an extra charge.
Select cocktails and mocktails are available from the Sand Bar and Huvan.
Select sparkling wine is served by the glass at the Sand Bar and Huvan
Daily tea, coffee and snacks, served on display, are available from Sea Breeze Café from 1530hrs – 1700hrs.
All drinks are served one glass at a time.
Sand Bar options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:30hrs daily.
Pool Bar options are available from 10:00hrs – 20:00hrs daily.
Huvan options are available from 07:00hrs – 00:00hrs daily.
Windsurfing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Canoeing: maximum 02hours per person per day
Table tennis and billiards are included in the package, along with equipment.
Gymnasium, fitness center, spinning, step classes, steam room, and sauna are included.
Daylight tennis facilities with equipment are available.
The Gallery. At The Gallery, guests can expect a variety of delicious dishes at the main restaurant. Serving up elaborate buffet-style dining with a wide choice of dishes, guests can relax knowing that all tastes are catered for them. Featuring three spacious halls open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, guests can enjoy the boisterous atmosphere here.
Grill bar. On the Grill Bar, seafood and meat are grilled to your liking over a real wood fire, then served with a homemade sauce of your choice. Guests can dine indoors or outdoors on the over-the-water deck, which offers cool views of the sea.
Sea Breaze. This inviting open-air restaurant invites you to enjoy the wrap-around over-water deck, indulge in a tropical cocktail and succulent seafood fresh from the lagoon. Open for lunch and dinner, this restaurant offers a variety of delectable offerings including seafood and burgers with chips in a bistro-style ambiance that makes you feel as if you are on vacation.
Umi Yaki. An open-air restaurant by the sea, Umi Yaki will let you enjoy the beautiful sunset on your dinner. You’re sitting around a teppan (hot plate) and watching how the chefs skillfully cook your food in front of you. The teppan seats 12 people ideally, so you could even go with a big group of friends and family.
Huvan. Sitting on the ocean’s edge on a secluded island in the Maldives, Huvan is the best place to enjoy breathtaking sunsets. With its exclusive location and chic interiors, it offers an idyllic break from an adventurous holiday.
Bars
Sand Bar. This dream island bar has it all. It’s designed with fun in mind, to offer a wonderful time with karaoke facilities and live band or discotheque evenings. The bar comes in a beautiful varnish finish, is easy to put together and will give you great satisfaction as every sip is enjoyed under the night sky with your own tropical nightlife!
Pool bar. The pool bar where the playful guests are playing is located in the midst of the resort’s paradise-like surroundings. Some exotic cocktails and special tropical fruits await you there.
Transfer
Speedboat transfer takes 10 minutes from Velana International Airport.
Reviews
4034 reviews
Rating Summary
Location
Sleep Quality
Rooms
Service
Value
Cleanliness
Rating Summary
Terrible
81
Poor
102
Average
325
Very good
1151
Exellent
2375
viviensly
Dive with Ease
We were there for our diving course, amazing dive centre with many professionals dive instructors and course directors. This PADI dive centre is no ordinary dive centre, this is an PADI Instructor Development Centre. Their standard is high, shame the price seems to be too reasonable for their dive sites and service.
Just their house reef, it offers different type of sharks, rays & much more marine life. However, if your amateur divers that cannot handle independent diving, please spend that extra private guide. I am sure your life is worth more than the couple hundred dollar (US).
The chamber and dive medical is on the island and 2 mins walk from the dive centre.
Amazing restaurant (sea breeze); always greeted by 2 beautiful hosts (always smiling and ready to assists). It was a shame Sunday was Maldivian night for dinner, we were looking for more international food (could and should have booked for other 2 restaurants- Japanese and Grill)
Check out is non-negotiable, must be 12:00, regardless whether you have spa or request for late check out (fee applies, if you like for late check out option). Reception lounge is not so comfortable, when u have to wait more than 30mins for exit.
Love the spa. We did 60mins + 60mins for myself and 90mins for my husband. Love the 2 ladies. If we were there longer, would have done spa daily. Reasonable price for the amazing service.
Speedboat ride to airport only take like 10mins (love it).
Maryam73_Toronto
Great Resort to Stay
The Bandos Resort is a stunning destination. Surrounded by a serene lagoon, it's a true paradise for snorkelling and diving enthusiasts. The 360-degree lagoon and beautiful beaches offer a sense of privacy and exclusivity to guests staying in the villas.
The resort's buffet serves good-quality food, and I highly recommend opting for the “Full Board” option over a la carte. The staff are friendly and attentive to guests' needs.
My only negative feedback:
I noticed that a few peacocks were being kept in small cages. I raised my concerns with the staff and wrote an email to the management; the response was that the birds were adopted and well-cared for, with the freedom to roam a few hours outside their cages.
My observation was that the living space for the peacocks was far too small even to stretch their wings.
Additionally, I made it a point to check the designated area every day at different times, but I never saw the peacocks outside their cages.
As an animal lover, I strongly believe that these beautiful birds deserve a better living situation than being kept in captivity. I hope that the resort will take prompt action to improve the living conditions of the peacocks and provide them with a more spacious and comfortable environment to thrive.
TrevorT-Bone
Ticked all my box's
We arrived 8am to attend the diving training program for instructors. To further our development in the scuba industry.
Booking in was swift and neat you may read that some guests complain. first off all relax the booking in area is very comfortable and chilling.
Welcome drink with a towel.
We went straight to the dive center to start our courses and our luggage to the room later.
After our courses we found our room.
The entrance was well lit.
The lounge area was spacious for 4 persons
Sleeping area a king size bed four poster hard mattress with a choice of pillows. Suburb night's sleep.
TV. Kettle. Fridge. All provided.
The bathroom was bigger than most not cramped at all. With a shower area to fit 4. (Water pressure could be improved). A bath, a hair dryer. Very nice.
The evening meal is a buffet style along with breakfast and lunch. The variety of selection is adequate. Other restaurants available for additional charge.
The resort provides the perfect environment for training dive instructors, with in house accommodation, class rooms. Boardroom for lesson planning. The dive center is an impeccably run machine every thing in its place and spacious, clean and tidy. The Equipment space has been thought out perfectly. All staff are friendly and courteous and greet you proffesionly. Spa to end our trip off was just amazing the therapist streached my body where my knees and elbows have never been before. Just amazing. Well done girls.
Yes there are other resorts but you pay alot more to get this type of comfort.
Advise do your homework before booking ask questions before you arrive for clarity. A marvelous short break.
mswshel
We left our hearts on Bandos! We couldn’t have got better if we’d gone 5*!
This was our second time to Bandos, the first time being 25 years ago for our honeymoon. We decided to return to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary and to make it even more special, we renewed our Wedding Vows. We travelled with British Airways Holidays as this was the only airline that flew direct to Male. It was more expensive to do the holiday that way, but for someone who doesn’t enjoy flying, it was best for us. Bandos is only 15-20 mins away from Male; we found the island representative in the arrivals area at the airport and after a short wait for other passengers to arrive, we were led to their waiting large speedboat, to take us to Bandos. We were lucky to see a family of dolphins on our journey across the ocean and the pilot of the boat, slowed and stopped the boat so we could take in the beautiful sight of the dolphins against the turquoise blue waters. On arrival to the island, we were led to a reception area and offered cold drinks and warm cleansing cloths to freshen up. After a 10hr+ journey, this was very much appreciated. After a short wait, we were taken to our accommodation by a motorised buggy and our luggage followed shortly behind. We actually got to our room earlier than anticipated as the accommodation was available for us; in theory we should’ve waited 4 hours but we’re kindly allowed to go in early.
We booked all inclusive and chose to stay in a Beach Villa for our 9 nights on the island. The accommodation was perfect for our needs; positioned right next to the beach with less than a minute or two to get where we wanted to be. Our accommodation was fairly close to the Huvan, a restaurant/bar that was positioned above the ocean on a walkway jetty. We drank plenty of cocktails from here while watching fish swimming around in the waters below. The position of Huvan was on the west side of the island and gave some beautiful sunsets in the evenings.
Our Accommodation was relatively new, very modern with huge king size bed and sofa, tea and coffee making facilities, mini bar etc. hairdryer, and a bathroom that was huge! The bathroom is attached to the accommodation, but is part exposed to the outside ( has no ceiling above the shower)… all open air! Our swimwear dried very quickly in the bathroom after wearing and rinsing!
Bandos is a very clean island, and there were many staff on the island always tending to areas on the island, cleaning, tending to plants, sweeping, sorting vegetation etc. The island is somewhat self sustaining and grows vegetables, fruits, rears chickens/ eggs etc. The staff are so helpful and just can’t do enough for you; nothing is too much trouble and they will go out of their way to be helpful in whatever you need. Even though it was the holy month of Ramadan and some staff often were working without eating until after sunset, this never stopped them from smiling and continuing with their normal working activities. The staff are a credit to this island. We could not have got better if we had paid more for a five star island; in our eyes, this lovely island had gone from 4 star to 5 stars in the 25 years since we’d been there! So many changes that were positive, 3 restaurants to now choose from ( previously only 1), an entertainments/ bar area which had a program of changing entertainment throughout the week, a lovely large outside swimming pool with swim up bar, which served some wonderful drinks/cocktails or tea if you preferred!
Highlights to our holiday were watching small sharks and stingrays in the evening near the Seabreeze Cafe; just amazing to watch these swim right up to the jetty and await food that was often given to them in the evening.
We renewed our wedding vows 2 days after arriving on the island, on our actual 25th wedding anniversary. We had emailed in advance of the holiday to ask and explain of our intention to do this and on arrival, after an initial chat and a few smaller chats, everything was taken care of by the management and Bandos staff. They arranged for our wedding attire to be picked up and ironed, arranged for me to have wedding makeup and hair done; picked me up and took me to Orchid Spa for these to be done. They picked up my Hubby and brought him to meet me ready for the ceremony. They arranged for a photographer to capture photos of our afternoon/ evening and special day. We had the ceremony on a beautiful part of the beach, where we later cut cake, and celebrated with champagne and our wedding meal. We also were taken for a short trip around the bay on a boat, for more photo opportunities. It was a perfect day! We received the digital photos prior to leaving the island; was lovely to look at them on the plane home!
The food on the island was superb, catered for all needs. For us, there was a great buffet selection of different meat or fish dishes, pastas, vegetables, salads, breads, soups, great breakfast selections from cooked breakfasts, different breads, pastries, fruit, and a wonderful selection of desserts from mini cakes, Ice cream to puddings… just couldn’t fault choices available at every meal time!
We were blessed with great weather during our stay but if we hadn’t, we would’ve made even more use of the indoor air conditioned gym or games area. The badminton court was not air conditioned, so we only managed 15 mins in there after an hour in a cool gym! But was great nonetheless.
As it was Easter, the island was quite busy. It was quieter in the first few days we arrived but soon became busier and more families arrived. We would’ve loved an area of the island to be adult only; working in Education, it’s nice to have the chance to escape children, but if there were more families around, you could always walk elsewhere.
We loved our stay, and can’t wait to return again one day. Thankyou to all of the Bandos staff, Amar, Petru in the pool and sandbar, the lovely ladies that greeted us in the Gallery restaurant ( 159!) , the wonderful guy in the sea breeze cafe ( whose name we’ve forgotten so sorry, but had s pointy beard and was always smiling!) and the lovely guy in the orchid spa, who did a wonderful job making me feel a million dollars on our Special day… thank you to you all!
PoojaMani
Wonderful Bandos!
We stayed here for 3 nights and loved every bit of it. Our main reason for choosing this this resort was its proximity to Male airport, which is just 10 minute boat ride from Male airport. Even though check-in was a bit slow, rest everything was ok. The island is well maintained, beaches clean with crystal clear water. The room was good, found it well maintained. The food was good in all the restaurants, and staff were super helpful, always ready to help. Overall a great experience.
09.05.2023
viviensly
Dive with Ease
We were there for our diving course, amazing dive centre with many professionals dive instructors and course directors. This PADI dive centre is no ordinary dive centre, this is an PADI Instructor Development Centre. Their standard is high, shame the price seems to be too reasonable for their dive sites and service.
Just their house reef, it offers different type of sharks, rays & much more marine life. However, if your amateur divers that cannot handle independent diving, please spend that extra private guide. I am sure your life is worth more than the couple hundred dollar (US).
The chamber and dive medical is on the island and 2 mins walk from the dive centre.
Amazing restaurant (sea breeze); always greeted by 2 beautiful hosts (always smiling and ready to assists). It was a shame Sunday was Maldivian night for dinner, we were looking for more international food (could and should have booked for other 2 restaurants- Japanese and Grill)
Check out is non-negotiable, must be 12:00, regardless whether you have spa or request for late check out (fee applies, if you like for late check out option). Reception lounge is not so comfortable, when u have to wait more than 30mins for exit.
Love the spa. We did 60mins + 60mins for myself and 90mins for my husband. Love the 2 ladies. If we were there longer, would have done spa daily. Reasonable price for the amazing service.
Speedboat ride to airport only take like 10mins (love it).
08.05.2023
Maryam73_Toronto
Great Resort to Stay
The Bandos Resort is a stunning destination. Surrounded by a serene lagoon, it's a true paradise for snorkelling and diving enthusiasts. The 360-degree lagoon and beautiful beaches offer a sense of privacy and exclusivity to guests staying in the villas.
The resort's buffet serves good-quality food, and I highly recommend opting for the “Full Board” option over a la carte. The staff are friendly and attentive to guests' needs.
My only negative feedback:
I noticed that a few peacocks were being kept in small cages. I raised my concerns with the staff and wrote an email to the management; the response was that the birds were adopted and well-cared for, with the freedom to roam a few hours outside their cages.
My observation was that the living space for the peacocks was far too small even to stretch their wings.
Additionally, I made it a point to check the designated area every day at different times, but I never saw the peacocks outside their cages.
As an animal lover, I strongly believe that these beautiful birds deserve a better living situation than being kept in captivity. I hope that the resort will take prompt action to improve the living conditions of the peacocks and provide them with a more spacious and comfortable environment to thrive.
08.05.2023
TrevorT-Bone
Ticked all my box's
We arrived 8am to attend the diving training program for instructors. To further our development in the scuba industry.
Booking in was swift and neat you may read that some guests complain. first off all relax the booking in area is very comfortable and chilling.
Welcome drink with a towel.
We went straight to the dive center to start our courses and our luggage to the room later.
After our courses we found our room.
The entrance was well lit.
The lounge area was spacious for 4 persons
Sleeping area a king size bed four poster hard mattress with a choice of pillows. Suburb night's sleep.
TV. Kettle. Fridge. All provided.
The bathroom was bigger than most not cramped at all. With a shower area to fit 4. (Water pressure could be improved). A bath, a hair dryer. Very nice.
The evening meal is a buffet style along with breakfast and lunch. The variety of selection is adequate. Other restaurants available for additional charge.
The resort provides the perfect environment for training dive instructors, with in house accommodation, class rooms. Boardroom for lesson planning. The dive center is an impeccably run machine every thing in its place and spacious, clean and tidy. The Equipment space has been thought out perfectly. All staff are friendly and courteous and greet you proffesionly. Spa to end our trip off was just amazing the therapist streached my body where my knees and elbows have never been before. Just amazing. Well done girls.
Yes there are other resorts but you pay alot more to get this type of comfort.
Advise do your homework before booking ask questions before you arrive for clarity. A marvelous short break.
06.05.2023
mswshel
We left our hearts on Bandos! We couldn’t have got better if we’d gone 5*!
This was our second time to Bandos, the first time being 25 years ago for our honeymoon. We decided to return to celebrate our 25th Wedding Anniversary and to make it even more special, we renewed our Wedding Vows. We travelled with British Airways Holidays as this was the only airline that flew direct to Male. It was more expensive to do the holiday that way, but for someone who doesn’t enjoy flying, it was best for us. Bandos is only 15-20 mins away from Male; we found the island representative in the arrivals area at the airport and after a short wait for other passengers to arrive, we were led to their waiting large speedboat, to take us to Bandos. We were lucky to see a family of dolphins on our journey across the ocean and the pilot of the boat, slowed and stopped the boat so we could take in the beautiful sight of the dolphins against the turquoise blue waters. On arrival to the island, we were led to a reception area and offered cold drinks and warm cleansing cloths to freshen up. After a 10hr+ journey, this was very much appreciated. After a short wait, we were taken to our accommodation by a motorised buggy and our luggage followed shortly behind. We actually got to our room earlier than anticipated as the accommodation was available for us; in theory we should’ve waited 4 hours but we’re kindly allowed to go in early.
We booked all inclusive and chose to stay in a Beach Villa for our 9 nights on the island. The accommodation was perfect for our needs; positioned right next to the beach with less than a minute or two to get where we wanted to be. Our accommodation was fairly close to the Huvan, a restaurant/bar that was positioned above the ocean on a walkway jetty. We drank plenty of cocktails from here while watching fish swimming around in the waters below. The position of Huvan was on the west side of the island and gave some beautiful sunsets in the evenings.
Our Accommodation was relatively new, very modern with huge king size bed and sofa, tea and coffee making facilities, mini bar etc. hairdryer, and a bathroom that was huge! The bathroom is attached to the accommodation, but is part exposed to the outside ( has no ceiling above the shower)… all open air! Our swimwear dried very quickly in the bathroom after wearing and rinsing!
Bandos is a very clean island, and there were many staff on the island always tending to areas on the island, cleaning, tending to plants, sweeping, sorting vegetation etc. The island is somewhat self sustaining and grows vegetables, fruits, rears chickens/ eggs etc. The staff are so helpful and just can’t do enough for you; nothing is too much trouble and they will go out of their way to be helpful in whatever you need. Even though it was the holy month of Ramadan and some staff often were working without eating until after sunset, this never stopped them from smiling and continuing with their normal working activities. The staff are a credit to this island. We could not have got better if we had paid more for a five star island; in our eyes, this lovely island had gone from 4 star to 5 stars in the 25 years since we’d been there! So many changes that were positive, 3 restaurants to now choose from ( previously only 1), an entertainments/ bar area which had a program of changing entertainment throughout the week, a lovely large outside swimming pool with swim up bar, which served some wonderful drinks/cocktails or tea if you preferred!
Highlights to our holiday were watching small sharks and stingrays in the evening near the Seabreeze Cafe; just amazing to watch these swim right up to the jetty and await food that was often given to them in the evening.
We renewed our wedding vows 2 days after arriving on the island, on our actual 25th wedding anniversary. We had emailed in advance of the holiday to ask and explain of our intention to do this and on arrival, after an initial chat and a few smaller chats, everything was taken care of by the management and Bandos staff. They arranged for our wedding attire to be picked up and ironed, arranged for me to have wedding makeup and hair done; picked me up and took me to Orchid Spa for these to be done. They picked up my Hubby and brought him to meet me ready for the ceremony. They arranged for a photographer to capture photos of our afternoon/ evening and special day. We had the ceremony on a beautiful part of the beach, where we later cut cake, and celebrated with champagne and our wedding meal. We also were taken for a short trip around the bay on a boat, for more photo opportunities. It was a perfect day! We received the digital photos prior to leaving the island; was lovely to look at them on the plane home!
The food on the island was superb, catered for all needs. For us, there was a great buffet selection of different meat or fish dishes, pastas, vegetables, salads, breads, soups, great breakfast selections from cooked breakfasts, different breads, pastries, fruit, and a wonderful selection of desserts from mini cakes, Ice cream to puddings… just couldn’t fault choices available at every meal time!
We were blessed with great weather during our stay but if we hadn’t, we would’ve made even more use of the indoor air conditioned gym or games area. The badminton court was not air conditioned, so we only managed 15 mins in there after an hour in a cool gym! But was great nonetheless.
As it was Easter, the island was quite busy. It was quieter in the first few days we arrived but soon became busier and more families arrived. We would’ve loved an area of the island to be adult only; working in Education, it’s nice to have the chance to escape children, but if there were more families around, you could always walk elsewhere.
We loved our stay, and can’t wait to return again one day. Thankyou to all of the Bandos staff, Amar, Petru in the pool and sandbar, the lovely ladies that greeted us in the Gallery restaurant ( 159!) , the wonderful guy in the sea breeze cafe ( whose name we’ve forgotten so sorry, but had s pointy beard and was always smiling!) and the lovely guy in the orchid spa, who did a wonderful job making me feel a million dollars on our Special day… thank you to you all!
06.05.2023
PoojaMani
Wonderful Bandos!
We stayed here for 3 nights and loved every bit of it. Our main reason for choosing this this resort was its proximity to Male airport, which is just 10 minute boat ride from Male airport. Even though check-in was a bit slow, rest everything was ok. The island is well maintained, beaches clean with crystal clear water. The room was good, found it well maintained. The food was good in all the restaurants, and staff were super helpful, always ready to help. Overall a great experience.
