Diamonds Athuruga Maldives Resort and SPA

This is the 4th time we have been to Athuruga, it’s a fabulous pretty island with one of the best reefs I’ve snorkels on We stayed in a water villa within easy reach of the reef, the deck and room facilities are first class, the room was cleaned twice a day and the staff responded really well to any requests we had, we had a view of the sunset and it was nice to have a sundowner on our deck each evening which in April is perfect We took turns in eating at the WV restaurants and also the main buffet, the menus are changed each day and we enjoyed the food throughout our stay, the front of house staff and also the kitchen really go out of their way to please and react to your requests where they can I did 12 dives during our stay and the sites the dive crew and the guides made this one one the best experiences I’ve had in the Maldives having been 21 times this exceeded my expectations so well done Idive and the diving team We planted coral with the marine biologists and the work this is doing is in my opinion improving the reef if you look closely you can see the reef recovering from the El Ninio effect which bleached most of the Maldives some years back, this is a great initiative and the enthusiasm of this team is infectious so well done them One last point from us is I agree with a previous poster that the wine choice is poor on AI and I really dislike drinking out of a beer can and not a Keg, whatever the issue is with the supplier the management have allowed this to affect the guests so please remedy! All in all this is a great island with fabulous people food, diving, and beauty of the island, this jewel needs to be looked after and nurtured by those in charge, if they let this slip unfortunately people will look elsewhere which is why it’s a 4 star review and not a 5 which it should be

Amazing experience at an extraordinary place in Paradise Island! I can talk only in superlativus about this place. As soon as we arrived to the airport we met with a representative person and he guided us immediately to the Seaplane terminal. It took appr. 25 minutes to arrive to the Resort. We booked the Diamonds Athuruga Resort, All the Athuruga staff made our stay wonderful, They was absolutely helpful, always on time and very understanding with any requests. Our one-week stay was so nice, we felt sorry when we had to leave the Island. The house reef is extraordinary we wento to snorkeling every day. We even saw three turtles ans sharks. The staff were fantastic! From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, everything was perfect! Thank you to every single staff person who made our time lovely! Hope to visit again this incredible place soon.

Heaven on earth! We spent two stays in this little paradise. Each time was amazing! Evrything is done to mâle your stay relaxing and unforgetable. Thank you very much to Gilbert and his team . A special thanks to Hassan our room kepper Ahmed our waiter Myriam and Alissia the biolologists, and of course Paulina do her kidness and her smile. I Hope wéll meet again!

This was our third visit at Athuruga having previously been in 2013 and 2014. In both cases we gave 5* reviews. Not this time unfortunately. We still had a very good holiday but the resort could and should be so much better. First the good points Athuruga is a very pretty island with a nice lagoon and good snorkelling; not as good as it was but that is the same across the Maldives sadly due to bleaching. We saw turtles, nurse and black tip reef sharks and a group of up to 8 spotted eagle rays that were generally just to the left of the arrivals jetty every day. The marine biology team are doing a good job at trying to restore the coral. We stayed in a Water Villa which have amazing decks, well equipped with sofas, sunbeds and a dining table for the all-important breakfast delivered in the morning. Good WiFi in the room. While they are lovely, more on the water villas later. The Water Villa Restaurant food was very good and in a fabulous setting. We were well looked after by the excellent Naish and Savin. Both were very helpful, engaging and would be a credit to any resort. It was also good that there are no allocated tables anymore, you can sit where you like. The Spa has moved from its old location out to the Water Villa reception. It’s small but Ari and Novi are lovely and the massages are very good and reasonably priced for the Maldives. The weather was fabulous! And now the bad. We were expecting a limited choice of wine. On previous visits, there were 3 reds, 3 whites and 3 roses all of which were eminently drinkable, particularly the Italian Soave. This time the choice was between 2 of each and all were very poor. None seemed to be an identifiable grape variety. I looked them up online and some could be seen for sale for $4 a bottle, another at £5 a bottle in Iceland supermarket. Not what you expect in a 4.5* resort. The first day we met the Management and told him that “the wine is awful”. His response was “Yes, we know”. Apparently, they had problems with their supply, it was stuck at sea and were buying what was available in Male. I have a number of problems with this. If they can buy really cheap wine in Male, I’m sure they could have bought better quality if they tried. I may be wrong but I understand that their other resort Thudufushi did have supply that should have been shared. There was also a paid for wine list (outside the AI), some of which could have been offered free or at a discount to the many guests who expressed similar dissatisfaction to us. Eventually after a couple of complaints, we were given some drinkable wine at dinner. While this was appreciated, it should have been automatic. It was evident during that our conversations with management that it hadn’t occurred to them that they should. There was no draught beer. Only canned beer, mainly from Vietnam. One of the unique selling points of the Water villas is the huge decks that are open on three sides, with drop down blinds to offer privacy and protection against the elements when needed. Also there is a section on the roof with a blind that allows more direct sun on to the deck if you want it. These are lovely features and the main reason we came back to Athuruga. But now? The blinds have deteriorated, stained and with holes worn through them. Rather than replace them like for like, they appear to wait until they completely fail and then replace them with fixed wooden screens. This destroys the open feel of the decks as well as blocking views to the island and across the lagoon. It’s such a shame and clearly, purely down to cost. The roof blind was missing on our villa leaving a large hole in the roof over the deck which let in a lot of rain one night. Lack of investment in maintenance was evident elsewhere. The steps into the lagoon from the water villa jetty had been removed and not replaced with a “Danger, work in progress signs” not that we saw any work throughout our stay. Watersports equipment is limited and very old – one of the two serviceable kayaks looked 20 years old at least. The sound system in the water villa restaurant was faulty. We reported it to management on day 2 of the holiday. “Yes we know” but it wasn’t fixed during our stay. Staffing levels are not as they should be. Watersports closed while the only guy (who was very good) took snorkelers out on the reef. During the Management Cocktails, they close the Water Villa restaurant bar because they haven’t the staff for both. The Water villa Restaurant, which is where water villa guests are supposed to be able to have all their meals, is actually closed one day a week. In discussions with management, it was evident that they were under pressure to reduce costs and introduce new revenue streams. I understand this from the financial perspective however it should not be at the expense of the customer experience.

We have booked this resort after careful investigation on which hotels would be best for our Maldives trip which has always been my dream. Our stay in Athuruga was absolutely amazing. We've stayed 3 nights in a beach villa and 5 in a water villa to experience both and this is something that I recommend. The water villas are a dream just like you see in those background pictures, where you have stairs directly to the water. The main difference between these rooms is that the water villa includes wi-fi and a second restaurant (water villa restaurant) but is also more expensive. Apart from these differences, both rooms are amazing and super clean - the staff cleans the rooms twice per day so everything is always pristine. The bathroom in the beach villa is wideopen which gives a lovely touch. On the marine life experience, we investigated a lot before booking this option and I can tell you that it was even better that we hope for. It locates in the south part of the ari atoll and it incredibly reach on biodiversity. You get to snorkel on the house reef and can do it by yourself or with the staff (they have group snorkeling twice a day) and it's amazing. The best experience of my life. We were able to see turles every day, thousands of different fishes, morays, eagle rays and sharks!! (black tip reef shark - a lot!; nurse sharks and one white tip reef shark). Besides these, you can spot baby black tip sharks near the shore swimming near you (completely harmless) and they are just the cutest. If you want to see marine life at its best just choose Athuruga!! And finally, I would like to thank the excellent professionals that work at Athuruga: they are always nice, kind and funny, and they made these experience the best. (Please forgive me if I forget someone of mispronounce) - Thank you to Nishan, Iju and Paulina from the waterports! You were all amazing! From the restaurant, bar and reception: thank you Anaz, Sabarish, Nizam, Ahmed, Zayan and Ameen. I hope you win employee of the month. If I ever go back to the Maldives, I'll be back to Athuruga.