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An amazing resort with an amazing staff. Everythings is perfect. A must to have seen and experienced. 



A dream come true❣️

Our family of four spent one week at this fabulous resort. The best part of the resort is the service. The service was excellent (especially Upul, Ali, Kawsar, and Yasantha from food and beverages, Ashfag from the front desk, our dive master Yusuf, the diving boat crew, and Aasif, who ensured all the details were cared for with warmth and quality.) The second best aspect of the resort is the accommodation. We had a two-bedroom villa over the water, which was perfect for us. We chose Finolhu because we could stay in the same villa while we would have needed two rooms in other places. Snorkeling with the mantas was a most unique experience and our seven dives were very good. In food and beverage, there is room for improvement. First, there is a complicated scheme of 5 levels of meal packages. At the price level, there should be two levels: all-inclusive or all-inclusive premium, end of story. Second, lunch should be available in another restaurant as well. We were there for one week and had lunch at the same place for the whole week. 

Excellent service in a gorgeous location

An incredible family holiday on a beautiful island. A huge thank you to the wonderful team for making our stay so memorable especially Ashfaan, Ali, Ayya, Nashwan and Upul who were always so friendly and professional and went above and beyond to make our holiday extra special. We hope to come back and see you all again one day. Would highly recommend the Manta ray trip and please support Laura with her marine conservation work.

Thank You for A Wonderful Holiday

We visited Finolhu back in December 2017 & loved it so much we committed to returning (something we rarely do to the same hotel). With one failed attempt during covid, I booked this time to celebrate 25 years together as a couple & our 14th wedding anniversary. 

We arrived in Male Friday evening, too late for a seaplane transfer but all the details of our flight the following morning had been communicated with our hotel on Male, it was a bit of a shock to find we were on the 1st plane out at 6:30am, but it was worth the early start as we were in the resort in time for breakfast.  The process is seamless, with a Finolhu representative checking you in and then taking you to their lounge - for us in time to see sunrise over the seaplans in the harbour.  All the check-in was done here, so  you can relax as soon as you get to the resort.  Due to the arrival before 9am, the plane disembarks you at a platform slightly away from the resort where the boat takes you to shore.  We were welcomed by Zeekko, our Roohu (butler), the resort manager Steve & head of guest relations Elina.

Despite arriving before 9am our villa was already available & we had a wonderful surprise that they had given us exactly the same villa (I had asked to be at a similar point on the boardwalk & given our previous number as a reference) this sounds like a simple thing but I know it is totally based on capacity & other guests timings of departure, in fact we later got talking to the head of housekeeping who knew exactly who were were because of the fact he had to ensure our villa was available!  Our villa was the standard overwater villa (no pool) which we loved because you can watch the seaplans taking off & landing & for us we would much rather go down the steps into the ocean than a pool.  Villa layout was identical to before, but the refurbishment & new colour scheme made a huge difference, I went back & compared photos & it's so much brighter.  We were welcomed with a gorgeous bed display welcoming us back & a feast of chocolates (including flip-flops!) Prosecco & even a red velvet lolly cake.

We had chosen premium all inclusive for 2 reasons, I am not a massive buffet fan & you can dine at the a la carte restaurant - Kanusan & Arabian Grill whenever you want, but most importantly you can have lunch at Crab Shack, our favourite place on the island. To be honest, I didn't really look at what was on the premium drinks list & it was a wonderful surprise on the first night to discover it included Champagne. In my opinion, it's well worth the money & I would personally prioritise ahead of a villa with pool.  Crab Shack remained our favourite place (do be sure to prebook for the white party on a Friday evening) our second favourite is probably Kanusan the setting is simply stunning - during our stay it was open every other evening & we were lucky enough it was our dinner place for our 1st & last evening, be sure to try the black rice sushi & reef fish miso pomegranate.  We did eat the buffet at Beach kitchen on 2 evenings: Seafood (includes lobster) and Maldivian night where local ladies come in to cook some of the dishes & there are souvenirs for sale as well as traditional dancing & drums.

For our anniversary, I had booked 5 degrees north as a surprise for my husband (we found out later it seems the whole resort was in on the importance of it remaining a secret!).  It's basically a dining platform off the sandbank only reachable by speed boat with your own personal chef & waiter. It was the most incredible, magical evening, we went out on the speedboat just before sunset and enjoyed drinks as the sunset over the resort before the beautiful Japanese menu, which was superb.  Truly a once in a lifetime & worth every cent for a special occasion.

As we were returning guests, we had the chance to pick a free trip & did the Dolphin Cruise at sunset, Zeekko suggested a bottle of Prosecco on the boat, who were we to argue 😉. We have been lucky enough to see Dolphins many times on trips throughout our travels but it really was a fabulous trip, the dolphins we saw were spinner dolphins who love to play, jump & quite literally spin at the bow of the boat which was wonderful. 

The other trip we did was Manta Rays, which are in season at this time of year. If this is on your bucket list (which I would recommend it is) then book the first available trip you can (they are only available every other day to minimise crowing in the area) and there is no guarantee they will be spotted in the bay. We were originally booked on Tuesday & then Thursday, both of which were cancelled as there were no sightings (rather than pay a lot of money to see nothing!). At first we were told Saturday was fully booked then thankfully they were able to get permission to put on a second boat, the trip was meant to be in the afternoon but Zeekko came to find us at breakfast to say they had been spotted in the bay, he quickly whisked us back to the villa to pick up snorkeling gear & by 10:30am we were on the boat. It's a good 30-45 minutes to the area, but wow is it worth it, such a magical experience we must have seen 15-20 in total with one group of 5 swimming together, they truly are the most magnificent, majestic & graceful creatures. Again, a once in a lifetime experience & worth every cent. 

Despite all these incredible experiences, what truly made the stay outstanding was the incredible service.  Honestly we can't name everyone, every interaction was wonderful & designed to make us feel special but I will try & call out a few names in particular that I did take note of & apologies to those I didn't. Edi the barman, Boki, the Beach House Manager who developed a 6th sense when we needed coffee at breakfast, Upul the assistant sommelier who seemed to pop up with champagne wherever we were dining! Ali at Beach Kitchen who never failed to say good morning & use our names whenever he saw us, Ashes the quiet unassuming barman from Crab Shack, the sushi chef & waiter who looked after us at 5 degrees north & made it so special, all of the team at Crab Shack & the relatively new waiter at Beach House training to be a sommelier.  Most of all though to Zeeko, we were lucky enough to have the Beach House Manager as our Roohu, he literally thought of everything, the card he wrote for our wedding anniversary was so personal & he made our celebrations everything we wanted them to be & more. 

For those of you wondering about weather during the rainy season, we were really lucky, we had 2 evenings of rain, one at dinner time, one overnight & one stormy afternoon. Of course, there is no guarantee, but I would absolutely go back at this time again. It's better value, Manta season & also lower occupancy in the hotel (30-50% during our stay) which also has advantages. 

The original plan was to go back to Finolhu a second time, as we always said we would but then to be open to other resorts on subsequent visits.  As we said our goodbyes a second time (with tears in our eyes) we made the same promise to ourselves - we will be back & next time it won't take as long! 



Outstanding!

We first visited Finolhu in 2019 and knew this is the only place in the world we would want to be married. We eloped and had the ceremony and honeymoon of our dreams thanks to the entire Finolhu team. Special thanks to Jin, Zeekko and Achini our wedding coordinator, as well as our photography team Naaif, Sim & Ahu. Words cannot describe the paradise of Finolhu. You have to experience it to understand that a place like this exists. Our beach pool villa is a separate and wondrous experience to the over water villa that we stayed in last time. Kanusan & Arabian Grill restaurants are out of this world. How are they able to produce the greatest restaurant experiences in the middle of the Indian Ocean? I don’t know how, but they do. The lasting memories we have of Finolhu however will be the wonderful, friendly, happy and professional staff. We have travelled the world and nowhere will you find better service and absolute and total luxury, than Finolhu. We will be back!!

Elopement to Finolhu!

If you are looking for memorable and relaxing holiday – you'll be pleased you chose Finolhu. Situated in Baa Atoll, ‘Finolhu’ means ‘sandbank’ in local Maldivian, which is inspired by its beautiful 2km long powder sand beach which spreads across four islands. Guests will arrive in paradise within a 30 minute seaplane from the airport, or 20 minutes by domestic flight.

As well as being particularly peaceful and tranquil, it is also well-equipped with facilities to help enhance your stay. With 125 private villas, four restaurants, spa & health centre, and an array of activities including water sports, excursions, and diving - the Finolhu is the perfect choice for an unforgettable holiday. 

All villas are air conditioned and have an ensuite bathroom, TV, minibar and telephone. For a supplement you can upgrade to a Beach Villa, or even a villa that comes with your very own private pool!

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Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives