- Maldives
- Maldives Islands
- The Barefoot Eco Hotel
This 4 star eco-friendly hotel is located within an almost untouched forest on Hanimadhoo island in the preserved deep North of Maldives. Well connected to Male international airport by numerous daily flights, this complex invests major efforts in reducing its carbon footprint offering all the comforts for a truly relaxing stay.
Due to its luxuriant vegetation and privacy everybody can fall in an untouched nature, living the genuine and natural Maldives with all modern accommodation facilities. A long private sandy beach and a turquoise lagoon frame the hotel, making it ideal to forget daily stress. As for the accommodation units, they all have been designed to suit all guests' needs, ranging from the seaside rooms to the beachfront villa. The onsite dining options include a sea view restaurant and panoramic bar, whilst the diving centre offers guests the chance to explore the Maldivian underwater world.
Please note that no alcohol is served on the island. This hotel is a dry hotel. Guests who wish to consume alcohol have the option to take a complimentary boat transfer to a nearby anchored safari boat and will be charged only for the items (alcohol and food, etc.) they consume while on board
Please note that cash payments are not accepted at the hotel. Accepted payment methods include American Express, Visa, and Euro/ Mastercard.
Prices in the calendar are based on the cheapest room(s) available and your search criteria
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Just spent two amazing weeks at the resort on a half board basis. All the staff were very friendly and helpful and the breakfast / dinner buffets were delicious. We went on numerous excursions and saw manta rays, sharks, turtles, dolphins and countless fish. The diving team were super and very professional. The onsite marine biologist was brilliant and it was great to learn more about the local ecosystems.
As a single female traveller, I have spent 11 nights at Barefoot in September 2023. This was my 8th visit to Maldives since 1986.
Positives
The hotel has a lovely Robinson Crusoe feel to it. There is an abundance of palm trees and vegetation. The local wildlife consists of some lovely birds, flying foxes, crabs, lizards etc. All very cute.
Piece and quite
Total relaxation. Nothing of note ever happened. This hotel is on a local island, as such, no alcohol is served on the premises. Consequently, no late nights, no partying, no excitement of any kind whatsoever. For me this was perfect, but this may not be for everyone. 10/10
The Beach
Beautiful beach about 800m long. Greenery all the way along, with plenty of deck chairs and parasols grouped in pairs between the shrubs. The beach is safe, and the white sands are exactly what you'd expect to find in the Maldives. 9/10
Staff and Communication
All staff are very friendly and helpful. From my experience, I would single out Mo, the massage therapist who is very skilful. The restaurant team are always on hand to explain what various dishes are. Ahead of my visit communicated via email. All my emails were answered in a timely manner and provided information requested. All staff are vert attentive and polite but not overbearing. I felt well looked after. 9/10
Excursions
These are posted daily and usually there are usually 3 to choose from. There is no "hard sell". If interested, you simply add your name to the list. Most are charged additionally, but some are free.
Beach Front and Seaside Rooms
I spent 2 nights in the Beach Front room and 9 nights in the Seaside Room.
I found both to be spacious with identical features, e.g., same bathroom facilities, minibar, etc. The view from the Beach Front room is fantastic with beautiful outlook over the beach, but it is a longer walk to the restaurant. The footpaths are lit, but many guests use their phones for additional lighting when walking to and from these rooms at night.
Seaside Rooms are arranged in a small courtyard with no direct view of the beach, but the beach can be seen as soon as one steps down from the terrace. These are just to the side of the diving centre and much closer to the main restaurant.
The negative - Seaside rooms are in two parallel blocks which face each other and although this did not bother me, some visitors may have privacy issues.
Orientation
When I was choosing the hotel, I could not work out which room was where, so going from left to right.
Seaside Rooms -> Diving Centre -> Restaurant -> Bar -> Pool -> Beach Front and Ocean View rooms -> Beach Side Rooms
Safety
Through my visit I have always felt very safe and comfortable. 10/10
Maldivian Night
Reading previous comments, I feel that this has been unfairly criticised. I have been here for 2 of these and I did some reading on Maldivian food and its origins. It's important to understand that the main foods here are fish and coconut. Traditionally there is no agriculture to speak of and the food is representative of these factors. There is a heavy influence from the Indian subcontinent, but the food is not Indian. For example, curry but no raita or chutney. Maldivian Night is a great effort by the local people and the kitchen team, and dishes served are an excellent representation of the food served in Maldives. 9/10
Wi-Fi
Overall, it works really well. I was able to use all my social media and stream Netflix without any issues. It is available in all rooms, restaurant, pool and the beach in front of the pool, bar and restaurant. Not available on the beach in front of Beach Front rooms. I hazard a guess that this might be the reason the deck chairs on the beach close the restaurant/pool are more popular. 9/10
Negatives
Rooms All floors are slippery when wet. This applies to absolutely all floor coverings including the shower, bedroom and veranda. I have slipped more than once. This is a health and safety hazard. There are no TVs in any of the rooms. This is a little bit odd, not a huge problem though. Downgrade only due to slippery floors. 6/10
Snorkelling
Outside of what the hotel can control, but there is no house reef. Consequently, free snorkelling opportunities are limited to the beach and free excursions (see below). The beach, being sandy, does not attract many fish. Additionally, if you travel in the monsoon season, the sea is murky, so the few fish that there are, are difficult to see. There are free snorkelling trips (not daily), but not being able to snorkel at will is a faff. In addition to the free snorkelling excursions there are excellent, well organised additional excursions, but these are charged additionally. 5/10
Food
I have read many comments about the food. It is mediocre. Let me explain.
Breakfast
Egg station is fine, and you can have your eggs cooked how you want them every morning. There is a selection of mini pastries, fruit (usually 2 varieties), bread, homemade jam and butter. Chicken sausages and hashbrowns, cereals are also available. I can't help but think that jam is a byproduct of leftover fruit served at lunch and dinner. You will not find a vast selection of fruit yoghurts, any cold cuts of meat or cheese.
7/10
Lunch and Dinner
Available evert day: -Salad bar with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrot, cabbage, peppers, olives, sweetcorn, beans. This is the same every day and does not change. Selection of dressings. -Bread A small selection of roles. Pasta Always tomato sauce and another sauce, available lunch and dinner. -Tuna To be expected, lots of tuna cooked in various ways. Carpaccio available daily, fried, curry, salad, whole baked in a sauce etc. -Curry There is always a meat curry, a vegetarian curry and rice. Unfortunately, although tasty, these are primarily too spicy. I have found that the hotel teams e.g., diving and reception, will have their lunch from the lunchtime buffet, often going for the curry option. I ask myself if chefs make these with more Southern hemisphere pallets in mind. -Stew and rice In addition to curries there is always a mild stew with rice on offer. Usually, chicken or beef in various sauces. Other dishes On different days the restaurant will also serve, pizza, roast chicken, beef, lamb, fried prawns, chips, cheese (fetta, edam, parmesan...) On offer there are also stewed/fried vegetables both local and international. I have found these to lack flavour. Although, the above appears to be varied, after about day 5, it becomes repetitive, pasta, salad, stew, fish or curry is the summary of lunch and dinner offering with some slight variations.
Overall, it could be better without much effort.
6/10
Pool
I wanted to know how long the pool was. No one was really sure, and answers ranged from 100-200 meters. A visit to Google maps provided a far more accurate information, and I'd say it's +/-25 meters. Although conveniently located next to the bar and the beach there are a couple of issues. Most importantly all tiles are slippery, and all internal and external edges are sharp. This is a health and safety hazard which I think should be addressed. Interestingly, this is an infinity pool, but the infinity edge faces the shed and trees. It would have been so much nicer if the infinity edge faced the beach. Downgraded due to slippery tiles. 3/10
Boutique
I understand that the local tailor is able to make customised clothing, I have not tried this so, cannot comment. I did buy cigarettes $9+ far too expensive (my fault for not getting any at the airport!). I also got some cotton earbuds, but the cotton tip fell off inside my ear. This was removed by the receptionist; however, the point is - substandard quality. On offer are various souvenirs, all rather pricey and available at a lower price at the airport. The only sunscreen available is SPF 50, lower SPF should also be made available. 7/10
Time difference
Barefoot is an hour ahead of Male as well as Hanimaadhoo. The explanation is that this enables guests to make the most of the sunshine. I have my doubts. Taking into account the restaurant opening hours, and the no alcohol situation, I'd say that this is related to the hotel's schedule rather than guests enjoying the sun. However, it causes little to no inconvenience, so it is of no real consequence.
Insects
This was a game of two halves. During the first 8 days I did not notice any insects worth mentioning. But during the last 3 days the insect population increased exponentially. Mosquitos and flies were everywhere, so much so that I had to move tables at lunch due to flies being all over me and the food. I had to ask for my room to be sprayed due to influx of flies and mosquitos. I appreciate the Eco ethos of the Hotel, but flies on buffet food are unacceptable. 1/10
Overall
This hotel has a diminutive feel to it, even when busy. I feel that it would benefit from some financial investment, as it currently comes across that its finances are closely monitored. Finally, did I have a nice time? Yes. Would I come back? To Maldives, yes, to Barefoot, on balance, probably not.
6/10
Lovely quiet calm place to stay and relax. The rooms were very nice. Basic and comfortable. Bed was a bit solid though. They got cleaned once a day and linnen got changed whenever you wanted them to do so. Reception was very helpful and really helped fixing issues if there were any. The restaurant was lovely. One of the waiters was a bit annoying and almost begging for tips. He kept letting us know how busy he was. The others were very nice though. Chefs were always smiling and very happy to help. Food was very tasty! In rainy season there is no nice snorkeling to be done on the beach. However, we are divers so done loads of dives at the diving school at the resort. And that was amazing!!! The guide /instructor Luca was really nice. A young, but very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic person who did what he could to make the divers happy. And he just oozed loving what he does. Really nice. And that's not that common in instructors /guides. We can definitely advise guests to use this diving school. We had a great time under water and on the Dhoni (boat)!!!
The Barefoot Eco Hotel made our stay unforgettable and so wonderful. We have already been to other islands. But this time everything was very, very good!!! Daminda Ranasinghe Reservations Executive and Diksan Wijerathna Reservations Manager did an excellent job - they helped us choose a room, explained the conditions for transfer to the island, answered all questions quickly and in detail. Thank you!
Every morning at the restaurant we were greeted by Sozib with a kind smile and greeting in Russian. This is how our every day began and it was very pleasant. Sozib personally served us and was always attentive, neat and caring. Thank you!
We liked the beach - such large, clean and soft sand. The delightfully clear ocean has an extraordinary color, shimmering in all shades: from dark indigo blue to transparent turquoise. And a lot of fish. Delight!
Dear The Barefoot Eco Hotel team! Everything you do for your guests and tourists is at the highest level.
We will definitely be back!!!! Thank you!!!
Tatiana Valova
It was my first trip to the Maldives. I chose the hotel based on Tripadvisor reviews and never regretted the choice I made. This location is suitable for people like me - who need a quiet, uncrowded place where they can get closer to nature, and for those who care about nature. The rooms were quite good. I booked seaside room, but for the first 4 days I stayed in ocean view room, it was a gift from the hotel. The food was good quality, though not too varied. The hotel and services are well described in reviews from other tourists, in my review I would like to thank the hotel team. These were very friendly, kind people who were ready to do everything to make your stay comfortable. I'm very grateful to everyone: the chef, waiters, tailors, reception staff, diving center staff, bartenders - all were beautiful people, ready to help at any time! I especially want to thank the receptionist Victor. Victor was always ready to help on all issues, even willing to sacrifice his personal time to make your vacation better. Since I was alone on vacation, he offered to accompany me on my first bike ride to the village, he always came up and asked if everything was okay. Hotel managers, please reward him for his dedication to work! :) I have the best impression of the hotel, its employees and Hanimadhoo Island, I will definitely come back here again and hope to see familiar faces! p.s. for those who is going to the Maldives for the 1st time - take good care to protect your skin from the sun!