Anantara Dhigu Resort & Spa

I was truly impressed with my recent stay at Anantara. The staff were very kind, friendly, and helpful throughout my stay. Their warm hospitality and excellent service made my experience truly memorable. Special thanks to Petra for arranging the beautiful villa and making our stay comfortable. My sincere appreciation also goes to Hamsi, Saajid, Sirhaan,bokey and Visam from Aqua Fanatics for their wonderful service and hospitality. A big thank you as well to Tess from the Kids Club for taking such good care of the children and making their experience so enjoyable.

My wife and I first visited Anantara in August 2018 for our honeymoon, when we stayed at Anantara Veli. Eight years later, we returned to the Maldives — this time with our one-year-old son — and chose Anantara Dhigu for what we jokingly called our “Honeymoon 2.0,” now as a family of three. Overall, I would rate our experience 4 out of 5. It was a beautiful stay with excellent service and many wonderful family memories. There were a few areas that could have made the experience even better, but the warmth of the staff and the way they looked after our family were definitely the highlights. Before Arrival Our experience with Anantara actually started well before we reached the Maldives. Communication throughout the booking process was excellent, particularly with Recca, who was very helpful and responsive by email. The payment process was also straightforward, organized, and felt secure. Before arriving, we mentioned that we were celebrating our anniversary, travelling with our one-year-old son, and returning to Anantara after our honeymoon eight years earlier. The team did an amazing job preparing for us. Our villa was equipped with a baby cot, baby bathtub, and bottle sterilizer, which made travelling with a young child considerably easier. They also surprised us with an anniversary cake and complimentary sparkling wine. As we are Muslim and do not drink alcohol, they thoughtfully arranged a non-alcoholic alternative for us instead. Small details like this make a difference. Arrival & Transfer Our flight arrived late in the evening, but the Anantara team was waiting for us at Velana International Airport. They welcomed us, took care of our luggage, and escorted us to the waiting lounge. Once everyone was ready, we departed by speedboat, and the journey to the resort took approximately 30 minutes. Our welcome at the resort itself was simple and pleasant, which was completely understandable given our late arrival and the rainy weather. Our Sunset Beach Pool Villa We stayed in a Sunset Beach Pool Villa on Half Board. The villa was extremely clean and spacious. We had more than enough room to set up a playpen for our son without making the room feel crowded. The air conditioning worked very well, and the TV setup was excellent. I was even able to connect my iPad using an HDMI cable, which was a nice convenience during downtime with a baby. Housekeeping throughout our stay was excellent. Towels and bathrobes were plentiful and of very good quality, and the villa was consistently kept clean and comfortable. The resort itself has been around for approximately 20 years, and you can see some of that age in its overall design. We were told that the furnishings had been renovated around three years ago. Personally, I did not see this as a problem. If you research the villas beforehand and like their appearance, I think you will enjoy them. This is not an ultra-modern resort aesthetic. It has more of a classic Maldivian character, which was actually part of its charm for us. And if the additional cost is not an issue, I personally think the sunset side is worth it. Watching the sunset from this side of the island became one of my favourite parts of the stay. On clear evenings, the colours across the sky were almost unreal — genuinely like something from a Disney movie. It was easily one of the most romantic aspects of the resort. Beach & Ocean The beach itself was beautiful. The sand was very soft and clean, and the staff maintained the beach daily and kept the sunbeds tidy and ready for guests. On clear, calm days, the water was extremely clear, turquoise and refreshing. Of course, conditions in the Maldives can change significantly depending on the weather, but when the weather was sunny and calm, the ocean looked exactly like what you hope to see when travelling to the Maldives. We also found the shallow, calm water very enjoyable for careful, closely supervised swimming with our one-year-old, which gave us some of our favourite family moments of the trip. Service & Staff – The Highlight of Our Stay Every member of staff we interacted with was friendly, welcoming, and eager to help. Each villa has a dedicated host whom you can contact directly whenever you need assistance. Ours was Kadir, and he was fantastic throughout our stay. He was respectful, friendly, patient with our requests, always smiling, and genuinely kind with our little boy. As parents travelling with a young child, that warmth meant a lot to us. Another service that we really appreciated as parents was the babysitting service. We wanted one evening to ourselves for dinner and some quality time as a couple, so we arranged a babysitter for our one-year-old son through the resort. A nanny came to our villa and stayed with him for approximately three hours, allowing my wife and me to enjoy dinner together while our son remained comfortably in the villa. The service was excellent and made a genuine difference to our experience. For parents travelling with young children, having a reliable babysitting option available at the resort is a major advantage and something we were very happy to have used. The Bathrobe Story – Eight Years Later There was one experience during this trip that deserves a special mention. When we visited Anantara for our honeymoon in 2018, we loved the bathrobes so much that my wife and I actually bought two to take home with us. Those robes turned out to be unbelievably good. Over the following eight years, we bought several other sets of bathrobes from different places, but somehow we always ended up putting the newer ones aside and going back to our old Anantara robes. Eight years later, we are still using them. So when we returned this time, I told the team the story and said that my wife and I wanted to buy a new set. This request eventually reached Aluk, Room division Manager at Anantara, and what followed became one of our favourite stories from the entire stay. Aluk was wonderful — friendly, funny, always smiling, extremely helpful, and particularly sweet with our son. He arranged new robes for my wife and me and had our names personalized on them. But then he went further. He had a tiny robe specially prepared as a gift for our one-year-old son. That alone would have been incredibly thoughtful. The following day, however, Aluk came back with two additional robes in larger sizes for our son, so that he would have Anantara robes to grow into over the next several years. He even gave us additional towels as gifts. We joked that Anantara had now provided our son with his bathrobe supply for the next four or five years. It was completely unexpected. Aluk was extraordinarily kind, generous, and proactive. His generosity genuinely left us a little embarrassed because we had never expected anything beyond simply purchasing two replacement robes for ourselves. This is the kind of personal gesture that stays with you long after you leave a hotel. Thank you, Aluk. You made an already sentimental story about our first honeymoon even more special on our return eight years later. Breakfast & Restaurants The breakfast buffet was good overall. Cleanliness was excellent, and there was a genuinely large variety of options. In terms of taste, however, I would personally describe the food as good rather than exceptional. I have experienced more memorable resort breakfasts elsewhere, although food is obviously extremely subjective and another guest may feel completely differently. There are also approximately five or six dinner options available around the resort. We tried several and generally found the food to range from good to very good. Again, I would not personally consider dining the strongest or most memorable part of Anantara Dhigu, but it was certainly enjoyable, offered enough variety throughout the stay, and never negatively affected the quality of our holiday. Gym I was pleasantly surprised by the gym. As someone who trains regularly, I thought it was more than adequate for maintaining a proper workout routine while on holiday. It was very clean, well equipped, and the equipment appeared modern and well maintained. For a resort gym, it easily did everything I needed it to do. A Few Things That Could Be Improved There were a few areas that I think could make an already very good resort even better. The first was the mattress. It was extremely soft, and unfortunately this affected my sleep and back comfort. I have a previous history of a disc injury and personally sleep much better on a firmer mattress. Mattress preference is obviously very individual, so another guest may love it, but for me this was one of the main negatives of the stay. The second — and more significant issue considering the villa category we booked — was the private pool. Although the Maldives is tropical, the breeze can sometimes feel surprisingly cool. During our stay, we found the private pool water simply too cold to enjoy comfortably. Unfortunately, we were told that pool heating was not available. As a result, despite specifically booking a Pool Villa, we barely used the private pool. For us personally, this significantly reduced the value of paying extra for a villa with a pool. We also noticed a fairly strong chemical/chlorine smell from the pool water, which we found unpleasant. If heated private pools are important to you, particularly if travelling with a young child or during periods of cooler or windier weather, this is something I would recommend considering before choosing the Pool Villa category. The third area that could be improved is the Wi-Fi. Internet performance inside the villa was generally usable, although faster speeds would certainly be welcome. More importantly for us, Wi-Fi coverage on the beach was inconsistent and the connection would frequently drop while we were sitting outside. This became a little frustrating, particularly because one of the pleasures of staying in a Beach Villa is being able to spend long periods outside by the sea. Better and more consistent Wi-Fi coverage extending from the villas to the beach and sunbeds would be a meaningful improvement. Departure – Excellent Until the Very End Our departure experience was excellent. The speedboat used for our return transfer felt larger and more comfortable than the one we arrived on, and having Wi-Fi onboard was a great touch. The journey back to the airport again took roughly 30 minutes. What impressed us most was that Anantara’s service did not end when we stepped off the boat. Their staff accompanied us all the way to our airline check-in counter, handling our luggage and helping us get everything there. Anyone who has travelled with a one-year-old knows that you are carrying the child, the child’s belongings, your own bags, and somehow what feels like half your house. Having the Anantara team take care of our luggage until check-in was therefore genuinely valuable and a fantastic final touch to the service. Eight Years Later… Despite the few criticisms above, our stay at Anantara Dhigu was beautiful and, most importantly, full of memories with our little family. In 2018, we came to Anantara as newlyweds. In 2026, we came back as parents, carrying our one-year-old son with us. That alone made this trip special. The beautiful ocean, sunsets and villas will stay in our photographs, but I suspect the things we will remember most will be the people who treated our little family with such warmth — from Recca helping us before we even arrived, to Kadir looking after us throughout the stay, to Aluk somehow turning a story about two eight-year-old bathrobes into a new family memory. Thank you very much to Recca, Kadir, Aluk, and the entire Anantara family for taking care of us and for being part of our “Honeymoon 2.0.” We leave with some beautiful memories — and hopefully this will not be our last visit.

We sincerely thank the entire resort team for their professionalism, kindness, and attentive service. A special thanks to Mr. Shameem, Ms. Petra, and Mr. Akobir for taking such great care of our needs and making us feel truly welcome. We also enjoyed the delicious meals and variety of restaurants at the resort. Overall, it is a beautiful, friendly, and welcoming resort. We truly enjoyed our stay and would be happy to recommend it! Céline

This was our sixth visit to Anantara Dhigu, which says a lot about how much our family loves this resort. Every visit has been special, but this one was made particularly memorable by the exceptional hospitality and care we received throughout our stay. Travelling with a large family, most of whom are children, can sometimes be challenging, but Anantara Dhigu made everything feel effortless. The beautiful setting, excellent facilities, wonderful food, and, most importantly, the genuinely warm service made this another unforgettable family holiday. A special mention must go to Kadir, our Villa Host. He was absolutely outstanding. From the moment we arrived, Kadir was attentive, professional, incredibly responsive, and always one step ahead of us. With so many children in the family, his patience, kindness, and attention to detail were especially appreciated. He made sure that everyone—from the youngest to the adults—felt comfortable, welcomed, and well taken care of.

We’ve just finished an absolutely fantastic stay at Anantara Dhigu, and the whole experience was genuinely five-star from start to finish. The resort itself is beautiful, but what really made our stay special was the level of service and hospitality from the team. Everyone we came across was warm, welcoming and always willing to go the extra mile to make sure we were looked after. A special thank you to Kadir, Thess, Amal, Maif, Manoj and Augustina, who each looked after us at different parts of our stay. Every one of them played a part in making our holiday so enjoyable and memorable. Their friendliness, professionalism and attention to detail really stood out. The food, facilities, surroundings and overall atmosphere were excellent, and everything felt very well organised while still being relaxed. It’s exactly what you would expect from a true five-star Maldives resort. We travelled as a family and came away with some amazing memories. Anantara Dhigu has definitely left a lasting impression on us, and we wouldn’t hesitate to return. Thank you to the entire team for such a brilliant stay. A genuine 5/5 experience and highly recommended!