The Residence Maldives

Fabulous Hotel We stayed here for 16 nights and booked all inclusive through Voyage Prive. Firstly and most importantly, this is truly a 5* hotel. We have stayed at many that purport to be, but sadly are not, so were delighted that this was indeed a 5* hotel. We opted for a beach villa – Room 200 – which was perfectly located for the beach bar and main Dining Room. It is also on the side of the island for the most amazing sun rises. The room is spacious with a separate lounge area, large bedroom with super comfy bed & pillows, two wardrobes and a smart TV. There’s a mini bar that is restocked daily free of charge. There is also a Nespresso machine. The bathroom has his ‘n’ hers sinks with a large roll top bath – we opened the doors each evening and listened to the waves whilst having a bath – absolute bliss! There is also an indoor and outdoor shower. The hotel is over two resorts – Digurah and Falhumafuushi. We stayed on the latter which appears to be the more refined of the two. You can visit the restaurants over both islands, although on all inclusive you are only allowed one visit to the Chinese and the French restaurants. The main Dining Room at Digurah has more of a ‘dining hall’ feel, whereas the Dining Room on Falhumafuushi is more like a restaurant, cosy and more intimate. The food at both is very good indeed and changed each evening. There is an extensive choice of still and sparkling wines – over 25 and there are named brand spirits at the bar. The cocktail list is extensive and the drinks themselves wouldn’t be out of place in a London 5* hotel. The staff are all a delight and so friendly and helpful. Two worthy of special mention were Jehad and Ishan – both helped to make our stay thoroughly enjoyable. This was our fourth visit to The Maldives, our first time at The Residence and the house reef was incredible and by far the best we have seen. We saw numerous turtles every snorkelling trip, with our most sightings being 29! We also saw rays, lots of sharks and so many different fish. We can highly recommend the Dolphin Sun Set Cruise – this was a magical experience with dolphins swimming alongside the boat and Spinner Dolphins doing their acrobatics! The journey to the hotel involved a domestic flight from Male to Kooddoo and then short speed boat transfer to the hotel. Check the timings with your agent as to when you land at Male and when your domestic flight is, as we were stuck at Male for 7 ½ hours unnecessarily so! Our only feedback for the hotel – it’s not a criticism per se – is that there are not enough seats at the beach bar. With such a stunning view of the sun setting, why not have tables & chairs on the beach so that you can enjoy your drinks whilst watching the sun set? Yes there are tables & chairs but these are all allocated to the Beach Restaurant.

It was an amazing experience. Overall had a great time. Would highly recommend this place. Loved it!

Wonderful island, with friendly, welcoming, helpful staff. Excellent dive school, massive thanks to Maaji-who goes above and beyond to make the diving truly special.

Fabulous resort - spread across two islands joined by a wooden walkway gives you space and options for meals/bars as well as room to run. The resort provides hikes which were fun. Snorkelling is amazing. The house reef really close and easy to access. We stayed in a beach villa - would highly recommend. Your own private stretch of beach. Much more privacy and space to move compared to over water villas with tiny outdoor areas.

One of the most beautiful places we’ve ever visited. This was our first time in the Maldives, and while we usually never return to the same destination twice, this is one exception we’ll happily make. The marine life and wildlife around the island are incredible, and the staff are exceptionally accommodating. The facilities offer everything you could possibly need. Food is often a concern at resorts, but every restaurant exceeded expectations with genuinely high-end cuisine. In particular, the Italian restaurant (Long Island) and the fine-dining restaurant, Falhumma, were outstanding. We did experience a couple of minor niggles, several restaurant reservations that we had booked well in advance were scheduled at different times than those confirmed via email but the resort team helped us resolve this quickly. We stayed in a pool villa on Falhumaafushi Island, which was huge and possibly the best accommodation we’ve ever experienced. We were upgraded to a two-bedroom villa, offering an incredible amount of space for just two people. Sharks, turtles, and manta rays can be seen all around the resort, especially in the evenings. And the Clarins Spa — I haven’t felt that relaxed in years after having a facial there. All of the staff at the pool bar and restaurant on Falhumaafushi were fantastic. Cocktails were made to a very high standard, particularly the Negronis and White Russians