JA Manafaru

First, 3rd trip to the Maldives over a ten-year period. Yes, things have changed, but also many things still the same. I think the biggest change coming is when the new Velana terminal opens. That place hasn't changed at all in 10 years... For Australian's, we were on the Luxury Escapes Deal, 7 nights, booked the Beach Villa with Pool. LE charged us around $11k AUD including the sea plane. We took Singapore airlines return and got tickets for $800 each... yes $800... First Arrival: Picked up by the JA representative as soon as we stepped out of arrivals, taken straight to the Sea Plane Check-in counter and he did everything for us. Perfect, very attentive and plenty of small talk from him, which I appreciated, as you have so many questions when you arrive and he answered everything. Then headed to their lounge while we waited 60 mins to board our private sea plane to JA. JA don't share a sea plane with other islands; it brings people once a day then takes people home the next day. On a continuous cycle. Food and facilities in the lounge were excellent and all up the arrival and sea plane were 10 out of 10. Arrival at JA: Staff waiting for you on the jetty as you arrive, everyone very friendly, we were a group of 3, had our 7-year-old with us. Meet our host and he took us for a ride to our villa; this is when we were slightly disappointed. I had sent about 6 emails asking them for a specific room as this was the first time we were going Beach Villa. My wife really wanted that tropical island with all the sand and jungle feel, plus we were unsure about having a 7 year old able to just jump in the ocean with out us knowing. Many emails between me and JA about this and our hosts pulls up at a villa and goes, we upgraded you to a Sunset Overwater Villa.... I was what? I then explained to him about my request to be in a Beach Villa and our reasons. He was completely unaware of the email between me and the reservations team. He politely checked us in to this villa and said just wait here while I go back to reception and follow up.... We walked around this villa, and the pool was broken and not working, the bathroom hadn't been cleaned from the last guests and the place needed a good vacuum. Our host returned and said, yes, we can put you in a Beach Villa, by this time, from talking to him and some others it was clear the Resort was not very full. We actually found out later the most people on the island while we were there for 7 days, was day one: 33 people. Most of the time there was around 25. It can take well over 200 guests. So, at this point I just, said, as you were going to upgrade us, why not upgrade us to a Beach Deluxe Villa... Which they did. So, in the end it worked out, but took a few hours to get fixed. Score: 6/10 Beach Villa Deluxe Room: If you can afford it and are travelling with kids, get this room. Separate room for our son to sleep in and they made up a proper bed for him. Backyard had a pool, sunbed and shower. Front yard had a huge area with seating, tables, pavilion, sun lounges and then a gorgeous view of the water. Huge bathroom, but was always hot in there, if you tried to keep the doors open to get the aircon to circulate it just couldn't keep up and the whole villa would just get warm. In the end we actually showered 90% of the time in the outdoor shower, it was private and just more enjoyable. We had villa 300, when we came out to the beach the overwater villas were to our left, about 150m away. It didn't worry us, but if you were in those villa's we would have a good view in, but as I said occupancy was low and all the villas we could see into were empty for the entire week. There was 12 Deluxe Villas next to us, and I think they were empty for the entire week. So plenty of privacy. Score 9 out of 10. Host: Not naming anyone here. you use a WhatsApp group to communicate, and I was fine with that. If anything, I think he was too slow to reply. I was very pro-active, wanting to book trips, dinners, activities, etc. at times it would take him a few hours to reply. In the end we organized a lot of things ourselves thorough the JA App. Score 5 out of 10. Dinning: Buffet breakfast was excellent, service was very good, coffee was average, and after 2 days we stopped ordering coffees. Would have the occasional Ice-Coffee. Lunch was choice of the Pool Restaurant or the Breakfast venue. Both excellent and with the Luxury Escapes deal you were allowed to order, Entree, Main and Side, and Dessert. After 2 days we stopped ordering so much at lunch as we couldn't enjoy dinner. I found the main restaurant to have better food and more choice. Dinner: Choice of 3 restaurants, but most nights only 2 open. They alternate, The Grill was good, but steaks were over cooked on 2 nights. The Asian place was better, and the view was also much better, over water and open to the elements. We did the Seafood BBQ night, disappointing. Also, the Maldivian night which was good and had live music. The Asian Street food night was disappointing, only 25 guests around so they limited the choices and did a sit-down menu. We had diner at the Cellar, this was the highlight and due to the lack of guests, meant we had the place to ourselves. Best meal we had over 7 days by far. Score 7 out of 10 Bars: We had an all-inclusive deal so drinks all day were included. The pool bar was very good, and they quickly got to know what we drink and would make it straight away. The sunset bar was great, and we did a cocktail class with the bar attendant, and he was excellent, very knowledgeable and entertaining. Plenty of laughs and he got as hammered. They had music every night, we didn't enjoy that, I wish the DJ would come around and ask guest what music they would like. Most of the time there was 2 to 6 guests only and he was playing 20 something music. Score 9 out of 10. Water Sports and Activities: We didn't find the guys working at the Dive Centre to be helpful at all. Honestly, they gave off the vibe, we don't want to work go away... It was hard just to understand them, and they would say as little as possible until you walked away. Used the Kayak once and enjoyed paddling around with my son for an hour. Came in and said can we use the paddle boat. Sorry you have to pay; you can only use one item a day for free for 1 hour. If you want to do anything else, you have to pay..... WTF.... 25 people on the island, we only used it on 1 day out of 4 at this stage of our stay and they want you to pay to use non-motorized activities... That put me right off the dive center. I understand that it was outsourced to a third party and not JA employees. but JA set the policy on use of non-motorized water activities. Activities: We did a snorkel trip for 2 hours. was very good and safe. The location was ok, not a lot of fish and basically no living coral. Certainly, no colorful coral. Boat ride there was on the Maldivian style boat, my wife did not like that and wished they had a speed boat like other Resorts we have been too. That leads us into the Sunset Cruise to see Dolphins. Same again, was on the Maldivian Boat, which is hard work if you are standing up looking for dolphins. Yes, they found dolphins, but very few and they couldn't get any to stay around the boat for more than 5 seconds. It was hard work for the staff, and I think they were disappointed as well. Would recommend the snorkel trip but not the sunset cruise. Score 6 out of 10. Island Snorkeling: We snorkeled 3 times around the island by ourselves. Once at the end of the overwater villas, once off our beach (Not good too rough) then the last time we snorkeled on the last day in front of the Sunset Bar. This was the best location, protected, shallow and plenty of fish. Coral ok. Our host made no attempt to help us with snorkeling or giving us locations, we just had to work it out via maps we found. Both previous resort we have been too, our host took us snorkeling around the island showing the local reef off to us. That service wasn't really on offer at JA. Local reef score: 6 out f 10 Resort Facilities: One week before we arrived, we received an email saying the infinity pool and pool bar was going to be closed for renovations for up to 6 months. They would create a beach bar next to the sports center on the beach for guests. This was very disappointing. The day we snorkeled off the sunset bar we walked back on to the beach at the infinity pool and used the showers. Both of us said, wow, how good would this pool have been. It was exactly what you expect in the Maldives. So, it was very annoying that this was closed. And the Beach Bar was a joke.... Not sure now, but we were told it would not be re-opened until September or later. Tennis court needs the surface re-laid. was a patch work surface. The spa was good, and I think we had 3 treatments. We got a special as the resort was empty, so they were desperate to get people to use the Spa. Score 4 out of 10. (Pool closed very annoying) Overall: Enjoyed my time, this was the most expensive resort out of the 3 we had visited and at the time we went in May was rated #7 in the Maldives. I now note it has slipped to #15 in less than 2 months. Something is going on.... Would not return, would try something else. I am not sure the 1 hour 20 min seaplane is worth it, not to mention the fact you have to leave at 6am on your last day. That is the time the seaplane leaves and this was very annoying. Final overall score 6 out of 10.

Nice place with amazing food and beautiful views! Spacious villa with very big bed!!! Would be nice to back to this place!!!

We celebrated our 30th Wedding Anniversary on the island and what a delight it was providing us with an unforgettable experience and leaving us with lifetime memories. From the moment we arrived until we left every staff member we encountered was warm, engaging and made us feel welcomed. From casual chats over breakfast to activity recommendations, every conversation was a joy. A thank you to our thakuru Rizam for all his help during the stay. It was always a pleasure to chat whenever we caught up. We stayed in a Beach Villa with Private Pool and what a spectacular place it was. To be able to walk out to the beach, sit at our private gazibo overlooking the ocean or relaxing in the private grounds with the pool, every moment was a joy. The room itself was thoughtfully designed, comfortable and immaculate. We were all inclusive so to have access to the replenished minibar and wine fridge was a delight. The food at every one of the restaurants was outstanding. Each meal was a celebration of flavour and creativity, from the humble Lasagne for lunch at Andiamo to the delights of the Asian Street Food at White Orchid and the excellent fish dishes at the Ocean Grill. Also thanks to the staff at Calm Spa who supplied us with an awesome couples massage on our anniversary day. I have never felt more relaxed during that massage than i did that day. Thank you JA Manafaru, we had the best most relaxing time ever. This island is more than just a destination, its a whole experience that leaves you refreshed, inspired and dreaming of the day you return .

These days in JA Manafaru is more than perfect! Good view, good room ,kind staffs,delicious food…..everything! I mean everything is good! Thanks to our friend Aan who gives us soooooo much help! Hope we can meet again soon hhhh !This island is more than perfect!

There was never a dull moment in our stay at JA Manafaru. We were met with such heartfelt hospitality and care from everyone We met our spectacular villa host sabaah who had taken us for a tour all around the beautiful island. Thanks to him we were able see and experience each and every wonderful aspect of the island through our brief stay. It’s simply a tropical paradise that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime! When we arrived at our water villa, we were met with an absolutely breathtaking view of the crystal clear waters and the silhouettes of the tiny islands from a far. The villa itself was so clean and cozy as well that we could tell there was so much attention given to every little detail. Special thank you to Inash who had made us a small zoo of animals from towel art! One of the best moments of our stay was from our dining experiences from all the outlets we went to. Every meal was a 10/10 delight! Words cannot describe how welcomed we felt. Special mentions to Nizam, Katchey, Chatura, Aanand, Ibbe and Ashraf who met us with warm genuine smiles and their friendly spirits. The whole service team had an excellent sense of humor and never failed to make us laugh. Truly made it a one of a kind experience. I also want to mention Ziyad, Ibbe and shiza who made our in room dining experience exceed all the expectations! For us, very single moment felt so special. JA Manafaru is the best choice for anyone who is looking for a perfect escape into a serene, luxurious and relaxing island life experience. Highly recommended- 10/10!