JA Manafaru

It’s hard to put into words just how perfect JA Manafaru is. We had high hopes for this island when booking and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The seaplane transfer from Male was seamless. A member of the JA Manafaru staff was waiting for us in arrivals, he checked our baggage in at the TMA seaplane terminal on our behalf whilst we relaxed. Everything was totally stress free and we hardly had any wait before we were whisked away on our seaplane and began our journey to the island. Upon arrival at JA Manafaru, we received a lovely welcome with cold refreshing towels and coconut milk to drink. Buggies with our names on were already waiting and our butler Imran, took us straight away to our accommodation. We had chosen to stay in the Beach Residence as we were celebrating two special birthdays and the Villa itself took our breath away. Overlooking the ocean, it had two massive bedrooms, a kitchen, a TV room and it’s own spa room. The master bedroom had a huge outside bathroom with a very large jacuzzi pool and water wall. Around a sizeable infinity pool, there were beautiful huge settees to lounge on, hidden seating areas with a hammock and multiple sun loungers. It couldn’t have been more perfect. The island itself is lush and very beautiful. The beaches comprise of soft powder white sand and the sea is the most stunning shades of aquamarine blue. For those who love snorkelling, you will not be disappointed. There are two jetties lovingly called Fishingham Palace and the Sting Ray jetty and both of these have steps leading down where you can enter the water. We preferred snorkelling from the Sting Ray jetty best of all and saw so many beautiful fish plus we were also lucky enough to find a rather large turtle going about his day who was totally unfazed by our presence. You can also snorkel around the water villas. Sandy paths meander around the island and it doesn’t take long to get around plus every Villa have bicycles to use should you prefer not to walk. The food was absolutely exquisite. Kakuni is the main eating place for a buffet style breakfast. There’s everything you can think of and if you prefer hot food, then this is freshly prepared for you. They even ask you how long you would like your eggs boiling for! I can’t remember his name but there is a lovely man from Nepal who cooks the most delicious waffles, pancakes or crepes and always has a nice chat with you about your stay. The Ocean Grill serves dinner on the beach and the food is so delicious and is cooked to order. We had sirloin steak with hasselback potatoes one evening which was absolutely mouthwatering. There’s an Asian restaurant overlooking the sea called the White Orchid. Again, food was beautifully prepared and cooked and they were more than happy to tweak the menu for you if you had any special requests. Finally, back to Kakuni who often did themed evenings which included Italian food, Street Food and a seafood barbecue. There was so much variety in the food, something to suit everyone and it was cooked to the highest standard and always presented beautifully. The All Inclusive package was perfectly adequate and each menu laid out what was included and what wasn’t. It worked. In the evening, they would bring wine for us to try and there were plentiful spirits and cocktails to enjoy. Plus a bottle of champagne on arrival. We couldn’t have asked for more. The resort is idyllic but it is the people who absolutely make this holiday. There are too many to mention by name but everyone there made sure our stay was special. From the gardeners in the morning who greeted us, the waiters who couldn’t do enough for you. Some names spring to mind - Shard although we called him the Captain who always had a joke with us over breakfast. Moussa- maybe not the correct spelling but the executive chef who came and spent lots of time with us talking about the island and island life. Prani who was the loveliest of ladies and looked after us so well. At the poolside at Andiamo, one evening we asked if we could have an early dinner and the staff there made sure that we were catered for and even stayed late so that we were not rushing with our food. Then there was our butler Imran who quietly looked after us, solved any problems that we might have immediately and nothing was ever too much trouble. He was just a WhatsApp away. We said that JA Manafaru was like a well oiled machine that hummed along perfectly and it’s totally down to Roberto who steers the ship in the right direction and all of his amazing team who work alongside him. For those who we haven’t mentioned by name, thank you, each and every one of you are all amazing. It’s the little details at JA Manafaru that make it stand out. One day, one of our bicycle chains snapped and before we had even finished breakfast, the bicycle had been fixed and was back in working order. Or when we had finished snorkelling, a lifeguard was there waiting for us with fresh dry towels for our use. The special touches really mean a lot. We were there in high season when the island was running at full capacity with maximum number of guests but nowhere ever looked busy. Not even the pool at Andiamo. There were always spare loungers. You would never have guessed that there were so many people staying there. We never had a problem reserving a table in any of the restaurants, this had been done by our butler Imran ready for our arrival but if we ever wanted to change a booking, this was done effortlessly with no problem. We did one day trip which is an absolute must for anyone staying at the resort. We did the JA Manafaru experience and it was a pinch me moment. We set off with some of the diving team on one of their boats. The day started with snorkelling along a coral reef and the diving team were so kind and attentive as they knew we were a little bit nervous. We saw so many fish. After that, we sailed to a castaway island where our butler for the day, Rabin was waiting for us with Prosecco and there were four sunloungers lined up along the seashore. We were served a picnic, in fact just before lunch a small boat turned up with a canopy for our use because the staff were worried about us getting sunburnt. It’s the little details again. After lunch, to our surprise, a jet ski arrived and we were given a ride behind it on an inflatable raft which was so much fun. Then we set off on our boat again to find dolphins. The staff hunted high and low and made sure that we found them and didn’t go back disappointed. We felt like celebrities for the whole day and will be talking about our experience for years to come. Our holiday was the best holiday we have ever had and to be honest, I’m not sure we will ever be able to top it. It was perfect in every way. I did shed a tear when I left and when I threw a piece of coral into the water to make a wish, I think I also left a piece of my heart back there on that island.

It’s very difficult to put into words just how incredible this place is, but I shall give it a go. From the second we arrived into Malé, to the last footsteps onto the plane back home- the JA team exceeded hospitality throughout our stay. The Manager Roberto is always around the Island greeting and talking to guests which adds a lovely touch to the holiday. I just wanted to say a special thank you to Shaad, Pranita, Moosa, Jack, Rabin, the pancake & waffle man and of course our butler Imran for making our stay that extra bit special with their kindness, service and deep care towards us. We stayed in the Beach Residence which was absolutely mind blowing in itself- it was such a big place so a massive thank you to the cleaners, pool maintenance and gardeners for making sure our villa was always in top notch condition. The staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, anything we wanted or needed- we had it. I’m a bit of a fussy eater myself but if there’s anything I wanted to eat instead, the chefs & waiters didn’t even think twice about getting it for me. Everyone on the Island was so so friendly. The food is incredible in addition. So many different themed nights that cater to all, and even a section with french fries and chicken etc for the kids.. The fact that a big chunk of your meals are A-la-carté I love, your meals come freshly cooked but there’s still a buffet on offer on some of the nights too- a perfect balance. I’ve never quite had food and flavours like it. We chose to go on the new JA MANAFARU EXPERIENCE which incorporates snorkelling a beach picnic and a dolphin cruise afterwards. This was hands down the best experience of my life. We arrived at 10am to find that the trip was private for me and my family which was so special in itself, we were then greeted by 3 members of the dive team who took great care of us (nervous snorkelers) . I didn’t catch his name but the guy that took me and my family snorkelling was amazing with us. He never left us, he constantly checked if we were okay and we had the best snorkelling experience with him. We then arrived to a castaway island, only to find that we can see 4 sun-loungers and a private butler waiting for us on the island with a table on the beach, picnic and umbrellas for shade. A speed boat came from resort directly to pick us up from the long boat and take us to the island, where Rabin looked after us the whole afternoon. He was professional and gave us the best care possible during our stay. We couldn’t quite believe we had a whole island to ourselves. Shortly after, someone else from JA arrived to help build a canopy so we had some shade whilst eating. And then a jet ski arrived.. with a jet sofa. We were so nervous about this and we had no idea it was going to happen but the guy that was operating it again took such good care of us, constantly checked if we were okay and didn’t go too fast for us. We ended up having a blast! The dolphin cruise ended up being so special as well, it took a while but the team didn’t give up finding them and we ended up seeing around 15 dolphins that day. It was an unforgettable experience and the hard work that went into it to make it special- from the boat drivers, to the water sports/diving team, the catering team to the endless trips the JA team had to do to get us backwards and forwards to various boats were seamless and the effort that went in to make it special for us did not go unnoticed. It was worth every penny. As I mentioned at the beginning, Imran was our Butler throughout our stay. Upon arrival, all of our restaurants were booked and any we wanted to change there was never an issue. Imran looked after us throughout and always checked on us to make sure we were happy. Anything we needed or were short of, Imran always sorted it for us. Our bike sadly broke a couple of times, by the time we’d finished eating we had a brand new bike waiting for us outside. One day we were short of milk in the mini bar, I messaged Imran and we then had a whole pack of milk every day for the rest of our stay. He went above and beyond for us, including giving us a private behind the scenes trip. In his words “in the Maldives no doesn’t exist, only yes’s” and that honestly sums up how well we were looked after by him. Thank you. Coming into JA we were very nervous snorkelers (thanks to the triggerfish!) but having a lifeguard around on the jetty’s made us feel a lot safer. The lifeguard at the stingray jetty in particular was lovely. We gained our confidence after a couple of days and ended up finally letting go of the steps! The first day we ended up seeing a turtle. There’s a few designated places where you can snorkel on the island but the water is as you can imagine, is gorgeous and there’s loads of fish to see out there (big and small). The one thing that stood out for me at JA Manafaru was the attention to detail. Everything has been thought about through and through and that’s what really made the holiday as exceptional as it was. After snorkelling, the lifeguards bring you towels to dry off with. Upon arrival, you are greeted by management and staff with your name personalised on your buggy, branded JA coconuts and an ice cold scented flannel. After every meal, there’s a scented flannel for you. The staff pour your water for you and top it up without you even realising. When leaving, we had 4 pieces of coral to throw back into the ocean whilst making a wish. Everything you could think of, has already been thought about. That really shone through. One of the days we wanted an early dinner at Andiamo (the italian), we didn’t realise that Andiamo shuts at 6 but when we enquired about eating late, the waiters and chefs told us they’d stay and look after us as long as we wanted that evening without even considering it. They had set us a table up whilst we had a swim in the late afternoon. They never made us feel like a bother or inconvenience- but merely looked after us all evening. One of the waiters told us “as long as you’re happy, we’re happy”. They couldn’t have been more accommodating and lovely to us. Sadly I didn’t catch the name of the waiters that evening but thank you so much. Complimentary to our villa, we had a private beach bbq and cinema under the stars with a movie of our choice. On the night of the bbq, we were greeted by a buggy outside our villa that took us to the spot. We had a candlelit table on the beach with a private chef and a private waiter for the evening. The food was phenomenal, seafood (a whole lobster, large prawn and reef fish) for starter, steak, chicken and lamb for main and pudding was delivered by the in villa dining team. Thank you to the waiter and chef that looked after us that night. For the night of the cinema, we chose Mamma Mia. It was all set up for us- 4 loungers with blankets, a big screen with speakers, popcorn, a drink bucket with ice, glasses etc etc and then Kakuni (main restaurant) brought us icecream on top. The movie was a very special touch to the holiday. Ultimately, the day before the last day i started to feel it. I did not want to leave paradise in the slightest. And what got to me was that as our seaplane was leaving, there were at least 3 of us on that plane from different families that shed a few tears. If that isn’t a place that’s created magic for so many people, then I don’t know what is. What a special place. To anyone reading that’s considering going, book the holiday. I promise you will not be disappointed. 10 nights wasn’t enough and neither is 5*.. To the WHOLE team at JA Manafaru, thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this holiday unforgettable. This was hands down the best holiday I have ever been on and I have no doubts about returning. Thank you again & see you soon… - Fern

From the moment we landed in Malé, everything felt effortless. Airport meet and greet, smooth transfers, and genuine care from start to finish. The seaplane arrival was unforgettable — a warm welcome at the pier with smiles, cold coconuts, icy towels and turquoise water in every direction. JA Manafaru felt like pure serenity and we had that immediate sense of switching off from the world. We stayed in an overwater villa (#536) and it was everything you dream the Maldives will be: direct lagoon access, incredible privacy, and sunsets that didn’t look real. The villa was beautifully maintained, spacious, and thoughtfully designed, with those little luxury touches that make a stay feel special rather than standard. The service was exceptional without ever feeling intrusive. Every staff member greeted us by name and genuinely seemed invested in making our stay memorable. Our concierge, Mohamed, was always on hand for anything we needed and nothing was ever too much trouble. Rauf, the F&B Manager, made all our dining experiences truly memorable. Dining was another highlight — generous breakfast spreads, fresh seafood, and romantic dinners by the water. What truly sets JA Manafaru apart is the feeling of calm. It is intimate, peaceful, and never overcrowded. Whether we were snorkelling straight off the villa, cycling around the island, or simply lying on the deck listening to the water, it felt like a complete reset. If you’re looking for understated luxury, privacy, and warm, personalised service in the Maldives, JA Manafaru delivers beautifully. We left relaxed, reconnected, and already wanting to return. 🌴

All the staff were friendly, polite, and attentive, making our experience so comfortable and enjoyable. We truly appreciate everything and can’t wait to come back!

Ja Manafaru… it was a pleasure. A big thank you to Mohamed who was very welcoming from the start to the end. Who took care of all our needs during our stay at Ja Manafaru. The food - it was definitely of higher quality. Good value for money. Hospitality - on point Environment - well looked after and very clean. The island itself was beautiful and breathtaking taking. The staff were great in making sure the island stays that way! Ja Manafaru was definitely the right choice we made picking it as our honeymoon destination and it definitely left a mark on us! Our first experience in the Maldives and it felt like a movie.