The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

We are turning into a couple of Fari-junkies and despite it being our 5th visit to this special paradise, every visit never fails to impress, enlighten, delight and inspire us differently every time. As returning guests who have seen this resort from a 3 months-old fledgling to now almost a 4 years old resort and having done pretty much almost everything the island has to offer, I suppose we are now turning into the more challenging guests to keep happy and romance - to which the ladies and gentlemen of Fari continues to show ample eagerness to rise up to the challenge. The Dive Butlers services they have at the Ritz Fari really is first class. I dont dive but my husband does and he looks forward to the dives there every year. Top notch equipments, experienced diving instructors and team that takes you to the best diving sites and they really take care of you and your safety. Summer Pavilion has a new Rockstar - Chef David - who arrived only shy of a month with all kinds of talent and fire in his belly. This restaurant was one which honestly I had blacklisted for years, with menu designed for the inexperienced Western palate, serving fusion Chinese whatever, gimmicky dim sum and identity-confused airport lounge quality stir-frys, fried rice and noodles with truffle just to justify the silly prices. But finally, there is a chef who can cook refined, michelin-mention-worthy Cantonese and Chiu Chow style cuisine, using fresh seafood available - and plates with confidence and stylish flare. 10/10. I'd highly recommend for you to ask your Aris Meeha to ask for a chef-special menu and give Chef David a chance to wow you with a custom menu. The food he served us was the kind you'd get at a fine dining banquet restaurant. It was so good, healthy and the price was fair. If you know, you'd know. I'm so excited to revisit Summer Pavilion to experience his cooking again. Beach Shack still remains as our undisputed favorite place. And I can't not give Addey and Amu and the amazing team there enough credit for always consistently maintaining the high level of service and they really notice and remember the little things and our preferences. The menu variety hasn't grown but the quality in the ingredients and plating has improved. If you are curious about local Maldivian curries and dishes, please please request for the Beach Shack kitchen to prepare something off menu for you a day or two in advance. You shouldn't leave without having some real Maldivian food there. Chef Ibbey there can serve up some amazing Maldivian style curries, grilled fish with Maldivian rub, even can spice up the fish tacos to something exciting off-menu. The grilled lamb chops at dinner a la cart is also amazing. Themed nights at the Beach Shack is always a must for us from Maldivian night, Seafood BBQ and their Ocean dine around. Ambiance, food, service and value for money is always 100 at the Beach Shack. Our thanks also to Amu, Anoos, Modex, Cake, Sunny, George & Mikka. Eau Bar mixology team got better!! We were always the guests that were challenging to deal with since we were always very particular. They seem to really have found their stride and all of them seem extremely passionate about mixology. Ask for Eresta, Gustia and Briane to customize something for you. And Gustia's gin basil smash with fizz was da Bomb. Chef's Table at IWAU wagyu dinner was indulgent. I dont remember the last time I had so much Wagyu in one sitting. I'd highly recommend the sake pairing. Despite being on a remote island, the sake selection and variety they served was very memorable and impressive. Personally, the heat and humidity on the island makes indulging on fatty beef al fresco difficult...but we enjoyed the experience. Our special thanks to Hishu for persuading us to try and Chef Jill for her service. I'd highly recommend Muay Thai sessions with Mauhdy at the gym. All their equipments are clean, sanitized, he knows his craft and knows how far to push you and how far not to. He can even do a partner session too. While we were there, they launched a new private dining menu from their new executive chef Pedro Samper. The menu and price is Michelin worthy, and the dining ambiance in the wine tasting room was really special. But, don't expect a complete Michelin quality fine dining experience. The design, execution and plating of the food was amazing but the food presentation and story telling was pretty much absent. The Champagne pairing was impressive and our special thanks to Nishanta who made the evening extra special and memorable along with Ahnad who was very attentive to our feedback. Fari rarely gives us reason to complain. And this was the first time when there was no active GM on the resort. The former GM Renato really brought energy and vibrant leadership and vision during his tenure and his absence could be felt at this year's Easter Gala. He knew the importance of creating a fantastical image and experience that was over the top, sophisticated, elegant and absolutely decadent and he definitely left with the bar set high. Although still good...this year's gala felt like a downgrade from last year. Entertainment felt cheap and nothing special. Lacking elegance and sophistication, with a band playing typical karaoke pop music you could hear in other cheaper resorts in Mallorca or Phuket. Some of the costumes on the dancers also felt cheap. Some of them borderline inappropriate being too sheer and a little too much figure-hugging. Just lost that touch of sophistication and elegance this year. Also, the raw bar and sushi and salad and desserts display under the heat and open air for 3 hours wasn't smart. I didn't dare touch most of it. Last year those heat-sensitive fast-spoiling food items and creamy desserts were all displayed and served indoors under air-conditoned environments. The gala this year fell short for me. And the venue definitely wasn't ideal with some categories of food either getting soggy, luke warm or sweating and melting in the heat and humidity. Last but not least, our thanks to our Aris Meeha Arafath. Thanks for making our stay as comfortable as possible from the moment we checked-in to a flawless check-out. At the end of the day, Fari for us is a special place where we feel welcomed, actively taken care of by a group of talented and dedicated ladies and gentlemen and we look forward to being romanced again in our next visit.

This resort will always hold a special place in my heart. Having visited over 30 resorts across the Maldives, I can confidently say this is among my absolute favorites. From its stunning design and exceptional service to the impeccable quality of the food, every aspect of the experience is truly outstanding.

We celebrated our wedding anniversary at this amazingly beautiful resorts, which excel beyond the ordinary and the expected even for a luxury hotel. Personalized exceptional service always available, grateful to have hosted by Ibrahim. Special treats by Chef Ruckmal for our anniversary served at the Villa. The Ritz Carlton stand out with its many dinning options, unique beaches and many activities to ensure you are never bored.

My wife and I went on our honeymoon and it was the best decision we ever made. The resort thinks about of everything. We can say this was the best vacation we have gone to. Arafath was our butler which was so helpful with recommendations and ideas to fill our days. There is plenty of things to do from excursions to plenty of delicious food. Make sure you explore and take advantage of the resort even though it is truly hard to leave the beautiful Villa which makes you with a lost of words.

Staying at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives Fari Islands was a dream. During our 5 night stay and first time-visit, we were treated well by Eddie, our Aris Meeha, and the team as a whole. At welcome drinks on the beach our first night, we met a lot of the team including Naseem, Dan, and Salah. They were part of the original team that "opened" the resort and thus knew a lot about the history and work that was put into creating a world class hotel. This was really interesting to hear about and overall a great way to meet everyone and get oriented. Throughout the stay, Eddie helped us feel at home by switching us to a beach villa halfway through the stay, having a bath set up for us after our snorkel excursion, and getting us personalized bike plates as a souvenir of our stay. He also picked us up after all our excursions (dive trips, snorkel trips, etc) and gave us insights on where to find good coral to see wildlife. We also really enjoyed the couples massage (the longest and best we've gotten so far!), and fun treats like appetizers, drinks, desserts, and even entrees that we received from the different restaurants we tried at the resort. Shout out to Sam at Eau bar for being so welcoming and teaching us out about the Maldivian culture. He always came by to say hi and was genuinely such a joy to talk to. Even though this was only our first time there, we really got to know the team and appreciated the little things they did to remember us and our itinerary, and make sure we were taken care of. We can't wait to go back. It's a bit of a trek from the US but well worth the effort. I can't imagine a better experience!