The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

Hello all! Thought I would post now and be able to help anyone else, who like me, was searching for specific info on this place at this time of year (End of July / early August) the rainy season. Background: I’m 44 and my wife is 39 (for a few more days, we are here for her 40th birthday). We are both professionals who love to travel and enjoy luxury hotel/resorts. We do prefer beach/pool type vacas. I booked this trip about 5 months ago for her Bday getaway knowing we would be coming during the rainy season. The obvious plus was the significantly cheaper prices. Obvious potential negative was the weather, especially since I planned 2 days in Dubai on the way here and 1.5 days in Dubai on the way back (I’d rather stay and explore Dubai instead of a 5-8 hour layover coming from Chicago, USA). Dubai was awesome, fantastic food (Burj Khalifa afternoon tea, Ariana’s Persian Kitchen and Trèsind so far and Orfali Bros on way back) but it was INSANELY hot. You can literally almost not breathe during peak daytime from the heat / humidity. We cancelled our evening desert excursion as well cause it was still very hot/humid after sunset. We did a day trip with a private car to Abu Dhabi, this was great since you are cool in the car and most of the sights we visited were indoors. If you end up coming during this time of year, just plan for indoor stuff (shopping / eating / Burj Khalifa/Al Arab etc). Anyway, back to this resort. It has been AMAZING from the start since we arrived to Velana airport in Malè. Lovely staff. Beautiful luxury yacht transfer from Malè to the resort (about 65 minutes). I wanted a hotel with boat transfer and not be stuck with sea plane option only. Our butler (known as Aris Meeha here) whose name is Arafath has been nothing short of spectacular. (I actually requested him based on other people’s reviews, def do the same). He is always available and tries to anticipate your every need. An absolute gem. He said we are at 70% occupancy. Doesn’t feel full at all. No issues getting a lounger/seat at the beach or main pool. We have been here 3 days now, 4 more to go. We both said we never want to leave the day we arrived. We have stayed at multiple other Ritz Carlton Hotels (Chicago, Miami, Grand Cayman Islands), Four Seasons (Tamarindo, Bora Bora, Florence, Chiang Mai) St Regis (Punta Mita, Bora Bora, Chicago, Kanai) and this Ritz Maldives trumps them all. The modern aesthetics, crystal clear water, service and food thus far is the main reasons. Food: so far we have tried room service (fresh/piping hot arrival). La Laconda (Italian focused for dinner and AMAZING breakfast buffet). EAU Bar for hookah/Shisha (AMAZING, better than most of the hookah/shisha we had in Dubai prior to arrival) and Beach Shack (beach side grill). We are going to their sister resort Patina tonight for the Nordic/Japanese tasting menu at Koen. Special starlight dibs at dinner tomorrow. Then arabesque (Indian / middle eastern) followed by IWAU (Japanese omakase). Weather: I was tracking weather for weeks before we left. Everyday showed rain, that’s just how it is with most tropical islands. Yes this is the rainy season but weather has been great so far. It has been about 82-84 degrees Fahrenheit everyday. It was overcast with a short light shower when we arrived, some rain while we slept but the rest of the days have been sunny or some clouds, see pics below. Atmosphere/amenities: we met some lovely couples here. Seen a few families with kids. We have a 3.5 year old back at home that we will absolutely bring back here in the future. Kids club looks awesome. Gym is beautiful. Tons of daily activities. Main pool is beautiful. Beach is beautiful. Automatic toilet BIDETS in the bathrooms. We have these at home and are soooo glad they have these here. Snorkeling around our over the water bungalow has been great. Yes this is a man made island and the reefs need more years to grow but it’s just fine for the average snorkeler. We are doing their guided snorkel excursion in a few days as well. So, all in all so far this has been a fantastic resort that you should NOT HESITATE to come to especially during the rainy season if that works for you. Post any questions and I’ll be happy to answer if I can. 🙌🏽

The best place to stay in order to enjoy your vacation. Team, nature and facilities all together make this place as paradise in the Earth. Separate thank you to: Malika (Aris Meeha) Evegeny and Nishantah. Chef Shaik made out each and every dining special and memorable.

We had an amazing experience in our honeymoon. Service is 10/10. Thank you Aslam and everybody else for taking care of every detail!

It was the best vacation in our life. Everything was so perfect from the moment we arrived until the last minute before leaving. Very big Thank you for Miss. Maryam who has been always with us during our stay. She made our experience so special and We were so happy that she was there! We definitely are going back again!!

MANGO has been amazing housekeeper for all three of our villas for our family , with super fast and clean service and amazing towel art.