Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort 5 stars

Family friendly Ecocertified

We spent 5 nights at Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, and while it was an incredible experience, I would strongly recommend a minimum of 7 nights to truly take advantage of all the resort has to offer. From the moment we arrived at 08:15 am, the journey to the resort was seamless. We were greeted by our airport butler, who escorted us to the Moonimaa Lounge before our 12 pm domestic flight. Raffles arranged all domestic flights to align perfectly with our international flights, making the process stress-free. The 1-hour 10-minute flight from Malé to Kaadedhdhoo was followed by a 20-minute speedboat ride to the resort. Yes, it’s a long journey, but we were fully aware and made an informed decision—and it was absolutely worth it! Raffles is split between two islands: the main island and Ocean Pearl. We stayed in an Overwater Villa on Ocean Pearl, where there are 16 spacious villas and one of the resort’s three restaurants, Yuzu. The islands are connected by a jetty, and we never waited more than 5 minutes for the transfer, which was always quick and efficient. Unfortunately, our stay began with a hiccup. Upon checking into our first villa, I noticed a crack in the bathroom glass during the walk-through. It was quite obvious, and I was surprised the team deemed the villa suitable for guests. Our butler was present and assured us he would address the issue. However, it took just under four hours (and a reminder via WhatsApp) for us to be moved to another villa. This was frustrating, especially as we had just arrived and wanted to freshen up and settle in. For a resort of Raffles’ standard, this delay and the gesture of macaroons as an apology felt like a lack of emotional intelligence. That said, once this was resolved, the rest of our stay was smooth sailing. The resort itself is stunning and unmatched in beauty and luxury. I suggested to front-of-house management that an optional orientation for guests upon arrival would be beneficial, particularly for those staying on Ocean Pearl. We only discovered many facilities, such as paddle tennis, on our last night through other guests—a missed opportunity during our short stay. The dining experience at Raffles is truly in a league of its own. We ate at all three restaurants, with Yuzu and Thari being our favourites. Thari offers an extensive Western and Asian menu without compromising on quality. The chef even made me a bespoke savoury chilli sauce to take back to the UK—vacuum-sealed and all! It’s delicious, and I won’t be sharing it. The sommelier also sourced us the most delightful Moscato. The food and beverage team were exceptional; their service was outstanding, and they went out of their way to accommodate my husband’s dietary requirements. That said, I think there’s room for development in their gluten-free bread options, as alternatives seemed limited to sliced bread rather than a more varied selection. From the first day, the team remembered our preferences, which made every meal feel personalised. It’s evident they enjoy working at Raffles, and their warmth and enthusiasm made it even harder to leave. Despite a rocky start, I cannot recommend Raffles Maldives Meradhoo enough. The stunning setting, incredible culinary experience, and outstanding service make it a destination worth every penny and moment of travel. I would return in a heartbeat!

Beautiful property and accommodations. Underwhelmed by butler services in over water bungalow. However all other service areas were amazing and manager went above and beyond to make our trip a wonderful experience.

Having been to Raffles Singapore at the turn of the century I had high expectations but was completely blown away from the moment we were met by the General Manager and a representative cross section of the staff we would come to know. Cool herbed hand towels and beverages were a welcome respite after a long trip. We were introduced to our butler Yasir who we would come to appreciate as the best butler we've ever dealt with. He was completely unobtrusive while servicing our every need. The rest of the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. Ready to offer advise regarding meals and constantly surprising us with special drinks. You could tell their smiles were genuine and their offers of service authentic. So please allow me to offer special thanks (in alphabetical order) to Harsh, Manku, Mizy, Ranga, & Zaajee. All of whom went above and beyond to make sure our every need was met. This is not the spot if you're looking for nightlife. If total relaxation in the tropics is end you want to achieve then this is the place. The marine life encountered while snorkeling made places we've been to in the Caribbean & Mediterranean seem anemic. You can easily loose track of time as you encounter one vista more breathtaking than the last.

If you’re deciding which resort is best for your honeymoon or a special occasion, please rest assured THIS is the one. We booked for our honeymoon and they took care of every detail from an airport butler, arranging our domestic flights with a lounge, and a full meet and greet when you arrive with drums and cool refreshing drinks along the way. Our butler upgraded us from a sunrise villa to a sunset villa. When he opened the door for us, our luggage was already waiting there, as were snacks, a large fresh fruit bowl, French champagne in an ice bucket and ingredients to make us the famous Raffles Sling (Singapore Sling) But Maldivian Sling. Our 9 foot fluffy bed was prepared with the additional pillows we requested using the preferences form that the initial airport butler asked us to fill out, including personalized scents for the Villa. We had a desk, a giant living room, two large screen tvs equipped with movies and (when we couldn’t find the movie we wanted) our butler brought us an Amazon fire stick. The Raffles has a “The Butler did it” campaign and truly our butler, Yasir, was a magician who seemingly had no limits. Heartburn — no problem, he spoke to the doctor and had medication with instructions delivered to the villa; change of villa scents — of course, and also had a very romantic bubble bath complete with flowers, cut outs, “together forever” and romantic music playing when we arrived; sun burn — ouch, he had a large amount of fresh aloe vera sent to the villa and made sure the aloe Vera gel container was full the whole time; interested in marine life — so is he! So he personally escorted and guided us through the house reef and pointed out fish and names, including turtles, sting rays and sharks; Thanksgiving — he sent over a Happy Thanksgiving surprise while we were out at dinner, a card and a pecan pie to share. Every time we left the villa, he would leave a thoughtful card and thoughtful surprise for us to come back to. I’m embarrassed but not ashamed to admit that I cried when saying goodbye and watching the island shrink as we sped to the airport. Everyone we spoke with or ran into remembered our names and were warm and happy and friendly. It felt like home and the service was like nothing I’d ever experienced. This was true luxury and for our honeymoon, I have never felt more special in my life. Of course this is already a long review and I have barely mentioned the amazing spa (please please treat yourself to a facial or massage — they are divine and staff are very skilled and knowledgeable, plus the room is the most stunning spa room I’ve ever been in overlooking the water with floor to ceiling glass and a spot on the floor where you can watch fishes swim by, maybe a turtle!) And the food — oh the food. I don’t even know where to start because everything was amazing and made a la carte and they didn’t even mind any substitutions or requests. (Thank you to the server and chef who agreed to my strange request to remove the bone from my tandoori lamb chop!) my husband is lactose intolerant and so often his choices are incredibly limited… but not here!! The pastry chef is a wizard and was able to whip up lactose free croissants that brought tears to his eye! This was an amazing honeymoon. If you are looking for a special experience, please book here. There is no comparison. We also appreciated the resort’s care in being sustainable and eco friendly. They use solar power in their villas and sustainable fish. They spent a great deal of care restoring the house reef which is beautiful and home to so many marine lives.

Raffles Maldives Meradhoo was everything we dreamed of and more. Our villa was a paradise—private pool, dock, snorkeling reef, and the most comfortable bed ever (and it's three meters wide!!!). Every time we came back, there was a thoughtful surprise waiting for us. The food? Unreal. From tandoori and thali to sushi and pastries, everything was fresh, creative, and delicious. The drinks were equally amazing, and the variety blew us away. I'm lactose intolerant and have never felt so safe eating foods and asking if they can do something lactose free - trust me, they probably can. To my lactose intolerant brethren: GET THE FRESH BAKED BREADS. Special thanks to Yasir, our butler, who made our stay effortless. Need anything, anytime? He was on it. The service here is next-level without ever feeling overbearing. The water and views are even better than the pictures, which seems impossible. We’re already planning a trip to another Raffles property because this was unforgettable. The level of service was so excellent I thought it could only live in my imagination - it truly set the bar for us. Huge thanks to Yasir and the entire team!