Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort 5 stars

We stayed just over a week and split the stay over both the overwater villas and the beach villas. What we loved about the Overwater Villas was that we stayed sunset side and had uninterrupted views of the sunset while bathing in our private pool, perfect with a sundowner. The shower also had Ocean views as did the bathroom , the bedroom and the living room. We loved the overwater villas for the sheer size and comfort of the bed and the separate living room gave me space to work and us more space to dine in the evening. The villa was huge as was the pool being larger than most other places we have stayed which have more of a plunge pool. Both the overwater villas and the beach villas have great privacy but the Beach Villas were surrounded by lush gardens which was perfect to relax in and gave a more serene feel to the outdoor area. While the size of the Bed was slightly smallers in the Beach Villas , the Bathroom area was massive as was the dressing area. Its hard to pick which villa we liked more but as a general preference we preferred the beach. The restaurants had exceptional staff with genuine heartfelt , not fake but sincere service, nothing seemed to much trouble and Manuel seemed to be ever present to make sure things ran smoothly. What we really appreciated was the ability to ask for certain food or tweaks to dishes that weren't no the menu. Nothing seemed too much trouble. The quality of the cooking, food and ingredients was high, never overcooked, never cold and seasoned well. We particularly loved Yuzu with its Peruvian , Japanese Nikkei Cuisine, extremely fresh , healthy and packed with taste. Fahri was our second favourite with a wide range of different dishes but also located next to the main pool, bar, gift shop, wine room and watersports centre -so was great as a central hub for your daytime relaxing. The other thing worth mentioning is the activities - WOW . With only 20 islands inhabited out of 290 in this large Atoll , every activity was almost exclusively ours , no crowded dive sites, no one else using the snorkelling sites on gorgeous reefs ( even though we had not one but two house reefs to enjoy we still went out to other areas) , we also did Jet-skiing to remote sandbanks , stand up paddle and deep sea fishing - not once did we see another person in the water. We snorkelled both house reefs ( beach and overwater) and found fish life to be abundant with regular turtles, white tip and black tip reef sharks, puffer fish, Idols, banner fish, different rays, trigger , parrot, Napoleon fish and many more. You can snorkel independently or you also have the use of your butler ( everyone has one) who also operates as your Marine Butler, he knows his snorkelling and where to find things and is also on hand to give you guided snorkelling. The butlers in particular are fantastic. Fahudh immediately got us on whatsapp and everything from ordering food, handling laundry, snorkelling, booking restaurants, sending menus was no trouble at all. Last but not least the overwater Spa was amazing, the Indonesian and Bhutanese staff gave exceptional treatments all with a view of the ocean. We also took part in Sunset Yoga and used the gym which has floor to ceiling glass windows allowing you to look out on the reef and the ocean as you worked out. Overall we found the island perfect. No gimmicks, small number of villas , very personalised heartfelt service , quality experiences , good food and really large private villas. It gave us everything we could want and more , fully recommended if you need that switch off.

This was my 12th resort in Maldives in the past few years and will be the first revisit in the future. Raffles Maldives has a few advantages that make me want to go back again. 1. Intimate and private due to its size (38 villas total), location (fairly remote), and design (spacious and sufficient distance between units). 2. Villa/butler ratio and well-trained butlers that keep the service level high. 3. Reasonable food price compared to other Maldivian properties of the same calibre. 4. Abundant nature that has not yet been contaminated (like many other properties in the Maldives).

Excellent facilities, staff went above and beyond and the over water villas and views were breathtaking.The best honeymoon location for us and every little detail was taken care of, from suncream at the pool, pregnancy pillow in the room, dietary requirements and any questions and concerns immediately addressed.

Hands down the best luxury resort in the Maldives! Villa with private pool and beach and a marine butler and the best food in Maldives!

My partner and I really enjoyed our time at the resort. The service level was amazing. The staff knew us by name and went above and beyond to make our trip memorable. We were especially touched by all the little gestures. Who knew that we wanted a lemon ice tea until it was brought to us without asking for one!