Fairmont Maldives - Sirru Fen Fushi 5 stars

everything was good except for the late services

We had a wonderful experience while staying 10 nights at Fairmont Maldives resort. It was our first vacation after 12 years and Fairmont did not disappoint. We booked via a third party, due to Covid and got a fair price including “full board”, train and air fare, including MTA sea plane to the resort. *Note: Everything is price plus plus…So if you see a drink, order a drink package, go to the spa, book an adventure it is going to be the price you see plus service charge 10%, plus tax 12%. So just be aware that the chips in your room are quite expensive. Nevertheless, it was a trip of our lifetime! While we contemplated on getting an Over Water Villa, we decided to go with a Beach Villa instead and are so happy that we did. During our stay, we downgraded from a Deluxe Sunset Villa to a Deluxe Sunrise Villa to get away from the noisy seaplanes, jet skis and other water sport actives, which are mainly taking place in the lagoon. We are so glad we did because the reef is just right outside your doorsteps on the Sunrise side! This side of the island is much quieter, and makes you feel like you have the entire island to yourself. We are outdoor lovers, and we just enjoyed the lush jungle-feel that the sunrise side provided. An additional plus is that in the afternoon you have shade to chill out in, instead of baking in the sun, and she sunrises are stunning! I could not stop taking pictures and tried to take it all in! Both Deluxe Beach Villas (both Sunset and Sunrise) have the same layout and are undeniably beautiful. What made it even better was the housekeeping staff. I have never experienced such a friendly, warm, and attentive atmosphere, and Fawaz our housekeeper was wonderful. He took great care of us and went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. All I can say is…….attention to detail! Wow, every day he made sure that we were taking care of and left little surprises when we returned to our villa at night. These were unexpected efforts that we appreciated so much because it showed dedication and it made the stay very personable. Thank’s Fawaz, we valued everything that you did for us! Raha Market is the place where we had most of our meals. We love to eat and drink and were not let down one day. Most meals were spent at the Raha Market and Chef Mortars was incredible. That is what I call cultural competence and expertise! I can only imagine the work hours and knowledge about food and cultures that go into running an island cuisine like that. We were blown away how he and his staff did it. Every meal was remarkable, and the flavors exceeded my expectations. Every bite I took was truly, and I mean truly perfectly seasoned, balanced and the flavors were outstanding. I did not have a bad bite during our stay! The variety was endless, and every day was a joy to come to Raha Market. There are really no words that come to mind that allow me to tell you how good the food was. Restaurant Azure is the seafood restaurant on the island, and we made reservations early (7:00) as recommend and had a table right on the water. Chef Liz is so passionate about her food and her up-beat spirit makes your dinner experience worthwhile! This place does not disappoint and all I can think about is the joy I felt being greeted and hosted by an amazing and passionate staff. The staff really go above and beyond! They have thought about everything. From the menu that lights up upon opening to the personal teaching about lobsters buy chef Liz! Dining was a wonderful experience, and we will keep it in our memories! The restaurant is very beautiful and provides excellent views into the ocean, and you could see all the fish (rays and shark) swimming in the lights below the restaurant. Kata restaurant is run by Chef Art and offers Japanese cuisine. Chef Art was wonderful and is very passionate about his cuisine that he presents. His knowledge about the Japanese food is astounding and his drive to perfection was noticeable. Although Japanese food is something that we don’t frequent that often, we really enjoyed it and the staff was amazing in guiding us thru the menu. (Again, recommend getting an early reservation if you want to sit right on the water.) The service was truly 5 stars! The staff was outstanding and anticipated everything you need and remembered everything; it blew our minds! We truly felt like we were part of the Fairmont Family! The staff made us feel home away from home and honestly, words cannot describe how much we appreciated everyone and everything that they have done for us during our stay! Our trip started and end at the airport with Mumeeth. He and his colleagues did everything for us. All we had to do was follow him and he took care of the rest. Thank you so much for making this trip easy and stressless! Marshall – The resort manager was super. The only thing he couldn’t fix was the Cyclone (weather) near us that brought some wind and rain the last two days we were there. However, I told him that I’d give him another try next time we visit. You guys should be so proud of your staff, they are amazing! Pun, Shaahee, Vikar, and Raymond our bartenders were the bomb! Every day we felt so welcome! They anticipated everything we needed and their knowledge about spirits and cocktails were mind-blowing! A special thanks to Pun… You’re the man!!! We noticed your passion and untiring efforts to make each, and everyone feel special and welcome! There were a lot of service staff that we want to thank. They all did a phenomenal job and deserve kudos! So, a special thanks to Kessi, Adams, Aadam, Ana, Hamoodh, Ahmed, Bunyod, Suaad, Ashok, Isse, Reda, Purni and Athoof. Thank you all so much for making this a wonderful experience that we will never forget. Please keep in mind that you’re doing an amazing job and we really appreciated everything that you’ve done. You guys go above and beyond, and I know how much effort it can take. Keep on going because people like us draw from your unbeatable spirit, friendliness, and attention to detail! You made us feel very special and we appreciated every minute of it! Scuba staff is amazing as well, they will hook you up with all kinds of water-sport activities that Fairmont offers! Raymond, you are so passionate about what you do that it is contagious! I am not a diver but just hearing you talk about the underwater world and all the animals that you encountered made me so curious about diving! We booked a full body massage on a rainy day. This was the best massage I ever had! Very highly recommend booking this. (They offer 25% off some mornings at breakfast or during the “Manager’s Free Cocktail Hour” (usually on Wed or Sun). Paint a coconut, it’s free and it’s a lot of fun. The art lead “Jalle” is super friendly and will set you, your partner and or kids up will all the things you need. We had a great time, especially during the rainy day. Thanks to Jalle! We will keep your painted picture in a special place, we love it! Also, if you play Ping-Pong and want to play the master ask for Adams. Likewise, the scuba staff are the billiards masters. DJ Jantt, you’re truly amazing! Your music choices, as well as your music library seemed to be endless! We really appreciated your music, curiosity for new beats and your dedication. Thank you so much for playing my favorite “REM”! I loved the evenings at the Onu Onu bar when you were playing. You’re an amazing DJ and person and we are so happy we’ve gotten to know you! Overall, we can highly recommend this place! At least for us! We’ve made a lot of great memories and I know that we’ll come back!

Good

It was a dream come true vacation. The entire experience from stepping out of the Male’s immigration desk till security check on Male’s airport while boarding home flight was seamless. Hospitality - I would rank it better than any of the Indian fat weddings. There was always a Fairmont representative accompanying us and taking care of the tiniest detail possible during our stay in Maldives. Every small wish/request made by us while booking our stay at Fairmont was taken care them. I never saw anyone frowning in the property - be it guests, residents or the staff. We had a personal butler - Mr Hassan who was warm and a delight to have around. He gave us multiple tours of the property, managed our activities in the resort, took take of our dietary needs and made every occasion special. Room and amenities - Seemed like we had a genie with us who was making our infinite wishes true. The room was huge with two beds inside and two outside (near the pool and beach). All the beds were big enough to accommodate the four of us together. The mattress were of different kinds to suit everybody’s back. I am very particular about the mattress and worried if I will get a good sleep there but slept like a baby. We had two shower areas - one at the backyard and one in the room. We had a clean pool on the beach and a pool-sized bathtub in the backyard for enjoying warm bubble bath. Walk in wardrobes with two full-sized mirrors were a delight for me and my two daughters. A goodies filled refrigerator, warmer, coffee machine, water kettle and exotic fruits loaded basket welcomed us in the room. And talking about details, they welcomed my daughters with beach set kits (which they weren’t obliged to) especially to make their stay memorable. They even provided slippers for all ages - which stunned me because I have not seen even Disney/Lego hotels managing all sizes of footwear for children. They provided us 4 pair of slippers twice everyday (4 days in total making it 8 pairs of each size) - for a 4 year old, 9 year old and couples. The lagoon villa was equally good and equipped as their beach villas. Our favourite though was our room - 517 - sunset beach villa. No pebbles, no dirt, no noise, few metres away from the infinity pool, the restaurants and recreation rooms - just perfect in maintaining privacy but giving access to everything. Service and Food quality - The room including the pool was cleaned twice as a regime. They filled the fruit baskets with variety of exotic fruits (mango, apple, pear, banana, Thai litchis, mango steen, grapes, etc. etc.) every time they visited us in the room. One basket of fruits was enough to feed the four of us for lunch. And not just the basket even their restaurants had international cuisine with atleast 2 dishes per course from each country, breads, salads, cheese, desert etc etc.. and it had more than enough choice for kids, elderly, veg, non veg, vegans etc. We are vegetarians and picky eaters - so they curated and customized each of our meals along with the regular options available. And all that was done proactively. Additionally, preparing popcorn for us at a call was a delight. Highlight of the stay was our floating breakfast experience - which was just amazing. However it was short-lived as the crabs on the beach marched towards us to share our breakfast. Nevertheless the taste and extended spread of the meal wasn’t compromised at all and for the first time during our travel we got it all when it comes to food - amazing experience with vast spread, quality and tasty Indian vegetarian food in a foreign country famous for sea food. Pizzas were mind blowing - tastiest pizzas I have ever had. Strawberry fountain was my daughters’ favourite. I missed my masala tea though but the fresh fruit tasty juices compensated more than enough. Please do visit all their specialty restaurants because each cuisine has a huge spread. And their recommendations are mind blowing - especially at their Japanese restaurant. Water activities - A 9-year old girl has done 2 snorkelling sessions and 1 discover scuba-diving along with her faint-hearted mother and adventurous daddy at this property for the first time in their lives. This establishes the quality of people/trainers involved in the activity. The property has preserved its coral reef and marine life so well, that we could see a shark while snorkelling barely few meters deep in the sea and within 30 mins of our activity. The activities were so relaxing that none of us wanted to come out of the sea and just experience the peace under water. More than enough for everyone - Kids recreation room was filled with all the activities in the world - had a slide, doll house, activity toys etc etc and enough to keep 100 kids there. The property had various photo points on the land as well as in the water - we loved shooting near the hammock and the swing in the sea and it’s a delight for people who want to shoot their portfolio, couple photos, babymoon pictures etc. They also provide bicycles free of cost for all ages - imagine the fleet maintained by them to cater to all age group. Utilities - 24-hour electricity with perfectly working white appliances. Fresh water in bathrooms were so good that despite shampooing hair twice a day, none of us had a single hairfall. My elder daughter’s hair is 3-feet long and she was either in the pool or the beach for 14 hours a day - we could maintain it very well by using their top-quality toiletries. Drinking water was light and so good that we did not feel the difference between bottled water and their filtered water. Locks, latches, furniture quality were all maintained top notch with good aesthetics - I realised that a plastic chair which is a must for the beach need not be bad looking after coming here. Not a single inch of wall/furnishing/floor captured moisture, fungus, humidity etc etc which are the common nuisance on a beach holiday. The air was so clean that I did not had to take my Asthama inhaler even once during my stay (I need it daily otherwise). None of us wanted the stay to end. It was a dream come true for all four of us because each of our needs were fulfilled - 100% - and a perfect way to celebrate my husband’s 39th birthday. Thank you Fairmont. You made our dream come true - in every single way and it’s not easy (rather impossible). I feel that the money paid on the trip was peanuts compared to our experience (steal deal). I hope that we do come back to stay with your awesome team again. Thanks - Priyanka and Rohit D., Prisha and Shanaya

We really loved the island, but felt that the 'VIP' service we were offered lacked. We were supposed to have a free room upgrade, and instead got a free bottle of champagne (only). Even though our butler said we would get nice things everyday. When we did try and book something (like dolphin watching) it keep getting canceled. For the cost, and the effort to get there, VIP should be more special. The restaurant was amazing, but drinks should be included in the package, we don't drink much but a glass of wine or two being charged just took away from the luxury experience.