Canareef Resort Maldives

We have just returned to the UK after spending the most fabulous 10 days on this very “special” island in the southern most atoll of the Maldives. Indeed if you go any further south you encounter penguins at the South Pole!!! But first it’s worth mentioning the journey for us, the rest of the UK and Europe. It’s a long way, be prepared for 3 flights and a speedboat trip. (Some airlines fly direct to the capital of the Maldives, Male, but that’s still a 10+ hour flight) So what I am trying to say is, be prepared. Having said that, Canareef have thought of the possible negative effect of this and have arranged at Male airport for ALL their guests to stay in the executive lounge at the domestic terminal (Moonimaa Lounge.) We had a 10 hour wait (not typical I have to say, but we arrived at 6.30am and the lunch time flight was full, so we were put on the 16.45pm flight. I can hear readers already thinking this is a negative, not so, the time went really quickly. Full breakfast, lunch and evening meals are provided, plus snacks throughout the day, plus hot/cold drinks. WiFi is provided and there is a shower room. All paid for by Canareef. ) We also were allowed to use the separate bed area away from the main lounge. We had 2 lovely meals, used the WiFi, had a shower, changed cloths and had a snooze!!! When we arrived at the resort it was dark, but there was a warm welcome with some traditional music and we were meet by Millie (she was the first person we meet and the last to hug us at the airport at the end.) She talked us through the resort activities, where things were and showed the various trips that were on offer. For the next 10 days we totally relaxed, enjoyed the food, our sunset villa with jacuzzi and 4 poster bed. The outdoor shower was a brilliant experience, as this is the rainy season and it’s worth mentioning that for the first 4 days it rained consistently, but we didn’t mind at all, we were in the Maldives and had known this could happen. The rest of our stay was a mixture of sunshine and showers. Our villa (673 for 1 night) and then 655 was amazing and kept spotlessly clean and tidy by room attendant Mootar (apologies if I spelt your name wrong.) He checked we had everything we needed, including extra water, toilet rolls and towels. And I know he enjoyed the sweets we left him each day!!!! (the only reason we asked to change villa’s was purely Villa 655 had a view of the ocean and we spend a lot of our time watching the water, totally relaxing, especially when it was raining!!!) Reception staff always had a smile on their face (special thanks to Winda, Alba, Jessica, Jasmin and so sorry if I missed anyone out. They were also the ladies I would call for the buggy service.)❤️❤️ Dive Centre was amazing and professional, Heather went on a snorkelling trip and loved every minute of it. (Worth mentioning if you don’t have your own mask, snorkel and Finns there is a small change for these.)❤️❤️ Food in the buffet restaurant (KILHI) w

I spent 13 days in this hotel. I am satisfied with the service, food and drinks. Villa with a sea view, but the bed was not comfortable to sleep. From 1-5. My rating is 3. Hotel manager The bottom of the bottom 0. Rude, He-- shouldn't be a manager!

Comfy bed, fantastic air conditioner keep you cool in your villa, beautiful big clean villa we had a jacuzzi and was lovely set up next to the shower and bathroom, access to bikes to go around the island or call for a buggy. Excellent service, staffs are amazing and look after you! Pools are clean, towels smells always lovely, lovely cocktails and food is excellent

This is a really special place where we couldn’t have asked for a better honeymoon. Ignore any negative reviews (that’s the first thing we looked at before going) because they are likely written by people who love a moan or find something to complain about - let’s not forget that we are lucky enough to visit a Maldivian island! Before travelling, we were also slightly worried by the domestic flight and speedboat to the island - don’t be! Canareef organise everything immaculately and even have a rep’ on hand to greet you in Male and take you to the lounge before your final boat transfer (including the flight home). On arrival to the island, which is nothing you will have experienced before, you’re greeted by the friendliest staff, coconuts & a speedy check in (we were in a huts within 15-20 minutes). The island is huge but you can call buggies which arrive very quickly. The food is stunning and the drinks selection is also great! There isn’t too much in the way of evening entertainment (apart from crab racing which is great) but this is the kind of place and holiday you don’t really need it. I think what topped this place off is the staff. The most genuine people who really want you to enjoy your holiday and to enjoy their home. Special shout out to our waiter for the week, Shajiht, to Iscee down at Barkuda (Mr Paul!) Sherzod, Hemel & Didi. Every single member of staff will go out of their way to accommodate your needs and we’d recommend this place without reservation. Thank you!

The first time we went to Canareef Resort and it was really great! The time flew by, we wanted to stay even longer. The staff is also really great, every single one of them are friendly! On arrival the welcome was super nice, there was clapping, drumming, we were also given a homemade necklace made of palm leaves and a coconut to drink. The entire stay we were treated as if we were the king and queen. In the restaurant we always had the same waiter which I also think is super and he was really sublime. The food there was also very delicious. The island is also very beautiful and well maintained, every day the blades are raked everywhere both on the beach and on the road and behind all the villas. On the island you can get around on foot, by bike or buggy. You can easily get a bike from the bikehub and keep it for the duration of your stay. You can have a buggy come very easily by calling from your cottage or asking the staff to call and a buggy will pick you up in no time to take you to your desired location. We also booked a private tour to go snorkeling this was definitely a highlight! At the start we were welcomed with a coconut to drink, they also had a lunch box and fresh drinks more. Our guide was someone local who knew perfectly where the best snorkeling spots were to see the most beautiful fish and coral. We also saw a stingray, black tip reef shark and a water turtle while snorkeling. There was also a large pod of dolphins nearby so our captain took us there to admire them up close from the boat. This trip is something I definitely want to do again and definitely recommend to everyone!