Canareef Resort Maldives

Positives : Welcome coconut drink on arrival and very quick check in . All staff are positive, smiling and respectful. Special mention to Millie who listened to our holiday hiccups and made holiday experience better. Even decorated our villa with flowers and champagne which was unexpected and wonderful. She didn’t have to do that, thank you Millie. Chef Lucky in Bar-Kuda beach bar cooks some wonderful food, beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Staff behind beach bar Albert and Jessica, thank you for your warm welcome and topping them drinks up . Lifeguard at beach bar always friendly, always smiling. Island is long and very green with different birds, animals and lakes. We found that there’s lots to do here. Tennis, volleyball, water sports, ping pong, billiards, darts, etc. It also has a gym that is well equipped. Spa treatment was good and reasonably priced. You can go to local villages to explore if interested in local culture. We hired taxi/ guide for couple of hours which was enough. It was $20 per hour. Premium villa was spacious, light and in good walking distance to amenities . Jacuzzi was nice and decking at the front of the villa was large with sun beds, table and chairs. Direct access to the beach from villa was perfect. Beach was clean and waters clear. Plenty of fish to see and baby shark often comes to shore to swim around . There’s some broken corals in the water but plenty of new growth. Rocky side of the island produces some wonderful waves for pictures . Beautiful sound to listen to while eating at the restaurant. Beach cocktails party was nice touch. House DJ is very good, producing great mix adding fantastic atmosphere to the evening. Not so positives : Island is on the other side of equator so you will need to take a domestic flight, which fly 3 times a day. Somehow between resort and our tour operator communication got lost and we hadn’t been booked in for 4.30 flight and instead had to wait for 12hrs for next one at 23.20. After an easy direct flight from London it wasn’t great news, which ment a total 48 h in travel . I’m blaming both resort and our tour operator for this miscommunication. There’s 15+ cats and kittens on resort island and the only reason it’s a negative point because they are hungry and have to scavenge for food in rubbish. It’s an island and cats can’t go anywhere, surely it will be enough left overs from buffet to feed them. They are hungry and it’s negligence to leave them to breed between themselves as it will create bigger problem overtime. Canareef is a nature reserve and it’s a shame to see poor animals suffer. Housekeeping is hit and miss. In our case mostly miss . Unfortunately one keeper allocated per villa and we only found out difference when he was on his day off and different boy came to clean . What a disappointment to have a lazy keeper and forever asking him for towels and to change our bedding which in over two weeks was only changed 3 times . Bathroom floor

Our journey began at Heathrow – flying with Etihad Airways who were fantastic. We had a short stop over at Abu Dhabi – literally just enough time to make our way to the departure lounge for our flight to Male. We arrived at Male around 2.15 pm and were ‘relieved’ to learn that we had seats on the next domestic flight – 4.45 pm – so we did not experience the ‘long’ waiting time there. Domestic flight with Maldivian Airways was pleasant and we appreciated the snack boxes which they gave us just before landing at Gan Airport. Speed boat ride of 10 minutes was fun in the dark! We were greeted by staff on the jetty and taken directly to Reception. Check-in was swift where we were given a detailed map of the resort and lots of information which was difficult to take in after 24 hours of travelling. We were taken directly to our Villa via buggy but did experience quite a long wait for our luggage. Our room was nicely presented – the air-conditioning was efficient, lots of storage space and hangers too. We did notice that there was a lack of plug sockets so charging phones etc was a little difficult. Checking out the outside bathroom, we found a huge ants’ nest in the shower but this was dealt with swiftly the next morning. We experienced many difficulties with the TV which resulted in IT coming on two consecutive evenings. Cables were changed, batteries were changed and this sorted the problem! The TV offers BBC/CNN/YouTube and Netflix. Our washing line broke too when we went to use it for the first time. Again, this was dealt with quickly and efficiently. The room towels were of a very good quality and were changed every day and our room was kept tidy throughout our stay by the young lad who looked after us. Water, tea, coffee etc was also always topped up. We felt our room location was just perfect – sunset side – in between The Dhoni Bar and The Meera Bar. For this reason, we only used the buggy service on arrival and departure. The decking was lovely to sit out on and the view was very pleasant too. Sunsets were amazing! We did struggle to open and lock our patio doors initially but we soon figured it out. Rather strange to have handles on the outside of these doors but none inside! The door frame had to be used to close them. We have been to The Maldives before (March 2023) but what drew us to this island was the ‘very natural’ vibe; its length; the cycling opportunities and crossing the Equator. The island is beautiful – yes, the sunrise side is full of coral, rocks etc but we knew this before we arrived – hence why we opted for a sunset villa. The plants, blossom, palm trees etc were beautiful and care is taken to look after these. We often saw teams out and about collecting fallen palms and there was constant raking of all the sandy areas around the villas and along the main thorough-fayre. The little ‘island’ gardens along here were also looked after – we loved the furniture made out of fallen tree branches! We were deli

Fantastic friendly place we are here now at the beginning of our 2 week holiday can't fault it so far food good rooms good people friendly and helpfull. Walked straight out of our room into the ocean did some snorkeling it's the warmest ocean I've ever swam in

Canareef could be exceptional with some money spent. The journey is long there’s no doubting that, and coming home is worse. However we went knowing this. The arrival was quick and we was is our very promptly. We was given 2 bikes that were run down uncomfortable and brakes didn’t work. We managed to swap but people steal any good bikes seen so we had to hide them! The biggest bugbear for me was the restaurant. Now the staff are lovely but there’s simply not enough. We had to clear our own tables get our own drinks because you waited so long for service. The food however was limited in choice but overall good. Sometimes a bit cold but people continually left lids open because they was should close on their own but I saw no evidence of this. You get ruthless because some people are just rude and push in so you have to be a bit bolshy at times. Salad limited and fresh fruit not good lots of tinned and fresh was tasteless. Extras are so expensive. The shop is pointless. We waited 4 days for some milk, reception telling me every day it’s all in hand but you can’t buy it. I was willing to pay so couldn’t understand why I was told no problem. No bar in the room would of been nice to sit with a beer or wine watching the sunset. You can order to your room but 8 dollars for a coke no thank you. The cleaning standard is not great. Our water was brown we complained and they changed a boiler (?) which remedied that. I saw a rat which I’m assuming is quite common on a wildlife island. The main pool area, the beds are filthy and the bats are huge and screech a lot. We used the beach bar ( again food payable) lovely for snorkelling. There is a lack of entertainment which you would expect on an island and all entertainment is at the main pool. We biked over to the nearby island and did some shopping for fizzy soft drinks and snacks. New restaurants look no where near being completed and I never saw anyone working on them. This will make a huge difference when open and hopefully staffed properly. Dolphin trip was worth it. Water sports very expensive Everyday is the same my partner was stir crazy. A week would of been enough