Safari Island

Fabulous 2 weeks on Safari. An excellent easily accessible house reef; together with the reason we would return ….. their unique safari boats that you can privately hire with a crew of 3 for an exploration of the area. We spent time with some stunning sea life. It’s very well worth the overnight 2 day trip cost. Our room was rustic and lovely. A semi overwater villa with a perfect sunset view and direct access to the reef on one side and lagoon beach on the other. We felt it the best of both worlds. What wasn’t so great was the overly hot restaurant, at times, canteen style queuing for food; and fixed tables which could mean you were sweltering in the sun for breakfast and lunch. The food while good and plentiful was not the high standard of other Maldivian resorts we have stayed at. We like to enjoy leisurely meals with a few glasses of wine. Here it was a case of 20 min in and out to get back to a cool breeze elsewhere. The solutions are obvious, but our final day departure experience sums up managerial attitude. The all inclusive ends at 1200 on your last day irrespective of your arrival time. Meaning no lunch or drinks before a late afternoon flight…. Bizarre. We were told we needed to buy lunch and drinks including water. Having only had 13 lunches we queried this and were allowed a lunch, but no drink…. Shame we had to ask. The reef and boats made it for us. It is a stunning island and nature wise it’s in our top 3 that we have visited. We may return for this reason, but some disappointments.

If you are wanting to experience a resort that is absolute paradise with amazing staff then come here. We stayed in a water bungalow which was beautiful and we had direct access to the reef which was stunning. We were fortunate enough to see dolphins and turtles swimming past our accommodation. Our room was kept spotlessly clean by Mussa who did a brilliant job everyday. The food and drink was again fantastic , the food was so tasty and fresh our waiter hassan lateef was very attentive and always made sure we had everything we needed. The pool bar was lovely and Sanjeet who worked there was so friendly and helpfull. The palm bar was a beautiful spot to relax where we often saw rays , sharks and an abundance of sea life. The trip that was also included was great and we would highly recommend, we choose the snorkelling trip and was taken to a beautiful reef. I cannot recommend this place enough absolutely stunning and feels like paradise

The accommodation was clean . Room was beautifully made up everyday. Location was out of this world. The staff were amazing , nothing was too much trouble. Riffithitha and Hussan in the bars were brilliant fun. Waheed our waiter in the restaurant was attentive knew what we wanted to drink and it would be waiting for us at our mealtime.

I am surprised about the positive reviews about this resort. Any guests that have been to another 4 or 5 star resort in the Maldives would not give this resort good reviews! Please choose another resort and you will have a much better experience! This resort has reasonably good food and many options. However, that is the only positive aspect of this resort. This resort is very old and probably used to be good but the facilities and services have deteriorated over time to a very bad state. Poor management and minimal renovations. Poor services from most staff, they seem tired and uninspired. When approaching the pool and wanting a sun chair and a towel then often no one will help you and you are required to ask for help! No one comes to take orders and you will have to approach the bar!  Almost all jettis are in a terrible shape and poorly repairs have been done. The same with the balconies on all Vilas. One plank on our balcony broke when I stepped on it and could have caused me an injury but luckily a beam under stopped my foot. It is just a matter of time until there will be a serious accident on one of the jetties (if not already happened).  The bathrooms have non luxury Maldives standard. Looks like a bathroom in a cheaper hotel. Same with the Vilas, outdated and worn out furnitures Poor internet. Long periods with no access. Poor lightning and no reading lights in the Vilas. Poor shading on the balcony with a static non flexible umbrella. Impossible to spend time on the balcony when the sun comes lower.  Plastic cheap sun chairs and furniture are used and have no place in a luxurious Maldivian resort!  I have been to many much better resorts in the Maldives and never experienced a resort that changes for drinking water! Resorts usually produce their own drinking water and avoids handling and transportation of water bottles (bad for the environment and bad for Maldives) The pool is also in a bad shape and needs renovation. The question is why hasn't the necessary repairs and renovations been done?

Just returned from Safari Island & we had the most amazing time. The Island is so beautiful, snorkelling was amazing, so many fish, seen white & black tipped sharks, manta rays and sea turtles. The staff are so friendly and helpful. You are assigned a table in the restaurant & have the same server the whole time. Naseem was wonderful, drinks waiting on the table when we sat down. Nothing was too much trouble. We will definitely return.

I travelled to this idyllic island on 25th November for 2 weeks with my husband and we are genuinely gutted to be home. Total paradise. This was our second trip to the Maldives. Sea Plane We arrived by seaplane which was exhilarating! Smooth take off and landing, very noisy, but the most incredible views of the various islands of the Maldives and a real taste of what was to come. Arrival On arrival we were greeted by kind and welcoming staff who sat us down, provided us with a cool fruit drink and talked us through the set up of the resort and the meal times. I can’t place his name but he was absolutely lovely. He proceeded to walk us through the island, giving us information on the way to our Over Water Bungalow. Beautiful manicured pathways, with powdery white sand, gorgeous palm trees and other planted canopies towering above us. The sound of the birds following us as we walked. Truly dreamy. Room Our room was gorgeous and exactly how it was shown on the website/various social media sites. Large room, high ceilings, decent wardrobe space ( 2 wardrobes with lots of shelves), a safe, a fridge, fab rain shower. Just ideal. The deck and the view was the real showstopper. We were in room 168 which had a sunrise view ( Perfect for me as I love the early start and waking up with the sun and a cup of coffee). The water was like bath water – warm and crystal clear. A real joy to swim in. *Do take reef shoes or fins – although it wasn’t too sharp underfoot, there are certain areas of dead coral that would hurt to be trodden on. Location The island itself is small and idyllic. Every angle of the island is just stunning. No photo would do it justice. It is like watching Lost. The greenery, the floury white sand, the turquoise, teal and blues of the sea, the magnificent white stilted bar and restaurant, the cool and quirky pool bar. Just unbelievable. It’s also a beautiful walk around the island – there is no ugly side whatsoever. You will find it hard to put your phone/camera down as every angle is truly picturesque. Bars/drinks The Palm bar is lovely and spacious, clean and airy with full panoramic views of the reef and beach. Outside on the deck in the daytime is extremely hot – be warned, but inside you get a lovely breeze and can still see the sealife below if you sit on one of the tables around the edge. The Pool bar was a haven of relaxation under the canopies of palm trees and the beautiful blue pool with dragonflies hovering above it, bats flying overhead and tiny little Waterhens popping up on your sunbed to say hello. Of an evening this place changes into a cool rainforest vibe, with low subtle lighting and a really relaxing atmosphere. Perfect for a pre-dinner drink. The Sundown bar, located near the over water bungalows and Thai Spa was a beauty spot from 5pm-630 to watch the breathtaking sunsets on the island. The perfect way to end a day of snorkelling, lounging about or simply sunbathing. Food The food at Safari was, in our opinion, excelle