Mixed Experiences at the Resort

I pondered how to approach this review as there are notable positives and some negatives about this resort. Weather isn't in the resort's control， but guidebooks suggest November as ideal， although I would disagree based on our experience. We stayed for 11 nights at the month's end and faced unsettled weather， with rain initially and mostly overcast skies throughout. Guidebooks mention an average of 7 hours of sunshine daily， but that didn't occur during our stay， so I wouldn't recommend visiting during this time. A major highlight is the staff; they were exceptional throughout. From Diana， our hostess who was always available， to Bala， who maintained our room， and all the restaurant staff (especially Smita) and the pool and beach towel team—they were helpful， friendly， and courteous throughout. They definitely offered a 5-star service. The house reef near the Italian restaurant offered great snorkeling. We were fortunate to spend over 20 minutes with a turtle. The house reef water is quite deep (3 meters from the steps)， so proficient swimming is necessary for snorkeling there.On the downside， the island is rather large， and walking takes time， though buggies are available， but not always at the right moments. Our water bungalow was a 15-minute walk to the house reef at a reasonable pace. However， we were conveniently located for the water bungalows' specific restaurant， and not too far from the main beach and pool. The restaurant offered a good food selection， and we relished breakfast， with ample pastries， freshly cooked eggs， omelets， and plenty of fresh fruit. We usually skipped lunch but there seemed to be a similar offering as dinner. Dinner had a wide choice with various salads and fresh dishes， but the hot food in large containers was often not hot， which was disappointing. Additionally， popular items weren't replenished efficiently.The water bungalows need refurbishment and feel a bit dated， but they were comfortable. Being above water was nice， though we had imagined snorkeling from the steps， but found little coral and few fish. The best spots were near the Thai restaurant and the 'deep water' area off the beach， which had sea grass and some fish， plus another turtle. Overall， this was disappointing， but a perk of staying in a water bungalow was the nearby shark and stingray feeding events， which were impressive due to the sheer number of sharks and stingrays' size.A stay's offers include a meal at one of the paid restaurants. We tried the Italian， which was excellent， with the bonus of watching a manta ray feeding in the floodlit water—a stunning sight. Having paid restaurants at an all-inclusive resort seemed odd; the Italian was almost empty the night we visited， and we noticed another paid restaurant near our regular one was nearly empty most nights. Given the presence of staff in these spots every night， not including them in the all-inclusive package more often seems wasteful.The pool-adjacent beach area is lovely， with staff always managing to find us comfy sunbeds. However， offshore dredging gave off an unwelcome noise， and spoiled beach photos， detracting from a 5-star feel. While the work was likely necessary， it left us feeling 'shortchanged.' Access to and from the resort takes substantial time; we were lucky not to wait long for our flight from Male to the resort and back. On arrival， what was supposed to be a 20-minute flight was interrupted by an additional 25-minute stop before a 35-minute arrival at our destination， an inconvenience after a long travel day. Despite the weather and some disappointments， the excellent staff greatly compensated， leading to an overall enjoyable holiday.