We had the most fantastic time on our honeymoon in the Maldives staying at the Riu Atoll Maldives. We opted for an overwater junior suite and my goodness it was incredible. We would recommend ten fold.
Dear RIU TEAM, Tanks for our magical holiday. It was a really great time in a wonderful place with nice people and beautiful nature! Rested from 22.05-05.06.21 in RIU Palace 5*. Excellent design room, total comfort and perfect cleanliness. COVID-19 protection: everyone is wearing gloves&masks, antiseptics (you can get it in any location of the hotel). Buffet: delicious world cuisine. Top Service: the staff is polite and attentive. Special thanks: Maneesha (waiter) is very caring, Pastry Chef for the elegant and tasty desserts. We rarely eat sweets, but here every day:) A la carte: the BBQ Ribs (Steak House) and Lobster (Crystal)- bravo! Bar: great job! Сocktails of any complexity (original alko, from all over the world). Special greetings to the bartender Atoll! Coconut Party (Atoll) – coconut+rum, master classes, BBQ on the beach, DJ, Aqua Fun&Fit. Thank you RIU, we are thrilled! Special thanks to the animation team – they made our holiday! These are incredible girls and guys! Lakaa-won our hearts. Best dancer, singer, coach, volleyball player. How many talents he has, this is truly a rising star! A man has a big heart! Prasad - it cultivates positive energy&weaves the best hats in the world, creates an atmosphere of joy! RIU is very lucky, we hope to see this team next time! Great all activities (snorkeling, diving, jet sky, paddles, yoga). This is the "New Maldives". We recommend RIU to those who like the mix of paradise nature and high level of comfort. Warm Regards, RIU!…
We had the most amazing experience for our honeymoon the staff here is beyond incredible and extremely professional. Isuru and Supun made our trip so much fun! They are incredible bartenders who really care about the tourists staying here and want to make their experiences and memories last a lifetime! I would come back just to see them again!
Travelled as a couple and this paradise destination did not disappoint! ROOM - Two hotels in one, we stayed the Atoll side in a superior overwater junior suite which we absolutely loved. Stunning view to wake up to. There is a mini bar in the room (refreshed daily) and an ice machine just outside, ideal for relaxing on your private terrace. Steps straight into the ocean and an outdoor shower for when you come back. 5 star rather than 4 in our opinion (only thing you don’t get is room service, which you do get at Palace hotel). FOOD - I suffer from multiple allergies which can be difficult to cater for. I have to compliment the hotel staff on their ability to meet all my dietary needs, and Denver in particular, who advised me at each mealtime what was suitable to eat, even cooking fresh if required. I hugely appreciate the extra effort and felt confident eating at all the restaurants with plenty of choice. Thank you! I was well fed :) BEACH - a true peaceful paradise, better than you can imagine! Snorkelling is a must and was a daily activity, always spotting something new. Only minor criticism is we were advised snorkelling was included, however be aware this is for a maximum of 1 hour per use and restricted zones only. We bought snorkels from the shop ($150usd) so we could explore the best reef areas on the island, well worth it! TRAVEL- we got a 50 minute sea plane to the island which was a great experience and made for an extra special arrival with fantastic views. Return was somewhat different, we got a speedboat to a nearby island, then a coach to the local airport to transfer us to Malé. Few hadn't been informed of this which made the return journey longer and less enjoyable. Overall highly recommend this hotel. We had a fabulous time here and made some incredible memories on our first holiday together. Cannot wait to go back!…
We booked this hotel 10 days before arrival as our holiday to Egypt was cancelled by Tui. We have been to the Maldives twice before (Lux* South Ari Atoll & Kuredu). As this was such a rushed booking we had to take what was available. If we had the Maldives booked from the start then this would not have been a hotel we would've chosen. Riu have picked up what they have in the Caribbean & dumped it on an island in the Maldives. Some people will love it however, I will say if you have been to other islands in the Maldives then you will be disappointed. The only thing about this island that feels Maldivian is that white sand. Pros: -Staff were mostly nice...although i felt other than the spa, the girl in the sports bar & the staff in the Italian, none seemed to go out of their way for you. - Rooms were immaculate on the inside (Pity about the concrete jungle outside!) We were in room 2100. The 'reef' is situated outside block 24. Our room was around a 10min walk from the main restaurant & pool. I was wary of the rooms being in blocks with upstairs/downstairs but we never heard any of our neighbors. - Food was plentiful & hot. We never had any issues with cold food. There was also a variety so you could always find something to eat. There was a great salad bar, always pizza, pasta & noodles at lunch & dinner. The selection of Indian curries was great. Lots of veggie options there. I only wish those they marked as 3 chillis hot were actually spicy! Was it as good as other hotels? No, it didn't have a patch on food at Kuredu (also a 4*) but we never went hungry. There was a bit too much fried food for my taste. - Italian a la carte was great! Staff were excellent. If you don't like the look of the mains then don't worry as you have a buffet for your starter. It had everything from pizza, to different pastas, to salad. Then a pretty good dessert selection too! - The domestic flight & speedboat was smooth (however i personally wouldn't do it again as we prefer the slickness of the seaplane instead). We upgraded to the seaplane for the flight home. This cost USD150 per pax. - We upgraded to a water villa for our last 4nts & received a free upgrade to the Palace side! I wish we had booked it from the start as the Palace side was much more our style of holiday (I shall add a separate review under the Palace for this part of the stay). Cons: - CONCRETE....EVERYWHERE!!!!! This is probably the least Maldivian feeling island there could be. Big ugly whiter concrete buildings everywhere. Concrete walkways. Concrete piers. HORRID! The Maldives should be beautiful wooden piers, sandy walkways & thatched villas. Every other resort I've stayed at i have taken my shoes off upon arrival & not put them on again until we left! Here the pathways are all concrete, not sandy. The piers connecting the island to the reception & the Palace side are all concrete. It's just not the Maldivian Paradise we have been used to - The Reef....or lack of! Now again, if you've never been to the Maldives you will be amazed by all the fish & the reef here however, if you have been to other Maldivian islands with proper reefs you will be disappointed. The fact that we only saw maybe 4 sharks the whole time we were there (and not on the reef). On other islands you walk along the shore at dusk & can hardly see the water for all the baby sharks. The lack of predator's shows that the reef has a long way to go before its healthier. I will say, give it 5-10yrs and it should be a different story but right now, it was disappointing. - Inconsistency with drinks - The drinks were great, the bar staff will make you anything you want but you could order a drink, finish it, then ten mins later order the same drink & it'll taste completely different! This goes for alcoholic & non alcoholic. I ordered an iced tea in the pool & then got out & ordered another when i got out the pool & they were completely different. Once was sweet & full of fruit. The other wasn't sweet & had mint! - 'Steak' A La Carte - This was the worst service we received. Our server was miserable, he didn't explain anything. On the app it looked as though you selected what starter you want but that's not the case, you are just automatically given wings, crab cake & salad! I don't eat seafood & my husband didn't want the salad so those got wasted. -PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!!!! Why in this day is this hotel STILL using plastic water bottles??? The other Maldives islands have their own water filtration & you get your water in your room in reusable glass bottles. We've even had resorts where they give you a reusable bottle to take round the resort to avoid the use of plastic. This was incredibly disappointing to see. - The Poolside entertainment. This is the Maldives. You only have one pool. Why on earth is the music blasting & entertainers running round doing aqua gym? I come here to relax. I understand other people enjoy this but surely if that's the case you need a 2nd pool. One that's for things like this & a second that's more relaxing. - Seaplane return - We got a letter advising our flight was departing at 0615 & to be at reception 30mins before. We got up at 5am, turned up to reception at 0545 only to be told the flight wasn't until 0640. We were the only 2 people on the flight from this island so why the hotel couldn't have called our room, sent an email or even posted another letter to update us baffles me. Especially when the gent on reception advised the manifest was given to him the night before! It just reaffirms that this island it not for us. The review may make it seem like we didn't enjoy our holiday, we did, we enjoyed every second. It just wasn't the Maldives Paradise that we have been used to. Would we return? Probably not. We prefer somewhere less concrete jungle & more island paradise with a more personal touch.…
My wife and I have just returned from riu atoll, from start to finish the staff at the riu were so helpful, from landing in male, to arriving on the island there are riu staff to help you through the domestic process, which we found helpful being our first time to the maldives. We were welcomed on to the island from our seaplane transfer by reception staff with a cold towel, and checked in in no time. We stayed in room 3007, which is an overwater suite, the room was spacious and had everything we needed, and was cleaned well every day. The staff at the riu atoll work very hard to make sure everything is as good as it can be, there are shortages of drinks in the bars, which is no fault of the staff, and one of the things that could be improved, my wife only normally drinks ammeretto as a spirit, but only one bar had this over our holiday this was our only real issue, so no point to be over critical. The entertainment team are all super friendly, and will invite you to join in any activities without pushing you into things you don't want to try, the white night party is a really good event, with a dj playing some great music to let of some steam, be warned, it is hot, and you will work up a sweat! At every bar, and restaurant there are staff that will be very welcoming, and try there best to make you feel you are getting good service, a special mention to supun at the pool bar, he did his best to look out for me, and would just call over to say my drinks are ready and waiting. Food wise, there is a good mix of dishes at the buffet, so although you won't like all of it, there will be something you will enjoy, like with the drinks, supply issues can effect what is available thought. Over all we really enjoyed our stay here, and would like to thank the staff for there hard work, and can sagely say that Mr mark had a great time.…
Where do I start, first, the journey from Texas was long very long but it was all worth it once I arrived to the platform of the reception of the Riu Atoll. We were all welcomed with a cold juice and check in took probably 3 minutes. Bags were then transported to the room and I walked to the water villas where I stayed. The room was perfect, the view, the ladder to the shallow water was perfect since I don’t swim. That’s why I recommend staying at the water villas. If you come all the way here, it is the way to go. Food-I tried the buffet for the majority of the time and found things I liked. I’m a picky eater and the chefs were kind and nice to make me eggs white omelettes in the morning as well as pastas to my liking. I also tried the Italian restaurant and the stuffed chicken was to die for. The servers at the buffet and the Italian restaurant were all very nice, and always making sure you liked the food/drinks and felt good at all times. Drinks: I have to give extra kudos to the sports bar guys because they made my expresso martinis and kept me happy my entire stay. They were delicious. Water sports: I did a jet ski tour and was able to get to the sand bank. If you get an opportunity, do it. It’s beautiful and I think I was smiling the entire time I was in the water. There were other water sports included but I didn’t try them. I liked to just hang out at the beach and get a little tan. Entertainment: Also, the sunset DJ was so cool, it was like Ibiza with a very relaxed vibe. Weather: Maldives is hot, so bring spf and light clothes, flats and be ready to sweat. It’s a vacation so who cares, as long as you’re having a good time. Cleanliness: I think this is the cleanest hotel I’ve ever been in and I travel a lot and go to 5 start hotels. The rooms and common areas always smell nice and look spotless. This was something that stood out because they were always cleaning, always. 20/10 for that. Also the guys cleaning out the rooms always made sure I was ok and didn’t need anything like the minibar restocked or towels, etc… Transfer: Also, To everyone wondering how flight -boat transfers work: when you arrive at airport, you go through customs, get your bags and exit the bag claim. As you enter Maldives world, you see a sea of hotel representatives carrying their signs. Find the ones with the Riu Hotel. The guys will very nicely take you to an area (a kind of food court) where you can get a complimentary meal. That was a nice touch I didn’t know about. Then the guys will advise you when it’s time to check in/board your flight with Manta Air. Not long after you start boarding the plane. In the flight they offer fruit and juices by the way, which I never expected. After you arrive at the Kudahuvadhoo island, at the smallest airport and somehow cutest little airport I’ve ever been in, another Riu agent is there to assist with transfer to boat. But before you get into boat, you need to get there. You will take a bus ride of maybe 8 minutes or less to the port where the boat will take you. The bus was the funniest part because it felt I was going on a road trip. After getting on the boat, maybe 15-20 minutes you are at the platform of the Riu hotel. Overall thoughts: Would I do it again, yes, because it was a coordinated production and I felt Riu was taking care of me. Also, when I was leaving I was so worried about my departure but in fact made it to the airport with ample time. This was magical, and I did this as a solo trip from Texas (26+ hours of travel), so it is worth it and I am coming back. Thank you to everyone at Riu who made my solo vacation and relaxation time a success. I will always have it in my heart, it was very special.…
Went to this hotel beginning of June 2022 for eleven nights, what an amazing place, staff are excellent and very attentive to your needs, local entertainment team always tried their best to get everyone involved, a place to go if you just wish to relax and chill, the dolphin quest trip is a must and we got to see 50 dolphins swimming along side the boat. Reception was fast and easy and you are soon in your room. Rooms are very good with excellent views of the beach and sea. The food at the resort is a typical AI set up buffet, food was ok but restricted on certain types of food (only one night we couldn’t find something we liked so had a chip butty) the buffet staff did not always keep an eye on what was left on the hot plates and I constantly asked if there was more of a certain food item being prepared. There were two other restaurants that you had to book (good luck with booking as the restaurant’s are always fully booked) we booked the restaurant before leaving on the special requests portion of mange our booking. The Italian restaurant was very good with plenty of self service starters to choice from, starters could have counted as a main meal there was so much, the Beef steak house was very different, you had a choice of two starters and for a so called steakhouse there was a fillet steak as the only choice of steaks, no ribeye, sirloin etc. very disappointed with the restaurant. The bar had plenty of drinks but they kept running out of ingredients for the cocktails. …
We were not sure of what to expect from the Maldives; this was a last minute booking due to our previous holiday plans changing. We have always wondered whether it would suit us and worried that as a couple who enjoy activities and excursions we would possibly be bored. We needn’t have worried; this holiday exceeded our expectations in every way imaginable and will be hard to top! Transfer process was smooth. On the way in we had the seaplane transfer which I organised directly with the hotel via email prior to our arrival(150USD pp). This was a fabulous experience and well worth doing. Check in was smooth and we had assumed our room would not be ready as we arrived at 11am, however it was ready to go and our cases followed within minutes. We didn’t book the over sea rooms and I’m glad, as I feel like our room had a better view and the waters were shallow right off the rooms. I also didn’t pay extra for the ground floor direct beach access (same room as the 1st floor you just have balcony right into beach). Again felt like we had a better view and it wasn’t sandy coming in to your room! We were in 1508 which was a little walk away from facilities but not too far so a happy medium. The rooms at the end of the island are quite a walk so if you have trouble with mobility or distance I would email prior to request to be nearer facilities end. Room spacious, spotless and comfortable with drinks refilled daily. Bathroom was great, the only downside being there isn’t a plug. I found the hairdryer in there fine and didn’t bother with my own. There are USB sockets in the room but only one plug socket. No issue with getting sunbeds at the pool or beach, including those in the shade if you wished. Pool activities daily and the entertainment staff are a credit, very friendly and really lovely people. Shout out to Sanju who was great! They are not in your face and if you don’t want to join in it’s no problem. The live DJ/music at 16:30 was a great touch, especially the sax! Pool bar is great with a great selection of drinks and cocktails. Cocktails were generally good and the sparkling wine was nice. The staff are constantly walking round clearing empty glasses and work really hard - especially Jessica who is absolutely lovely - so polite and couldn’t be more of a credit to the hotel. Pool party on the Saturday was really good fun. We found the buffet food to be of a very good quality, with a real range of options including world cuisine. The food was hot, tasty and we really enjoyed it. We are at the steakhouse once which we found ok, but nothing special although the ribs were good. Sports bar was good for a drink in the cool. Evening entertainment we thought was excellent. Live music early evening always excellent, followed by more events later on. The ‘jungle party’ was awesome! We also enjoyed the quizzes. White party was not for us. The staff in the evenings are so on top of the drinks and clearing your glasses it’s unbelievable! Beach, well speaks for itself! Take your own snorkel as if you use the hotels you can’t take it over to the reef. We saw stingrays, a turtle and the most amazing fish!!! Word of warning, even as a strong swimmer the current can be something else and a couple of days we swam out but came back in as it was so strong. Would really advise if you are not a strong swimmer then to be very careful and consider how far out you go as there are no lifeguards and I can see how it would be very easy to get caught out. Dolphin trip was absolutely amazing, they were everywhere! Absolutely awesome to see them in the wild. We also did sunset dhoni fishing - min of 4 needed to go out but nobody else booked; we asked and paid for a third place and they agreed and took us out so we had a private fishing experience! It was excellent! We did notice that there were a lot of people staying in the palace that were over on the atoll side most days; so not sure for the extra whether we would consider paying more to stay over that side! The staff are a credit to the hotel in every single area - further mentions to Aysika, Nandada and Chamod!! Overall an absolutely amazing holiday and one of the best Riu we have ever stayed in. Would go back tomorrow!…
Our flights. BA let us down badly, by cancelling our 1st flight from Gatwick to Doha, just 3 days before we were due to fly.! This meant we had to cancel our connecting flights, because we couldn't get another flight from Gatwick to meet our connection flight times from Doha to Male, and then our seaplane from Male to the island.! Plus we lost the money for our hotel in Gatwick, and we'll have to wait 21 days for the refund of our car parking.! We had to re-book all our flights from Heathrow, and BA told us we'd have to wait 21 days for the refund, so we had to find the funds very quickly if we wanted to go on the holiday we'd waited 3 for.! Needless to say, we won't be booking any flights with BA anytime soon.!!! We flew from Heathrow with Qatar Airways who were AMAZING.!!! Even though our 1st flight was delayed by 2 hours, plus we had to wait a further 20 minutes, for 2 customers who decided to go shopping instead of boarding on time. Then, when they had finally boarded, one of them had left their phone in the airport, and wanted to get off again to go find it.! He was told the plane was now taxiing to the runway, so he'd have to fill in a form in the hopes someone hands it in. Karma.! The holiday. We read reviews before booking, and people were say 3 to 5 days is enough. While others were saying 5 to 7 days were enough. We decided to book for 10 nights, and hoped we wouldn't get bored as some were saying.! Flying in on the seaplane allows you to see the Atolls scattered in every direction. What an AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL sight.!!! On arrival, we were immediately taken in by the shear beauty of the place, and the crystal clear waters of varying colours of blue.! We were greeted and booked in very quickly by the AMAZING reception staff, and our cases were taken to our room.! The room. We booked a ground floor beach front double room with terrace. (room 1005) The room was VERY clean and spacious.! On opening the curtains to the terrace, we were blown away by the view.!!! We stepped off our terrace, directly onto the white sand beach with large and baby palm trees directly in front of us, and just a few meters away, was the turquoise blue waters of the Atoll. WHAT AN AMAZING SIGHT DIRECTLY OFF YOUR TERRACE.!!! Pool and pool bar. There are plenty of sunbeds under cover, and we didn't have any trouble finding 4 beds when we stayed at the pool. Due to the night time temperatures not dropping below 28 to 29 degrees. The pool water temperature is like a lukewarm bath.! The sea temperature is the same.! Clean pool/sea towels can be picked up just behind the pool, and you take your dirty towels to the same place to exchange them. Restaurants. The Italian (Sophia) & The steak House. Can be found at either end of the main buffet restaurant. The steak house is poolside. Both were very nice with great food.! My personal favourite was the steak house.! In Sophia, you have a buffet style starter and dessert, and you only order your main meal before you head to the buffet for your starter. In the steak house, your starter and desert will be whatever is on the menu, and you're served all of them.! Again, you only order your main meal. The main buffet restaurant is quite large. You're greeted by the main entrance and shown to your table. Your server pours you water and fetches your drink of choice for you.! (soft or alcoholic) You then proceed to the buffet. Although the food can be a little repetitive, just like all other buffet restaurants,we found the choice was more than enough , and the food was delicious.! Entertainment. The entertainment team work INCREDIBLY HARD to keep everyone entertained day and night.!!! A special mention for Lakaa, Sanja and Prasad. These guys were INCREDIBLE.!!! The bar staff in the main entertainment area, also work INCREDIBLY HARD.!!! They're constantly walking around picking up empty glasses and taking your orders for you next drinks, so you don't have to go to the bar yourself.! A special mention for Nandana, Isuru, Shinha, and Ashn.!!! The sports bar. It's located next door to the main entertainment area.! Again, the staff work INCREDIBLY HARD.!!! Outside, you'll find tables and chairs, and the staff also collect your empty glasses and bring you fresh drinks. Inside, the air-conditioning is lovely.!!! You can also find evening snacks at one end. Everything from fruit to sandwiches, to burgers and hotdogs you can warm up in the microwave. And I can't finish this section without a VERY SPECIAL mention for "Supun", one of the VERY BEST cocktail makers you'll find ANYWHERE.!!! Tipping. Although tips are not expected by the staff, they are greatfully accepted.! We never tipped less than 5 dollars per person every night, and the staff REALLY appreciated the tips.!!! I even tipped the toilet cleaner 5 dollars every night. He's constantly in and out of the toilets by the main entertainment area, ensuring the toilets are kept SPOTLESS at all times.!!! We also tipped our room cleaner and the person who topped up our mini bar daily. Again, we never tipped less than 5 dollars a day, and we tipped them both 10 dollars at the end of our holiday.! We wished we had booked 14 nights, and were heartbroken to leave.!!! WE WILL BE RETURNING.!!!…
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