JOALI BEING

This is a magnificent place; the island, like the rooms, is spotless. The service is superb, with a special shout-out to our jadugar Maanu whose responsiveness and overall service was beyond anything we’ve encountered in other hotels. Overall this is a place for people who don’t look at prices on menus; it’s an expensive resort and you are a captive market. It’s $130 +26% service/tax to hire a padel or tennis court, wine bottles start around $130++ etc. so if you’re highly value focused I would look elsewhere. Most of the clientele are Russians or Chinese in a certain wealth bracket as a result; it’s more of a place for tranquil privacy than anyone wanting evening entertainment or socialising. But this is a really special resort where they will go above and beyond to meet your every request. We read that portions are small but they’re not; you can come here for a pure health and wellness transformation and emerge in better shape, or choose to indulge and emerge a few waist sizes bigger! Breakfast is a particular highlight with daily changing live station specials and an incredible variety of healthy (and less healthy!) options. The food overall is very good rather than exceptional; the Japanese is the best but this is by far the most expensive and not part of the half board. There are better reefs in the Maldives but the array of fish is still spectacular and we saw a turtle, eagle rays and reef sharks during our stay. We had a fantastic boat trip that included seeing dolphins and snorkelling with turtles and this was real highlight. The wellness area is also standout, with the largest gym in the Maldives and a cryotherapy unit amongst others. The resort is quiet; the 68 villas were only half full during our time which meant 320+ staff provided for an impressive staff to guest ratio. The water villas are right on the reef but the beach villas aren’t far and come with bigger pools. Our kids loved searching for hermit crabs on the beach and watching the bats fly overhead in the evening. The kids club offered a range of great activities, including clay making and painting art that was then framed and displayed one cocktail evening on the beach; a lovely touch. Most of the activities were complimentary, but it was a shame that some were expensive enough to deter us from trying them. Overall the only place we’ve stayed that comes close to this hotel is the Four Seasons Desroches Seychelles and this place is better, particularly thanks to the beautiful (still fairly new) rooms and the amazing service. We’d highly recommend it and would love to come back

Had an amazing holiday week at this hotel ! Thank you for the best service, beautiful views and great rooms. Special thanks to the butler Arthur for his help and responsiveness. Unforgettable experience and the best way to relax and recharge for active working weeks. Will definitely visit again 🙏🏼