Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort

Very good experience and all staff are friendly and helpful. Awesome experience.

There are so many options in the Maldives that it took me over two months to research and finally decide on one. All of that time certainly paid off. The Mercure was everything I wanted for a Maldives experience and it checked all of the boxes. We flew into Male and were met when we got off the plane and brought to a comfortable lounge to await our flight to Koodoo. Don’t worry, this plane isn’t too small and is quite comfortable (very common plane I flew on regularly in Alaska). It is an hour flight to Koodoo where there is a runway in the middle of the small island. From there you are greeted by Mercure staff and put into a golf cart to get to the resort. After a warm greeting and quick check in at the office, the cart then brings you to your room. We had a gorgeous overwater bungalow that was everything I imagined it would be and more. We did not get the one with a pool because I didn’t intend to use it and couldn’t justify the price (there is a huge main pool in front of the restaurant). I did see a lot of reviews recommending the sunset side. I didn’t find it worth the extra money either, but we didn’t miss out. We simply walked out the front door and stood on the boardwalk to enjoy it every night. The bungalow was perfect. The room is spacious, the bed is large and very comfortable, and the cherry on top was that floor window. That was definitley a must have on our list. I really enjoyed seeing fish both day and night. The large bathroom was very modern and wonderful (everything is excellent quality). There is an indoor shower, but I always opted for the outdoor shower. There is also a tub outside (these are open roof, but surrounded by a wall for privacy - bungalows are very private regardless). Pro Tip: bring some bubble bath solution for the outdoor tub. The back balcony was perfect with a couple lounge chairs, umbrella, and stairs down to the water. Another tip I read about was to get as close to the edge as possible (for me, this was #521). It is a further walk to go eat or do anything else, but a much shorter swim to the edge of the reef where the deep, blue water is. You should be able to stand when you enter the water. There is coral everywhere and you will see sea life immediately. We saw plenty of sharks (mostly black tip and some larger Nerf). The turtles tended to stay at the edge where that beautiful, deep blue water is. Snorkel to your hearts content and you’ll see all that you want. We did do one snorkel excursion just to mix it up. It wasn’t that much extra and I believe worth it. We also did the dolphin cruise which I recommend. Another highlight was the jet ski. I recommend an hour rental so you can go with the guide and ride with some dolphins (even more magical than the dolphin cruise). We made a stop at a sand bar in the middle of the water. What a cool spot to take in the beauty of that ocean. Don’t miss out on the fun tube (get pulled behind a jet ski - very common to hear the ladies screaming as the gentlemen laughed

It's not often that a dream holiday is everything you dream of. Maldives has been on the bucket list for many years and we chose Kooddoo because of great reviews and an excellent Luxury Escapes offer. The resort itself is beautiful, only about 6 years old and still pristine. Staff were friendly, attentive and nothing was too much trouble. Our package included all meals and premium drinks and we enjoyed the variety in the meals .. and cocktails! They also have snorkelling gear, SUP boards and a kayak that are free for guests. We loved the snorkelling particularly. Just 20 metres from the jetty there is a fantastic coral reef with a colourful array of fish. Even walking from our over-water villa, we saw shoals of fish, some reef sharks and rays. One evening we went on sunset fishing - included in our package - great fun and something different. We loved being on the water though some guests said they preferred the beach. The beach looks like something out of a movie set - white sand, palm trees, aqua water. Honestly, everything picture-postcard. Bear in mind that the flight back to Male means that your day is shortened as Male Airport requires you to arrive three hours before your connection. As we had arrived a day late due volcanic activity in Indonesia, we were disappointed to not have a full day left. In the end we went to reception where staff were extremely understanding and moved us to a later flight. (We just had to sign a disclaimer) Weather was lovely - hot and clear most days, with only one morning of rain. That morning did make us glad we had paid the extra and not gone low season. Being there during rainy, windy weather would be a total waste. Our only complaint - not long enough!

We had an absolutely wonderful time. The snorkelling was fantastic, I'd absolutely recommend the sunset cruise and the private photoshoot was well worth it! We have have some lovely memories and photos too. The catering was very good, and there were always options available. My wife has allergies to Fish and Dairy but this wasn't a problem (even on fish night). There were always great alternatives. All of the staff were extremely helpful, they all went above and beyond to make sure that everything was taken care of. Made one of the staff members was particularly attentive she was always there with a lovely smile to greet us. When the pastry chef learned of my wife's dairy intolerance he went into the kitchen and specially prepared a dairy free version of one of the deserts. This was completely unprompted and we were taken back with his kindness. I really enjoyed spending my 40th birthday here and I'm sure I'd like to return soon. The customer experience manager was very helpful and nothing was too much. My goodness I haven't even started to talk about the scenery yet, well you can check out the photos yourself. It was stunning! I would also like to add that I needed to see the private onsite doctor, I was expecting to have to pay through the nose however I was pleasantly surprised.