Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives, a Member of Design Hotels

From the moment we arrived at Finolhu, we were blown away by the beauty of the Island. Barefoot luxury with a fun & vibrant atmosphere. Our Ocean Pool Villa was Immaculate with panoramic views from the infinity pool to the house reef. The outdoor space on the decking was so spacious you didn't need to leave your villa if you didn't want to! The highlight of this paradise island has to be the 2km sandbank leading to the Crab Shack. Definitely try the coconut prawns you won't be disappointed! They have a DJ playing funky tunes so a great vibe. We also dined at their A la carte restaurants called Arabian Grill and Kanusan and the service and food was top level. If you are looking for a lighter breakfast option, visit the Milklab offering smoothies, coffees and light bites, but please try one of their custard shakes! Already planning my next stay on this luxury Island. Thank you to all the Finolhu family for making our stay incredible.

I would not recommend Finolhu, there are far better options for you to stay in the Maldives. Firstly it is very generic and busy, with lots of families. The villas are quite run down and the roofs are falling apart. The cleaning service is haphazard, and often our room was not serviced until late in the afternoon. We paid for the premium all-inclusive package. Upon our arrival it was clear that no reservations at their restaurants had been made in advance, and half the restaurants are closed each night which limits your options anyway. Our butler had not pre-arranged anything, so when we arrived we were told they some of their events (white night for example) were not available, and some of the restaurants weren't, so we were forced to follow their schedule. This is an issue as you are forced to eat on the island so it ruins the experience. The gym is average, very limited equipment and crowded. There was also continuous smog over the island from forrest burning in India, with the winds pushing the smog down, so it was far from picturesque. The villas are also exposed directly to the ocean, so the waves are continuous which makes swimming from your villa difficult. The staff were ok, not as professional as you would expect for $1500 a night. Overall it is average, I would suggest trying other resorts as we found these so much better, and far better value for money.

Wow! What a terrific stay we had. Everything from start to finish was perfect. We got an ocean pool villa which included our lovely butler Alina. She helped us in every way possible and catered to all our needs including transport, meal reservations and activities. The food was excellent and the staff kind and friendly. The scuba diving was sensational. Our dive master Yoosuf was helpful and thorough. Lots of friendly fish. We can’t wait to go back.

The resort itself even in the high season was quiet and peaceful, but with a lovely vibe. The staff were amazing. Everyone was so kind and friendly. It felt like we were with friends. We had a two bedroom seavilla. The Villa took our breath away it was unbelievable. We love the outdoor bathrooms and the air-conditioning was amazing. Every detail was accounted for within our rooms and we didn’t want to leave. Our holiday was made incredibly special by our very own Butler, Asma. She was amazing, always on call and really looked after us. She became like a friend. We cried when we left.