Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa

I have to congratulate Patrick de Staercke, GM and his team for making Emerald Faarufushi such a delightful place to stay. Patrick was very hands on, visible and interested in all of his guests. The island is beautiful and the waters surrounding it teeming with marine life as you would expect. The colour of the water as you descend in the seaplane to the resort is so striking and inviting that you can't wait to dive in. We stayed in a Water Villa which comes with a pool. The accommodation is spacious and airy, including the bathroom which has a stand alone bath in addition to the shower. There is real respect for the environment and Maldivian style. The bed is incredibly comfortable and the wardrobes unusually have plenty of hangers. Your mini bar is fully stocked with wine, soft drinks, water and snacks which are replenished daily. Each villa has bikes for guests to use around the island. Having a really good selection of restaurants and food choices was one of the reasons we chose this resort and it does not disappoint. Moreno the Executive Chef is very hands on and visible at each of the restaurants, speaking to the guests, getting to know their likes and dislikes. The food was delicious. The staff are an absolute joy, everything is effortless and authentic. Elite our Villa Host has been re- named Speedy by my husband and I as any request we put to him was actioned almost immediately. He had already set up our lunch/dinner reservations and boat trips for our arrival. He also checked in with us every night as we were finishing dinner to make sure we were happy with arrangements and to take any other rescheduling if necessary. The staff we had most contact with and fun conversations were; Hatthi at the Beach Club/Carnivorous; Ori, Hostess at the Beach Club/Carnivorous; Ammy at the Beach Club/Asiatique; Jospeh the wonderful Chief Sommelier; and Bona, Sommelier. I genuinely cannot praise the people above and all of the other front of house, behind the scenes staff enough for making this resort the most wonderful piece of heaven. I have stayed at two other resorts in the Maldives in the past 3 years and Emerald beats them both hands down. I am never keen on being a repeat guest as I like to try new resorts but Emerald Faarufushi has broken the mould as I would go back in a heartbeat.

I just spent a week in the Maldives and Emerald Faarufushi was the resort I chose. Turned out to be a great choice. I knew that this trip to the Maldives was likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as let's face it, it is very expensive to stay there. Also, with the choice of dozens and dozens of hotels and resorts, you want to make sure you pick the one that ticks all your boxes to make it an unforgettable experience. I spent literally days doing my research and had a list of categories and must-haves, and finally from a shortlist of 9, I chose Emerald Faarufushi. Faarufushi is perfectly located far away from the main island of Male, so you don't see the aircraft traffic in the air, tankers on the horizons, or the tall apartment buildings of the capital. Just a couple of other islands in the distance, one of them inhabited. The island itself is very pretty and well-looked after and maintained by the staff and management. I stayed in the sunset-facing overwater villa. You might as well if you're going to be there just once in your life, right? The villa was perfectly appointed and beautifully designed. I had my own swimming pool on the verandah, steps going straight down to a very accessible lagoon where it was easy to snorkel during the day (a blessing for someone like me who never snorkeled before). The bathroom alone was probably the size of my bedroom at home, if not bigger... Having access to the lagoon was a real joy as I could just walk into it (low tide before lunch) and simply watch all the fish go by their business around me. And there were lots of them to see! I really liked the fact the island has 6 different restaurants to choose from, so you're not stuck going to just one or two all the time. I made a point of visiting all of them and each one offered very nice and tasty food. All-inclusive can be a hit and miss when it comes to food and drink sometimes, especially in European resorts, but it certainly wasn't the case here. The food was great everywhere. I enjoyed my stay at Emerald Faarufushi immensely for its beauty, nature, weather and amenities. But one important aspect that made the resort and my stay there so enjoyable and memorable was the staff. The Maldives are great and everything but it's the people who really complete the picture. Everyone is super nice and wants you to have a good time and feel special. You could be cynical and say that it's simply part of the job in hospitality industry and that's what they get paid for - and you may be right - but I also feel it's a cultural thing, and you either have it naturally within you or you don't. if you don't, you have to work harder at it. For the folks at Faarufushi it just seemed normal and effortless. And I observed it came all the way from the top, the general manager included. I would like to list a few people who made my stay at Emerald so much more enjoyable and special (apologies if I misspell any names): Mija, Priyanka, Aneesh and Rajat at Aqua Hassan at Mediterraneo Jijin and Hassan at Carnivorous Sundra at the teppanyaki restaurant Faya, my villa host Mr. Rao, the Resort Manager - he made a point to stop and speak to all guests every day, and even sorted out a special snorkeling mask for me once he heard I was a bit nervous about trying it for the first time. He found a mask for me which made breathing easier and arranged a 1-1 snorkeling session with one of the water sports guys, who held my hand throughout the experience (bless that guy...) I talked to Mr. Rao on several occasions and he struck me as a really lovely gentleman, taking huge pride in his job. It's no wonder the sentiment is shared by other employees on the island. Last, but definitely not least - Irman, my villa attendant. He was an absolute star and ray of sunshine in one. Always greeting me with a big smile, stopping for a chat. His "art installations" from leaves and flowers on my bed were a beautiful gesture, and his positive and smiley demeanour despite working in unforgivable heat was something to admire. They really make you feel special here. You experience a 5* service everywhere you go. Everyone addresses you by name, they all remember your dietary preferences/allergies. There is this constant offer and willingness to ensure your stay is as easy and memorable as possible. And that's one of many great memories I have taken home with me. The only suggestion for improvement I would make, and this is from a completely personal point of view, is to change the evening entertainers/musical duo. The female singer in the band was badly out of tune and ruined almost every single song she tackled. If you're passionate about music, you will notice. Did it ruin my holiday? No, it did not. But again, this is my personal opinion. Would I come back? For sure. Just need to win the lottery first ;-)

I visited on my honeymoon, and I think I chose it really well. The staff were so kind and the facilities were clean. (Butler, who was in charge of us, was really nice, too.) We had a great time ☺👍🏻 ** The underwater environment is also really good, so make sure to snorkel.

We recently returned from a stay at Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa, and unfortunately, our experience fell short of expectations for a 5-star resort. While the natural beauty of the Maldives is truly breathtaking, it is not exclusive to this resort, and the overall service and experience did not match the setting. The villa itself was beautiful, well-maintained, and provided a relaxing environment. The food quality was genuinely good when it was available. This brings me to one of our main concerns: the "all inclusive" package felt quite limited in practice. Food and drinks were only accessible during specific hours and at designated locations. For anyone, but especially families traveling with young children, this lack of flexibility proved inconvenient and at times frustrating. Another disappointing aspect was the overall approach to guest service. We have never heard the phrase "not possible" as frequently as during this stay. Requests were often met with reluctance, particularly by the villa host and front desk, who came across as uncooperative rather than solution-oriented. That said, all the staff were warm and friendly, and many clearly tried their best. However, it often felt like there was a gap in training or coordination. The level of commitment and competence was certainly below what one would expect at a luxury resort. One clear standout was the Kids Club. The staff there were fantastic: welcoming, professional, and genuinely engaging with the children. Our little ones had a wonderful time and we felt they were in excellent hands. In summary, while there were moments of enjoyment and elements of the stay we appreciated, the overall experience did not live up to the five-star promise.