South Palm Resort Maldives

Spent 10 days there recently with my big family—my wife, our daughters (5 and 13 y.o.), our 6-month-old twins, and myself. As you can imagine, traveling with such a crew is quite a challenge, so there are a few key things worth mentioning. The first thing that stands out is the staff’s attitude toward guests. They genuinely try to be attentive and understand your needs. I want to give a special shout-out to Deepika and Shina, who went above and beyond to assist us many times, making our vacation incredibly comfortable. Thanks to their outstanding efforts, we were actually able to relax—something that’s no small feat when traveling with so many little ones! The sea around the island is absolutely breathtaking. We spotted many kinds of fish right near the beach. You can snorkel just a couple of meters from your villa and come across a big sea turtle, a baby shark, and schools of exotic fish like the blue platax. If I had to nitpick, the only downside would be the lack of information about certain excursions included in the all-inclusive package. For example, trips to a neighboring island and the stingray beach were available, but we only found out about them from other guests towards the end of our stay. Other than that, everything was great!

This is possibly the worst hotel I have ever stayed in and was such a let down considering how much we had paid and what we expected from the maldives. We had a Palm Villa which was adequate but felt a bit run down. It had an outside shower which was quite cute and we grew to like. The hotel only has one restaurant and bar as the other bar had been closed down for some considerable time. The staff try so hard and in the main greet you with a smile. The big issue with the hotel is the food and the restrictive all inclusive package. The food in the main restaurant was atrocious and very repetitive. Whilst you won't starve it was no where near what I would have expected from the Maldives. The staff cooking meat have no idea of cross contamination of food and often put uncooked chicken slivers on top of cooked meat just prior to trying serving you it. I was asked on a number of occasions if I wanted my chicken medium or well done (medium meant uncooked). The food in the heaters was always cold which was worrying. Food was not covered up and had lots of flies on it which was really off putting. Heaters under pots of curry and rice were never on. You had to ask for French fries? Beer ran out for 5 days and there was no communication from the management around this. Totally unacceptable! We, along with a number of guests complained about the situation and we were all offered different compensation packages which was a constant struggle. I was even told not to tell anyone else what i had been offered? You are not allowed to take drinks away from the bar as management want you to pay for drinks out of your room minibar instead. It just feels management are running the hotel on a shoestring budget and have no concept on what all inclusive should be. No paddleboards or motorised water sports available despite being advertised. It is such a shame as this hotel could be so much better and the staff deserve better. We will definitely not return here.

The island is beautiful, rustic and unspoilt. Plenty of wildlife and sealife so take a snorkel. We had a palm villa which was clean and adequate. Ceiling fan and air con helped keep the room cool. Bathroom and shower was outside but undercover, this also meant that we had frequent visitors using that with us including ants, flys the occasional lizard and cricket. We had a lovely patio and swing with direct access to the beach which was lovely. Sea on that side was rough and not recommended for swimming but ideal for a paddle. Resort staff - room service team, bar staff and restaurant waiters and cooking station staff even the pool man all work so hard and really do try to make your holiday enjoyable. The food wasn't 5 star and for first few days wasn't that plentiful or warm. However that did improve or maybe we got used to it. There were no processed foods, no chips, no ice-cream. The AI is nothing like you might find in a European resort or 4/5 star hotel. No snacks and no free mini bar. The other bar and restaurant was closed during our stay. The whole resort ran out of beer for 4 days which wasn't ideal and when trying to get information from reception response from staff was poor. We had to chase and make repeated visits to get a resolution and information. The boat trips including snorkeling and dolphin trip was amazing and the staff and guides were so helpful making the trips superb. Top tip go and book as soon as you arrive as they don't go everyday. Also if you want to use the spa book on arrival. Take insect repellant as we got eaten alive but sand flies each night while at the bar or at the beach. The shop on the island is tiny basic and really expensive so if you want snacks take them with you. Also take plenty of suncream. If you want a relaxing chilled vibe and are happy with local foods (Chinese/Thai/,Indian style) then you will enjoy. If you are looking for snacks, British foods, cabaret entertainment then you might not enjoy. Entertainment is low key karaoke night was good fun as was snail racing. But you might want a pack of cards. If you are traveling back on a flight leaving Male before 1/2pm check your departure details we didn't until we were there. Our checkout time was 2am and our cases were collected at 1.30 am so it was a very long journey getting home. If we had known we would have stayed overnight in Male to break journey, we really lost our last day. Overall I would say that this is a budget resort but the area was beautiful and staff so friendly and hard working. If the management made some changes to communication and stock control it would be even better.

We are here now. Room is lovely, garden room with a sea view. Very clean. Food! I must admit I am disappointed with our first evening meal. Complained as all the rice had gone cold due to the burners going out. 8.15pm. Very limited choice as most dishes were empty of food. Breakfast. Omelette was nicely cooked, again very limited choices of food. Fruit is Melon, haven’t seen any other fruit yet. Will update tonight as we are going first sitting.

The resort is the most relaxing place we have ever visited. It's a stunning island. We were in a beach bungalow and loved it. To walk out on to the patio and be a few feet away from the beach and sea was incredible. The staff are wonderful and cannot do enough for you. Special mentions to Momin who looked after us in our Villa, Arif and Julie in the bar. Ali who looked after us when we had dinner on the beach for my 60th birthday, Citra in the Spa who gave me a fantastic facial and massage , Kelina in reception so helpful and finally the wonderful Didi in the restaurant who looked after us every meantime. Food was amazing and cooked fresh in front of you. The only thing that wasn't great is the all inclusive package. It's NOT a full all inclusive. The drinks in your room fridge are not included which is crazy. Even more crazy is you cannot take drinks from the bar to your room - even soft drinks. We have travelled to many all inclusive resorts around the world and have never encountered restrictions like this. This is not a reflection on the fabulous staff - it's about the owners/senior management not having a clue when it comes to understanding the All Inclusive concept