The Residence Maldives At Dhigurah

This was our first trip to the Maldives and it is beautiful, so we will definitely be back, but not at this resort. Everywhere the flying time to the resort is quoted to be 55 minutes domestic flight; however if you cannot make the afternoon flight and have to take an evening flight, it will be a transit flight going to another island first - so the flying time is more than 2 hours. It is recommended to really look into the transferring as we ended up spending more than 4 hours in an horrible lounge at Male airport and then had a transfer flight of 2½ hours and then a speed boat ride to the resort, so it took a whole day. We arrived at the resort at 10 pm without having had dinner and when I asked for some fruit - e.g. bananas we were told that would be an extra charge. We could only have to buffet and nothing sent to the villa. Really bad first impression. The resort is big and you can cross a bridge to a sister resort at another island. To get around you can use the bikes or book an electric shuttle; however please be prepared to wait a long time for the shuttle. It is convenient with the bikes, but we also got a bit tired of having to cycle around. We had about 1 km to the Dining room which is the buffet restaurant, which serves breakfast. We stayed in a sunrise villa. The villa was very nice, extremely spacious and the deck and pool nice. It was weird that the outdoor shower was located at the opposite end to the pool and ocean - so you had to walk through the villa to rinse off. It was such a shame that there was not any shade until the afternoon - we were missing an umbrella or similar to have some shade to be able to sit outside. We wanted to be able to snorkel right from the villa; however at low tide it is impossible and at high tide the current is too strong. You have to go to the house reef which is more than 1 km away. The house reef was however amazing. Just a shame that the resort has not created space where you can leave your belongings while going snorkeling. We had pre-booked a sunset dolphin cruise, which was fantastic - the crew very nice and we saw so many dolphins. We had also booked a snorkeling tour, but due to strong winds we decided not to go and just explore the house reef instead. We had pre-booked restaurants for dinners and they were not very busy, so I am not sure that you need to pre-book. Every day the hotel sent out a whats-app with the theme for The Dining room - the buffet; however the one evening we went it was not correct and the buffet not very inspiring, so very disappointed. We also had lunch once at the Dining room - also a big disappointment. However, the other restaurants were very good with lots to choose from, unfortunately there were too many dishes with an extra cost, which we had not expected. The breakfast was amazing and the staff very friendly. We had a few issues where we had to call the reception and experienced really bad service - the light in the pool did not work, first no engineer was sent and then an engineer was sent late at night after we had gone to bed, which was not what we had asked for. Furthermore we were given a villa with a child-proof fence around the entire outside area - so you were not able to enjoy the view. The resort claimed it was per request from our travel agent due to the villa type and it was not a child-proof fence. The travel agent denied having made the request. We ended up changing villas and the whole move was a bit of farce with wrong information provided, missing key cards etc. Overall, we were not impressed by the service-level.

I wanted to send you a message to thank you for this incredible stay. Thank you for your kindness; everything was perfect. A special mention to Astrid, who was able to speak to us in French at times, which was very helpful. We already want to come back; it was our best trip ever. Thank you for everything :) Room 894

We stayed at The Residence Dhigurah for 10 nights on our honeymoon and honestly couldn’t fault it — if you’re debating whether to book, just do it. Travel: We flew Emirates from Birmingham via Dubai to Male. We then had to wait 4 hours at Male for the next domestic flight... After the domestic flight to Kooddoo and a short boat transfer, we arrived tired but were immediately welcomed and well looked after. Accommodation: We stayed in Sunset Water Villa 843 and it was incredible — spotless, spacious, and with stunning sunset views. The deck was peaceful and we regularly saw turtles and even dolphins from the villa. Housekeeping were exceptional (special mention to Jhantu). Requests like an iron and parasol were delivered quickly. Island & Getting Around: Bikes are provided and are the best way to get around (buggies available too). It’s a large island, so cycling is much easier than walking. Overwater villas on the sunset side felt quieter and less choppy, with easy access to the house reef. Food: The food was a real highlight — genuinely 5*. Breakfast and buffet dinners were excellent with themed nights, and we never got bored. À la cartes were fantastic: Li Bai was our favourite, Long Island was great Italian food, and Fulhumaa was beautiful over the water (worth it for the experience). Lunches at Café del Sol and Fulhummafushi Beach Bar were consistently very good. Snorkelling & Activities: Best snorkelling we’ve ever done — turtles, reef sharks, rays and more right off the house reef. Free snorkel equipment and non-motorised water sports included. The sunset dolphin cruise is an absolute must — unforgettable. Staff: The staff truly make this place special. Friendly, attentive, and by day two they remembered our names and room number. Be kind and you’ll receive outstanding service. Hamfiz and Ritka really made our stay being so welcoming in the dining room. Overall: A stunning, peaceful resort with amazing food, snorkelling, and service. Zero complaints — we’d return in a heartbeat.

Very nice facilities at an island big enough to offer variations in beaches, pools, restaurants etc. as it is connected to neighbouring island, where you can go by free bikes or use the electric buggy service.