The Residence Maldives at Falhumaafushi

Choosing a hotel in the Maldives is honestly a real challenge. With the overwhelming number of resorts available, the options are endless and it quickly becomes a painful process: “Which one do I choose? Will it really live up to the expectations?” But let me say this clearly: as someone who usually digs into every single detail and spends days researching before booking anything — I can confidently say that I found what I believe to be the best resort in the Maldives. When it comes to value for money, quality, elegance, cuisine, and service, this place is simply outstanding. I’ve travelled a lot and I have high expectations, yet this stay exceeded them in every way. The Welcome : From the moment we arrived, the warmth of the staff was striking. The team here makes a genuine effort to please, and more importantly — it never feels like they’re doing it just for the job. Of course, there’s a commercial aspect, that’s part of any hotel experience — but what truly stands out here is the human connection. The smiles are sincere. The staff genuinely seems happy to be here, and to make you feel at home. That, to me, says a lot. The Cuisine : One word: extraordinary. Every meal feels like part of a fine dining experience. Little touches like a sorbet between dishes to cleanse the palate — they’ve thought of everything. I even had the chance to talk to some of the chefs and visit the kitchens (which are spotless by the way — you could sleep in there!). Many of them trained in France, and it shows. Honestly, the food alone is reason enough to come here. You could forget the sun and still leave fulfilled. The Resort Experience The beaches are beautiful and peaceful. But what truly amazed us — the unexpected bonus — is that you can enjoy the amenities of two islands, not just one. We didn’t know that before arriving, and it added a whole new level to the experience. You have access to more restaurants, more pools, more areas to explore. And getting around is a breeze: golf carts are always available, and you never wait more than two minutes before someone comes to assist you. Everything is perfectly organized and flows smoothly. You truly feel taken care of. The pools, the sea, the overall serenity… it’s the kind of place where you feel both at peace and inspired. The Human Experience: During my stay, I also had the chance to have deep and respectful conversations with the local staff. Here in the Maldives, you have time to reflect, to connect, to learn. I had the privilege of exchanging ideas — particularly around topics like faith, personal growth, religion and openness. These conversations were sincere, thoughtful, and left a lasting impression on me. I truly hope that some of the thoughts I shared — especially around cultural and spiritual nuances — were received with the same sincerity and care with which they were offered. And that maybe, in some small way, they left a positive trace. ⸻ In short: I couldn’t be happier with my choice. This was more than a holiday. It was a full experience — culinary, emotional, spiritual. A place I’ll return to, and that I recommend without hesitation. 5 shining stars. Deserved. Truly.

Paradise! Loved it- the 2 island resort was fantastic- so much to do. Loved exploring the 2 islands on the bikes provided to every villa. Our 2 bedroom water villa with pool 332 had the most amazing sunset view over the ocean and complete privacy at the end of the row. The staff really make the experience- so helpful and friendly. 1st trip here and to the Maldives- it exceeded our expectations. Tip- go all inclusive.

Our family had a wonderful at the Residence. Pristine ocean water, amazing house reef, exceptional services, delicious food, and beautiful resort with great amenities. Thank you for making our trip a memorable experience.

We stayed in an over water sunset villa with pool, number 319. It was beautiful, we saw turtles, reef sharks, rays and obviously lots of fish from our deck. Even more to see if you go down the ladder into the water. At low tide you can walk out to the edge of the reef. We hardly used the living room as it was too hot, there is no air con in that room. The other 2 rooms were great, lovely deep bath with great views. Possibly a couple of plant pots would be nice as the furnishing is simple but stark. In the afternoon the deck is in full sun with little or no shade despite the big parasol, lots of people relocate to the main pool and the bar at this point, ourselves included. Room service and amenities were inconsistent, some rooms had biscuits delivered every evening and a welcome bottle of wine, towel art, flower infused baths to return to etc. We didn’t get any of this although we seemed to be on the same package as other rooms. This didn’t bother us unduly, but it should be consistent across the resort, maybe it depends on who your room attendant is. Staff were excellent, in particular Fazwar at the airport who retrieved my laptop which I forgot to collect from Male domestic security screening. It was put on the next domestic flight out to me the same day. All transfers were well executed by the resort staff. Zero mosquito issues. Shena at breakfast ( and also at the French restaurant) is v efficient and lovely, ditto Arjuna at the beach bar. Other staff were a bit hit and miss but all unfailingly polite and cheerful. Food was good, we travelled over to the other island a few times for a Chinese and Italian. Extras are expensive on the menu and whilst it is easy to understand how this works with,say lobster, not so easy to justify an extra $5 for tiramisu. However by and large you can avoid the extras, we were on standard AI and there was plenty to choose from. Spirits were all premium brands, lots of choice on the wine front and - unlike other resorts in the Maldives - the wait staff and bar staff dispensed alcohol freely. However - unlike other resorts in the Maldives - there is no wine or spirits in your room minibar. Bizarrely there is tonic water and other mixers and Pringles. It’s all set up for a pre dinner drink. It’s a bit odd given how free the bar staff are with alcohol that none , save beer, is available in your room - it would have been nice to have a G&T on our deck watching the sunset - no takeaways allowed from the bar and if you did request room service to deliver a drink to your room it was prohibitively expensive. Well it certainly prohibited us. My husband made full use of the bicycle, I fell off my bike on day 2 so made full use of the the buggy. Wait time for a buggy is erratic, sometimes one would appear immediately, other times I had to wait half an hour so build in extra time for this if you have a timed lunch or dinner or spa treatment. However on the whole the buggy service was good. Occasionally you may have to change buggies at reception if you are going over to the sister island but this is all done v efficiently. I used the spa and had a lovely 90 minute massage and facial, albeit a v expensive one by the time you add on tax and service charge. However I did leave with a free Clarins gift, the room was beautiful and the therapist excellent, plenty of attractive plants in pots in evidence there. It’s a very long way to travel - almost 24 hours from the UK - this resort is v far south, on the equator, so for us it was 3 plane rides and the speedboat. However - I’d say this resort is worth it. Pack your Factor 50 ( essential) and enjoy.