Royal Island Resort

The location is good and beautiful, but the access from Male Airport is pretty bad and hotel kept us wait at the airport for quite long. They only have 2 flight in one day and they never tell us the exact time previously. The facility is not bad though.

We visited Royal Island Resort in Nov 24. It has been an exceptional experience from the word go. The Resort handles the transfer entirely. We were met by the Royal Island staff at Malé airport (look out for the Royal sign) and immediately taken to the domestic terminal where they assisted us to check in on the domestic flight. The domestic departure hall is a bit cramped but there is a lounge outside domestic departures. The reception at Dharavandhoo airport by resort staff was smooth and transfer by speedboat efficient and safe. At the island we were met by our personal host Minni, who did a sterling job in keeping us informed of daily activities (via WhatsApp) making bookings at the restaurant etc. We strongly recommend the Premium All Inclusive package. This package gives access to food and beverages at the a la carte restaurant, the Boli bar and the Raabondhi restaurant. It also gives access to all amenities and sport activities ( excluding motorised sport). We booked the Pool Villa, which was fantastic. It is with the package mentioned serviced twice a day, including topping up of the mini bar. You literally walk out at the back of you villa, past your private pool into the surf, whilst still have privacy. I cannot say enough about the staff. They are very well trained, very friendly, helpful and professional. Minni is a real gem and made our stay so special. The curio shops are well priced and purchases charged to the room, to be settled the last day. The food at the a la carte restaurant and Boli bar is very good but dinners at the Raabondhi are next level. Excellent fine dinning with stunning presentation. It was indeed a magical culinary experience on the beach under the stars. There is a diving center, Dive Oceanus, a very well organised Padi outfit. Note that due to local Maldevian rules, an orientation dive is a prerequisite, reviewing safety procedures, care for the coral and marine life. I also did a night dive with Machaela, a very competent and helpful dive instructor. Note that you can do dives at different sites but also at the island’s house reef. Talking about the house reef, it surrounds the island and entry from shore is protected by a barrier, making it safe to snorkel for the inexperienced. Snorkelling equipment is available and of good quality. The island also has sports facilities, i.e. squash and tennis courts, a gym, spa and medical centre. The island is private, with only the necessary interaction by the staff, no locals. Our transfer back via speedboat and domestic flight to Malé was equally smooth and well organised. Because our flight was only later in the evening, we were free of charge transferred to a partner resort to rest, have a meal before being transferred back by boat to the airport. Note that the resort’s billing is in USD. It is recommended to settle all accounts in USD on departure (ie. diving, curios etc charged to the room) as the exchange rate from other currencies such Euro to USD is quite stiff.