One&Only Reethi Rah

I am from Brazil and have traveled a lot to many countries around the world on business, but this was the best hotel I have ever stayed at! Everything was perfect from the moment we arrived at the Maldives airport, with an One and Only hotel employee waiting for us and taking us to the speedboat that took us on the 45-minute comfortable journey to the island where the hotel is located. We arrived and were greeted by the General Manager of the Hotel, Jan Tibaldi, a very friendly Swiss man who lived in Brazil for 2 years and therefore speaks Portuguese perfectly! We were introduced to Alejandra Robles, who would be our hostess for the entire period we stayed at the hotel. Alejandra is a very friendly and efficient Mexican woman. She literally took care of us during the 5 days we stayed at the hotel. The best hotel employee I have ever met!!! She is wonderful!!! The island is literally magical, a unique environment! Our villa, as the rooms in the hotel are called, was excellent: comfortable, beautiful, with a unique view of the sea and the sunset, and everything worked perfectly! The sea was crystal clear, beautiful, with fish, sea turtles and sharks! Wonderful! There were several restaurant options with great food and drinks! And the staff was the best I have ever met: extremely efficient, fast, but without losing the excitement and friendliness!!! Anyway, my wife and I were at One and Only celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and it was a unique and magical trip!!! We hope to return to the Maldives one day and, if that happens, I am 200% sure that we will return to One and Only and that we will want Alejandra as our hostess again!

One of the best experiences in my life It was my 4th time in Maldives and I can say that it’s the best hotel to stay in. Island is very big and you can’t get bored there. Many activities. But first of all beautiful beaches, warm ocean and hot sun! What else you need to be happy? Of course food. There are a few different restaurants for any taste. I personally enjoyed teppanyaki! If you want to relax fully try their spa. Won’t be disappointed. I wanna go back because it’s super cold outside in my city

By way of reference, my wife and I travel extensively for work and pleasure so our standards are Aman quality high...... First the good The villas are of older classic construction, but meticulously maintained - some of the largest villas on the islands... with a gigantic WOW in terms of space, design, thoughtful touches... all necessary electronics.... these might be our favorite villas of anywhere we have stayed... also located in a manner which provides privacy.... and views of the ocean rather than other villas..... unlike much of the Maldives where the villas are adjacent and screened by walls... The ability to bike around the island was an added plus.. and we had a blast efoiling - the instructors were patient and awesome.... the island roads of sand a romantic wonderland.. The restaurants are of excellent quality food.... the breakfast buffet was top of the line... quality over quantity... yet not wanting for anything... Now the reason for the lack of five stars. 85% of the staff at the resort was perfect - service exactly as you would expect at a five star resort... But 15% of the staff seemed as if they did not want to be there.. were not responsive, and really did a poor job... this was true across the board... so some nights at the restaurants were great... other nights, we felt ignored and as if we were a bother when we asked for anything... this was true in every area... sometimes we would go for breakfast, and housekeeping had not made up the room - other times, they went above and beyond with thoughtful touches [our understanding was that the butler kept forgetting to notify them...so not their fault... Our butler, unfortunately fell into the 15% that did not want to be there.... ... and when this happens, it really takes away from the experience... so when we made special request... it was if we were asking for world... So how do you review, when you want to praise 85%of the staff, yet the ones that dragged the service down, need to step up their game. A big thank you for those amazing staff which were the majority. One other small problem was that when families were seated next to us, the kids cranked up their phones and ipads...and games and ruined the environment for all other tables... when we asked the waiters, they said there was nothing they could do about it... [perhaps it would be good to have family seating times and couples seating times.... or easier yet, just require all devices use earphones... that way the kids can enjoy and the rest of the guest are not affected....] All resorts are struggling with this issue, so this is not just a One and Only issue.

Location is amazing, every detail is looked after, but more importantly on top to the luxury, the overall resort atmosphere is extremely elegant and fine. What makes really the difference is the kindness and professionalism of the staff, extremely nice. We had the opportunity to meet many of the them, in various circumstances and we were always impressed by their natural kindness (in the SPA, restaurants - the staff of the Fanditha was just superb! And the chef very talented!). Special heathfelt thanks goes to Hameed and Manaal.

An unparallel experience at the One&Only Reethi Rah. From our arrival experience to the departure, we’ve been blessed with overwhelming positive energy. There are too many names to mention, but all colleagues have been a delight to interact with, from the housekeeping to the F&B and from the airport to the culinary team. A special mention for Eugene, our host, who has been nothing short of amazing. She did an excellent job at offering a personalized and attentive experience while being unobtrusive. That’s a rare talent to have. Furthermore, delicious food was served at each of our meals, with a wide selection. And the villa took our breath away every single day. We’ve certainly had an experience we will remember and cherish forever.

This is our last day and first time at One and Only Reethi Rah and I have mixed feelings about value for the price of this resort. Island: The advantages of the Reethi Rah is that it is a vast green island. 40 hectares I believe they said. It is covered in vegetation and shade and is very picturesque, for the Instagram post chasers. It is indeed very very well maintained - trees, flowers, villas, interiors, etc. Food and wine: in restaurants is proper quality and level. Often better than I would have expected and on par with continental restaurants in Europe. Service: top notch, but would not say impeccable. Sports and activities: are ample - grounds for volleyball, football, padel, tennis. Water activities and excursions - are limited by only your budget. Now some downsides that are subjective to me and my family, fully appreciate not everyone would focus on those: 1. Too many russians. They are too loud and they come in numbers. This downgrades the level and vibe of the hotel for me. 2. Reethi Rah does not offer any meal plans - no half board, no full board, only breakfasts included. Which means everything is extra. Everything. They charge for the house water at the beach, which is a bit ridiculous compared to other hotels. 3. If you went for a water villa, you'd want to have access to the beach with sunbeds and cabans to relax at and you would think that this island would have many beaches to relax at, but no. Only one proper beach with sunbeds and cabanas placed so close to each other that you do not get any privacy there. Russians left and right again. 4. Reethi Rah just celebrated its 20 years. That's right - it opened in 2005. So villas are quite dated inside. Still functional but dated. 5. Because it is a very green island mosquitos here bite a lot. It was very tough for our kid. And actually all kids around were in mosquito bites. The hotel does fumigation but it did not help us too much. 6. We spend 16 nights at the hotel, which is quite a hefty su of money, and our flight is late at night. Reethi Rah is charging us $500 for late check out. And they are not fully occupied. Every other hotel would have offered us late check out free of charge. 7. Fruits: for this price - I have never seen mango or mangosteen served. I really expected more of the fruit options. 8. Kids club: is dated, grim and underinvested. It is sometimes the main deciding factor for us, but the kids club here is a disappointment compared to other hotels of this level. For these reasons I believe Reethi Rah does not deliver value for the money it asks for the stay.