Sun Island Resort & Spa

The island (and I mean the nature) deserves 5 stars. For transport arrangements I gave only 1 star, because in my opinion the management is responsible for the whole organization of the resort and that includes the transfer from Male to the Island. Maybe the management doesn’t know, but for some tourist to take a holiday at Sun Island resort suppose an effort both financially and physically. The main reason why tourists come here is to relax. In my case, the plane transfer from Male to Sun Island Resort&Spa was the 4th flight. On 6th of November my plane landed around 11.30. I took my luggage and I went straight to the “office” no 16, responsible with my transfer. I know that was a transfer for Maamigili at 12 o`clock (information from other tourists) and I am sure that with little effort, the responsible with my transfer could help me to make the check in and reach that flight which was fully dedicated to Sun Island Resort&Spa. Instead the employee told me that I have to wait for next flight at 5 o`clock. I can say all these after one week spent there and after I saw how things are going there. Maybe it is difficult to understand, but for sure I didn`t make such an effort in order to visit the Male Airport “Museum”. And that was not all. In my last day at the resort, it was told me that next day I must wake up at 2.45 am in order to leave the resort at 3.45. My plane was at 10.40 and the transfer doesn`t last more than 1 hour. If I make some calculation and keeping into account that this inconvenient was not for my fault I can say that I paid almost 1 night without justification. I know that are difficult times, but these are for all of us. Furthermore the tourists that travel these times are those that help tourism to be kept alive. To conclude, the MANAGEMENT of Sun Island Resort IS NOT DESIGNED IN RESPECT FOR CLIENT. Yes, the attitude could be pleasant and respectful, but in a false way. Read less

Recently got back from a 16 night stay during pandemic times so wanted to leave as much information as I could. Overall, for the price and options on the island if you want to visit the Maldives without remortgaging your house this is definitely a great option. It may not be for everyone so if you have a higher budget you may prefer something a bit more luxurious and less family friendly, but we would have no problems going back and had a great time. We weren’t looking for a honeymoon experience and this island met most of our expectations. THE GOOD: The island is very clean and well maintained (some guests were still leaving litter which was not great, but not the fault of the island who were always keeping things at a good standard) Lovely beaches with beautiful blue sea (they are just how you imagined it, you don’t need a filter, the sand is white and the sea turquoise which is what most people visit the Maldives for) Large pretty pool area (pool is a great size with two little waterfalls and views out to the beach, pool man was super friendly and helpful, sunny early morning/afternoon, shady later on) The dive team were fantastic (very friendly and helpful, free nitrox, water and snacks, let us swim with dolphins when they appeared by the boat, couldn’t do enough for us and were the highlight of our stay) Plenty of free water in the rooms and with meals on half board (this was great as drinks prices were otherwise quite overpriced – see the negative part below) Pros of travelling during Coronavirus times (felt like we had the island to ourselves so more of a desert island experience, the tackier evening entertainment wasn’t on which suited us down to the ground as we aren’t interested in that, all rules are followed – staff wear masks, hand sanitizer everywhere, buffets not self service – none of which impacted our holiday) The large island size gives plenty of things to do/explore for a longer stay (free kayaks, pool table, beach volleyball and sports, books, shark and sting ray feeding, snorkelling, exploring on foot etc) The food (Dinner variety changed daily and good quality food, delicious patisserie quality cakes and desserts: usually a meat station, pasta station, curry station, salad bar, and then a few mixed dishes) Growing lots of fruit and veg used in the menus (and you can explore the gardens etc where all the workers are friendly and happy to let you look around and see more of the ‘working island’) WiFi good in the room (worked fine but did drop sometimes for heavy image/video sites, over all was adequate for what we needed and free) Internal transfer/flight was quick and seamless (on the way from Male, picked up instantly and trouble free, the return was less pleasant, in the negative section below) They make the last night special (decorated table in the restaurant, decorated bed with flower petals etc, it was really beautiful and a lovely way to end our trip) THE BAD: WiFi patchy and slow around the resort areas (sometimes you can’t connect away from your room, not a dealbreaker but something to be aware of) Pool shuts early (at 6pm, would prefer if was open til 10 as sometimes you just want to take a dip in the evening) Breakfast could start earlier (it opens at 7:30.. diving starts at 8 which means a very fast scarf down of breakfast and run up the jetty to make the boat with no time to go back to room.. 7am would be better) Certain rude guests (I don’t want to generalise but there were some unfriendly fellow holiday makers, stealing our sunbeds, barging in front of food queues etc which did sour things sometimes!) Some staff a bit less friendly/approachable (very hit and miss, lots were friendly and happy to chat, others just grunted at you and didn’t want to know) Breakfast just ok (less variety and quality than dinner and the exact same food everyday for 16 days, more live cooking stations would have been nicer as the stuff sat in trays wasn’t always fresh tasting) Quite a lot of children here (Sun Island is probably more tailored to families than other resorts, may be a positive if this is what you want, but there were often a lot of kids running around: at the pool area, using the pool tables in the evening to just throw balls around when it was busy, sticking their fingers in the buffet… so may be a dealbreaker for some) The medical centre shuts at 6pm (would be better if a little later as it was closed the one time when we needed it) Sunset side of island is building site at the moment (I think they are using the pandemic to upgrade a lot of the rooms, so where the sunset is is currently piles of sand, machinery and rubble) Lots of restaurants closed (due to COVID so not the end of the world but if not on a full board meal plan something to be aware of: the pool bar and all but Italian were shut.. however towards the end of our stay they started opening as I guess more into high season and more guests – by the time we left the beach bar was open, not sure what else, so no sampling of the Thai, Zero, BBQ places possible) Mosquitos still get you (despite spraying the island they really are rampant, bring bug spray!) Limitations due to COVID which can’t be helped (no trips to local islands, some trips cancelled/facilities closed and that kind of thing, but not a dealbreaker) Soft drink prices seemed incredibly high (corona beer was cheaper, and coconuts expensive at $6 when the island was full of them that don’t need importing) Return transfer journey (this was a huge pain, we had a mid day flight and had to be up at 4am, breakfast was some stale croissants (I’d rather they just refunded us for the breakfast for that day), lots of waiting around, Villa Air flight went to another island before Male so a lot of wasted time that made for a super long travel day back to the UK) Read less

We fall in love with this amazing place. Beautiful beaches, clear azure water with so many fishes and shells, amazing food (we are food lover) with the best chef! Some foods I loved so much that he gave me also recipes. Our waiter Aswar was so kind and our room keeper Faruk was amazing. They are cleaning rooms twice a day. Seriously I’ve never been in resort with so many friendly and helpful employees. I am sure we will come back again. Read less

We enjoyed one of the most beautiful places on earth! Sun Island Resort and Spa-Nalaguraidhoo! Everything was perfect! From the splendid paradise that is this island to the great services offered by people who are working day and night to offer ultimate comfort to the guests! And everybody smiles! Splendid food! Fully recommended! Thank you all wonderful people of Sun Island! Read less