OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi

Wonderful experience. Great number of activities to do. The staff is super friendly and helpful. Wide variety of food, and good for the most part. Can choose from a range of cuisines. The beach is pristine and clean. The spa and gym facilities are good as well. Overall a great place to come and relax at a vacation. Just do check for rain before coming. Read less

What an amazing experience! We went snorkelling with nurse sharks and it was unreal how close you get to them. Shan took some amazing videos as I didn’t have a go pro and the team did a wonderful job in making sure we’re safe and get to see as many sharks as possible. We even saw a turtle which was unexpected. Definitely the highlight of the trip so far 😍 Read less

There were many positives to our two week stay at the resort and overall my family and I had an enjoyable holiday at Oblu Xperience. This was our first trip to the Maldives but we holiday often in the Caribbean/Mediterranean so we hold a good understanding of its place and competition. We tend to stay in solid 5* resorts and would say this is a strong 4* and in many aspects matching 5* hotels in other key regions (Caribbean et al). However, to cut to the chase its cost-to-value is notably higher here. What you’ll get for what you spend is far less than what you’ll see elsewhere, perhaps not in the Maldives but certainly globally. Best Parts - The customer service is very high here. They go out of their way to make you feel valued. From being checked in immediately on being greeted at the airport whilst waiting for our speedboat to the resort to our bags reaching our room before we ourselves got there, you always felt customer relations was at the top of their metrics. When you walk past any hotel employees they smile and say hello and the staff always went out of their way to seek if you required assistance rather than waiting for a request. The variety of evening entertainment was generally very good and never focussed too much with one cultural group in mind; always having options with a live band, games room, karaoke and open-air movies on the beach. In addition, the Lagoon at times was a great highlight, enabling snorkelling in a calm seas environment for young swimmers to view a decent variety of fish, small blacktip sharks and even the odd stingray. However, it did on occasion get littered with sea-debris likely from the main island close-by which I never saw anyone attempt to clean, during such days few would venture into the lagoon. Food - The food was of a decent standard, but their buffet was relatively limited both in variety and theme. Lunch and dinners tended to offer the same cuisine and breakfasts were on the low end of expectations. On occasion they would have a breakfast egg station but compared to other resorts the quality edged towards the low-end. With only one option within their all-inclusive Fushi plan after two weeks the process of meals became slightly monotonous. Dinner quickly changed from an event to a function; few persons dressed up for dinner or stayed for longer than was necessary and it dulled the atmosphere. In the Caribbean, Med or Mauritius etc at this price range most resorts had minimum 3-5 restaurants to choose from whereas here the sole option and repetitive theme dampened the experience. I understand higher costed resorts in the Maldives may have more alternatives, but this resort is also competing with resorts in other countries. We did have lunch at the under-sea restaurant, which was a visual delight but it isn’t cheap coming in at just under $500 for a family of four for a set lunch menu. By the second week we had resorted to buying Pizza’s in the promenade as a dinner alternative a few times (at a cost but they were only $8 each) just to maintain some variety. Water Activities – There were many good activities, but the reoccurring theme was present, it wasn’t cheap. We had free use of kayaks etc at the resort but this only occurred from 2.30pm-4.30pm and you only had 15 minutes per day meaning demand was high with limited resource. The dolphin cruise was excellent with a 90 minute trip to the feeding grounds of a local pod who were very happy to showcase the jumps and twists we thought were reserved for TV and Sea-world type venues. It was one of the excursions which was well worth the money. The number of snorkelling options were numerous showcasing different options be it Standard, Turtles, Sharks or Dolphins. A tip would be to do the Standard first. We did this and took a 20min speedboat to a local reef where we spent one hour snorkelling with numerous blacktip sharks and turtles. It was only $80 per person which compared to the turtle and shark trips was 2-3 times lower in price but in our case our exposure to the turtles were fingertip close and negated any need for a more focused trip. Our exposure to the turtles was far greater than those who went on specific tours whilst we were there. In those cases participants had to settle for pictures the guide had taken and shared on WhatsApp as only 1-2 persons managed to see them directly. We also took a trip to a local island, it wasn’t value for money in truth, $350 for a 90-minute tour on a largely forgettable tour bar a souvenir shop. I recall going on a trip to Cyprus last year where we were given a hotel organised, personalised all day tour of local landmarks for two-thirds of the price. There was nothing wrong with the guide who was very attentive and knowledgeable; it was simply short, barren and pushed the extremes of value. Final thoughts – don’t get me wrong we had a lovely time, the resort is well presented, had good options for kids and adults alike and the staff were exemplary. My daughter enjoyed the kids club and made many friends. However, it did miss one or two key things. The promenade was their showcased coffee/tuck shop, however the coffee machine was broken the entire time we were there, so too was the Ice-cream machine. Half the arcade games were out of service and the table football station was missing 2-3 of the rods. It was just a re-occurring theme, surprising for a resort which is only 2 years old. What we realised is that the high cost of the resort and the at times broken/non-working items were a product of the issues I assume the Maldives suffers from. It’s a small country with a population the size of a small European city spread over a wide area only accessible by sea. Anything imported in will come with a high cost (suntan lotion at $50 per bottle for instance). If the coffee machine breaks down, the cost of repair will be high and time it takes to get an engineer/replacement is likely long. I imagine it’s a systematic issue for all resorts. Coming to the Maldives was a box ticking event and one which we don’t regret but if we compare it to our like-for-like summer holidays in Jamaica last year (Royalton) or in Mauritius the year before (Radisson Blu) it lacked a certain level of professionalism yet cost £3k GBP more once all was collated. Perhaps this is a wider issue of the Maldives vs other alternatives but see the resort’s issues primarily as a product of its environment. Read less

Heavenly Beautiful. The whole experience was simply breathtaking. We stayed in Water villa for 3 nights. And it is so memorable. I miss that experience everyday. The bridge connecting the resort to their overwater gym is one of the most beautiful places on this earth. Their overwater gym is the most beautiful gym in the world. The food here is unbelievable. Once in a lifetime experience. This resort is hardly 15 minutes from Male International Airport. So time is not wasted. Only drawback is that they make you wait for almost an hour after you reach the airport. There will be speedboat every hour. So if your flight is reaching by 1 or 2 pm to Male Airport. Then we need to wait till 3 pm and then we will be reaching the resort around 3:30 pm. They don't serve you the lunch. I have heard from other guests who have visited other resorts like Paradise, they will be provided lunch even if they reach by 4 pm. Oblu Xperience resort must work on this. Otherwise, this place is just gorgeous. Words will fail to describe its beauty. Read less