Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon

Only fair to start by saying that we visited Ellaidhoo for the last 2 weeks before they closed due to Covid-19, and the review will reflect that this was a very difficult time for guests and staff alike. A lot of other reviews highlight long waits, at the airport on arrival, for the speedboat transfer. Our experience was absolutely fine, with a wait of around 20 minutes before being taken to the boat and leaving for the island. The speedboat transfer was a fantastic experience of around 90 minutes with smooth sea conditions and the crew stopping on the way to let us watch a really playful pod of dolphins. During the boat journey we were offered cool towels, bottled water and sweets. On arrival at the island we were greeted with smiles and refreshingly cool towels. The check in process was quick and we were shown directly to our room, with our cases following quickly after. The room was very clean and had everything you would expect and although semi-detached we had no problem with noise from next door. Positives: - Location. It’s in the Maldives! - Weather. Hot and sunny, with a couple of short lived thunder showers. - The reef. One of the best and most accessible we’ve been to in the Maldives, with a huge variety of reef fish, rays and sharks. A number of very large (approx 10 foot) nurse sharks come into the small harbour each evening at around 10pm to follow the dhoni that disposes of the food waste. Well worth watching! - Fish feeding. Each evening at 5:30pm one of the staff fed the fish from one of the breakwaters. This attracts a vast number of very big jack fish, rays and reef sharks. A real spectacle, which is really worth watching.... with a cocktail, of course. - Food. Some people thought the food was repetitive, although we were impressed with the variety, from freshly made salads, live cooking stations, European hot food, curry selection and puddings. There is an element of repetition, but we didn’t find this an issue and can honestly say we were never left with empty plates. - Some of the staff. Our waiter (Niushad) and our room attendant (Nazzi) were both amazing. Very attentive, friendly and hard working. Disappointing: - Beaches. Only one section of useable beach (close to the dive centre). The rest of the island perimeter is walled as an inner sea defence, with sand artificially built up behind the wall for sunbeds. We totally understand that the sea defences are needed due to erosion and rising sea levels, however some effort could be made to make them less ugly! Perhaps some sort of natural stone to help disguise the very unattractive concrete? - Some of the service. Especially at the main bar, where table service was non-existent and at the bar drinks were very inconsistent in strength and ingredients for the cocktails. Although the bar staff weren’t overly busy it felt like the drinks were hurriedly made and virtually thrown at you. On other Maldivian resorts bar staff continually attend and proactively serve drinks to the tables. The second week was very surreal due to the Covid-19 situation. It dominated conversations around the island and it was really obvious that guests were leaving the island, but no new guests were arriving. Hand sanitizer was available in all public areas and the staff assured us there wasn’t an issue, even when they started wearing surgical masks and gloves! Towards the end of the week, as guest numbers were greatly reduced, everyone was asked to relocate to different tables in the restaurant - all being seated tightly together in the middle of the restaurant..... surely spacing people out, to provide some form of social distancing would have been much more advisable? We were some of the last guests to leave the island, as some people were transferred to earlier flights and by that stage we were relieved to be leaving - mainly due to the Covid-19 situation. Would we go back to the Maldives? Absolutely! We’ve been going to the Maldives for about 12 years and have stayed on a variety of islands. Unfortunately we don’t plan to go back to Ellaidhoo. There are many much more attractive islands, with exceptional customer service. Albeit slightly more expensive, but definitely worth the extra.

First time in the Maldives so I cannot make any comparisons. There was a lot of ground work done before we booked Ellaidhoo. The Island is small but we thought that was a positive. We took the Seaplane from the airport and the speedboat back. Both were very enjoyable. We were met at the resort and shown to our Water Bungalow. Fantastic! Very comfortable and the only place to be able escape the heat. Shampon our housekeeper did a great job. We ate only in the restaurant by the pool and it was excellent. Huge amount of choice and meats offered, Chicken, Beef, Pork, Lamb and Duck on occasion. The staff were attentive and enjoyed a joke. The snorkelling on the house reef was simply superb! Rays, Sharks (little ones) and Stingrays along with hundreds of other species. loved it. I would certainly recommend this resort we both thought it was great value. Well done to all!

A beautiful island with great snorkelling made special by the warmth and friendliness of the staff. Our water bungalow was comfortable, restaurant excellent pool and reef ideal. Thank you for an amazing experience and see you again soon !