Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives - Kids Stay & Eat Free By IHG

The people! The beauty of the island! This was our first trip out to the Maldives, and it didnt disappoint. Its quite the journey going from the US, but well worth it. The staff were phenomenal.

The lack of menu. We are vegan, & there was only 5 things we could eat & only at 1 place. So the food got repetitive. I would think this day in age there would be more options especially at that price! But, was amazing at helping accommodate!

Location

Food , service ,

Was bad hotel I never seen like that in my life

I loved the place to stay, and think with children, the location and facilities are fantastic. As a person without children, there were not many options that also fit.

The food was ok but not amazing. There were not options for those without children.

Everything was nice, dive shop was amazing, and the rooms were as expected.

There’s construction on a very near island, so the views from some rooms are definitely better than others.

All the facilities

Free excursions are very limited. Can't order from restaurant due to some trouble in the kitchen I think.

Value for money is good for sure, if you surf, it is a good destination, several surfers were there during our stay and they were happy with the waves. There is a shop called "Perfect wave" on the island. SPA is alright. The food was pretty good.

We were invited to an IHG cocktail event and were promised we will be able to get a late check-out (were even ready to pay for it), but the day before situation have changed and the hotel staff broke their promise which is not great at all. Swim area is tiny and there are a lot of fortifications around the island so it is a bit tricky especially if you have a beachfront villa in those areas. If you want a good reef, this is not a great choice for sure and you will have to rent a boat to get to decent locations nearby. Pricy watersport activities.

Beautiful resort with nice spacious rooms and cool island vibes. We stayed in a garden villa for three nights. Diving was included for certified divers and the diving centre is one of the best I’ve been, absolutely wonderful! The staff were kind and helpful throughout our stay. Good value for money, highly recommended!

The food could be better or a lot cheaper as some dishes did not meet our expectations for what we paid. Breakfast is good but lunch and dinner have room for improvement.

Appetisers, Lunch & Dinner options can be better.

Appetizers, Lunch & Dinner options were limited and high/unproportional cost - NO value for money

Excellent property , slightly old in it’s interiors but really massive and has good rooms. Certain things like curtains need refurbishing, but Always clean.Our room was beach facing and we had our own tiny private beach spot. The room was decently sized.Highlight of the property - we got 2 free dives each day! 8Dives in total for us - all in different locations. The property is surrounded by amazing dive sites. Easy spotting of sharks, eagle rays, turtles and many varieties of fish. Beautiful sites! Luca, Shan and Shahudh are amazing dive instructors. Mark- the property manager was very warm and welcoming throughout our trip and ensured we are well taken care of.I have certain food allergies, Chef Badal ensured i have proper meals, desserts and salads every day. He was very kind and generous with the customised meals. On my birthday, he even made a gluten free cake :) Ismail, Sajid and the entire f&b staff was too kind.After being to 4 different hotels in Maldives, two of them being 5 stars, i loved the hospitality of this hotel. ReallyGood.

Too many flies in the buffet area. Please find a solutionTo it. That’s the only thing which needs immediate attention.We found the spa slightly average too, we paid a decent amount but neither was the massage relaxing nor was it worth the price.

The customer service was exceptional! We stayed 3 nights and 4 days..  Anushka, Nasillo & the manager at the reception were very cordial and extremely helpful by answering all my questions promptly. Excellent service by Sreenju & Najum at the Kandooma Cafe! Sreenju went out of the way to serve and help us get whatever we needed during breakfast and dinner! Bee at the sports center is another person who was exceptional with his service.. This place runs because of its people and their excellent customer service.

I was disappointed with the food as it wasn't up to par! The spread was excellent & most items were delicious! However, there were a few items that were served stale & dry (like sambar, potato curry, muesli, baked fish, etc ).  The food options were plenty but were not made authentic and tasty. Was disappointed with the calamari I had ordered. Overall, the food options were plenty, but the quality can be improved!

Exceptional resort meeting up to the high quality standards for what you pay. We booked the beach villa as well as the ocean villa for our stay. The villas were spacious and clean with amazing sunset views. The staff at the resort was very friendly and welcoming. The restaurants served good food and breakfast. Bala helped us out a lot during our stay at the resort.

The room had everything you need and is perfectly set up, the bathroom is very spacious with an amazing outside shower. Great private outdoor space and the resort pool is lovely. Very good snorkelling right from the beach (spotted small sharks and eagle ray). The service was excellent and the diving and diving team were amazing! Would love to go back!

The staffs are very kind and friendly. A special shout out to Nasillo at the reception who was very helpful and genuinely kind. Also Ratheesh and Ranjith at the bar who are attentive throughout. The food was amazing and the buffet had a very good variety of options. Every day the menu was different which was good to avoid get bored of eating the same. There are a lot of activities within the premises. Come with mosquito repellent as it is a tropical island.

Only the location was the plus point and the kids play area.

This is the worst place I have been to in the Maldives. This is the worst racial hotel you could go to. The expectation is just keep the money don't ask any questions and don't expect quality.The half board food in the buffet was horrible and the service was horrible. If you ask them anything the waiters act as though you are asking for their kidney or liver. As an Indian I felt extreme racial bias in this place and will not recommend this to anyone. The rates for this accommodation are not justified for the service. The kids eat free is a big scam, this comes with a terms and condition that only if a paying adult eats the kid can eat.Looks like the hotel management don't have kids on their own to realise that kids don't eat when adults do. On day 3 we had a lunch prior and kids were hungry and when asked if we can order food for kids from the kids menu we were told that only if we order food from the paid menu your kid can eat and to the extent one waiter laughed and said if you want your kid to eat then order from the paid menu. Let's not forget this place runs because of tourists like us specifically from countries like India and other south east asian countries.

The room was comfortable and featured a nice balcony. The hotel offers a range of water sports, including snorkeling, kayaking, paddleboarding, and jet skiing - perfect for adventure enthusiasts. The buffet breakfast was amazing, with a wide variety of delicious options to start the day. Dinner was equally impressive, showcasing diverse choices of both international and local cuisine for a delightful dining experience. The staff were very accommodating and helpful throughout our stay. We had so much fun!

Beautiful nature, the room were spacious, comfortable and very clean. The staff was kind and helpful. Wide range of breakfast catering all different cuisines, ala carte menus wide enough to choose.

There was no option of entertainment if the weather was not nice. We were at the resort during the off rainy season, unfortunately it still rained dogs and cats for 3 full days (we stayed 4 days) and there was nothing to do. Even indoor restaurant's space was not enough to cater the need of the guests. In door open buffet restaurant felt like a university canteen.

Breakfast buffet was very good and enough to feed us for the entire day and night!Beaches were beautiful, some private and very relaxingStaff was exceptional - friendly, respectful and diligent.

food and drink prices were expensive. Did not like that the hotel would not take us to the Island of Guraidhoo.

Good location ;

Mediocre food; limited choice of restaurants;Staff was curt , borderline rude at times

Our room was amazing. I didn't have any bad experience about anything. Breakfast was good, many options. From Indian cuisine to European and asian etc. We had dinner in The Kitchen restaurant one night for my mother's birthday. The staff organized surprise a birthday cake for my mother. Everything was amazing. The other night we had bbq, it was amazing as well. Prefer to stay in the north side of the island, if u can. From airport transfer to check-in, breakfast to dinner, beaches to pool everything was superb. The staff was very helpful and smiling. It was an unforgettable memory for me and my family. We would like to visit again.

The dinner options and cocktails are a bit pricey but worth it. It would be nice to have a little trip to Guraidhoo. But there was no transfer option or excursion.