Hondaafushi Island Resort

Resort Review: Sixth Visit"This is the sixth time I've been to this resort on this island, and I must say that the first time I went in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic, they had a major issue with the food, where the culinary side really wasn't up to the standard of the hotel.Since then, all the services have improved, the cuisine has improved, and they now offer bread, brioches, ice cream, and everything of excellent quality (or 'of the highest quality'). The chef is brilliant, as is all the staff—they are incredibly kind, whether it's the restaurant staff, the pool bar staff, or the housekeeping staff, who are all truly at a very high level.What perhaps remains a little expensive are the excursions, which in my opinion should be lowered a bit to encourage more people to go.Above all, the advantage of this island is that it has remained a four-star resort with a human dimension and still retains a somewhat wild Maldivian feel. For now, it hasn't made the mistake of becoming a five-star luxury resort by completely transforming the entire island and making it only beautiful to look at, but not functional for true lovers of the island and the Maldives—unless the jetty at the end of the living (maybe 'water villas' or 'accommodation') remains calm. This also gives the island a small but lovely reef, which is the only problem with the island: it doesn't have a very extensive reef for snorkeling.

new building that if western is not good is impossibile to stay

Hondaafushi always a pleasure to go back, small improvements to the kitchen, you only need the certainty that the pier after the diving is open, otherwise snorkelling, impossible, very good guys from the beach pool, bar and restaurant room staff, all good and helpful, it must become a Family village, the only problem the few flights Male and airport nearby! Great Reception Staff to

The low quantity flight I whait so much at arrival , 7 hours , I lose 1 day arrival 1 day at finish , to return get up at 02:00 for a flight at 10.30 from Male !

brilliant friendly staff all round especially Pooja for looking after us at mealtimes

maybe need to be more flexible on the strict numbers needed for excursions

Staff was nice.

Do not even consider. Misleading pictures & info. Our experience at Hondaafushi Island Resort was profoundly disappointing and far from what one would expect for a property priced at 690 EUR per night. The overall feeling was akin to a 2-star hotel in a less developed country, falling drastically short of the advertised standards.Cleanliness and Maintenance Issues- Upon arrival, we found a filthy toilet in the room, suggesting no quality control had been conducted before check-in.- Wooden door frames and other amenities were visibly dirty and potentially infested with mold, raising concerns about the hygiene and health standards of the property.Room Assignment Confusion- We were initially assigned Room 149, but during dinner, staff could not locate our reservation under the correct name and room number combination. Instead, they found us under Room 136, which had better sea access. We did not see the inside of this room, therfore we can only guess if it was prettierUnacceptable Room Change Delay- When we raised concerns about the cleanliness of our room, the hotel offered to change it—but only on January 6th, five days after our arrival on January 1st. This delay was completely unacceptable.Food Quality and Hygiene- Food options were extremely limited, and hygiene was questionable, with flies present on nearly every plate.- Gluten-free options, such as white fish with sides, took over 45+ minutes to prepare, and salad options were hardly available.Departure and Refund Refusal- We left the property on January 3rd after just two nights due to the unacceptable conditions. However, the hotel has refused to refund us for the remaining nine nights, which we did not use.This experience was deeply disappointing and unacceptable for the price charged. I strongly advise potential guests to reconsider their options, we will certainly never come back. The property failed to deliver even basic standards of cleanliness and service.

- The staff is very friendly and also sincere. Whether it is about the waiters or the one who cleans the house every morning. In our case it was Nahasin from Bangladesh.- the buggy service is very pleasant but can sometimes be a bit more reliable. Houses 120 to 125 are highly recommended. Most privacy and the fastest on the beach (about 8 meters) We were there for 9 days and we completely relaxed, also because the guests were very pleasant and did not act arrogantly as we experienced a year ago at Innahura.

- We missed 2 (comfortable) chairs outside. We do have 2 comfortable beds.- The hinges and locks either work very badly or not at all. For example, the door to the sanitary area. We did point it out to them. But they didn't have a carpenter! The island is far away, which means that you do not have to take a seaplane but a 50-minute domestic flight with a stopover to the neighboring island and from there a speedboat. The latter takes another 10 to 30 minutes depending on the weather. Our flight from Malé left at 9.30 AM but that meant that we left at 4 PM by speedboat. The house reef is not accessible from the beach because of the distance and especially the current. We really thought that was a shame. The offered 2-hour trip for snorkeling was also nothing, because there was hardly any coral and certainly no fish!!!

Hoondafushi:We stayed at this lovely resort in August, just wanted to say thank you to everyone who was looking after us the whole time, as well as those people who we did not see but definitely could feel how much is being done daily on the island.We have visited Madives quite a few times before and stayed on very differently priced resorts, including local island and the premium end. Hoondafushi is very unique place as these days it is not that easy to find an island which offers a true maldivian experience yet has all the infrastructure the one may need during the "no shoes no news " type of holiday.The island: truly beautiful, nice lagoon, easy swimming pretty much anywhere ( we have tried different spots), nice soft sandy entrance ( we stayed in one of the bigger houses), nice depth if you are a confident swimmer, snorkelling - not a fish soup like in some other places but yes can be done on another side of the island ( the weather during our stay didn't allow us to snorkel as much as we normally do). Natural jungles with lots of pathes for walking - brilliant! Feels private, too. Very clean!The villa: spacious, nicely planned, unobstructed view, average privacy ( I mean the next door houses are not that far away and not fenced but thankfully it doesnt feel crowded). When we had any requests re: room minor issues - they were dealt with very quickly, no delays. Impressed!The staff : look happy, friendly, helpful, not intrusive or overly keen.The food: buffet - but that is what I prefer anyway. Longer than we are used to time between lunch and dinner but we got used to it with a bit of a change to our routine. Ala carte can be arranged in request I believe. Bar by the pool is quite pleasant as well, coctails are lovely.

The staff was professional and very respectful. When we arrived at the reception, they were waiting for us with cold towels for us to chill after the hot ride. The restaurant’s food was very diverse and fresh. We had the best pineapple ever. Every night had a different theme of food at the restaurant, from Maldivian night to Italian night. There is a fish feeding every night at 19:30.

The bad cocktails from the bar. The many insects.

It's tough to put down words to describe how magical was our stay at Hondaafushi Island Resort. We were there for our honeymoon and we enjoyed so much. The welcome was warm yet professional, the apartment on the beach was just amazing (the back door overlooking the sea was great, but we really enjoyed also the outdoor bathroom). The Tila Bar was perfect: staff, atmosphere, drinks, events organized in the evening like the karaoke or dance night. The restaurant was always perfect from brekfast to dinner: just great food and so many options! The excursions were also fun: we did the fishing and snorkeling.Can't wait to be back!

Nothing, all was exceptional!

Absolutely beautiful location and resort . Very friendly and helpful staff. Thanks Mark for great advice and great sense of humour.Awesome snorkeling opportunities. Loved my stay there.. Quiet and private and a gem of undeveloped areas to explore..

Although the food is plentiful and lots of choices not really a highlight but considering the logistics of supplies etc they certainly put a lot of effort.

island - beach, lagoon, tropical vegetationweather - sunny, clouds mostly on the horizon, occasional rain-shower in the evening or storm at nightnice people (most of them), notably: . Jane (restaurant) - exceptional service, nice, attentive - simply amazing, should get a medal and a raise. Anithel and the rest of reception staff. two always smiling ladies from kitchenuniversal socket inletsreasonable prices

. searching Male airport for someone from Hondaafushiaccommodation - worn out, notably:. bathtub not working - faucet almost torn off. throwing used toilet paper to a trash can where it sits until the next day your room guy takes it out - ridiculous, unhygienic and disgusting. water stream slowing down and speeding up constantly everywhere, impossible to tune, occasionally flooding the toilet area. cracked wash-basin. chipped mirror. safe on the floor in a dark wardrobe (so lucky to have that flashlight!). paint coming off walls. ants partying on and around minibar. yellow stains on a pillow. insect splashed on walls. beach doors barely holding together, with gaps (welcome, mosquitos!) and rusty and slimy outside handle. couch outside with stainsmosquitos everywhere, outside and insidegassing mosquitos (and everyone else) every afternoon with a small temporary (1-2 hours) effect. why bother?sand for a floor in restaurant and receptionwi-fi - slow and sometimes not working at allgift shop - barely a shop, don't expect to buy any nice gifts thererestaurant. poor and sad selection of meals and "desserts" - a few slightly different variants of the same every day. others offer about twice as much, a dozen different juices for breakfast (not two), real desserts, ice cream, etc.. flies on and around food. assigning a table, then changing it without notice and without asking. Fanta available in restaurant, but not available in minibar. why?. billing in the evening not for today, but for the day before. Nazmul (restaurant) - got this piece of work for two days. slow, sleepy and lazy, bad manners and bad attitude. refilling glasses without asking - lazy to come later. working for tips, but deserving none. getting none, then acting like a baby, shuffling around, pretending to be busy, not "serving" at all. the worst "waiter" in Maldives, and one of the worst ever.

The resort really feels like a private island sometimes. The scenery is outstanding, the staff is (mostly) exceptionally friendly. We had issues when arriving and the staff went above and beyond to arrange us a transfer.

Mosquitos and sand flies. Stocking up on repellents and some soothing creams is essential.There's only a very basic shop on the island and it's somewhat overpriced. The gym equipment is somewhat old..

Very good foodNice staffGreat locationI’ve already booked another stay there

Paradise , exactly what the Maldives is about, not a corporate 5 star Luxury resort but just what you want , a desert island with soft white sand and turquoise blue warm sea. you want to see people go to a town , Place feels like it’s yours , never see anybody except for meal times…just wonderful..Bungalows right on the beach , outside showers, good bed and plenty of room

Beware, they will try and squeeze every dollar out of you , not much to buy but what there is is expensive .

Staff was exceptional, surprised me with a birthday cake and decorations in room and dining. Room attendant ensured we were adequately tended to.

Not too many activities. Early (3AM) transport to mainland.

Amazing stay and it is worth the money! the island is a unique resort among all others thanks to wild nature, fantastic beaches, cleanliness, great amenities but at the same time you can feel as the only person in this island!! during our stay almost all bungalows were occupied but other people we only saw in the restaurant and bar. it was exactly what we were looking for to relax and feel the beauty of Maldives in a peaceful place. it was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen and visited. I did very detailed research before booking and comparing to other islands this one is still very wild, not destroyed by high hotel buildings and other human infrastructure. this is for people who are not looking for crowded places, loud music, animations, mass entertainment. In addition we had a domestic flight what was additional highlight- fantastic views, surprise with complimentary buffet breakfast in Male airport lounge. resort staff assisted us during every part of the trip. Food was very good and we were positively surprised after other comments in booking.com. cocktails and drinks in all inclusive option were great and in a good quality!

the only thing to improve is to ensure that food in the restaurant is kept in fridges with low temperature, right now food like salads or cheese/meet are in small fridges with temperature around 17-20 what is too high in my opinion

Great weather, warm sea, normally good food, good accomodation

Bites - you will get insect bites everywhere including in bed, room, restaurant, bar, and beach.Paying an unexpected extra 15% for transfers that are not included in booking.com 'Total Price'Poor cleaning - room not cleaned properly for the first week.Very Loud music in Bar - Slow restaurant bar service due to lack of waitersReception lying to us about buggy availability

Generally the hotel is nice and calm. It is quite minimalistic, there are only bungalows, restaurant, reception and bar, nothing else. But is you are looking for calm and relaxed stay - this hotel fits good. Island is big and there is a plenty space to walk around.

One moment almost ruined all our experience about this hotel. One night before our departure we were asked to change the room for lower level one, because "some VIP guests from the resort owner unexpectedly coming and they need our room". In exchange we were proposed a free massage:) Actually it was not cool at all to tell such things to clients. Luckily we had option to refuse such "generous proposal" and to stay in our room till the end of our stay in the hotel.

excellent beach, excellent ocean, excellent staff!

very poor food quality. good selection of food but almost everything terribly cooked. I cant even imagine how it is possible to cook simple meals so terribly. Guys, if you can’t cook well simple meals just go fast food meals, but I still doubt if it helps as your pizza was always cold and terribly not tasty at all. there is no reachable snorkling spots, all snorkling spots are on the other side of the island where only you, beach, ocean and mosquitos: no sunbeds and sun umbrella there and ofc no bar, nothing.only one restaurant on the island, no a la cart menu and in-room dining. Very bad activities, actually no activities. when you go to watersports you find nothing, no boats, no pads, no jets. only 1 house with a sign “if you need something, go receiption”SPA. there is no classic spa. this resort spa makes me really laugh, laughing makes your life better, thats all you can get from the spa and this is enough. I give this resort the highest mark in advance and as the most of us who going to maldives, we go for relax, white beach and blue ocean all these things are in perfect condition on this island :)

Everyday cleaning, lot of food options, nice and calm accomodation..

Some of items (for example iced coffee, capuccino) are who knows why chargeable at main restaurant..

The island is a jewel in the Maldives. I think is one of the last places left , where you have kilometers of virgin beach. If you like the privacy, wonderful laguna, white fine sand you have to go.Good service with transfer from Male, excellent service from all the staff , nice bungalow and good food .See you again in April 2023.