The very romantic Maldives.
A country where the ocean, the sky and the land merge as one.
This was my second visit to the Maldives. The first was to W Maldives before I started this blog and that was simply stunning!
I had PMS (Post-Maldives Syndrome) for the whole year and decided to make another trip back to the islands.
Why choose this hotel?
The sister islands (Angsana and Banyan) have one of the best house reefs among the resorts.
They are rather near to the airport and only require a speed boat transfer.
However, this also means the island is not very secluded and one can see quite a few other islands from the resort. Thus, a clear horizon is restricted to some parts of the island.
The Management
Banyan Tree Group.
Getting to the Hotel
Counters of the various resorts are located just outside the airport and one just needs to find the right counter.
Speedboat transfers can be done any time of the day, but seaplane transfers (to further resorts) only happen during daylight hours.
The Hotel
The speed boat will drop the guests at the jetty.
The various parts of the resort are housed in huts and the "rooms" are all villas.
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| Front Desk |
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| Villas |
House-keeping staff do their job with small wooden carts.
The Rooms
We were given a Jacuzzi room which I felt was rather dark at times.
The door had a container of water by the side and a tap as shown to wash the sand off the feet.
A comfortable couch is located at the side.
The TV had limited channels and was a little hard to control.
The bathrobe didn't look comfortable and was left untouched.
The bathroom and shower were outdoors, with the jacuzzi as well. The amenities came in refillable bottles.
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| Standing shower(to the left) and jacuzzi |
A part of the beach is private to each room with chairs, a swing and a outdoor couch provided.
The Food and Drinks
There is only 1 main restaurant on the island. The Riveli.
Breakfast was always busy and the range was satisfactory.
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| Egg Station |
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| Fruit and Juice counter. |
Dinner menu varies nightly and can be a la carte or a buffet.
Outdoor seating is definitely preferable both in the day and in the night.
The buffet I had wasn't too good, but there was no other good alternative.
The bar is next to Riveli.
The Pool
The ocean is the pool!
The Gym
I never did see anyone using the gym.
The Spa
The spa is located at the centre of the island. Thus, I decided against any treatments as it was not much different from a regular spa.
The Beach And Reef
The beach is very clean and in great condition. I am sure the resort staff contributed greatly to this.
One of the things I didn't like was the breakwater.
The reef is indeed beautiful but I wasn't adventurous enough to go very far.
One can borrow a snorkeling set from the dive shop without additional charges.
The sister resort of Banyan Tree and the Shops
There is a ferry every 2 hours during daytime to the sister island. The Banyan is slightly nicer than Angsana and has more activities.
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| Great place to laze |
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| Room at Banyan |
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| Another room at Banyan |
The shops are both islands are linked and the bill can be charged to a room in either resort.
There is stingray and turtle feeding at Banyan in the late afternoon. The stingrays seems to know the time and arrive daily for their treat.
Some birds also join in the feeding.
The Service
The first impression was bad as my name was wrong on the reservation.
However, the staff were very nice otherwise throughout the stay.
In Summary
This is a rather nice resort to stay but the feeling of luxury is lacking.
The plus points include a good reef and is close to the capital and airport.
The resort can be rather crowded with guests.
I would much prefer a resort out of the main North Male Atoll.
And thus I was cured of my PMS (Post-Maldives Syndrome) because I realized that not all the Maldivian resorts are as breathtaking.
Happy Travels!
fred
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