The Barefoot Eco Hotel

The Barefoot Eco Hotel is a beautiful and healing place where I have made unforgettable memories and good friends. I arrived after a lot of negative things had happened in my life and staying at the Barefoot was so healing in every way. Nature is amazing, the beach and the ocean are wonderful, the food is great and the buildings are carefully crafted from natural materials, and all of that is fantastic, but what really stands out to me was the staff. Everyone was so kind! I broke a rib and so I wasn’t as active out on the water as other guests, but I had so many healing conversations. The gardeners told me about their activities, the person who looked after my room lent me some ointment for my rib for the duration of my stay, everyone was really kind and open and chatted to me. It’s hard to make a list because everyone was so nice, from the restaurant staff to yoga teacher and massage therapist Anie to the marine biologist Maria and the wonderful Nafiz and Afeef, who guided the snorkelling trips, to the lovely receptionists (Mohamed organised a doctor's appointment for me and was generally so helpful) and the gardeners and the tailors in the shop to the diving centre staff - everyone tried to make my trip so much better! It felt like a family, not a hotel. The rooms were spacious and cleanly, set in a wonderful areal with palms and all kinds of other plants. Meals are provided in a great hall that is open on all sides and also contains a library, a juice bar and a central multipurpose space where the marine biologist offers talks about marine life and films are shown in the evening. There are also entertainment opportunities like karaoke nights. The infinity pool has a good size because most people swim in the ocean anyway. The beach is wide, long and wonderful, and there are plenty of deckchairs and tables. There is even someone who you can order drinks from at the beach (non-alcoholic because the Maldives are a Muslim country with a strict anti-alcohol policy - but drinks are so creative that even those who enjoy the occasional glass of alcohol won’t miss anything (plus there is a floating bar that you can take the boat to, but I never did)). In the evenings you can go to the jetty and observe fish and sharks who are attracted by the lights. There are flying foxes and lovely shy birds with a signature call that will accompany you throughout the stay, as well as cheeky ravens who will attempt to steal your breakfast if you’re careless. There is a jungle behind the hotel that is really worth exploring. There is no TV in the rooms, which I loved, because you are in paradise, so why should you want to watch TV? There is good Wi-Fi reception in your room, in the restaurant and Mosquitos are carefully and unobtrusively managed by the hotel so that you don’t get stung at all on the premises. I got a few stings when I left the hotel grounds and went into the jungle. The nearby village is nice; there are a few good cafés (avoid the Break Time though - overpriced and not as good as the other places), the agricultural centre looks very interesting (even though I still haven’t found out if you can also visit it as an individual or only as part of a group), there are a few shops with fresh fruit and everything you could need in daily life. Villagers are very friendly, I even got a lift on a scooter once by a lovely lady. Great care is taken by the gardeners and other maintenance staff that you can really walk barefoot everywhere on the hotel grounds - leaves and stones are swept aside and the sand is raked so that you have a comfortable experience. It’s so good for your posture! I ended up walking around in my shoes half the time though because I managed to get a sunburn on my feet on one of the first days. The excursions are really good. Staff are knowledgeable and you are well looked after throughout the trips. If you’re insecure, they look after you especially and help you. Everyone goes above and beyond to help you out. There was a few days towards the beginning of my stay where seas were very rough and a snorkelling trip wouldn’t have been safe, so two of the trips were cancelled, and I really appreciate that they put safety before everything else. Of course they lose out on money for the excursions if they cancel them, and still they did to make sure that everyone was safe. I was travelling on my own and I felt that staff took extra care to make sure I was well looked after; they took time to chat and made me feel cherished. The only “bad” aspect about my stay was that I didn’t want to leave! I had originally thought that this would be my trip of a lifetime and the one time I’d be going to the Maldives, but now I desperately want to return as soon as possible and can’t imagine going to any other holiday destination any more. Of course one is always sad to leave after a holiday, but this is different - the Barefoot feels like home and like family and friends. The trip had a big (positive) impact on me as a person and I really need to return. I wish I didn’t live so far away. I’ll need to try to find some deals to be able to go back very soon.