Canareef Resort Maldives

This was our 9th trip to the Maldives and we were quite apprehensive about the size of Canareef, it's the largest of the islands, but certainly didn't feel the size it is, it's very long and narrow. From the moment we touched down in Male, we were looked after by the Canareef team, very swiftly checked in to the domestic flight and up in the air in no time, arrived in Gan a couple of hours later and whisked off to the island on the speedboat, we were met with the Boduberu drums, much to my delight, as we've never had that welcome before! Drinks in coconuts during check in, then onto a buggy to our beautiful room, we had a sunset jacuzzi villa, the very last one on the island near the Bar Kuda, we loved the position, but it did prove problematic when the island filled up, buggies were often full and we missed a couple of events due to this, however on moaning to the reception, we were given complementary ebikes for the rest of our stay, thankfully they were returned in one piece (I'm not a natural on any bike, let alone an ebike!) The rooms are beautifully presented, bright, airy decor with outside bathrooms, toiletries are of good quality and I'm fussy, so they must be good! The rooms were kept clean and bed decorations were done during our stay, to which we reciprocated with a thank you lol! Our only gripe with the room was the hard mattress, but despite being uncomfortable, it actually helped my spinal condition. Food: I cannot thank the restaurant staff enough for looking after me, I'm coeliac and was extremely concerned about eating, I did take protein bars and snacks to keep me going if there was a problem, but the amazing Lyn (restaurant manager) called the chef Anil out to help me, he then went on to cook fresh food for me, separate from the buffet food, I was thoroughly spoiled with amazing seafood platters, GF pasta dishes, chicken, vegetables and tasty curries, I wanted to take him home, but sadly not an option lol!! I'd also like to mention the lovely Ziyad, one of the waiters, what a lovely man. My husband used the dive centre, but sadly didn't feel that welcome, it was all German, even the WhatsApp messages were German, he therefore only did 2 SCUBA dives, it was also extremely expensive in comparison to other islands we've visited, but he did enjoy the 2 he did. We did the snorkeling trip which was ok, but at $45 each, thought it quite steep! Other resort without reefs offer free snorkeling excursions, so if snorkeling is important to you, then bear this in mind. We also did the dolphin cruise, which we actually won as a prize from the crab racing, we thoroughly enjoyed that and would love to thank the man who does the trips, we spent so much time talking and joking with him, we didn't get his name. The swimming pools are huge, never an issue for a sunbed and daily aquafit relieves the guilt of all the food. The beaches aren't quite the typical Maldives beaches, there's lots of coral, so shoes are needed, but not really a problem, the sea is typical turquoise waters. One thing that originally put us off Canareef was the local island, however this turned out to be a bonus, we actually went over to the island twice, it's amazing how strong the need for a packet of crisps becomes when you're faced with $12 a bag in the island shop! On the local island, 2 huge bags of posh crinkle crisps, plus 4 drinks, was just $5 Overall, would I return? Yes, in a heartbeat, it had everything we needed/wanted, the staff are amazing, rooms comfortable, hats off to Sherzod Berdov for all the work he's doing.