Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa

We had the most fantastic stay at the Emerald. The team and service were exceptional. They constantly went over and beyond to make our stay memorable. The villa and island is beautiful, the amenities are great and there were lots of options for food and drink. Seaplane transfer: Very efficient and well organised with greeting on arrival and taken to the seperate seaplane terminal. Has a lounge area for drinks and snacks so very relaxing Villa: Over water villa. Huge room (and equally as big bathroom). Has everything you would need for a stay. Mini bar refilled daily (no spirits though). Managed to swim on a couple of occasions. Even spotted eagle ray and reef sharks. Twice daily housekeeping services and always immaculate House reef/activities: Some activity but limited reef and fish. Suggest excursion instead. We tried kayaking which was a fun included activity. Service: The service is without doubt the standout going over and beyond and constantly exceeding expectations with gestures and kind hospitality. Particular shoutout to our villa host - Wisham. He made our stay very memorable, he attended to all our needs from excursion bookings to information about the Maldives to buggy services. Wisham made sure every aspect of our stay was taken care of. He clearly enjoys his job and gave impeccable service. All the staff spoke English and everyone we came across was nice and friendly Excursions: We went on the Lambhru and also Turtle Snorkelling Tour. Whilst the first had lots of reefs and was an easy swim with shallow reefs in parts, we particularly enjoyed the latter and saw a number of turtles and plenty of fish. Food: Breakfast - Lots of options at Aqua but found it repetitive with limited changes. However, we were looked after well with some options by request only when we needed these. Lunch - Enjoyed Beach Club Grill with freshly cooked options and nice views. Dinner - Asiatique - Plenty of options. Did not bother with the teppanyaki as it is more the experience than food but try it if this is a new concept to you. Amazonica - Great meat/fish off the grill. Gala night - The prawns and lobster were exceptional. We were served by Miraj a couple of times and had enjoyable chats with. Note that none of the restaurants had air con, all outside in open air except for an air con small room in Aqua. We would have preferred more air con options. Expect to be walking on a lot of sand too so leave the heels at home. Overall, very good quality food throughout the stay Bar/drinks: Great to have a pre dinner drink at the sunset bar. One brand of champagne is in the all inclusive. Drinks beach service was hit and miss, buzzer did not work ay the sunrise bar area. Did not see people bringing drinks back from the bar to the villa. Drinks menu is extensive and they can make many options off the menu top. There is no entertainment after dinner and any entertainment is a couple of (very good) singers, which suited us fine as we prefer a quieter resort Getting around: There are bikes at each villa (and other options for those that cannot bike). Buggy service via reception can be slow, much quicker via villa host. Did find things quite far away at times and needed a bit of planning. Complimentary photoshoot: We had the 30 min photoshoot. Despite being super hot, it was totally worth it and we opted for one of the packages as the photos came out stunning Guests: We found the resort ample sized so never any issue in getting a lounger or table reservations. Guests mainly Russians, Chinese and British. Shops: There are a few shops for souvenirs and clothing. Some actually cheaper in the store than the airport but the airport also has plenty of options Conclusion: Without doubt we would recommend this resort to anyone visiting the Maldives. It is truly a very special place.