Kandima

A 4-Star Resort Masquerading as a 5-Star: Save Your Money The island itself is pretty, but it is absolutely not worth the grueling travel time when far superior islands are located much closer to Malé. We have been to other resorts in the Maldives, and this one fails to compete on almost every level. Abysmal Service The service is a disaster. The staff is painfully untrained, to the point of outright lying to our faces—the ultimate sin in hospitality. Because of this blatant lack of professionalism, we will never return. Dead House Reef If you are coming to the Maldives for snorkeling, cross this place off your list immediately. Unlike proper Maldivian resorts where you can step off the beach into a thriving reef full of fish, there is nothing here. No diving or snorkeling close to land. It is completely dead. Subpar Food & Facilities The facilities are a joke. A "5-star" gym with absolutely no A/C is unacceptable. The restaurant experience was shameful—mediocre food paired with terrible service. The only minor saving grace was the main dining area, where the staff was at least pleasant. The Verdict Bottom line: This is a 4-star resort charging 5-star prices. The cost-to-reality ratio is absurd. If you want world-class snorkeling, exceptional food, and true luxury, look elsewhere. If all you care about is a white sand beach and blue water, go literally anywhere else in the Maldives for less money and a fraction of the travel time. Do not waste your trip on this place. far

The resort is absolutely beautiful. Very serene . From getting off the sea plane to leaving the resort, was without any hitch. Everyone were extremely professional and helpful. Especially Yashee went out of his way to help us. The room was very clean stylish and overlooking the sea. The bathroom was large and the lighting was excellent. The. Bars are friendly and the cocktails are delicious especially Shafi at the Breeze Bar makes the best cocktails especially mojito. Now for a little negative comments. Please take your own shampoo shower gels etc. there’s no luxury in the bathroom given it’s a five star resort. Most of the restaurants have very limited vegetarian choices. Being a vegetarian not eating any fish eggs animal products the first couple of days were disappointing. Then met Chef Vishnu at Zest restaurant. What a star . The rest of the stay was amazing as he made sure we had good variety of vegetarian foods and sometimes he even made special dishes for us. This made the whole experience superb. The pools are well catered for and didn’t need rushing to get sun beds. There were plenty. Will be back definitely.

"We had a fantastic time at Kandima. The food in both buffet restaurants was excellent. All our special requests were fulfilled by the restaurant manager, Ivan from Spain. The fish dishes were outstanding—always fresh and perfectly prepared. Even with the meat dishes, I could choose exactly how I wanted them cooked. The service in the restaurants was very friendly and attentive; all our needs were met. As wine lovers, we ordered a nice bottle of wine every evening and received quick, professional service. Traveling with our 14-month-old daughter brought a few challenges, but the staff was incredibly kind and helpful throughout our stay." Ivan, the manager of the buffet restaurants, took excellent care of us when it came to the food. The service staff in the buffet restaurants was very friendly and helpful towards us and our 12-month-old daughter. Special thanks also to the waitress at the Zest buffet restaurant who is from Burma; she was always so sweet and attentive to our daughter."

A memorable wonderful holiday. We visited as a couple for two weeks in February booked through Expedia. It was our 40th anniversary. This was a trip to paradise. The white beaches were wonderful and the turquoise clear sea amazing. We could enjoy both sunrise and sunset. We had an above water villa which was wonderful. the dining was very close. We could also snorkel directly off our decking and it was great. We chose the spectacular seaplane transfer which is a must do. The views of the islands and atolls were amazing. I’d recommend sitting on the right going out; left coming back. The timings can be frustrating so pay attention to that. We had half board which was more than enough food for us - the food was a very wide selection of international cuisine which varied every days with specials. The food was so good we chose not to go à la carte however it is available. We preferred Zest to Flavours ~ same food but preferred view and setting. A highlight for us were the varied fitness classes every day with Josh and yoga/pilates with Chante. I did yoga on the beach at sunset. Also HiIT, cardio boxing, functional training, Zumba, aqua aerobics and aqua Zumba. So despite all the food I hardly put on any weight. The island is larger than most so you can walk on the beach along the seashore or in land in shade. However if you want there are electric shuttles. My partner was more relaxed and read 6 books on our balcony and the beach. There are many pools and of course the Indian Ocean is like a hot bath. We snorkelled to the house reef a few times. You need to book in advance as it can get busy. I also snorkelled off the back of our villa - you can see amazing coloured coral and tropical fishes. I saw sharks, turtles, rays and all of Nemos’s cousins. Take advantage of the welcome evening - some friends won a bottle of bubbly. We met the General Manager Declan who was very friendly and super helpful. Rooms have USB and Uk three pins although the hair dryer is not great. The shower was hottest earlier in the day. There are load of activities va smaller resorts. And plenty of of opportunities for the perfect photo. The transfer meet and greet was first class and seamless arriving and going. We had some time when we arrived so we able to arrange a 2 hour trip to Male for $30

Pro’s - The island itself is stunning. Picture perfect. Water is stunning. Photos don’t do it justice. Absolutely fantastic for kids, so much to do. Kids club was great, and gave us some much needed down time, the kids actually enjoyed it and wanted to go. They loved the mocktail making class, crazy crab races, splash park, face painting, among many other activities The kids club staff were absolutely wonderful, thanks so much to those lovely ladies ! Love the fact it was free! The staff who meet you at the airport and then meet you upon departure were amazing!!!! They really when above and beyond, were so helpful and made us feel so special. If only that level of service extended to the resort Cons - Unfortunately the biggest con - service. Having previously visited a different island in the Maldives, we were really disappointed with some of the staff. Please note I say “some”. Some were wonderful. But many, not so. We spent a lot of time at the pool bar and found the service disappointing, especially after previous Maldives experience. I honestly felt at times like a burden whenever ordering drinks or food (we spent a lot). It was only after tipping that we found the server (1 only) changed and actually provided much better and friendlier service. It shouldn’t be that way. They weren’t friendly, and overall just not very polite. Not what you expect from a 5 star hotel in the Maldives, especially coming from a place where the staff made you feel like you were friends and would come and check in to see if there was anything you needed, and be so warm and kind. That makes all the difference. So we were used to and expected to be greeted hello with a smile at a bare minimum, we didn’t get that at all. Room service teams were friendly, and overall staff wandering the island did always say good morning/afternoon with a smile which was nice. To me something that simple can really change your experience and make you feel more welcome. Water pressure in our sky studio sucked. The bar fridge didn’t work at all, was warm. The water out of the shower would take AGES (like 5 mins) to even get warm, then would be scalding, then too cold when trying to adjust it. Incredibly frustrating. Had to book well in advance to get restaurant bookings. Food was pretty average, nothing special about it at all. Definitely expected better. Like really average. Overall, if it wasn’t for the stunning ocean and great kids club, I would have been incredibly disappointed. Service needs to improve, food needs to improve. Service really was basic for a 5 star hotel in the Maldives. If you don’t have kids, go somewhere better, if you’re going to spend all that money, you want to and deserve to feel more special and get the true Maldivian experience like we have done before. If it wasn’t for that amazing water, we would have been very disappointed