Bandos Maldives

I stayed at Bandos Maldives in February/March following a dive trip. The resort itself and the island experience were excellent, but I ran into major challenges before arrival that affected the start of my stay. I had planned to stay with a friend, but they had a medical emergency during our dive trip and had to fly home. I urgently tried to contact the resort to cancel or adjust the booking. Unfortunately, communication could only be done via email, and response times were extremely slow. Because of the delay, I never received a clear answer - which left me in a very difficult situation. If the resort had confirmed the cancellation, I could have changed my flight home. If they had said cancellation wasn’t possible, I had another friend ready to fly out and join me. Instead, the slow communication meant neither option was possible, and I ended up travelling alone and paying double the expected cost. Transfers could also be improved. At the airport meeting point we were told the wait for other guests would be short, but it ended up being over 1.5 hours on hard seats in ~38°C heat with no working fans. Better communication here would have allowed me to grab food or drinks while I waited. Once at the resort, everything improved dramatically. Check-in was smooth and polite, and a small issue with my booking (half board vs. all-inclusive) was resolved quickly. I received a complimentary upgrade to a Garden Villa, which I highly recommend. It was spacious, comfortable, private, and perfectly located close to amenities. The staff were fantastic throughout my stay, always proactive and friendly. In the dining room, Mansoor was particularly friendly and attentive, while Zeek always greeted guests with a smile. Food was outstanding, one of the best buffet experiences I’ve had, with great variety and restaurant-quality standards. At the pool bar, Guru kept my cocktail glass full and was always happy to chat when things were quiet, which added a very personal touch to the stay. Despite the pool area appearing to have limited sunbeds, I never had any problem finding one at any time of day. The Full Moon Beach BBQ (extra charge) was also amazing and was a highlight of my stay. I strongly recommend booking All Inclusive and AI offers discounts on premium items. The snack restaurant was relaxing and a good spot for snorkeling/swimming. In the evenings, the bar near reception usually had live music which created a great atmosphere and was something I really enjoyed throughout the stay. I was slightly disappointed that on my final night the entertainment was replaced by a film instead of live music, but this was only a small point. Late checkout was easy and inexpensive to extend drinks and snacks past midday. Practical tip: bring essentials like cigarettes - I paid $35 per pack at the resort, nearly six times the price back home. Overall, Bandos Maldives is a beautiful resort with outstanding staff, villas, and food. However, the pre-arrival communication and transfer issues were significant, particularly because they left me unable to adjust my flights or have a friend join me. With faster and clearer pre-arrival support, the stay would have been close to perfect.

We have just returned from our third trip to Bandos. This is truly an amazing resort. From the amazing house reef to all of the amazing staff, Bandos is truly worth visiting. Ignore any negative reviews, you will not be dissapointed. The variety of food was more than good, the rooms were clean and very comfortable. The Spa is also amazing, with a sauna & steam room, the massages are also worth having. If you wanted anything, all you had to do was ask, and the staff always got what was required with a smile. A special thank you to Guru at the pool bar, Mansoor in Gallery Restaurant, who was absolutely brilliant, (tell him this is from 'ICE BUCKET'). And Kadek in the spa was also very good. I have absolutely no complaints. EVERYTHING was perfect. Another special thank you to Ifasha, who without her help, we may have had trouble getting home. We WILL be coming back for the fourth time, some time in the future, and looking forward to meeting everybody again. If you go to Bandos, you will have a truly amazing experience.

Very basic, not worth cost compared to what you get at other resorts. Food selection poor and extremely crowed with people pushing each other out the way all very rude, same food day in and out. One thing id say was positive, the reef was excellent!

Staff cannot do enough for you . The resort is beautiful and the house reef has plenty of fish to see when snorkelling . We had a paddle board lesson and for the first time I could actually do it ! My hubbie is coeliac so no gluten ! Malsha was brilliant in bringing him food and making suggestions for him . Although it would be great if they could provide a Gluten free corner for breakfast , some Gluten free cereal , pastries and bread would be excellent and make us book the resort again ! But basic food wise and Gluten free they were great

Had a wonderful time with two friends in BANDOS resort celebrating our 60th birthdays for two of us. It really was an island paradise. We were greeted from the exciting 15minute speedboat transfer by the lovely Lilly with welcome drinks and refreshing towels. She explained everything to us and arranged for a golf buggy to take our luggage and ourselves to our accommodation. We booked a beach front villa which was in a beautiful location near to the beach and spectacular sunsets each evening. Room was clean, well equipped with great aircon and comfortable beds. We had booked the all inclusive meal package which was well worth the money. Plenty of choice on the drinks menu at all the bars clearly marked on the menus which were included in the AI. We ate in the gallery restaurant for breakfast and evening meals. Lots of choices which changed every day, lovely decor and friendly staff. We loved the egg station for tasty fresh omelettes cooked with a smile. Something for everyone with local dishes and variety to suit all palettes. We enjoyed afternoon tea most days at the Sea Breeze restaurant with toasted sandwiches, chips and cake, with a cocktail or two of course. After a few hours on the beach and the amazing snorkelling ( like swimming in a fish tank, so many beautiful fish) we sometimes enjoyed the pool with an iced coffee at the swim up bar. We treated ourselves to the full moon bbq on the beach provided by Huvan restaurant, the dolphin sunset cruise and a spa treatment each at the Orchid Spa. All which were wonderful experiences and good value for money. The staff at the resort were without exception the friendliest I’ve ever known at a holiday resort. They really do deserve credit for exceptional service. The names we particularly remembered were Arif our housekeeper who looked after us so well. Mohammed at the Huvan, Mohamed at the Gallery Restaurant, Suraj in the swim up bar and Pushpa in the Orchid spa. The design and decor was tasteful and relaxing. We were fascinated by the enormous fruit bats, baby sharks, herons fishing in the shallow waters and the abundant shore crabs which we found entertaining and amusing. The only small criticism was that being as we were three ladies sharing a room there were still only two glasses, two cups, two chairs outside and two of everything in the mini bar. When we asked for a third item of each we were told mini bar could only be stocked with two of everything and no more chairs were available. They did provide extra glassses and cups . We felt this should have been done without request and surely three of everything for the minibar should have been possible too.