Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives

The Jewel in the Crown – Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives We are return guests to the hotel and on our most recent visit in the first week of August, 2026, we were reminded as to why this hotel is consistently rated as the best resort hotel within the John Keells Group. The warm greeting you receive at the Welcome pavilion, as soon as you get off the 20 minute Speedboat ride,makes you feel pampered and cared for. Geeth from the Management team together with Nickoo from the Front desk ensured that we were given a warm welcome together with a refreshing cold towel and a delicious natural fruit drink. A quick tour of the property reminded us as to why this resort is so sought after among its repeat guests. A large semi circular natural beach dedicated to water sports and snorkeling, the world famous Pasta point surfing spot, multiple swimming pools and numerous bars catering to various musical tastes, dotted around the island make this a true tropical paradise with something to do for every type of holiday maker. Additionally the gym and sports facilities including basketball, tennis, table tennis and volleyball ensure that you can continue to keep your exercise regimen intact should you so desire. We had the opportunity to stay at an over water suite this time which truly felt like the epitome of luxury. Stilted living over azure waters while gazing at the various colourful fish, reef sharks and rays from the comfort of our room for a few days was a truly a magical experience. Raja from the lifeguard team took us on a custom snorkeling experience in and around our suite,making the experience extra special. The cuisine deserves its own review and the Rehendhi restaurant, being one of four restaurants available to guests, was the restaurant which we were assigned for dining. Executive Chef Ranjith and Chef Sanjeewa are doing phenomenal work at the hotel. Both the cuisine and the service were exceptional and every member of staff took trouble to go above and beyond. It is difficult to mention names as every staff member was outstanding. However from the welcome greeting Ruth gives you, to the sterling service that Manoj provides you at the table, this truly is a first class dining experience. At the hot food action station kitchen Chef Khair will always greet you with wide smile and a high five and ensure that your order is custom made to suit your exact preference. You only specify the details on the first day and Chef Khair will remember it for the rest of your stay although he is on duty at all 3 meals and serves many guests each day. Don’t miss out on his exceptional Eggs Benedict or his pasta dishes which are an absolute standout. At the salad bar Imesh will custom make your Caesar Salad which is so good that I found myself choosing to not add bacon to it! High praise in itself! Chef Raha did a lovely farewell meal on our last night at the hotel and the mushroom soup was a stand out hit. Every meal is a gastronomical adventure with the champagne breakfast being exceptionally wide and varied. The magic at Rehendhi is that even though the meal plan is buffet style, the selection of food and beverages together with the action stations and the level of service and customization elevate every meal to a “fine dining” experience. This is the same approach at the pool side bar near Rehendi. A Brandy Alexander cocktail was customised with Baileys cream just for me by the bar tender, elevating the experience beyond the ordinary. We also tried the in room dining and the quality of the tomato bacon soup, the dark chocolate mousse and the apple crumble pie evidenced the fact that at Dhonveli, gastronical excellence extends beyond the Restaurants right down to in room dining and no dining experience is treated lightly. An organic farm with farm to table vegetables and greens being offered up, is a new addition by the hotel Management. In short, whilst Dhonveli is blessed with an abundance of natural resources in the form of beaches, coral reefs and landscape, it is the human resources are what make Dhonveli, truly the best resort in the entire JKH group. From the management team of Marlon and Geeth right down the line, most of the staff here are old hands who have served guests for more than a decade with absolute care and attention to detail and that really makes the difference. Never satisfied with lying on their laurels the staff have continued to make the experience even better on each of our successive visits. We had a dream vacation at Dhonveli, our best yet, and cant wait to come back again.

Very good place for vacation with family!

Fantastic location right in front of Pasta Point surf break. Thanks to the surfing team at Atoll Adventures esp Anoop. And the resort team for making our anniversary memorable! The spa was great but marred by the noise from the beach bar music. Perhaps something can be done. All in all value for money and we will be back especially for Pasta Point!

Great experience. We did expect a lot and recieve even more. Not crowdy, we did not wait for anything even for a second (bars/food), rooms were clean and stuff helpful and friendly (especially Kim, she is THE BEST, we miss you!). Went fishing, swam with sharks.... So much fun and a lot of new experiences. Prices were ok for a monopoly place that you cannot escape. Which is the only problem (beside the amount of loud Russian tourists, that it is not very welcoming for people from countries they occupy or occupied) that when you leave the island after 14:30, they cancel your all-inclusive and you have to pay even for the kids food. Strange strategy by the hotel. But this is the only think I can think of. Thinking of coming back!

Rafiqul and moklesh beach bar they both are very good 👍 bartender 👌 rafa he was making best cocktails 🍸 very friendly with us 👌👌👌👌