Niva Kurumba Maldives

The staff were absolutely amazing. They were so attentive and made sure everything ran smoothly for us. Munavvaru especially was so kind and always helpful. The whole experience was top tier from start to finish and will definitely be visiting Kurumba again!

This review covers the whole hotel experience, not just the (excellent) beach bar. We stayed for eight days with our two kids at the end of the wet season. It was a brilliant holiday, and the points below are minor ones I'm mentioning so you know what to expect. **Arrival** Smooth and stress-free. We were met at the airport, escorted to the transfer boat with refreshments, and our room was ready when we arrived at 7am. We really appreciated the early check-in. However, our package didn't start until noon, the main restaurant cost $27 each, in-room dining was very expensive, and the other restaurants didn't open until 11:30am. After 14+ hours of travelling, some snacks or a continental breakfast would have been a nice gesture. **Beach and pool** The beach felt private much of the time. Every room has an allocated sun bed, towels are unlimited, and there's no rushing for a spot in the morning. The water is crystal clear, around 28°C, and just over waist deep at low tide, with a wave break around the island, which is perfect for kids. There are no ugly umbrellas, as the shade comes from the natural tree canopy. The single main pool was always almost empty, and cocktails were brought to your sun bed or in-pool lounger. Bliss. I also enjoyed a daily lap of the island on our own inflatable SUP. **Snorkelling** Despite being close to Malé, the water is immaculate, with no rubbish, great coral and plenty of sea life right off the beach. The house reef surrounds the island, and we saw the odd baby blacktip reef shark. **Families** We worried that a Maldives resort would be full of honeymooners, but around 75–80% of guests were families, which was great for us. **Staff** Everyone was incredibly polite, kind and helpful, and they remembered each family personally. They were excellent with the children. When our son fell ill, they quickly called a doctor and arranged transport. Nothing was too much trouble. In bad weather there were always large umbrellas or a buggy ride on request, and they closed the sides of the restaurant so we never got wet mid-meal. **Food and all-inclusive** We chose all-inclusive and were happy with it. The main restaurant was high quality and varied, and we didn't tire of it in eight days. It was also better for the kids, so we skipped the à la carte restaurants. À la carte is expensive even with the 50% all-inclusive discount, so I'd recommend all-inclusive. Be aware that it doesn't include the minibar (apart from water and Nespresso pods), which is pricey as you'd expect ($6 for a Kit Kat, $11 for a tin of lager), and there are no snacks included between meals. The bar staff were happy to give us a few drinks to take back to the room, so it was never a problem if you plan ahead. Ice cream was only available at meal times, which was a shame for a poolside afternoon treat, but they offered milkshakes, which the kids loved. **Bars** Great cocktails, beer, wine and spirits, and very attentive service, as someone was always quick to offer a top-up. The standard all-inclusive cocktail list was plenty, and we never felt the need for premium options. The Kandu bar is tastefully decorated with lovely sea views, and there was always a good seat. It would have been handy if the Athiri 2 bar had opened, even off season, for drinks from the beach. **Room** We stayed in a garden pool villa. It was very spacious, with a generous private pool and a huge, comfortable king bed. The bathroom is in perfect condition but could do with updating, and the kids' beds were very hard. **Location** The resort is under 10 minutes by speedboat from the airport, which is brilliant for kids after a long flight. The flip side is that it isn't a deserted-island experience. Depending on where you are on the island, you can see Malé's skyline, hear seaplanes almost constantly, and watch commercial flights take off and land. It was a little closer than I expected from reviews, but we got used to it quickly and the positives far outweighed it. **Extras** I did five dives with the on-site dive centre, a few minutes' walk from reception. I was easily back by 11am for lunch and the beach with the kids (I've posted a separate review for Eurodivers). **Overall** The resort never felt crowded, with bars, beaches and pools almost empty (in a good way). The issues above are very minor, and nothing made us regret our choice.

A great shout out to Saaif for upgrading us to the honeymoon Villa and making our time here extra special. Everywhere we went, the staff were super friendly and helpful. The most beautiful setting to come for a relaxing breakaway. We leave with memories that will last a lifetime. A BIG thank you to the whole of the Kuramathi team. We will highly recommend Niva Kuramathi to everyone.

We had a fantastic time at the Kurumba, my daughters absolutely loved the kids club, their not normally ‘kids club’ kids, but the staff were so welcoming and they set so many fun activities, thanks to all the lovely staff xx

We came here for our honeymoon and we have had the most amazing time. We feel as though it is a home away from home as all the staff have made us feel so welcome. We are both vegan and we had complimentary milk alternatives (almond, soya, oat) in our room to make coffee and tea. Our villa terrace overlooked the beach and ocean and it has been the most wonderful setting to reflect on our wedding and plan for the future. We also love the outdoor shower in the bathroom. Our little den was kept so fresh and clean and felt so cosy. The weather has been perfect and we have been very lucky with sunny calm weather for activities and rain for chill days so it has been a refreshing break in the heat. We also didn't realise before we came how many activities there were to do if you want! We paddleboarded for the first time, kayaked to explore the island, went on the island house reef tour (would recommend at the start of the stay so you know where to go while snorkelling), saw the dolphins at sunset, swam with sharks and sting rays!, did archery, got pictures on the island swing over the water with a complimentary photoshoot and then proceeded to buy all the photos 😁, saw Ruby (hawksbill turtle and 1 of 7 turtles roaming the island) on the glass bottom boat, watched the sunset from our sun loungers, read and chilled a lot on our terrace, went for couples massages at the spa! Were fully catered to with vegan food at every restaurant and everyone has been very respectful of our vegan lifestyle. We have had breakfast pancakes specially made vegan for us at Thila along with countless other incredible dishes at every restaurant. Special mention to Ravi (yoga guru), Satrina (main desk check in and telling us everything the island has to offer), Suleiman (for archery and super fun rainy day activities), Aik (amazing shark expedition and house reef tour along with turtle sighting knowledge!), Saifulla (extreme marine knowledge, sunset dolphin expedition and glass bottom boat turtle sighting!), Mady (the funnest fun tube, rainy day quiz and bingo "olé!!"), Jojo (looking after us booking water sports), April (looking after us at Cafe restaurant and getting us vegan cheese on pizza!), Shahu (looking after us at Thila restaurant and getting vegan pancakes😋), Maania (looking after us at Khing Thai and Mahal restaurants and offering many vegan options), Suraj (waiting on us at Al Qasr restaurant and always a friendly face at breakfast), Amaan (waiting on us at Cafe restaurant and hyping up our colouring), Sami (the loveliest photographer who put us both at ease and indulged our every whim of photo ideas), and finally Saeed (the duty manager who saw to our every need and made us feel like the only thing in the world that mattered). We cannot thank you all enough and we hope to see you all again soon!