Sun Siyam Olhuveli Maldives

Sun Siyam Olhuveli Our Honest Review (30th Wedding Anniversary Stay) Overall, we would rate our stay 4/5, and the reason it achieves that score is almost entirely because of Romance Island. Without it, our rating would have been considerably lower. Food – 4.5/5 Overall, the food at Sun Siyam Olhuveli was excellent. Our favourite restaurants were The Bite and The Restaurant on Romance Island, while Milano on Dream Island served the best steak we have ever tasted. We mainly had breakfast on Romance Island and Dream Island. On our first day we visited Pizza Island on Olhuveli Island and the food was very good. However, during that meal we were approached and encouraged to book the beach barbecue. Unfortunately, we felt quite pressured, and this happened on two further occasions during our stay. Having visited the Maldives seven times, we’ve never previously experienced this level of selling or promoting chargeable experiences. Our only disappointing meal was at Crust & Flame, although I must say the management handled our concerns exceptionally well, which we really appreciated. Olhuveli Island – 2.5/5 Olhuveli Island is undoubtedly beautiful, as are all three islands, but it was extremely busy and full of families with young children. I’m sure it’s a fantastic destination for families, but if you’re looking for a peaceful, romantic Maldives holiday, I personally wouldn’t recommend staying here. The staff were friendly but understandably very busy. I was also surprised by the amount of traffic around the island, with a constant flow of buggies, buses and work vehicles. It simply didn’t provide the tranquil atmosphere we’ve come to expect from the Maldives. One thing we weren’t aware of before arriving was that the shuttle bus only operates around Olhuveli and Dream Island. Thankfully, because my husband has a disability, the resort kindly arranged buggy transport for us whenever we wanted to visit Romance Island, and we were very grateful for that. For us personally, we wouldn’t choose to stay on Olhuveli Island again. Dream Island – 3/5 Dream Island is attractive and has some excellent restaurants. The buffet restaurant is only available for breakfast, as it’s used for speciality restaurants during lunch and dinner, so guests either need to use the buffet on Olhuveli Island or book restaurants on Romance Island. While quieter than Olhuveli, there were still plenty of families and children around the pools. As we were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, it just wasn’t the peaceful atmosphere we had hoped for. We stayed in a Grand Water Villa. Although it was spotlessly clean thanks to our wonderful villa attendant, Noor, who looked after us brilliantly throughout our stay, the villa itself is beginning to look dated and would benefit from refurbishment. It was quite large but the most dated watervilla we’ve stayed in. We were shown one of the Romance Island Water Villas and offered an upgrade. The villa was absolutely stunning and exactly what we’ve experienced at other Maldivian resorts, but with only a few days remaining we decided it wasn’t worth the extra cost or the inconvenience of moving. One thing we hadn’t expected was the amount of noise. Every morning we were woken by a constant stream of buggies and work carts travelling along the boardwalk past our villa (Room 506, sunrise side). At times it genuinely felt like a train passing by. It certainly wasn’t the peaceful overwater villa experience we were expecting. Romance Island – 5/5 Thank goodness for Romance Island! Although we didn’t stay here, we spent as much time here as possible because this is exactly what we believe the Maldives should feel like peaceful, luxurious, adults only and wonderfully relaxing. The people here truly made our holiday. Zar and his team, especially Mona, Liza and Aniga (apologies if I’ve misspelled any names), went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. Every member of staff was warm, caring, attentive and genuinely friendly. The food was exceptional, the drinks were excellent, and the atmosphere was everything we had hoped for. This island completely changed our opinion of the resort, and it’s the only part of Sun Siyam Olhuveli that we would happily return to in the future. Things That Could Be Improved The 24-hour Dine Around concept sounds fantastic when you book, but in reality it can be confusing. Almost everything has to be booked through the app, from restaurants to many dining experiences. We often found ourselves checking availability and making reservations rather than simply enjoying our holiday. Surely there is a much simpler and more guest friendly way of managing this. We also felt there was too much focus on selling chargeable extras. We completely understand that resorts offer optional experiences, but throughout our stay we were regularly encouraged to spend more money, whether it was beach barbecues, villa upgrades or other paid experiences. After politely declining the barbecue several times, it became uncomfortable. During our seven visits to the Maldives, we’ve never experienced this level of upselling. Final Thoughts The staff across the resort work incredibly hard and were always friendly, polite and welcoming. They are a real credit to Sun Siyam Olhuveli. However, for us as a couple celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, the resort felt more like a large family holiday destination than the peaceful Maldives we know and love. Romance Island completely changed that. It gave us the tranquillity, outstanding service and authentic Maldivian atmosphere we had been searching for throughout our stay. Would we return? Yes—but only if we were staying on Romance Island.

We are staying at Sun Siyam Olhuveli for the second time. Our first visit was five years ago, and now we have come back with our family. We really like it here! It is especially nice to see how much the resort has grown and improved since our last visit. The resort now has three islands, 12 restaurants, cafés and bars, two spas, two gyms, a diving centre, a sports centre and plenty of activities. Basically, it has everything you need for a great holiday in the Maldives. We would also like to thank the hotel team. Thank you to Hussain for giving us such a warm welcome, and to Lipa for helping us take part in the coconut oil workshop. Thank you to Deepak from the Lagoon restaurant for taking such good care of us. A big thank you to Shakh from the diving centre for showing us the beauty of the local nature and marine life. And a very special thank you to Rudy, the resort’s Executive Sous Chef. He told us about all the restaurants and explained the different types of food they serve. He also helped us join a Maldivian cooking class. During lunch, he kindly offered us several special Indian dishes to try. Everything was delicious, and it was such a lovely and thoughtful gesture. These small personal touches are what make the service here feel truly special. You can see that the team really wants every guest to have a wonderful holiday. We are very happy to recommend Sun Siyam Olhuveli and would love to come back again!

I have stayed at several resorts in the Maldives, and unfortunately this has been my worst experience. From the beginning, everything felt unnecessarily difficult and stressful. There was a noticeable lack of warmth, no smiles, no attentiveness, no greetings and no personal touch, which is the minimum expectation in hospitality. My assigned host was particularly disappointing. I was given inaccurate information, and after the initial interaction, I never saw or heard from her again. To make matters worse, there was ongoing construction next to my water villa. The noise was already an issue, but what made it truly unacceptable was the behavior of the workers, who were watching me while I was in the water. As a solo traveler, this made me feel extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. The front office service was also poor and unhelpful throughout my stay. If you are thinking about coming here to relax, think again. You need to book everything in advance, and even then, it’s difficult to find availability in the restaurants. It constantly feels like you are managing appointments rather than enjoying your holiday. Am I on a relaxing island in the Maldives, or in a busy city hotel? Hospitality is not just about the location, it’s about how guests are treated. Empathy, care, and professionalism should come first, and sadly, these were missing here. I would not recommend this resort.

Sun Siyam Olhuveli is a stunning resort with plenty of activities to enjoy, making it the perfect destination for a relaxing and memorable vacation. Our host, Alshafa, was incredibly courteous, attentive, and exceptional with her coordination throughout our stay. She truly is a valuable asset to the resort. I would also like to recognize every staff member we interacted with, they were all warm, welcoming, and genuinely amazing. A special thanks to Anton at the Romance Island Bar and the entire dinner service team at Culinarium for making my wife’s birthday celebration so memorable. Their thoughtful service and attention to detail made the occasion truly special. I highly recommend Sun Siyam Olhuveli to anyone planning a trip to the Maldives. It was an unforgettable experience, and we can’t wait to visit again.

Santanu is the best chef who makes the most delicious pasta! A professional in his field 🤝🔥