Are you contemplating to stay at Meeru Island Resort & Spa in the Maldives? Welcome to my first post of my personal review on our 3-night experience at Meeru Island Resort & Spa. It was the main highlight of our 8-day trip to the Maldives on February 2020.
Edmund and I just recently came back from the Maldives and guess what? We found our most favourite place in the world so far.
Different shades of blue of the ocean water, the beautiful night sky full of stars, the cool breeze of Indian Ocean, watch the world go by with no list of things-to-do, magnificent sunrises and sunsets, countless marine creatures swimming beside us, wake up to the ocean in our water villa and exceptional Maldivian hospitality. Following the “one island, one resort” concept that the Maldives is famous for, does it sound like a true paradise on earth to you?
Every resort in Maldives is in its own private island with over 100 resorts to choose from, the only issue is selecting where you want to stay. In addition to that, there are nearly 1200 islands across 26 atolls in the whole country. After my thorough researches, we picked Meeru for our Maldivian getaway.
Transfer
It all began when the staffs from Meeru picked us from the harbour in Velana International Airport after our overnight stay in Male. It took us a scenic 55 minutes ride from the airport, and we managed to pass many resort islands along North Male Atoll. You will be charged USD 160 per person for both return boat rides by the resort. Hence, the idea of hopping between islands in the Maldives can be very costly and inconvenient although we chose to visit one resort island and one local island during our entire 8-day trip in the Maldives to get the best of both Maldivian worlds.
We were greeted with a welcoming beat of Bodu Beru upon our arrival and lead to the reception hall for all the check-in formalities. We were given a welcome drink and much needed heavenly smelled cold towel to freshen ourselves. The assigned staff was professional to explain on the geographical map of the resort island and the items included in All Inclusive Plus Package.
The Villa
After all the hotel check-in formalities, we took a buggy ride to reach the eastern end of the island in which our water villa is located at. At that point of time, no words can describe the excitement we had when we were walking on the jetty over the fish-filled lagoon leading towards our water villa. With the bluest sea water that we have ever seen in our life, combined with the strong sea breeze of Indian Ocean, it was like a welcome vibe to this sunny side of life!
When most people think of the Maldives, the picture of water villas often come to mind. We stayed in Jacuzzi Water Villa throughout our 3 nights at Meeru. The Jacuzzi Water Villas are the most expensive accommodation option in the island. But let me tell you, it was worth every penny!
With approximate 915 square feet in term of size, this villa suspended over the turquoise lagoon is perfect for ocean lovers and romance. Needless to say, and without a doubt the best part of our villa was our own veranda! With direct access to the sea, morning and evening dips are few steps away. I am a morning person and there is no better way to start the day other than jumping in for a morning dip.
Also, imagine yourself with your loved one enjoying that cold beer whilst watching different types of marine creatures swimming around the lagoon. Over the entire stay in our villa, we saw several types of marine creatures, such as baby sharks, manta rays, stingrays and other small fishes.
The villa comes together with the jacuzzi at the rear side, perfect for stargazing at night, which we did twice during our entire stay. Our bathroom and toilet were spacious and partially outdoor. The super king-sized bed was extremely comfortable. The closet was huge enough with a small safe box in it to store valuables.
The Island
Strolling around the island was one of my favourite things to do. Everyone always seems to be in a good mood.
Meeru Island Resort & Spa is the only resort on the island of Meerufenfushi, North Male Atoll. With 1200 metres long and 350 metres wide, it is one of the biggest resort islands in the Maldives and making the island never feels crowded. Indeed, so spread out that for convenience there are two reception halls and two buffet restaurants in order to avoid guests overexerting themselves on the way for meals.
Also, it is pertinent to note that the northern part of the island is adults-only zone. It took us approximately 40 minutes to walk along the palm-fringed coastline of the entire island. Plenty of bars are dotted across the island for us to stop by as well.
Services
From check-in all the way to check-out, the service was excellent overall. Each villa will be assigned with a specific housekeeper to meet your daily needs. As expected, the room was cleaned in every morning and during each dinner. We never had issues with timings and more often than not, they managed to do it whilst we had breakfast and dinner.
On our final day, we were allowed to make full use of our inclusive package even after the check-out whilst waiting for our boat ride to leave the island resort.
The only complain I have on the service was the reliability and attentiveness on the pre-arrival stage. I left several messages via Agoda and emails to convey our special requests, but it took them sometime to respond. Do not expect to get every single of your question to be addressed promptly.
Foods & Beverages
I highly recommend everyone to opt for the exceptional value of this All Inclusive Plus Package to have a stress-free holiday with your loved one. From a cost perspective, you will not have to spend a penny more as long as you stay within the confines of the inclusive package.
During your breakfast, lunch and dinner, you will be assigned to the same restaurant and waiter. As expected, the quality and variety of foods can be above average. We did not feel bored with the food selections, neither we did not feel the need of dining at Asian Wok Bar despite we were entitled for 20% discount on all food items under the inclusive package.
Also, we went to almost every single bar of the island. It covers a sufficient variety of snacks and drinks, be it alcoholic and non-alcoholic to quench your thirst.
The minibar in our villa was refilled daily on a regular schedule by our assigned housekeeper. Too bad, we were not hungry enough to fully utilise all the snacks and beverages. Expect to be served 1 half bottle of champagne, which to be delivered to your room on the second evening if you opt for the inclusive package.
Excursions
Under the inclusive package, we were supposed to make full use of as many free excursions as listed by the resort. But due to limited time as we preferred to spend longer relaxing time in the island, we cherry-picked the sunset cruise for dolphin watching. We were fortunate to be able to see a group of dolphins appeared, played and jumped in a close proximity.
Remember to book and plan your excursions ahead with the receptionists of the resort. There were other excursions that we did not have the chance to join, such as excursion to the neighbouring local island of Dhiffushi, group snorkelling lesson, group windsurf lesson and group golf driving range lesson.
Neither of us are good in snorkelling. However, the island might be a disappointment for those who wish to snorkel at their pace and whenever they like as it does not have a house reef directly accessible from the beach.
Conclusion
The question is, whether we will be coming back to the Maldives again? Big YES!
Then, how about the same resort?
We had a great holiday at Meeru. Meeru is an island of paradise that puts a spell on you from the very first moment you step onto the dock till the day you leave the island. For the same category and the price range, we found that Meeru is completely value for money. Definitely Meeru is highly recommended for first-time visitors to the Maldives.
Indeed, the Maldives is our most favourite country on earth to date. But, with more than 100 resort islands to choose from and all these resorts compete with each other to attain ever-greater heights of luxury, we will be coming back to the Maldives by trying a different resort in a different atoll.
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