One and Only Reethi Rah

We went to the Reethi Rah to relax & we certainly did. The tranquility is amazing. You get welcomed at the airport and transport to the island is by a luxury boat or speedboat and takes around 50 mins. The island is beautiful. We stayed on the North beach where the was no wind & went to the pool/Reethi bar area during the hottest part of the day as it was breezy and cooler.We were told though that the winds move round the island & change during the year.We had a villa with a pool - well worth it.The beach & sea a few steps from the villa - a dream view to wake up to.The villa was huge & we were impressed that you could plug in an ipod for music - very up to date technology. The rain shower is lovely.The food is wonderful & Fanditha with its Arabic theme is opulant lounging on pillows & mats for cocktails. However it is not a cheap place to go. We found the spa a little pricy to indulge in as much as we would have liked. You get the impression though this does'nt really bother the guests but honeymooners who have saved up may wish drinks, food & spa were a little cheaper - look at the board options. The staff and service were excellent. However we did get caught when booking on Expedia our boat transfers were not included & charged $400. I have come back so relaxed i feel like it was worth it & would go back again.

We arrived after a 7 day vacation at the Banyan Tree, Vabbinfaru. We were impressed with the opulence of the 'One and Only'RR but found the atmosphere there rather impersonal. We had an over water villa which was fabulous but probably the main disappointment was the lack of marine life. We never saw a fish in the waters beneath our villa and there was no house reef. We had to pay 25$ for snorkelling trips to see any live coral. Probably this was because in the creation of the new resort a lot of sand had been dredged up to make larger beaches. Maybe in time the reef will regenerate. The 3 restaurants were good but water and drinks were very expensive.A lot of the staff were newly appointed and often seemed confused but this again will probably settle down once the resort becomes more established. It was fun using the bikes to travel around the island (the buggies were all occupied at peak times). The Spa and public places were spotless and impressive but we missed the true 'Maldivian'atmosphere that we had experienced on the other islands.

We had a fantastic stay at Reethi Rah in January 2006, and I can only say all the other reports are true, it is such a well-planned, luxurious and awesome resort. Once arrived at Male you are welcomed by the really friendly One and Only Staff and then brought to the resort which takes about one hour but you are on a really luxurious yacht. A group of hotel staff welcomes you at the hotel jetty and you already feel you are going to relax in this resort, the botanic is amazing and the villas are really comfortable, villa host awaits you with a relaxing foot bath and foot massage. The nicest beaches are around the pool area, so choose your villa to be there, the other beaches are a bit windy and there are corals in the water so the swim is best on on the beaches left and right of the pool. But if you want it really remote take the beaches that are far away from the pool. Beach villa with pool is really a good thing to choose, then you dont need to stay near the pool area and can relax the whole day at your villa. But normal beach villa is also fine, as there is no difference in the room.The villas are the best I have ever seen, the chosen materials really match the island atmosphere, you have a bed outside on the terrace plus two loungers directly at the beach, really hard to choose where to ly around the whole-its sooooo relaxing. The spa is great too, with really good therapists, book a private spa retreat you wont forget it. The food at all the restaurants is great, but we found the main restaurant and the half board option the best. With half board you can eat whatever you choose from the menu. It can also be 2 starters or whatever suits you. Its the cheapest option. The costs at RR are really quite high, but the quality of the food is outstanding and the variety too. So, save your pennys and take the chance to stay at this resort, one of the worlds best

Also went on a corporate trip the island was fantastic me and hubby loved it. Only slight niggle was we were on North side so windy but other than that fantastic.

Reethi Rah is truly a heavenly experience, I have not been to any island in it's kind! I was so impressed on how the rooms were spread out here, it's truly amazing. Such a big island and yet so few rooms spaced out to ensure maximum privacy. Not only are the rooms spread out so great, but the way they are spread out is amazing too. The rooms length, not the width, faces the ocean beach! Its hard to describe this so you have to see for yourself how different it feels! You see the ocean wherever you are in the room. Usually to save space and to build the maximum number of rooms possible on an island, no one does this. Fanditha was a restaurant magical as the name says (fanditha means magic in the local language). Another unique thing to Reethi Rah. The food is amazing on Reethi Rah, all the restaurants are amazing but Fanditha had to be mentioned because of it's uniquness. The service is top notch. You actually feel like a king here. The only annoying thing was that the service was too good! There are people asking you whether you need anything all the time and you can call them up from anywhere on the island. Sometimes its nice to be left alone! Anyway words cannot describe this place, you have to go there to believe it. I've been to so many resorts in the Maldives(I've gone to every resort island in Male' Atoll!) but Reethi Rah is really something. Going back later this year. I've tried to book it for Easter but it was already fully booked, can understand why as anyone who went to One and Only Reethi Rah wants to return there! Its that good!

This was our 3rd visit to the Maldives; ultimately what this island offers over all others is things to do! After two weeks we still had not managed to complete all the activities we wanted to. The beach bungalow our chosen accommodation was very secluded and built to a very high standard, choose which side of the island you want to be located by whether you like to watch the sunset or sunrise. Good pointers are: 1) Make sure you get two bikes ASAP as this is the best way to get around if you are independent. 2) Get your butler to book your chosen restaurant well in advance to get the best table. 3) If you scuba dive, Sten's dive team are the safest we have dived with, without loosing the WOW factor. Night diving was awesome as we switched off all lights and then watched the plankton light up like fire as we moved through it. 4) The Fanditha Bar is wonderfully atmospheric with great cocktails whilst lounging on raised Arabian night type beds. The Managers cocktail party was held at this bar, the drinks may look innocent enough but after two my legs went wobbly. 5) Late Afternoon take to the Kayak's and paddle through the river that bisects the islands it is truly the best way to see the Island. 6) Even if you do not like sitting around on loungers, spend one day around the pool/beach just to be pampered. You get double sun loungers that are just like real bed and the service is exceptional, Ipod's, sunglass cleaning and they tidy your sun lounger every time you return from a swim. 7) The beach barbecue is big on atmosphere but we were disappointed that the barbecue was gas and hence the food lacked taste. 8) The Spa is exceptional and one very experienced therapist cured my husband back complaint after 5 visits. All together the Reethi Rah should be one place you visit at least once in your life, we are returning in 2006.

WOW WOW WOW... nothing I write here can describe the experience my wife and i had at this truly one and only resort. We have been around the world and have seen alot of resorts, nothing and I mean nothing comes close. No insects other than dragonflies, amazing food, especialy the japanese restauraunt. We stayed at the beach bungalow w/pool. It was heavenly, a huge resort filled with people an yet you do not see them unless you want to. The six star hotel offers an array of DVD selection, not that you will need it, and offer a i-pod input section where you just plug in your ipos and it works in your room speakers. As soon as we arrived in the hotel, the villa host greeted us and took our shoes off and gave us a foot massage in a aroma therapy water. Even when it rained, once, it was beautiful. Each villa gets two bicycles to move around the resort which was really fun. Have kids? no problem, drop them off at the kids only bungalow open from 9-9. it has everything from live plays to , my favourite, a kids spa. I think i said enough and saying more might ruin it for people, but let me close by saying, if you can go, go nothing should stop you it seriously is heaven on earth. GO

The RR villas are one of the best we ever stayed. Huge (aprox 120 sm), very comfortable, well designed. We had beach villa w/poll and in my opinion it is the best option. You have huge piece of sandy beach in front of your villa. Our room was located on the Turtle Beach (wide, unwindy, each side, relatively close to main restaurant) - recommended. The only weak points of RR: 1. practically no on site snorkelling, 2. a little bit artificial character of the island - comparing with Kanuhura for example, 3. extremely expensive spa. Must go!

Have recently got back from a corporate trip (not BMW!) to Reethi Rah & then Dubai & would return to the Reethi Rah any day. We only had 4 nights which was far too short. So much has already been written about this wonderful resort that I'll just pick out a few highlights. We were in a Beach Villa on the Sunrise (East side) on the Reethi beach not far from the Pool & Reethi restaurant. If we get the chance to return we would definitely choose this side as the West Side was very, very windy. We would also choose a Beach Villa over a water villa. It was lovely having the beach outside the window. We were also only a stroll away from the pool, lunch, free smoothies, ice creams & afternoon tea... We used our bicycles (provided) to visit the rest of the island. You can also request a 'tour' in one of the Golf buggies. Great extras in the massive rooms were 2 robes (one towelling lined), slippers for inside, flipflops for the beach & a beach bag. Fresh fruit & water every day. Free broadband in the room if you have a laptop - otherwise there are 2 PCs in the photoshop. The food was excellent particularly the beef & fish but also plenty of healthy options: fruit, salads, smoothies, even porridge & egg-white omlettes for breakfast. As were on a corporate trip our evening meals were all planned (we sampled all 3 restaurants plus a BBQ)& we had an allowance for lunch which we rarely used. You can easily fill-up on breakfast & the freebies mentioned above. The only negative point for me was the group Hatha Yoga class (free) which was way too advanced for newbies & gave me back-ache. Apparently the classes given by Maya at 40 USD were really good - so next time... Having visited this resort if we can afford to return we will definitely visit the Reethi Rah again.

We went to Reethi Rah before it was taken over by O&O Resorts. It was heaven on earth, the most beautiful island I have ever seen. I have traveled extensively, and have a degree in Marine biology so all was peaceful and healthy underwater too. Accommodation formally included two standards of rooms, beach huts and water villas which together totaled from memory 60. We stayed in a water villa of which there were only 10. Staff were attentive and well trained. What has happened to this small and beautiful island? I am disgusted with these changes and this 'need' to provide 6 star hotels. If that’s what you want then go on holiday elsewhere please. By reclaiming land, as they have done to RR to increase its size by 70%, is painful for me to think about. This will have changed the whole marine dynamics of the lagoon and island, which is evident by the addition of areas of false beach! When this happens to an island you must question what you want to experience in the Maldives, surely? Those of us that did experience RR as it was received the true 6 star experience in the Maldives. The term should be renamed the natural 6* experience. This is something that guest that visit the O&O RR will never experience. RR had way of touching the soul with its natural beauty. A tiny island on this huge planet actually had a profound experience on all the guests who formally visited it. This experience was priceless, something that no amount of money can buy. As you can tell I am a huge advocate for the Maldives and will be taking my honeymoon their in April 2006. It will be my third trip, with my home work done I shall be going to seek the natural, priceless 10* Maldives experience.