Embudu Village

We spent a week at Embudu from Dec 10th to 17th 2007. We booked through Portland (originally to Maayafushi, but this got cancelled). We thoroughly enjoyed our week, and it really felt as if we had been away much longer. The island is very relaxed and the staff really cannot do enough to make your stay enjoyable. Thomson flight out was a couple of hours delayed from Gatwick and we went via Manchester. The legroom and seat back entertainment is excellent and the 10 or so hours passed quite easily. (seats are pretty hard however!). However, flight home was delayed almost 4 hours and as a different aircraft was used we had 12 hours with no entertainment! (you can't really count those old TVs). We chose Thomson partly due to the upgraded aircraft and it just shows you can't rely on this! Transfer to Embudu was smooth and quick. We were allocated room number 71 on the windier side of the island with less beach, but this was fine for us. Rooms are basic but clean, and were more than adequate. Walls are very, very thin however! We enjoyed reading books and listening to the sea out on the terrace. A rack is also provided for drying your diving gear etc which is useful and a tap to rinse your feet. We went on a full board basis and after one week had only racked up a bill of $115 which included a facial at the spa. So for us it really wasn't worth the $25 each per day for all inclusive. Wine is $3 per glass and bottled water $2. The food is plentiful and varied. We were very impressed considering Thomson deem the resort 2 or 3 star. There was always a good choice of salad, breads, fish, pasta, rice, as well as the live chef stations. Our waiter Moo was lovely also, and our drinks would often be waiting for us. He decorated our table beautifully on the last night. The beaches are beautiful and we enjoyed walking around the island, which only takes about 15 minutes. The sunbeds are plastic and quite hard, but there are plenty to go round and you can always find your own spot on the island. We went on a couple of dives, but spent most of the time snorkelling. It really is amazing how much there is to see. Clown fish, reef sharks, sting rays, mooray eels, turtles.... We didn't go on any excursions as wanted a week of reading, swimming and snorkelling. The dive centre is well run and very professional. Whilst we were there, there was a disco one evening and acrobatics another. We wanted to totally chill out for a week in the sun, and this is exactly what we got. If you're looking to visit the Maldives on a budget I don't think you'll be disappointed. We would definitely consider returning, but there are so many other islands....

Had a three nights stay at Embudu from the 18th of December. We needed a resort that is closeby to the airport and not many had rooms available at this time of the year, hence we chose Embudu. As other reviewers have put it, it is not a luxury resort by any means. The resort is very basic with little amenities but the island is wonderful and perfect for relaxation. We stayed in a water villa for 2 days which was lovely and then in the standard room for 1 night. The standard room was a disappointment when compared to the water villa as the rooms look worn out and is in need of refurbishment. The beach is superb and the water is perfect for snorkelling. The water is quite shallow in most areas and you can walk through until a long distance. Plenty of fish can be seen around the water villas even with out snorkelling as its surrounded by beautiful coral garden. The major disappointment was the restaurant which was over crowded and to make matters worse, they had only three or four tables which were two seaters. All the other tables were shared which we found a bit strange. Food was quite bland even though the desserts were quite good and had plenty of variety to choose from. The overall service was quite ok for a 3 * resort and most of the staff are friendly. Eventhough I'd personally prefer a little bit of luxury for my next trip, its good value for money if you are on a budget and an ideal place for relaxation if you dont need anything fancy.

Stayed between the 3/12 - 10/12 and wished we could have remained for a lot longer! The trip to the island on a dhoni is a lovely introduction to the Maldives - seeing the islands emerge out of the turquoise water as you sail towards them - lovely, laid back and exciting. Step off the jetty on arrival, remove you shoes (put 'em away you won't need them until you leave) leave your baggage to the helpful chaps on the boat, grab your room key, dump luggage, shove on shorts and run screaming into the lagoon!! We had a basic bungalow with just a fan and this proved perfectly adequate in the heat. Room was lovely and clean and as far as I could tell was serviced twice a day. Worth mentioning that all the staff are exceptionally friendly and helpful. If you stay on the windier side of the island it might be an idea to take a pair of ear plugs as the waves washing onto the shore with the wind can go from lulling to insomnia quite quickly! The food although buffet I thought was exceptional - huge selection for both meat and vegetarians for brekkie, lunch and dinner. Every night has a theme - really tremendous. We were full board which meant that all was included excepting water and alcohol - but with beer only beer $3 it's not too much of a weight to bear! The snorkalling in the lagoon is as good as the diving. You'll see reef sharks, moray eels, rays and turtles. It's like lounging in a fish bowl. Worth mentioning as well that although the current isn't strong the coral can be sharp so fins are required if you do fancy checking it out. Spoke to people who'd been on the island hopping excursion that embudu village was better than the 4* resort you visit as part of that trip - I'm not surprised. In summary if you want to stay on a small beautiful island where you are left to your own devices to do as little or much as you please then this is the place for you, especially if you are on a budget. If however you have a small family (the resort is 99% couples/ divers - there are places in the Maldives that cater much better for kids) or desperately need to ride an inflatable banana then I'd skip it!

hi! we came back last week. we went from manchester. Flew to gatwick, with thomson. Stayed on the plane for an hour whilst we refuelled and picked up more passengers. The flight there was part of the holiday. Then flew straight through to Male. The landing was great! so exciting seeing all the little islands! landed at Male airport. Collected bags. Then had a drink before we boarded a dhoni boat. It took about an hour to get to the island, in which the dolhins put on a spectacular show! We got to the island and the bag boys look after your bags whilst you check in and have another drink and very cooling soothing cloth to freshen up. We were then escorted to the room. we had a waterbungalow, which was fantastic! im really glad we had this room. the other rooms we great oo, but it just felt that extra bit special. The room was large, with tv, air con, fantastic balcony and bathroom. We went for a meal that evening, and they somehow knew it was my hubbys 30th birthday and had decorated the table and bought out a birthday cake for him! really nice! the bedroom was then full of flowers when we got back! everynight the bed was decorated in some way! The snorkeling was great! we hired the equipment and went evryday! the neighbouring island actually does day trips to this islands because it is better situated for snorkelling! we went on a night fishing trip, and i caught a whooper of a fish! you must go! the stars are so majical at night! the weather is great during the day! i went bare footed evrywhere, even to our meals! on our night time walks, i wore sandels because of the crabs and lizards!! everywhere! we just took USD with us, but hardly spent any! we went all inclusive, and i think it was worth is cause we ate and drank loads. we sat outside the bar evrynight and had wine and beer etc. even though there are many bungalows, in the day there doesnt seem to be many people on the island. There is a little shop selling gifts and choc and sun cream, and a lovely jewllry shop. I wanted to buy my wedding ring from there, and there is beautiful stuff there, but just not my taste. but i did buy the ring from Male airport, there is another bigger jewlrry shop. The people are really friendly. The only down side was that for meals you shared a table with another couple. Its not so bad, but we would have liked to have an occassional romantic meal, just us two. I'm sur ethey would organise this, but we felt it might have seemed rudr of us( typical english!). There was so much stuff i wanted to write, but im sure ive forgotten to put it in! to round this off, it was fantastic, really magical!! we loved it!

Just returned from 2 weeks in Embudu. On arrival we were given a welcome drink and shown to our room, the staff were polite helpful and a couple of the boys carried our bags and were tipped appropriately. We were then left to get on with our holiday. We kicked off our shoes and did not need to put them back on until we left the island. Dont bother taking extra shoes as you will not need them - everyone is barefoot. The island is kept well, ground boys sweep and keep the pathways clear, our room boy was very good changing the towels and topping up with extra water. The food is excellent - each night has a different theme - to name a few we had Asian night, Eastern and Western, Barbeque, Italian and many others. There was sufficient food to go round and a huge selection of desserts. The freshly made bread was delicious - so many different types, lovely with the fresh soups. The only problem we had in the restaurant was sitting very close to 3 women who smoked heavily at meal times, they would smoke between courses and after the meal. It would help if the management placed smokers by the windows. Unfortunately our waiter wasnt always on the ball - he would forget things and on a few occassions totally disappeared! The island is fabulous - you literally please yourself, if you want to swim, sunbathe, walk, snorkel, dive you can. The snorkelling is great and the reefs are very accessible, there is so much to see - there are 6 or 7 baby black tip sharks, also young rays - the shallow waters seem to be nuseries for the offspring. Take an underwater camera for amazing snaps. The diving is amazing - Diverland are very safety concious and very well organised, we did the 6 days unlimited package with them. This included a trip to Manta Point - on that trip we saw around 12 Mantas. Mantas had also been seen snorkelling as well as Eagle rays, so we were told. The island only has one or two internet accesses to contact home - this wasnt really a problem but a couple of times guests were using the pc to download photos which took an age! I highly recommend a visit - total chill out.

This holiday was a once in a lifetime experience. The rooms are hut type and are basic but the beds are large, cumfy and clean and the rooms are cleaned everyday sometimes twice a day. The island itself is very small but was perfect the time of year we went. The sand is white and like powder but sometimes you catch your feet on hard coral and that can be quite painful. The restaurant was in the process of being renovated so we had to share the dinner table with other guests but i am unsure as to if this is the norm. The staff was exellent especially Moosa the waiter, They really could not do enough for you. The weather was great throughout the holiday but stormed a few times on the night though this was the hurricane season. The waters are clear but have lots of reef sharks, these are not dangerous but still make most people quite nervous. Also on the island is a tree that was full of large fruit bats, these were most active during the day which defies contra belief that these mammals are nocturnal.

Maldives is paradise even when the resort is not a Four Seasons style place. Embudu is basic but for the price they charges us, we were very happy. Yes, the restaurant is a bit cramped and sometimes you need to share a table - but the surroundings, the wheather and the island made up for it. They are not a very expensive resort so we were happy to accept the lesser elements there. We had a wonderful time. And the Embudu express, the current that lets you snorkle all around the island is excellent. No need to scuba diving, with a snorkle you can see evryting.

tropical paradise, staff very friendly and helpful, rooms and island very clean, snorkeling superb, food could have been better but was OK. Would definatley go again.

Me and my partner have not long returned from Embudu village, and we loved it that much were in the process of saving for another stay ;) We went in the "wet/monsoon season" and for all those worrying, we had only 1 day of rain, 1 overcast cloudy day, and the rest were 30 degree's and very sunny! We were impressed with all aspects of our holiday, and it generally exceeded our expectations. On arrival we experienced 30 degrees of hot sunny weather, with a pleasent speedboat trip to Ebudu village that took around 30 minutes. After an 11 hour flight from the U.K, we thought we'd be lucky to stay awake but due to the beautiful scenery i completely forgot about the flight after 10 minutes. We were greeted with a chilled beverage and wet wipes when we arrived and shown to our room. Accomodation is pretty good, its not a 5 * resort but it has everything you need in a superior room. (air con, fridge, shower, w/c, phone, v big double bed) To be honest, a big hotel on this island would ruin the natural feel to the place, and all the accomodation fits in well! The excursions are a great oppertunity to explore other islands and the surrounding areas which are very beautiful. We did all 5 excursions and really enjoyed them all. The snorkling is fantastic, theres lots of things to see and a must if your going here. Even if your not a massively strong swimmer, your still able to stand and see the fish/reef. The resteraunt serves a variety of dishes that should satisfy even the fussiest of eaters ;) And the bar is a nice place to relax of an evening. Also, try the Serena Spa, the massages are a great way to wind down after a hard days....relaxing. :-)

Firstly let me say Embudu Island is not a 5* resort, (Thomson give it a 2* rating ) so it is obvious you would not go here if you expect all the luxuries of a 5* resort. Being one of the cheaper islands we were a bit unsure what to expect. After a long flight we had a short boat trip to the island accompanied by a pod of spinner dolphins.This was the most amazing way to start our holiday. We were made very welcome at the island with a drink and shown to our bungalow. The accomodation is basic but clean and practicle. We had no problems with plumbing or sanitation. All meals are buffet so you can have as much or as little as you like. The food is not fancy, just basic good stuff. Our waiter Mohammed was always helpful, cheerful and polite. We celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and my husbands 50th birthday during our stay and the dining table was beautifully decorated and they even made a birthday cake for him. Our bed was also beautifully decorated with flowers making it very romantic. The island itself is very tiny ( but I still got lost ! ) with lots of palms and other trees making plenty of shady space if you don't want to go into the bright sun. There are lots of swings hanging from the trees if you feel like a doze out of the sun.The sand is white and it can be dazzeling when you first get on the beach. Also the sun is very hot so take plenty of sun cream. It can be bought at the small gift shop but is cheaper at home. The beaches are lovely , just like picture postcards and the sea is just the most amazing colour blue and very, very warm. There are lots of very pretty fish and we saw turtles at the water bungalows jetty. Being tropical, we had a few good thunder storms. They were always in the late afternoon and didn't stop us from doing anything. In fact one day we sat in the sea in while it was going on. That was an experience !!. Coconuts fall off the trees sometimes when the wind gets up but if you keep them, someone will open them for you. The husk is a bit hard to get open, but they must do it all the time and make it look so easy. Try one if you get the chance, you can't get any fresher ! If you are thinking of diving while you are there, the dive centre is excellent. My husband dived every day and rated them very highly. Everyone has to do an orientation dive first on the house reef and they really look after you well. The fish and corals are not as prolific as in Egypt, we understand a lot of corals were destroyed by el nino a few years ago, but it is recovering and well worth diving. Have posted a few photo's. By the way, there are plenty of baby black tip reef sharks swimming rear your feet if you would rather see them without diving !!. Overall we had the most fantastic week. There are friut bats, pretty colourd lizards, amazing fish, plenty of coconuts ( mind your head ) friendly staff and perfect beaches. Who needs any more.!! We would definetly go back.