Filitheyo Island Resort

We have just come back from an amazing 10 day holiday. Filitheyo Island was a wonderful experience, from the time we landed on the island everyone was so friendly, all the staff acknowledged you in some way, the accomodation that we had was first class, we stayed in a beach view villa, the outside shower was an experience, we snorkelled and saw fish that we never would have imagined. The guide that took us on the snorkelling trip was really good, as I was a bit worried about the snorkelling and he helped me to really enjoy it. Food was brilliant, never had the same thing twice, and tasted like it should? Make sure that you take lots of books, although they do have a library that you can swop books with. I would recommend this holiday Island, we spoke to several people who had been to the island several times and we can see why!! We shall certainly return.

We went to Filitheyo over Xmas/New Year 06 - our third trip to the Maldives. We flew First Choice (premium) and the flight was excellent, definitely had a better journey than my friend who paid much more for business seats on Sri Lankan Air. We stayed in a semi and as were worried about the possibility of being next to noisy neighbours, prior to departure I emailed the island and requested a quiet room (and they sorted us out perfectly, we were in no 87). For us the semis were in the right location as they are closest to the reef and the breeze was the best on this side (NB the wind direction and the beach change depending on the season - best to ask the hotel directly as in Dec there was no beach outside nos 40-60). The detached bungalows looked lovely but it was so hot on that beach we didn't venture over there to sunbathe. Also as you have 2 sunbeds allocated to your room, you couldn't drag your beds from one side of the island to the other, so it is important to ensure you get the right location for you! The food was excellent, great selection - only complaint was the juice at breakfast could've been better. We went half board, the lunch in the pool cafe was excellent - try the tuna with fried rice, heaven! All incl in the Maldives isn't all incl, we're not heavy drinkers and half board is best value and you can drink/eat what you want. Mohammed at the pool is great, we tipped him small amounts regularly and he looked after us really well. Our waiter, Sabri, was excellent and good fun, always smiling. They had a special deal at Xmas and champagne was only around £30/bottle - last year we paid £80 at another resort! Snorkelling was a fantastic adventure at Fili, one day a large school of dolphins came up to the reef while we snorkelling and it was so amazing! We saw turtles, eagle rays, sting ray, stonefish, morays, giant trevellies, white tipped reef shark etc etc just snorkelling on the house reef. The current is something to be really aware of, we nearly got stuck out by the water bungalows, best check with dive school before venturing out like we did. Even a strong swimmer couldn't swim against that current when it's strong! There is lots of broken coral on the beach, I took reef shoes but didn't use them very much. If you're looking for a resort to float around in the sea, Fili is not a good choice, there is a large shallow lagoon on one side and on the other side it's full of coral, there's a small area by bungalow nos 50/60 which is where they take all the novice divers in. The bar by the restaurant was lovely at night, thankfully no Italians with microphones anywhere in sight! They did do a crab race and there was music on Xmas Eve and New Years Eve and we normally shy away from organised entertainment, but we did join in and dance on New Year's Eve and had a great night! If we could afford to, I would spend every winter in this heavenly place. In fact we met a Swiss lady who does just that, she's a very lucky lady!!!! Please feel free to email me with any questions.

We just returned from a week in March at the Filitheyo island resort. The food was really good with lots of variety to choose from and not to mention the desserts which are excellent! The beach cabine we stayed in had all the requirements of a four star hotel with a beautiful large comfortable four post bed. All in all a nice place to sunbath, relax and go snorkelling on a beautiful coral reef surrounded by colorful fish. We have seen paradise island in all of it's spendour. We will return one day. Leila & Omar

We visited the Filitheyo resort in March 2005. This is a very nice island, in fact we have been to the maldives on 6 prior occasions and can say that this is our favourite island resort so far!. The standard rooms are semi-detatched wooden beach chalets dotted around the edge of the island only a few steps from the shore. They are beautifully decorated with a four poster bed with mosquito net, and a large partly open aired bathroom. It is a very picturesque island with lots of palm trees and has an excellent reef for snorkelling (we saw sharks and turtles, aswell as a large variety of tropical fish). The food which is served in the main restaurant is of a very good quality and offers a wide selection. There is also another restaurant next to the beach and pool area which serves tasty snacks. Both of the restaurants and the bar area are beautifully presented. The evening entertainment is very low key in this resort hosting only table tennis tornament and a cultural show ( which is just a group of maldivians banging drums ). The staff are very friendly and we loved our 2 week stay at Filitheyo and will definately be going back one day!.

This was by far the very best holiday destination I have ever been to and very difficult to fault in any way. Accomodation:- we were in the cheapest room type "superior bungalow" which was semi detached with a large bedroom and equally large bathroom. Equipment, comfort and cleanliness excellent all round. (air conditioning worked well but a little noisy at the more arctic settings) They also do detached bungalows and water bungalows but the room we had was so good that the extra cost involved would not really seem worthwhile. Location:- We had room 59 which like all the rooms is just a few feet from the beach. It is nicely shaded by the trees which is a consideration at Mid-Day and in the middle of one of the best snorkelling stretches of house reef. Food and drink:- The standard of the food was exceptional - We took the all inclusive option having heard from friends that the Maldives drink prices are very high.(they are - £4 for a bottle of coke in Male Airport). Drink brands offered are mainstream and good (Gordons Gin, schweppes mixers, San Miguel lager. Food for the all inclusive option is a buffet affair typically offering around 10 different main courses and a varied selection of salads. Fish curry of various sorts featured heavily but there was never a lack of items to tempt those having less exotic preferences.(roast pork,steak pie, and best Pasta outside Italy) Even the vegetarian options showed imagination which is a rare event in most restaurants. The second restaurant on the island does an al a carte menu at extra cost, but just keeping up with the options in the main venue kept us fully occupied as dishes changed daily. Starters and sweet courses equally as varied (great Sashimi), and in as much quantity as you could manage with lots of people going back for seconds. Wine with food was Italian and very drinkable. Entertainment:- This is not a place to go for nightlife as the main event is a weekly hermit crab race in the Bar and various bar sports. The real entertainment is underwater. I go snorkelling rather than diving and have in the past been to the Seychelles and the Red Sea. Filitheyo far exceed both of these and I saw new things every day. There are many and varied snorkelling boat excursions but if like me you get seasick on a millpond the house reef kept me busy for two weeks and was less than 100 yards from my hotel room. Transport:- Flew direct scheduled from London Heathrow with Sri-Lankan going out ,which was pretty good as far as long distance air travel goes. Transferred by seaplane which was a remarkably smooth event but very noisy - fortunately the local representative for our travel agency provided earplugs Coming back flight went via Columbo which combined with the changes of transport made for a very long 22 hour day. Wildlife. Leaving aside the fish there were some fruit bats,crows and a sort of Mynah Bird with very irritating song. Not at all bothered by insects although warned about Mosquitos only saw one. Other facilities:- There is a small but nice swimming pool, large dive centre, Library (Nice and cool). Internet access was expensive and our Mobile phone worked better than at home. Cautionary notes:- There are strong currents at times, strong enough to be difficult to swim against unless you are a confident swimmer wearing fins. Fortunately these run mostly parrallel to the beach and do provide a lazy way to see the whole stretch of reef if you start from the right place. Close in to the beach was ok though. Conclusion. "saving up to go again"

beautiful sea, fabulous fish, lovely room, great food - what was there not to like? Was wary of going to the relatively unknown Filitheyo Island Resort, but in retrospect, it was a fantastic choice and my family and I had a wonderful holiday there. I would highly recommend this place for a relaxing and memorable holiday. I would also recommend upgrading to a deluxe bungalow as the beach is much nicer and less crowded on that side of the island and the sea is also much calmer.

We returned from a fabulous holiday at Fily on Feb 25th this year. Without repeating the reviews below I concur with most things - the marine life is not bettered anywhere on the planet in my opinion, the food is superb and the service is beyond reproach. However, just a few areas where attention to detail is required would make Filitheyo a first class resort rather than just better than average. I am making the following comments not because our holiday was spoilt (because it wasn't) but in order to enlighten people who are expecting a little more from their holiday. We stayed in a detached superior villa and although very nice, we found it quite dark inside (especially at night). The only differences from the other two types of accomodation are that the semi detached villas do not have a bath (as well as an outside shower) and the water bungalows have a jacuzzi bath (but no outside shower). They are all roughly the same size with the same decor. Apart from the water bungalows no accomodation really has a sea view. Although the detached and semi's are situated on the beach, the view of the sea is restricted by vegitation. There is absolutely no entertainment so if you are looking (and we weren't)for anything other than a nice atmosphere and background music in the evenings, then you will be disappointed. All inclusive simply isn't! You WILL have to pay to use your mini bar, cocktails, fresh fruit juices, water (yes water), and to eat at the snack bar (coffer bar/sunset bar. All of which, is very expensive (3 USD or £2 for a 330cl of bottled water) and we ran up a room bill in two weeks of 481 USD (about £350). If you are not big eaters or heavy drinkers, I would suggest that you save your money and book half board. Although the beaches are superb for sun bathing, snorkeling and diving, they are not really suitable for general bathing as the sea floor is completely covered in broken or dead coral. There is one small area about 300 yds walk to the left of the sunset bar (as you face it)that has a sandy floor but this area is no bigger than the pool and is heavily populated by small Tuna. All in all if you take the above into account you will enjoy Filitheyo for what it is; a very romantic holiday resort with excellent service, good food and the time of your life beneath the waves. I hope that this review is of use but should you have specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at michael.tottman@btinternet.com.

We have just returned from the filitheyo resort and can honestly say it was faultless.We stayed in deluxe villa which was on the best beach and in front of a beautiful lagoon.The food and service were as good as any five star hotels and not ott.We were all inclusive,but next time would go half board only because we ate too much and could not resist lunches to die for.We are aged forty and are very well travelled to many tropical destinations and would certainly give top marks to this sleepy island in the sun.

We spent the first two weeks of October in Fili and despite some very mixed weather, had a fabulous holiday. We decided to fly with Emirates and couldn't fault them for comfort and service, particularly the seat back entertainment on the 777 to Dubai, which has a better selection than you usually find in Business. And what about Fili? We stayed in a standard beach villa. The room was fine but not great. It was definately showing signs of wear (some damage to bathroom tiles, soft furnishings generally looking worn etc) and I think generally in need of some refurbishment. The outdoor shower whilst novel, does mean that your clothes are in a very humid environment, which is not ideal especially if it rains - nothing dries! The island itself is larger, more natural and less pretty than others. The beach is lovely, although there is alot of dead coral so reef shoes are a must. The house reef is close by and the snorkelling there is great but it does mean that you don't have a big shallow lagoon around some of the island. The food was as good as everyone has said. Great choice and quality and in two weeks hardly anything was repeated. We were on half board and that was enough with huge breakfasts and dinners. The drinks are not cheap in the Maldives but with the weak dollar are not much more than the UK. The staff were all very friendly and service was good. One complaint we did have was that the hotel was unable to provide a changing room/shower facilities apart from the outside shower at the pool for guests who were departing late in the day. The hotel was full so we didn't expect to keep our room but in years of holidays that's the first time that's happened to us. Next time we would pre-book our room for the extra day. Overall, we had a great holiday. There is no better place than the Maldives to totally relax and we would recommend Filitheyo with the few reservations we have mentioned.

Filitheyo was literally paradise on earth and the most relaxing two weeks of my life. The island was stunningly beautiful. Clear blue seas with amazing marine life and a 'jungle' feel to the interior of the island. We could not fault anything about the place. As other reviewers have said the food was out of this world. I cannot praise the food highly enough. Also we had our own waiter for the whole 2 weeks who was fabulous. There are excursions everyday which are well worth it and I can also highly recommend a Balinese massage. Our room was lovely and the outside shower is a great novelty. Despite this being a fairly expensive holiday, I thought it was good value for money considering the standard of food and service.