Komandoo Island Resort

Kuredu is simply paradise on earth Our holiday started at Gatwick airport on the 21st April 2005. After a long ten and a half hour flight, I had my first glimpse of the Maldives. I can only describe these beautiful tiny islands as looking at drops of oil on water, the colours are amazing,my nose was pressed hard against the window for the remainder of the flight. On arrival at Male, everything was extremely well organised, before long we had our luggage and were loaded on a bus and dropped off where the sea planes depart. A forty five minute wait gave us enough time to change into light weight clothing and grab a drink. Again the organisation was extremely good, as we climbed aboad the sea plane I could hardly contain my excitement. The sea plane trip really is fantastic, a real highlight of the holiday. The views are simply breathtaking. Forty five minutes later had the sea plane skipping into the sea just off Kuredu. As we exited the plane onto the Jetty, I had my first glimpse of the Island. I was amazed by the beauty and size of the Island, it is much bigger than I expected. Check in went very smoothly, we were handed over the keys to room 236 and sat down to a short introduction. The beach villas are lovely, simple decor but most importantly clean and tidy. It was only a matter of seconds before we were in our swim wear and in the sea. One big mistake was we packed our masks and snorkels in the main suit cases which didnt arrive for another four hours. When our cases did eventually arrive, the masks ,snorkels and fins were soon on and we were back in the water. When you first put your face into the water you will be amazed at what is swimming around you, we were instantly hooked! The buffet style food is first class, as is the service. Please remember to tip your waiter and room boy a few dollars at the start and end of your stay. Another form of currancy warmly received is Footmall shirts, does not matter what team, old or new, all will be accepted with a smile. Do make sure you go on the sunset cruise, I proposed to my girlfriend while the dolphins were leaping through the setting sun. We have just returned from our honeymoon at Komandoo on the same time as this holiday. If you can afford the extra for a beach villa, you will be glad you did. I am sure the beach bungalows are fine, its just they are on the far edge of the Island. It is a long walk to the Bars and reception ect. The Beach villas are also on the better side of the island. The Pool is very impressive, but when we went the water temp was a very warm 80 degrees! as per a divers comp.... It was simply too warm for comfort, not refreshing. The house reef is very good for snorkeling, as is the back side of the island over the caves. But you are best getting in the water from the Jetty. One thing which did put a tiny damper on the holiday was the large amount of Titan Triggers about, swim around them and you will be fine. Every time we went snorkeling we always looked for something new to see. plenty of Rays and Turtles, and even a large Nurse shark was kind enough to let us watch for a while. To sum up... a great Island. Niggles? None really... The size of the Island can mean you do have a bit of a walk for a drink, we hammered the mini bar! Look out at the beautiful night sky, and take a small torch. The glowing plangton at the waters edge at night.

My Wife and I went to Komandoo for our honeymoon, as we are both travel agents we where hoping for a relaxing time............. but did we? If you are thinking about going here make sure its a Water Villa! the rooms are amazing. However if your all inclusive you can only take 1 drink back to the room, the bar is the other side of the island. Yes its not along walk but if your in a Water Villa you want to relax in the room and having to walk to the bar every time you want a drink was a payne. If you have stayed in a 5 star in the Maldives do not go here, if you have stayed in another 4 star you will love the place. If you are in the Water Villa and wish to go the the resort shop make sure you call and see if its open! many times I walked there to find it closed even through the times in the window said it was open! If your on a honeymoon they print t shirts with the date and resort name on them which was a nice touch with fresh flowers, which most hotels now do. The food was very good and had a good choice and the staff where helpful. If you have not been to the Maldives before you will have a relaxing time at this resort. If you would like a top hotel in the Maldives go to Royal Island, no Water Villas but the resort is 1st class.

The brochure states that Komandoo is an elegant, barefoot resort. Barefoot yes, elegant is more questionnable. We stayed in one of the water villas, which was quite impressive - well furnished, & with a mini bar, TV/DVD, & an excellent surround sound system. The bathroom is separate, with a double sink, a walk-in shower and a jacuzzi bath big enough for 2 ! Outside on the terrace there is a double sunbed, which led to arguments over sun/shade, so we asked for another one. The water villas are very private - you can't see your neighbours, & it's great to be able to walk down the steps from the terrace into the sea. The snorkelling around Komandoo is fantastic, especially around the water villas. The dive school also looked pretty impressive, but a word of warning - it's pretty expensive and they charge for literally everything. I found the public areas a bit disappointing. The chairs and tables in the bar and restaurant looked as if they had seen better days. However the bar staff deserve a special mention, and Silva in particular, as he was always welcoming and friendly. A strong contrast to the reception staff who didn't seem to know the answer to anything. We asked about the romantic candlelit dinner on the beach and what the contingency is if it is raining, but the lady on the desk just giggled and said she didn't know. Not a good advert seeing as they chage between $100-$150 each for the meal. My main gripe is the restaurant. I didn't expect to go to the Maldives for a great gastro experience, but all the meals are quite similar. There is always a choice of salad, meat, fish, rice etc. so you will never go hungry, but the meat was pretty poor quality. We found breakfast and lunch better than the dinner but there was no way you could take your time in the evening as by 9.15 they were starting to clear up. the worst bit was that all the meals were served as a buffet, which is so monotonous that by day 3 we were well and truly "buffet'd-out" ! The all-inclusive option includes beer, wine (red or white - no choice), soft drinks, water by the glass and several spirits, the brands of which you will never have heard of. This was a bit disappointing too as I have stayed at other all-inclusive resorts where there is much more choice and a better quality offering. Although you get a bottle of water a day it's fairly cheap to buy more and your water glass is kept constantly topped up at meals. As the mini bar isn't inlcuded, the trick is to drink what you want and then replace it later from the bar. Don't go too mad though as you can only take one drink per person away from the bar at any one time ! A word of warning about the weather - June is the monsoon season and it can rain for days on end and this is usually accompanied by such a firece wind that we had to cling onto each other whilst crossing the bridge from the water villas to the island. The water villas also move slightly in the wind, which can be pretty scary in the middle of the night. Back to my first point then about Komandoo being elegant. Certainly don't take any elegant clothes - some people go to dinner still wearing their swimming shorts, and whatever you do take will get covered in sand anyway. What the resort does provide however is an environment for a quiet, relaxing, get away from it all holiday.

We spent a lot of time searching through different islands, and after careful research, finally decided on Komando. It was all worth it. The rooms were beautiful - we were in a beach jacuzzi. The staff was friendly and professional. The spa was excellent - I can highly recommend the 4 hands massage. The dive school, and sites offered, were fabulous. The house reef is teaming with fish. We spent as much time in the water as on land. Because it is a smaller island, they were able to prepare a vairety of high quality dishes at each meal. I've never enjoyed so much seafood! My partner is vegan, and he also was happy with the food options available to him. I would suggest that you let the chefs know that you are vegetarian, as they will make sure there are always options for you. If you can do the boat cruise (The Brit) , I would highly recommend it. We saw dolphins and manta ray. Worth every penny! If you can' t make the one from Komandoo, they are sometimes able to get you on a cruise leaving from another island - ask reception. It was quiet, relaxing.....paradise. I wish I was still there.

Just about everything that can be said has already been stated about Komandoo. The beach (the whole island)is in the main white powdery and clean (although lots of dead coral), the sea is clear and blue and teeming with all sorts of fish. The food is plentiful and excellent and the Jacuzzi Water Villa we stayed in was exceptional - apart from the Jacuzzi there was a stunning bed which we struggled to get out of on several occasions, DVD and flat screen TV (DVDs available free from reception), huge secluded sun terrace, really comfortable double sun bed, day bed away from the scorching sun and (expensive) mini bar. The JWV's (ours was Eagle Ray 6, 1 to 4 look towards the 'industrial' island but it's no big deal) are isolated at one end of the island and apart from seeing people in the bar and restaurant you wouldn't see anyone else all day - which suited us fine. It would have been nice to have had a small bar at this end of the island as the walk to the bar at the other end got a bit tiresome (yeah I know what a hardship!) which was not a problem at meal time but it meant we had to raid the mini bar during the day just for a cold coke. You could take 1 bottle of drinks from the bar for each visit which we tended to do once we had found this out. Just an idea, why can't there be 2 minibars in rooms, one for 'free' drinks as included in the 'all inclusive' package and one for the more expensive brand drinks you buy from the main bar, this to me would then really be 'all inclusive' but hey just a small gripe as these extras can add up a bit (you even have to pay for extra bottles of water). The staff are superb, everyone mentions Silva but all the staff are excellent, our waiter (you get the same one each day) was Shareef who was a really nice guy. Snorkelling is superb although a lot of the coral is dead (due to global warming and El Nino apparently and not the work on the island - probably true as the 'deserted' island nearby also had lots of dead coral) - this doesn't seem to have affected the sea life however as we saw stingrays, baby reef sharks, dolphins (on the sunset cruise), turtles, lion fish + loads of other 'Nemo' sorts. Not much bird life on the island apart from the crows and a couple of herons but the huge fruit bats are quite amazing. All in all, perfect - didn't stop smiling from the moment we arrived to the moment we left - highly recommend Komandoo.

Quite simply the most relaxing location in the world. Start by saying the flight was a bit of a treck. Emirates from glasgow to Dubai was excellent. Unfortunately Dubai to Male not quite as good. Fish Curry at 4am not really necessary. None the less once you arrive at Male and then transfer to the sea plane and the holiday begins. Once the pilot misses the turtles in the bay, we were off and on our way to Komandoo. Plane landed at nearby Kuredu, and then a 10- min speadboat crossing to Komandoo. Glad we booked here and not Kuredo. Peace and tranquility. The Maldivian people are so friendly and nothing is too much trouble. Special mention to our waiter Haleem, Ibrahim in the shop,Maleeda the resort manager and our room boy. Jacuzzi beach villa superb. Vista is trully breathtaking, overlooking a deserted island. Although the island was fully booked (be careful as they sometimes over book), on a busy day you would be lucky to see more than 10 people on the beach. Saw many reef sharks, rays, dolphins from ta distance.. Snorkling in the house reef was spectacular. Food was excellent but overall this is the best place to go if you want quiet and relaxation. Dont go here for entertainment. Go here to unwind. Believe me we did. Many people are whats known as repeaters and one couple have been to the Maldives 17 times, Komandoo 6 and they rate it the best. So if it is quiet heaven you are looking for.... go somewhere else and leave this place to us...

We stayed in one of the Water Villas for a week in March 2006. The room was fantastic with amazing views over the shallows. Everyday we spotted small grey reef sharks, rays and various tropical fish. Food was OK but we has a romantic candle lit dinner on the beach which was expensive but well worth it. The house reef was great for snorkelling and we would definitely visit the island again. Only one gripe, not enough water, only one free bottle a day. But apart from this we had a really chilled holiday on a fabulous island with great snorkelling and a really relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.

We stayed at komandoo in Jan/Feb 06 in a standard room which was lovely. Lots of space although steps into bathroom could be a bit dodgy in the middle of the night and there was no storage space at all apart from a couple of shelves in the wardrobe. Room boy was excellent. The reviews had been excellent but we felt that it was rather overated. The bar staff were not very friendly or helpful, but apparently their boss was away..... The staff played football on the beach right in front of the bar and I had my drink knocked over and others a glass smashed. This was not very relaxing. Our waiter was excellent(Shareef)and without him we would have struggled to eat outside with our friends most nights. The restaurant area outside and in, needs to be extended with the extra rooms as well as the outside bar area as there was also loud music in the bar on several nights, and there is nowhere to sit away from it. The food was okay although the meat was often tough, but good chicken and fish dishes and plenty of curries. Highlight of the holiday was snorkelling off the housereef with a manta.Awesome.....

We stayed at Komandoo during February Half Term this year for a week and had a wonderful time! The hotel was fully booked but you wouldn't have known it - you could lie on your sun lounger outside your villa all day and hardly see a soul. The staff were all extremely helpful and friendly and made us feel very welcome. Silva is an excellent barman with a good reportoire of cocktails. Although with only one bar on the island choice is a little limited and sometimes in the evenings the wait is a little long (but only five minutes or so). The food was good with lots of choice - be prepared to eat and drink lots during your stay! A good tip is to drink the soft drinks in your mini-bar during the day (its a bit of a trek to the bar from some villas) and then refill them from the bar midafternoon on your way back from lunch. This saves you being thirsty while sunbathing! The windsurfing equipment was mostly North Shore and in good condition but didn't include harnesses. These could be hired for a small cost. The snorkelling was fantastic and a group of small sharks could often be seen herding a shoal of fish just off the pier - although not big enough to worry snorkellers. We also saw a few turtles and on the free sunset cruise we were lucky enough to see a large pod of dolphins. We would thoroughly recommend this hotel - especially as we got engaged here - and would definitely go back!

Visited Komandoo on 10th November 2005 for 2 weeks and it was absolutely beautiful, i wouldn't have changed a thing everything was perfect, the food, the rooms, the staff, the diving, the lot!! This was our second time in the maldives and we loved every minute of it.