Kuredu Island Resort

We stayed here for Christmas and New Year 2003/04 so it was more expensive for the time of year but cheaper than other resorts.
The accommodation we stayed in were the beach bungalows, which were perfectly adequate as you are only there to sleep in them. However, we got ill so we spent more time there than planned.
Some of the bungalows overlook the water villas so there isn’t much of a view, ( we were in number 619) but further along there are great views of the ocean. The air-con and fan worked a treat and the room was a good size.
The island is beautiful and you will always find a secluded spot to yourself. The water is crystal clear and abundant with life. We regularly stood in the lagoon outside our room and watched the baby sharks circling the shoals of tiny fish. The snorkelling is great with a fantastic house reef. The scuba centre has all the gear you need to hire and is well worth a go.
The diving is fantastic of course. There is also wind surfing and canoes, volleyball and a golf course which is very nice.
The pool is also lovely.
The all-inclusive drinks is only locally produced spirits which are fine but gets a little boring after a while. The wine is ok with a meal and the beer is ok. They do proper Coke and Diet Coke and fruit juices too. Cocktails are not included but they do 2-4-1 early evening. We had some to break the monotony.
The restaurants - You are allocated the same restaurant and table for the duration of you stay which does get tedious. You are only able to get food at the allocated meal times so if you miss a meal, you have to purchase something from the Italian snack bar next to the pool or something from the gift shop (crisps, chocolate etc which is expensive). The food does get boring, it is repeated several times in two weeks and we were glad to have had the Gala Dinners to give some interest.
The hot food is not kept hot enough and the cold food is not stored in chilled display counters. As I have worked in the catering industry all my life, I could see the risks. And sure enough, we both got ill twice.
The second time was horrendous and I lost a whole day sleeping and vomiting. We had to see the doctor twice and had tablets and replacement salts to drink. Disgusting!! But there isn’t a lot of choice, you have to eat something.
Towards the end, we paid for a couple of snacks and had one meal in the A la Carte restaurant which was lovely.
Water is not included in AI. It costs $1.50 for 1.5 litre bottle and you need 3-4 bottles a day each for drinking and cleaning teeth. That’s a bit more expense on your already expensive holiday.
The entertainment is very low key. That’s understandable as it’s a remote destination, but some evenings we were very bored. We didn’t go there to have wild nights but the disco could have been better run and the entertainment guy was hopeless. Hopefully that has changed now.
Overall I enjoyed my trip to Kuredu but I wouldn’t go again. My long-held dream didn’t live up to the reality. Our recent trip to the Dominican Republic was far better.