Maayafushi Island Resort Hotel

ISLAND
Always spotless, people raking the beaches early in the morning so you awaken to perfect white sand. I, personally, loved sitting on the jetty/pier and watching the sea planes fly in - always a great photo op. Also the peninsula at the end of the island was lovely to walk down to and when we went there were loads of baby black tipped reef sharks swimming around the island and they seemed to like it there the best! (harmless sharks - i checked.)
ROOM
Kept clean and tidy, beds folded down in the evening into shapes as on other islands but you felt closer to the room boys as ours even left us a message! (which was probably quite hard to write as it was in English!) We still have it.
STAFF
All the staff are wonderfully helpful and make the visit all the more enjoyable. Always someone there to help and they are all very approachable. By far the bar staff stand out the most as they are so lovely and you feel very close to them by the end as they have told you all about their lives and families.
ENTERTAINMENT
Although at first we found it a bit "cheesy" it definitely grew on you, compared to other islands the entertainment was very enthusiastically done by the staff and provoked lots of laughter throughout the evening. Even if you didn't go and watch it was nice to know that it was there. Dads birthday happened whilst we were on holiday and they made a cake as on other islands but it was made very special as the lights in the whole dining room are dimmed as the waiters sing and play the drums and circle the dining room before coming to your table with the cake.
SWIMMING/SNORKELLING/DIVING
Swimming is OK but only in certain parts as there is some shallow areas (as on all islands) and some areas too corally for you to stand on the sand which is a shame. The snorkelling was average in most areas, although around the pier was exceptional. BUT to see the bulk of the wildlife, going on the snorkelling outings is OUTSTANDING. We saw huge sea turtles and manta rays which seemed to glide past about 1m from us! Its was brilliant. Although I myself did not personally scuba dive, my dad did, and this island is well known for being close to loads of great diving spots and the dive centre is amazingly equipped and the staff are very professional.
FACILITIES
Spa was lovely, go and make a booking and have a luxury massage as I did! The girls who do them are lovely and the whole atmosphere in the spa is great. As said before the diving centre is awesome and the people there are really nice, along with the canoe/catamaran hut down by the peninsula. The gift shop is cute and there is always someone at the bar to assist you. Also the is afternoon tea/morning biscuits in a separate little hut which is free and in the morning you get biscuits and croissants (left from brekkie) and at about 3 there is pizza and sandwiches - all with a nice cup of tea was perfect.
OVERALL
The holiday was great, its just such a shame that all UK tour operators have pulled out of the island for some reason. We had already booked as well!