Eriyadu Island Resort

A Tropical Paradise: Eriyadu Island Resort Eriyadu Resort is a hidden gem, offering a perfect blend of natural beauty and exceptional service. The stunning scenery, with its pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, is simply breathtaking. The island is home to a variety of wildlife, including colorful lizards, fascinating birds, and vibrant marine life. The resort's staff, including the dedicated room attendant Vikram, whose warm smile brightened our days, and the friendly bar staff, Raju, Hirusha, and Delawar, went above and beyond to ensure a memorable stay. The room was always immaculate, and the drinks were delicious. Eriyadu Resort is truly a tropical paradise, offering a serene and unforgettable escape. Read less

Our stay at Eriyadu Island Resort was truly unforgettable. The stunning natural beauty of the island, coupled with the exceptional service from Vikram, the room attendant, and the friendly bar staff, Raju and Hirusha, and the efficient waiter Iman, made our vacation truly special. The room was always clean and comfortable, and the drinks and food were delicious. We can't wait to return! Read less

ARRIVAL. We have recently returned from our 8th trip to the Maldives, this time staying at the Eriyadu Island Resort. We had a great holiday and enjoyed every minute of it, but we always do. We booked with Blue Bay Travel and flew with Etihad airways and had the All Inclusive Plus option. After we got through immigration and customs at Male Airport we were informed that we would have to wait for 3 hours for another couple of guests arriving from China before getting on the speedboat to the island. This was not ideal and thankfully it turned out to be around 2 and a half hours. Upon arrival at Eriyadu the check-in was swift and efficient. Without doubt the star of the reception was a man called NUF, who was of tremendous assistance to us throughout our holiday. ACCOMODATION. Our bungalow was very much like others we have experienced in the Maldives, and well equipped and clean. The A/C worked to perfection and except for having to turn off the temperature light (very bright at night), we never had to adjust it for the whole holiday. The bed was enormous and comfortable and the bathroom was very clean complete with an open-air shower, a feature which we always enjoyed on past holidays. Our room boy, VIKRAM, was marvellous, cleaning and replenishing consumables twice a day for which we were grateful as we were not too good at keeping the sand out! We had a few problems with condensation/fogging on some of our devices at first which was due to these items spending time in the airconditioned main room and then being taken outside. The biggest problem was with my wifes’ mobile phone which refused to charge due a moisture alert, but the ever efficient NUF in reception sorted it out and after that we kept cameras etc in the bathroom where there is no aircon. We were on the north side of the island which gave us some wonderful sun rises if we were up at 5:45am! RESTAURANT/FOOD. There 2 seating areas to the restaurant, and both were serviced by a very attentive team of staff. Very special mentions to Nuzufa, Nimesh and the wonderful Ijlal (aka ‘difficult’) for their fantastic work. All the meals were served ‘buffet style’ and sometimes a bit repetitive after a week or so. And I am a very fussy eater, but always found enough to satisfy myself, even having to choose a few unconventional varieties! Highlights were the roast beef, chicken and egg drop soup, plenty of chicken/fish dishes and options for vegans and vegetarians. Breakfast was the same choices almost each day, but no shortage of options. Lunch was highlighted by having lovely ice cream which we believed was made in-house, and the choice of desserts at the evening meal were very extensive - they do some fantastic Panna Cottas! Thanks to all the chefs and cooks for their efforts. BAR. We spent most evenings sat on the terrace with a drink watching the sunsets and passing sharks etc. The entertainment could be somewhat hit and miss. The musicians who came in from Male were very pleasing, and the Dive Team put on some good quizzes and videos. The Karaoke evening (twice a week) could only be described as painful, despite the brave work by the staff members. Having said that, there were some pretty good Italian guests who shone above all others. The bar staff were mega-efficient! Upon entry you placed your order at the bar and then found yourself a seat. No matter how well you tried to hide they always found you to deliver your drinks – brilliant! Our thanks to all the staff in the Blitz bar. We did eat one lunch at the bar (not AI) and can recommend the burgers and the Eriyadu Club chicken sandwich. BEACH BAR. We did visit the beach bar on occasion and found that it was sometimes difficult to locate the barman! However, we did enjoy the times we had there, particularly watching an entertaining game of volleyball. POOL. We made good use of the swimming pool area during our stay and never had a problem getting one of the day beds even though there were only 7 of them. The pool was always clean and cool (not cold!) and being next to the bar made it a really nice place to spend some time. BEACHES AND FAUNA. What can you say….lovely clean white sand, palm trees etc, but if you were not careful a few ‘sharp bits’ could be found underfoot. Away from the beach there are some very tall trees which are very well populated with Fruit Bats which were captivating to watch. The island gardening staff were very busy planting out hundreds of new plants around the room areas which was surprising when you consider what lies ahead in the future years (see below). There are some interesting lizards to be seen, and the Maldivian Waterhens are a pleasant distraction. Note: We never saw an ant, anywhere, which is unusual. THE BITERS. Yes, we did get bitten by some invisible and sneaky bugs, but not in our room, due to the coolness of the aircon. But the communal areas were a different story! You could be “hit” in the bar, restaurant and pool areas so take plenty of repellents. Another tip – if you decide to use your room sun loungers then put them on the beach rather than under the vegetation, you will get bitten less. SNORKELLING. We are not into diving, but the snorkelling is our main attraction. We were last in the Maldives in 2021, and before that 2018, and we were very pleased to see that, on the whole, the coral has recovered very well since the bad years of 2016-2017. The abundance of sea life on the house reef was amazing! So many species of reef fish, 3 types of sharks, Parrot fish, angels and butterfly fish – wonderful. We only saw one Moray Eel, and one small Octopus and sadly, NO RAYS, which was a little disappointing. After a week we had not spotted a Turtle, then the amazing NUF said ‘go there’ and we did. Just around 40mtrs from the beach and there was a Turtle just where he said! Saw them everyday after that. We did not take part in any of the excursions, never saw the need, but others were praising them highly. THE FUTURE. Over the next few years there are going to be massive changes to Eriyadu. These have already begun with a new Dive Centre being built, and a new Luxury bungalow taking shape at the eastern end if the island. These were absolutely not a hindrance to our stay. Plans include, a new pool, the bar changing to be the restaurant, reception relocating to where the restaurant is now, and the 2 room ‘blocks’ are going to be demolished and replaced by luxury bungalows with plunge pools. Both jetties will disappear (just as well, any safety inspector from UK/EU would condemn them in seconds) and a new replacement constructed. SUMMARY. We always enjoy our holidays at the Maldives and Eriyadu was no exception. The staff are amazing and make your trip a very happy memory. We would certainly advise anybody to visit this resort and we will give a return trip very serious consideration. Read less

We went to this holiday as a relaxing - doing nothing holiday to recharge our batteries. The speedboat journey around 45 minutes to the Island was such a beautiful start, it was so much fun, seeing other islands on the way. On Eriyadu we were greeted warmly by the Reception Staff. The island was perfect for us, very small, you can walk around it in 15 minutes. Our villa was on the East side and we could see the beach and water from the veranda. The villa itself had a very spacious bedroom, perfectly cooled by AC. I do need to mention how I appreciated the big mirrors in bedroom and bathroom, often too small for tall people in hotels, yet these were wonderful. The spacious bathroom, a wetroom had a fantastic shower, open on the top so we could see the palmtrees while showering. When it rained it felt real fun, who can shower in the rain? The villa had 2 entrance doors, one to the bathroom and one to the bedroom. Practical was the tap outside the bathroom door, as the sandy feet could be washed before going inside. Another plus was the rack outside on the veranda to hang up all wet clothing. Within a day everything was dry. Lovely Imran cleaned the rooms twice a day, laid the duvet beautifully in the evening. Everything was spotless clean. An assett to the housekeeping team. Food was amazing, always buffet with a big choice, something there for everyone. I particularly enjoyed all the fish dishes. Fruit, salads always freshly prepared and beautifully presented. Thank you to all the chefs, specially Nakala Sampat who walked around to see everything was fine. The staff in the restaurant also need a special mention. Specially Rayhan greeted and served us with a warm beaming smile and was always there when we needed anything. A credit to the team. Noorey always informed us of any events they can offer us, dinner by the beach etc. and addressed us by name, it made us feel part of the family. Noticable was that there were hardly any flies and no flies while eating. All the staff worked hard to on Halloween night, the decoration was amazing. We had great fun. In the Spa, we had a beautiful massage, with lovely staff, Vineetha and her team are wonderful. We hired snorkel kits and canooes in the Diving center . Snorkeling is a must here to see all the fish, we only see in Aquariums in my part of the world. We saw reef sharks and of course a lovely turtle. We snorkeled every day and every day we dicovered new fish. The staff again was very helpful and friendly. Each evening was different entertainment in the bar. A Quiznight and an Information night about turtles and Marinelife- organised by the staff of the diving centre was really fantastic and very informative. There were music evenings with good musicians, Karaoke evenings etc. As we particularly love nature, we loved walking under the palmtrees, the Sea lettuce, Banana trees, Hibiscus and all other plants. So fantstic. The Island seems untouched, even the bins blend perfectly in. It was great to see that young plants and trees are nursed to be planted. As there are changes ahead as we heard, I do hope the island will still keep its jungly and natural feel which makes the Island very special. Watching sunrises and sunsets, lying in the sun lounger, having a drink from the beach bar, listing to the waves, watching differnt lizards, Fruitbats, Whitecrested Waterhens with their chicks passing, many Hermitcrabs running along - all was part of our relaxing holiday. Nature and all the beautiful staff makes this island very special, I totally recommend to visit it. By the way the water really is that clear, turquoise and clean as on all the brochure pictures. Thank you to everyone who made our holiday a dream holiday. Read less