Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives

Our third visit to Finolhu (that says a lot). Everything about our stay was fantastic. The resort is beautiful, the accommodation and food superb, but what really makes Finolhu special is the friendly, nothing-is-too-difficult attitude of the people who work there. They all offer impeccable service with a smile. Our butler, Raaish, took care of all our needs - often before we had realised we needed them. As on previous visits, Ricky and Upul greeted us and treated us like long lost friends, and went out of their way to make this a special experience. We look forward to introducing them to our family on our next visit! They are all special people who are symbols of Finolhu at its very best. It seems wrong not to mention dozens of others by name, so in addition we’d like to draw special attention to Manday, whose warm welcome at the airport and hospitality in the lounge starts every Finolhu holiday the way it will continue; to Sushaya in the beach kitchen bar, whose keen sense of anticipation is matched only by her memory for our favourite beverages; to Yusuf and Khaleel in the dive centre, who gave us some unforgettable memories of manta rays and reef exploration; to our amazing housekeeper Majeed (who looked after us last time too); and to Fegey, and Siraj, in the Crab Shack and Kanusan, who always went out of their way to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. Highly recommend the premium all inclusive package with all food, including eating at one of the best Japanese restaurants in the world, the crab shack as well as 2 other restaurants, the fully stocked mini bar, and all beverages including French champagne, good wines, amazing cocktails and mocktails. The only extras will be for the boat excursions and some watersports All in all an amazing place to stay. Go find out for yourself! You won’t regret it! Read less

Absolutely top notch resort, staff is fantastic and the food amazing! We were pleasantly surprised in every way! Starting from our greeting at Male airport and being escorted to the sea plane that then flew us to Finolhu. Our flight was delayed by four hours, and we were afraid that we would miss our sea plane, but Finolhu had already arranged to have the sea plane wait for us. Our roohu, (butler) Fairooz was the most responsive, polite and helpful person. He is truly a gem. Our room which was a villa on the lagoon side for part of our trip was spectacular. The view from that side is amazing and then for the last part of our trip, we were in an ocean side villa with a pool which was equally amazing. The villas were clean and impeccably maintained by our housekeeper, Sola. The food was excellent and the variety unbelievable. We loved all the restaurants, especially Crab Shack, and Kanusan. But, in addition to being in paradise, the best part of this resort is the people! Everyone we met was so sweet, kind, and eager to please. The staff in the restaurants were beyond wonderful! A special mention for these team members that were especially great: Ali Upul Alix Ricky Ameen Umey Sashwin Ashfaan Fegey Ablho Asif And then!!! The Milklab was fantastic, but even better were: Zai Asjan And then, the reason for our visit was for the diving! The Dive center manager, Mara, is the best Dive Master I have ever been diving with. She and her team are first class. They go out of their way to please. The dive shop is the best one I have ever seen and maintained immaculately. The dive boats are clean, comfortable, and the dive boat crew very knowledgeable. I felt safe at all times. It is truly an amazing team. If I could replicate that team, everywhere I would. If you plan to Dive, you will be in good hands at Finolhu. My husband and I loved this resort so much that we plan to return. We don’t often go back to the same places as we like to visit new places, but this is one of those places that we will definitely come back to! If you are looking for a terrific place in all regards, this is it. Read less

We have just returned from our second holiday at Finolhu. We last stayed 4 years ago on a family holiday but returned this year as a couples only holiday and it was every bit as fabulous as the first time. The food was abundant and delicious, the buffet restaurant is absolutely first class. Hanusan is our favourite evening restaurant and the Crab Shack is perfect for lunch as well as sunset cocktails as the sunset view from there is out of this world! Look out for turtles on the boat trip over to the Crab Shack :) Highly recommend the sunset/dolpin cruise and snorkelling on the house reef is quite good and there is also some action under the jetty area. I swam with an eagle ray there and a couple of large reef sharks at the house reef but snorkelling in the lagoon and off the water villas is a bit of a waste of time as really nothing to see there. The resort has been refurbished since our last stay and although it was beautiful before, the rooms are stunning now. The water villas have very spacious and luxurious decks compared to other water villas we have stayed in. As with any resort it is the staff that truly make your holiday so I would like to thank the ones that particualrly stood out and went above and beyond expected service. In the Beach Kitchen I would like to thank sweet Ali with his morning greeting wach day as well as Mounia and Ameen plus Lynn. At the Crab Shack Siraj, Messi,Ricky and Upul - delivering outstanding and friendly service. On the beach our every need was looked after by the very attentive and friendly Bukka and Shiyam - thank you both!! Ashfag is a wonderful front office manager and my husband has just reminded me to thank Jitrendha in the Pool Bar for the nuts :) If you have the energy for some fun beach games rather than chilling on the sunbed like us then Charlie & Ashan are you guys. Charlie is very new to the island but I can see he is going to be a huge hit with the guests, such a fun guy! And lastly but not least we have to say the biggest thank you to Guty - who provided us with an outstanding Butler service througout our week. So attentive and professional and a real asset to the resort! He is also a very talented artist as he gave us a card to give to our daughter when we got home with hand drawn pictures of dolphins and turtles as he knew they were her favourites. Such a sweet snd thoughtful gesture. Thank you Guty ❤️ We will definitely return again soon!! Read less

There are only 2 times I've felt emotional when leaving a holiday, and both times were from Finolhu. We visited here 5 years ago, this year we thought we would visit a different island, but within minutes of arriving we realised it was no comparison to Finolhu. Our agent managed to contact Finolhu, we were amazed at how fast and efficiently the Finolhu team got us onto the Island. This island is pure luxury and pure relaxation, it is truly magical. Asim our wonderful butler thought of everything and ensured our trip was seamless. Our girls (4 and 6) still talk abut how much they miss him, 3 months later! Rosie and Zaina from the kids club, wow! Our girls have never been keen on kids clubs, but we couldn't get them to leave, we would check multiple times and each time they said they weren't ready to leave. This was our 1st holiday since having children that were were truly able to relax. The food in all restaurants was incredible, the buffet is like no other you've ever seen, my daughter has multiple food allergies, but this was never a problem, there was always someone available to help and check what was safe for her and they often made her something special! Crabshack was a family favourite, and the coffee shop was a real treat. We didn't have the best weather whilst there, but it didn't matter, the island is so well adapted that they never let you notice if the weather isn't perfect. Every single staff member will go above and beyond and they are all wonderful with children. From the gentleman who greeted us at the airport on arrival to the very helpful Moomoo who helped us through the airport with our very sad faces on departure! You are all wonderful! We cant wait for our next visit, this is definitely our happy place. Read less

On prior trips to the Maldives, my spouse and I have stayed at one of the Four Seasons properties and at Lux South Ari Atoll. Both are genuinely nice resorts. This time around, we were planning a 9-night visit with our 9- and 7-year-old boys, so we spent a LOT of time looking for a top-notch resort that’s good for kids. We were also trying to avoid a “stuffy” resort, which takes itself too seriously. There are hundreds of properties in the Maldives to sort through, but we narrowed it down to Sonevi Jani, The Standard and Finolhu Baa Atoll. We were so happy to have chosen the Finolhu. Not only is the island gorgeous, but the people who work there are genuinely caring, well-trained and courteous. We stayed in a two-bedroom overwater villa with a pool. It was huge and as beautiful as the pictures suggest. The beds are comfy and have magnificent views of the water. Each of the two master bedrooms have little nooks that can be used as beds for smaller kids if needed, or as a place to curl up and read a book. What’s cool about the layout of the bedrooms is that each is very private and has nearly identical features: enclosed bedroom with access to the private deck/pool, large walk-through closet with tons of room, enclosed toilet, enclosed shower, outdoor bathtub and of course, the obligatory outdoor (but very private) shower. The bedrooms open into a large common interior living room with a huge sofa, coffee table, a swinging chair suspended from the ceiling, a large rectangular table with seating for 8-10 people, a powder room off to the side, a bar and a butlers’ pantry with a full refrigerator, sink and places to store leftovers or food you might have brought with you. There’s also a small partially covered courtyard between the door to your villa and the exterior door to the resort. This was a great place to keep shoes, snorkel equipment, etc. Our favorite area, of course, was the outdoor deck off the living room. The centerpiece is the huge, beautiful pool with the azure lagoon as the backdrop. Many resorts on the Maldives offer over-water villas, but this one in a league of its own. The area is so big – you could comfortably host a party for 20 people if you wanted to. There’s an outdoor shower, picnic table, several sun chairs, each with its own umbrella and covered areas in case of rain or if you need a break from the sun. When we arrived, we were assigned a butler named Nashwan. He did such an excellent job arranging activities, making reservations and anticipating our needs. He really took an interest in and looked after our boys. After Nashwan left the island for time off, Saju took over. She did an incredible job getting to know our family’s needs in such a short period of time – very impressive. Except for breakfast, we dined exclusively at the specialty restaurants, which during low season at least, are open a just few days per week each. There’s always at least one or two to choose from, so it wasn’t a problem. It was kinda funny getting to know the staff at one restaurant and then seeing ALL OF them at a different restaurant the following night. The food is expensive at Finolhu, that’s true at all the nice resorts in the Maldives. The difference is that at Finolhu, we did not have a single bad meal. The food is sooooo good there – be prepared to pack on some pounds. Upul, the sommelier, was always present at dinner with suggestions for wine, cocktails and most importantly, drinks for the kids. He is a very kind-hearted person who learned our tastes and gave us ideas every night. Every employee we encountered at breakfast, lunch and dinner was knowledgeable, kind and exceptionally good with the kids. There’s a waiter who works at the buffet restaurant during breakfast named Ali. He seemed shy and quiet at first but summoned the courage to engage with us each morning and always greeted us by name. It was such a sweet gesture. He became our go-to guy when we needed something at breakfast. We miss you, Ali. Thank you for taking such good care of us! Our boys enjoyed their daily visits to MilkLab, a stand-alone ice cream, snack and gift shop next to the beach. We did too - partially because they have strong AC in that shop, so it was a welcome escape on the very hot days. We got to know a server there named Zai who spoiled us with different flavors of custard and ice cream every day. Zai also captured our hearts when we asked her to tell us stories of life in her village in northeastern India. We now have a trip planned to this area, thanks to her. Our group of five made more than a dozen trips to the spa during our stay. The most memorable visit was a much appreciated and well-thought-out “Dad and Me” (or “Mom and Me”) massage where you and your child enjoy a massage together. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea, but wow – the massage therapists at the spa are extremely good listeners and really pay attention to client preferences – including those of my 7-year-old son, who had never experienced a massage before. It was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip for me – and a memory I’m sure my son will cherish for the rest of his life. The spa is affordable and staffed with very capable and well-trained therapists. A special thank you to Suman, Aswany, Laxmi and Suliati. Sadly, we under-utilized the free kid’s club. Our boys were a little shy to get started there, but once they did, they loved going there each day. The team at the Kids Club did an amazing job keeping the little ones busy with activities and fun. Think art projects, movie nights, games in the shallow pool, playground equipment, well-supervised trips to the beach, etc. I don’t know where that team gets their energy from, but they gained our confidence in them caring for our boys in 10 minutes flat. They know what they’re doing! I found the all-inclusive menu packages and “FinDollar” system a bit confusing and I needed guidance on what the tipping standards were. A gentleman named Ashfag was the Front of House Manager during our trip. He was a great resource when I had questions about billing and service. He is trustworthy and a good communicator. He always took time to explain things and is a wealth of knowledge on questions about the Maldives unrelated to the resort. Thanks for your sage advice, Ashfag! The bottom line with all this gushing is that it’s the PEOPLE who make Finolhu great. If you’re the type of person that makes decisions on where to stay by reading DOZENS of TripAdvisor reviews (as I did for this trip) you know to move on when you see the same issue raised about employees who are just going through the motions, they don’t care, poor service, fake smiles, etc. Finolhu is the opposite of all that. We loved every second of our stay and we recently booked our return trip for Summer 2025. One piece of parting advice … whether for lunch or dinner, do NOT miss a chance to eat at Crab Shack. It’s a tiny little restaurant & bar separated from the main part of the resort. You reach it by a 15-minute walk down the sandbar or a 5-minute boat transfer from the main pier. It was such a unique experience that we ended up eating there four times. Our visit coincided with a “White Party”; a free event that’s put on next to the Crab Shack prior to dinner. I don’t know if they offer this every week, but if it’s on when you’re there, book it! It’s a fun, casual cocktail party-esque experience on the beach next to Crab Shack that has something for all ages – cocktails, small bites, face painting for the kids, live DJ, free “sample” massages, a chance to meet the management team and other guests, etc. Fun times! Read less