Reethi Faru Resort

We stayed for exactly one week in July, two of us, in a Garden Villa. Writing this in detail because the resort deserves it and the team there genuinely works hard. The food — the single best reason to come here Let me be blunt: the food is outstanding. We were there a full week and not one day repeated itself. Every evening had its own theme, and not in the “they swapped the labels” sense — it was genuinely a different cuisine each time. And this isn’t about a buffet having lots of options. It’s about the kitchen consistently putting out dishes at the level of a good high-end Moscow restaurant. Not Michelin-style chef’s cuisine, but a solid top-tier restaurant standard — every single day. On the meat specifically: the filet mignon here was better than in almost any restaurant I’ve had it in back home. Cooked exactly right, excellent quality, properly presented. The American night was superb. The French night wasn’t a box-ticking exercise either — it was a properly worked-out menu: real Marseille bouillabaisse, ratatouille, mushrooms in Burgundy sauce, a cheese board with honey and nuts, chocolate charlotte, mille-feuille, nonnettes de Dijon with orange marmalade, and crêpe Suzette. Live stations run throughout — pasta made in front of you, a grill with fresh fish. All the baking is done on site. Desserts hold up, and the krokant is excellent. The fruit deserves its own paragraph. The papaya was simply unbelievable — I’ve never had it that good anywhere. The nectarines were among the best I’ve eaten in my life, no exaggeration. The pineapple was outstanding. Everything ripe, everything fresh, every day. The sea, the reef, and who lives there The water is genuinely clear. Not “clear for a busy resort” — honestly transparent. The beaches are clean, the sand is soft, and getting in is easy. You snorkel straight off the beach, no arranging required. The Sea Explorer dive centre also runs a free guided house reef snorkel every day at 11:00. What we saw over the week — all of it with our own eyes, and nearly all of it on the house reef: • Turtles — plenty of them, regularly, and some clearly live there permanently. • Blacktip reef sharks — a great many, especially close to shore. • Spotted eagle rays — a couple of times. Stunning animals. • A giant moray eel — a resident of the house reef, out at the drop-off. • An octopus — also found on the house reef. • Titan triggerfish — huge, and more than one. All calm, none of them aggressive toward us. We ended up with four triggerfish species in total: Picasso, orange-lined, clown and titan. • A cuttlefish — small, shifting through every colour of the rainbow. A genuine wow moment. • Clownfish, needlefish, cornetfish, unicornfish (these actually follow you around), porcupinefish, boxfish and sweetlips. • Shoals of small baitfish bursting out of the water in a silver wave in the sun, hunted from below and from above at the same time. A spectacle in its own right. Dolphins even came in toward the house reef — too far out to reach, though. They move fast. Excursions Dolphins. The dolphin trip is a must. We saw well over a hundred spinner dolphins. And they don’t just jump — they throw genuine somersaults, several full rotations, a metre clear of the water. When we went out on the jet ski we ended up right among them, and we got to swim with them. They moved off quickly, but it happened. Underwater you hear the clicks — a lot of them; we even recorded them. One of the strongest impressions of the whole trip. Mantas. The manta trip absolutely delivered — we saw them, and saw them close. One came straight at us and passed within one or two metres. I saw another at roughly a metre’s distance at a cleaning station, with the cleaner wrasse working over it; it let us get remarkably close and simply stayed put. Wildlife on the island itself The island is green and alive, and that’s a pleasure in itself: • Flying foxes — big, with a rust-coloured collar, out over the palms in the evening. You can hear them clicking their wings. • Kan’bili (the white-breasted waterhen, the national bird of the Maldives) — the little “chickens” running around the grounds. Completely unafraid, they walk right up to you. • Asian koels — you hear them before you see them: a rising “a-wow”, about five times over, getting louder each time. The males are glossy black, the females spotted and streaked, and both have red eyes. • A grey heron — we met it once, a bit battered-looking but full of fight. The local terns kept trying to run it off. • Black-naped terns — slim, loud, and hunting the baitfish that break the surface. • Geckos clicking away at night, and garden lizards doing push-ups at each other like they’re in a gym. Honest about the downsides Mosquitoes. They got us a bit on the first two days — we were in a Garden Villa, which is in the garden zone. After that it was a non-issue. Still, bring a decent repellent (we used Gardex Extreme) and the problem disappears entirely. It is absolutely not a deal-breaker. Everything else is minor and doesn’t touch the overall impression. Verdict Reethi Faru is a resort where the kitchen and the reef are equally strong. In one week we put together a wildlife list that would take a month to assemble elsewhere: turtles, sharks, eagle rays, a moray, an octopus, titan triggerfish, a cuttlefish, mantas at arm’s length, over a hundred dolphins, flying foxes, and half of Maldivian ornithology thrown in. A separate thank you to the staff. They are genuinely engaged — they help, they explain, they tell you where to look for what. The Sea Explorer dive centre are true professionals. Would we go back? Yes, without a second thought

We had the most incredible time at Reethi Faru ☀️ We've been home two weeks and miss it already. We met the lovliest people, spent time under the water seeing amazing creatures and exploring on land in awe of the natural beauty of the island. The food was just fantastic and I was so well looked after, being vegan, nothing was too much trouble. The staff were all so lovely and friendly and made us feel so welcome. To name a few (but by no means all) Janeesh & Jinu from Dhiyavaru who looked after us on many occasions, Rishi from the dive centre - a wonderful instructor, Musalih who kept our villa immaculate, chefs Sakir and Rajesh from Vakaru, Bruno, Milton & Pari who looked after us so well at Veggie Vegan, Reethi Grill and Haruge Bar, Sateesh at Vakaru, Devita, Tika and all the ladies from the spa and Roberta, who literally was the spirit of the Island and always made our day with her wonderful smile and positivity. Looking forward to our return visit 🏝

This was our third visit to Reethi Faru, and once again it did not disappoint. We arrived on 26th June for a two-week stay, and we couldn't have asked for better weather throughout our holiday.

As always, our experience was exceptional from start to finish. The resort continues to impress with its beautiful surroundings, excellent facilities, and, most importantly, its incredibly friendly and welcoming staff. Everyone goes out of their way to make you feel at home and ensure your stay is memorable.

A special mention must go to our old friend Janaka, who is a real credit to the resort. His warmth, professionalism, and genuine care for guests are just some of the reasons we keep returning year after year.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to Rajesh, the Sous Chef, for his outstanding hospitality during our stay. In addition, Abishake at the Dhiyavaru Restaurant was simply fantastic. Nothing was ever too much trouble, and the quality of his food and cooking was exceptional. His passion and attention to detail truly enhanced our dining experience.

We would also like to recognise all of the staff at the Dhiyavaru Restaurant, who were consistently accommodating, attentive, and friendly throughout our stay. Their excellent service, welcoming smiles, and willingness to help made every meal a pleasure and contributed greatly to the overall experience.

Reethi Faru continues to exceed our expectations, and it feels like a home away from home. We are already counting down the days until we return next year!

Thank you to everyone at Reethi Faru for another unforgettable holiday.