Embudu Village

Nice and very simple. Laid-back and relaxing. I liked the vibe of the island a lot ( reminds me my old backpack travels so South Asia) The food was simple, authentic and tasty ( but the gap between lunch and dinner time is huge, and it’s honestly not any options to eat something there other then in the bar, and honestly it’s not good). The reef is fantastic, diving is cheap, the resort is super close to Male which is definitely great thing especially after we arrived from 1 hour flight away resort). So main things which are problematic personally for me. Everywhere are ashtrays, a lot of people smoking around you any time day and night, no coffee machine on the island ( supposed to be one in the bar but it’s broken and nobody tried to fix it for so long). Very slow wifi and no TV at least Synthetic beddings could be the problem , especially if you have sensitive skin or any problem with synthetic, no music on the island ( it will be so wonderful to add some music to the restaurant area), and there is no woman who is working in resort ( I havent seen any) , only guys everywhere. What could be little bit uncomfortable for women in my opinion. Other then that everything is good, especially for low prices and kind and warm ppl who work there. Thank you

The main advantage of this hotel is that from a marine life perspective its second to none, you really can see pretty much everything there in the house reef, I've seen more here than anywhere else. Its also very laid back, natural and rustic, in a way feels more real than the finely manicured 5 star resorts. The other advantages that I can see are that its only about 15 mins from Male to very easy to access and finally that the price is very reasonable when compared to higher star resorts. One other thing I was really impressive was how quick the resort were to respond to emails in advance of the stay and how helpful they were. Finally we had some specific requests and the hotel took these into account. This is a lot more than I can say for other resorts I've dealt with... I think it was a mistake to stay at a 5-star resort first, which we did last year. The level of service and accommodation is very different. You don't really receive an enthusiastic welcome but I get that its kind of the concept of the island; laid back with a rustic feel. While I wasn't bothered, my wife was alarmed by the no. of ants in the room, maybe we were unlucky. What was an issue for all of us were the no. of mosquitos biting throughout the day not only at night. While I understand that the resort is trying to keep a rustic vibe going, it might be worth doing some fogging if possible as these beasts prevented us from relaxing in the hammocks/sunbeds outside of the villas. I dont know how this would affect other wildlife on the island but the higher end resorts do it. My other suggestion would be to have some chill out music in the dining area, it was somewhat lacking in atmosphere. Other than that nice resort.

Čute Little Island with own house reef close to Male. There are variety od species to be spotted there: many fish, turtles, sharks, stingrays, even whale Shark was spotted very nearby. No need for any shoes in this island as the sand is super soft. Especially great were our table waiter Moosa and Room boy (bungalow 29). With both we had chats in fluent english and they did their job relly great! Moosa cleared the table with super speed, remembered our names and morning coffee preference, and the room boy tolerated well our mess and made it sparkling again. The food is good, although there were some meals where only fish was available, no other meat options. I would add fresh fruit to every meal (many things are canned). Covid-19 measures are strict, so self service is actually "one points, waiter /cook gives". I would recommend the hotel management to ban the gloves and rather reinforce strict hands desinfections as gloves loose their ability to prevent microbe spread, especially when hands are sweaty (pretty much from all the staff, and it is difficult to watch), so gloves are actually useless in this case. (I am a doctor and speak from hospital experience)! Also visirs could equally safe be replaced with glasses!! Superior beach bungalows have big nice bathroom and a very cold aircon. Only problem - all our neighbours smoked outside and the smoke entered bedroom quickly. Massages good but a bit pricy. Big minus: the beer is waaaaaay too expensive. I didnt buy any (9usd). If the price was e.g. 4 usd, it would be acceptable. Bring own water. A bottle is 3 USD (9 bottles in Male are 5USD). Younger 1 L per dat per person. Another warning: beware in what currency you will be charged. In my case if the conversion from USD is made by the hotel, it would cost 406EUR, but my bank charged me only 376EUR. So always state you want to pay in USD. They dont ask, they automatically convert and take provision. Also we went for a fishing trip, which was nice, we caught 4 big fish and a shark which was let go ofcourse. The fish were prepared for dinner next day and were very good. BUT: We were 2 adults and 2 kids. As we showed up at the reception, the guy told us we will be charged for 4 adults as we are the only participants. I protested and thereafter they charged us as stated in pricelist. Friends of ours showed up with a voucher paid more than 2 weeks prior to their arrival. On their arrival they stated they never received the money. After double checking, it turned out they did.. So these financial transactions that try to make a fool out of a guest werent leaving any good impression. Except for that it was nice!

I have stayed for 6 days recently on magnificent Embudu island, it has been an unforgettable and awesome vacation! Embudu Village is a beautiful authentic hotel with outstanding facilities. The whole island is kept clean all the time, the staff is very helpful, polite and attentive to the smallest details. I felt personal attention to my needs all the time. The room is cleaned every day, there is drinking water prepared every day, the park and the beaches are also neat and tidy. Gardeners were so nice and selfless as they offered me fresh coconut. Meals are rich, diverse and tasteful. Service is outstanding, staff at the reception, in the restaurant as well as in the bar is very professional. The cocktails are wonderful! The view from the sunset terrace is magnificent. The house reef is well taken care of, I have seen many different species including octopusses and baby sharks. Covid regulations are observed but not disturbingly, the PCR test has been done professionally too. Overall, an unforgettable experience, thank you Embudu Village for making my Maldives holiday truly amazing and wonderful!!!

At the arrival (on sunday) they tried to scam us, saying our accommodation is not paid by our travel agent and if we want to check-in we have to pay (despite paying to our travel agent). We called our travel agent who confirmed that the arrangement has been fully paid. The reef is poor, full of dead coral and lacking marine life. Lots of plastic waste in the water and on the beach. Food is bad, no fresh fruit beside water mellon and banana. Will never go again. Try to avoid!!!