JA Manafaru

Aan was the best🤩she made us feel welcome everything else was breathtaking and mesmerizing. The food, the view was so good and relaxing that the worst thing that could happen to you there is leave the island. I am looking forward to going back there.

Wow! Just back from a seven-night stay with our 10-year-old daughter, and it was truly amazing! This was a big trip for us, and JA Manafaru didn't disappoint. From the time we landed in Male to our departure, the service was exemplary. We were escorted through a busy airport to our awaiting taxi for the short distance to the sea plane (impressive dock), which gave us the best views of the Maldives (and at 1hr 10-30mins, honestly didn't feel like a drag). Once landed, we were met by our Thakuru Aan with cold towels and hibiscus tea before being whisked to our beach villa. Our villa was beautiful, and worked really well for a family of three, with a large day bed (about a Queen-size) for our daughter, with sliding doors to section off her 'room'. Being able to walk directly into the sea from the front or cool off in the plunge pool at the back, meant we had the best of both worlds. We chose Manafaru for many reasons: we loved the fact that it was an established island, with natural shade, that meals (we did Dine Around/AI) followed some themed nights (Thursday was local fish BBQ night - epic!), as well as some fine dining (loved the Teppanyaki - brilliantly entertaining chef!) and dining on the beach, and that there was a happy mix of activities and downtime. We'd budgeted for extras - and they were totally worth it. Mommy and Me Spa, the Cinema Under the Stars (ice creams brought to the beach halfway through), jet skis and the sunset dolphin cruise (we saw around 200 swimming with the boat!), but we also took advantage of free cocktail masterclass, kayaks, snorkelling and the bikes provided to explore the island for ourselves. We easily slipped into life on Manafaru, with super-healthy, colourful and exciting buffet breakfasts (so much choice that we didn’t need a la carte), light bites (and cocktails) at Andiamo for lunch, before trying something new for dinner. Our 10-year-old loved the food - there' was always a kid's friendly options, but she is a BIG sushi fan, so was in her element! The staff treated her like a grown up and she thrived. But what made our trip extra-special was lovely Aan, our host. We felt like we made a true friend (our daughter loved her!), who did her utmost to make our stay incredible. Nothing was too much trouble, and we loved looking out for her at mealtimes to share what we had done that day or plan our next move. Aan, and the rest of the staff (from gardeners to water sports, bar/restaurant staff to chefs) really make this much more than a 5-star resort - they are the very heart and soul of JA Manafaru. We hope to come back one day…

When you see the brochures and videos online and it looks amazing, you are expecting a lot when you get there. It was everything we expected and more! The service was amazing and we would go back! The only thing we thought could be better were the cocktails. The manager of the resort confirmed they have a new beverage manager, so things will change :)

This is our fourth stay at this hotel. Previously we were with our son, this time the two of us with my wife. We took an all-inclusive package in the villa on the water. Arrive to the island by a seaplane, which waited for our late cruise plane. Wonderful weather, wonderful wide white beach. The rooms are clean, the staff is very nice, the food is fantastic (especially the Kakuni restaurant). If someone was in the Maldives, he will not like it anywhere better. That's why we've been coming back here for ten years and we think this island and this one are fantastic

JA Mananfaru is a special place. We had high expectations for this trip and JA exceeded them in every way. It starts with all of the staff who go above and beyond to make your stay special. Our host Rizam was always available to answer questions and provided great tips on different ways to enjoy the island. The food was incredible, including the special dinners at Kakuni. We traveled as a family with our 6 year old daughter and she loved going to the kids club and hunting for the hidden bottles around the island. Some reviews mentioned it that the snorkeling was challenging or that the house reef was not the best but I could not disagree more. We snorkeled as a family multiple times a day and saw tons of colorful fish and a few turtles. Also, I almost took this resort off my list because of an article that mentioned that the longer travel time from Male could be difficult with small children. I am glad I ignored that - we were taken care of from the moment we arrived, escorted to the sea plan terminal and waited in comfort of the lounge until our plane was ready. It couldn’t have been easier. I tried to think of something we thought could be done better but I could not. JA Manafaru is the very best place we have ever stayed and we are already planning our next trip!