The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

The Ritz Carlton, Fari Islands is on (almost) all counts - absolutely mind blowing. Starting with the arrival experience, a seamless transfer to a luxury speedboat offering you a comfortable ride with a snackbox and drinks on demand set the tone for the rest of the trip. The room has to be the most spacious, well, appointed rooms we have ever stayed in. The fact that the sliding doors open up entirely allow you to have a feeling of expanse which is unparalleled. The uninterrupted views of the ocean are mindblowing - just be sure to get a room in which the view isn't completely covered with vegetation. The food across all outlets is also impeccable. We LOVED all of our meals at La Locanda, the Beach Shack, Arabesque, IWAU and the Summer Pavillion (as well as a private dinner which we arranged for ourselves on the beach!). While it's hard to pick, our favourites were probably the Chef's Table at IWAU (get the sake pairing), the Beach Shack and Summer Pavillion. What really makes this property standout though is the service. ALL the staff here go above and beyond. From a champagne bottle in your room on arrival, to additional dishes being thrown in for you to taste, to spa suite upgrades, to complimentary drinks to compensate for even the most minor of mishaps - the staff here will do whatever it is in their power to make your stay *absolutely delightful*. I have to call out the following people for going that little extra mile: Ausy from La Locanda, Jai from Eau Bar, Sippe from Summer Pavillion, Shaffaz from in-room / private dining, Chef Lamyai from in-room / private dining, Lahiru the sommelier at Eau Bar, and finally Shafraz at La Locanda. You guys are absolutely incredible! Tips which we wished we had been given: 1. Ensure your room has a view (and isn't completely covered with vegetation which our first room, #137, was) 2. Make sure you ask about special dinners / pop-ups which are being planned. There was a Maldivian Night and a Lobster + Champagne dinner that we were unaware of. 3. Make sure you check the "event list" in your room for other activities that are being planned. Again, we missed out on the wine tasting as we didn't realise it. 4. Arabesque and Tum Tum are in the Fari Marina village (not in the main island). It's hardly a 10 minute boat so it isn't obtrusive, but worth noting. 5. The Fari Marina Village also has other restaurants (run by the Patina Hotel) which seemed really nice but aren't promoted by the RC at all (for obvious reasons). 6. While the island is man-made and the reef life is still developing, there IS some interesting sealife on the island itself. You need to speak to various people to figure out what those locations are (and how to get there). 7. As a result of this, the snorkelling expeditions are a *must do*. We did both the Shark snorkelling and Turtle snorkelling and both were amazing. The latter is definitely easier from an intensity point of view, and you also get longer sightings given turtles are slower than sharks! While I will call out that the prices at the hotel really are reflective of a top 5 Maldivian resort, a vast majority of experiences are probably worth it (at least for special occasions). Thank you RC Fari Islands for an incredible 10th anniversary celebration for us. We will remember it for the rest of our lives.

This was a very special trip for us. We were celebrating our 20 year anniversary and a big birthday milestone. And I cannot envision any other place to end our trip, than at the Ritz Carlton in the Maldives. Everything was exceptional. There is not much more to say about this property than has what has been already said. And I understand that everyone's perspective is different. But we had an unbelievable stay at the Ritz. We stayed at the property for 9 days/8 nights. I'm a Bonvoy Platinum member and cashed in my points for 8 nights. And it was well worth it. Especially since being at any resort in the Maldives is extremely expensive. But throwing that aside. It was unbelievable. I used my points for an overwater villa and payed a bit more for a sunset view. Which was incredible! But a few days into our stay, on my husband's 60th birthday, the manager called our Aris Meeha (Ammadey) to speak with my husband to wish him a happy birthday. In doing so, they offered us a room upgrade to a 2 bedroom sunset beach villa suite. Which blew me away. And how could we turn that down. So during dinner, they moved our luggage to our new suite and Ammadey was communicating with me during dinner that our new villa was ready for our arrival, and to let him know when we were ready to be picked up by golf cart. UNBELIEVABLE. Ok...we do have some shoutouts to some of the amazing staff that really made our trip special. And I apologize ahead of time if we have misspelled their names. First of course was our Aris Meeha, Ammadey. He is AMAZING! He was very attentive. Communicating with us constantly thru WhatsApp. Especially since I came down with a cold and had to change our plans more than once. It's interesting, because even though my cold cleared out quickly, he knew when my husband's voice was becoming 'raspy'. (even when my husband didn't want to tell anyone he was coming down with my cold). I do have to say that each butler does manage 6 villas, and so that could be a bit overwhelming to some. But to Ammadey....he's a pro! Maria in management. At our prior resort we stayed at in Thailand, she was good friends with a manager there. And Poy in Thailand communicated with Maria about our arrival, and we got to spend some time with her, especially at the Bonvoy Elite Sunset Happy hour. That was amazing. And we are going to get the casing for diving for the iPhone!! Great Tip! Mafaz at the airport. Thank you for assisting us to getting us to our flight. Aly...room service staff....we missed you when we were transferred to our new room. Jean at breakfast/happy hour...I could chat with you for hours. Especially since you grew up in Asia and we just came from Thailand. Other names are Shaan, Yammu, Musto, Isko, Rudi and Ismail, Ahnaf, Lamyai and Maantey..thank you for our unforgettable private sunset dinner. I will remember that for the rest of my life. Mahalo Nui Loa! Thank you to all the staff and management in creating in unbelievable memory. To wrap things up. We had an amazing trip. The food was exceptional. Our favorites were of course breakfast. The Beach Shack. Eau Bar. And if you can splurge it. The private sunset beach dinner is Exceptional!! So special. Activities. Unfortunately we couldn't dive because I couldn't equalize my ears. But the snorkel excursions were exceptional. Highly suggest doing more than one. And what we saw during our snorkels were amazing. Even the dolphin sunset cruise was really fun. I do have to say, being a newer resort with a 'manmade reef', snorkeling off the overwater villa was disappointing. We stayed at the Conrad Maldives in 2019, and they had better snorkeling off the room. But we love being in the water and being from the NW part of the States. It's amazing to be in warm water in November/December. Lastly. The Ritz does offer a complementary 1 hour photo shoot. Take advantage of that! It's a trip of a lifetime! You do have to pay for most of the pics, it's really pricey. But the memories are priceless. And I do have to say. For those that are LGBTQ. We felt at home. No issues. And that meant a lot. And is part of our memory.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of staying at several stunning resorts in the Maldives, such as One&Only Reethi Rah,Shangri-La's Villingili Resort,The St. Regis Maldives, **Jumeirah Olhahali Island, andKuda Villingili Resort. Each of thes The overwater villas at these properties were consistently spacious, elegantly designed, and offered breathtaking views of the turquoise lagoons. Every detail was thoughtfully crafted to provide a sense of comfort and sereni At the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, I found the same impressive design and natural beauty in the resort itself. The architecture and surroundings were undeniably stunning, and the dining staff, in particular, were extremely courteous, friendly, and eager to help, which added warmth to the overall experience. However, I must highlight some challenges I faced during my stay. The resort seems to lack professional staff and effective management that ensures a seamless and comfortable guest experience. Unlike other resorts, there was no clear point of contact with management or a reception desk where I could directly address any concerns or make decisions regarding my stay. The absence of proactive engagement from management was noticeable. Throughout my stay, no one inquired about my satisfaction or any needs I might have. If I needed something, I had to rely on the personal butler assigned to me, who acted as the intermediary with management. Unfortunately, while the butler was kind and willing to assist, they appeared overwhelmed and unable to address everything effectively. The lack of a cohesive management structure left me feeling that guest satisfaction was not prioritized as it should be in a resort of this caliber. In conclusion, while the resort offers incredible natural beauty and exceptional dining staff, the management and overall guest experience fell short of the high standards I’ve come to expect from luxury resorts in the Maldives.

My wife and I spent 6 nights at the RC Fari Islands, our first of two resorts in the Maldives we stayed at, on our very first trip to the country. What an amazing welcome to the country. From beginning to end, we were completely taken care of. People you have only met once briefly remember your name and truly appear to care about your well being. We were at Male airport by a RC representative Lana as soon as we cleared customs. Lana grabbed our bags, explained everything to us, ans immediately took us to a waiting area to wait for one more couple, no more than a couple minutes, before bringing us to our waiting boat, which lucky for us was the RC Yacht (nice little surprise). We didn’t deal with luggage until we saw it in our villa (made it before we even did). Lana was a great friendly face after landing in a pretty chaotic airport. The boat ride was about 80 minutes, owing to a bit of bad weather, and the slower nature of the yacht. Snacks and drinks served on board, with wifi, made for a comfortable ride. Having taken the speed boat back in rough water, the yacht is definitely the way to go. We were met at the entrance jetty by representatives of the resort, and introduced to our Aris Meeha Muneef. I cannot say enough good things about this man. He was attentive to our needs without being overbearing, kind, funny, and a great ambassador for the property. From providing information and advice about excursions, shuttling us around when we needed it, and being a point of contact, he really made the trip. Quick example - I left something in my room when I checked out, and went to the next resort. I asked if he could just get it to the airport for when I left, but he arranged to have it sent to my next resort, within 24 hours. The villa is large, fresh, and comfortable. Lots of room for clothing, a massive indoor shower, with a second out door shower. The bed is insanely comfortable, great for helping rid the jet lag. Always stocked with fresh water, snacks and drinks from the mini bar (they noted our cookie jar was always empty, and made sure on day 3 to stock It right to the brim. Another example, I asked for a second can of pop one day and they made sure there was two in there for the rest of trip). Turn down and housekeeping were top notch, and usually done when we’re done. Food was amazing at the resort, there really isn’t a bad restaurant. But be prepared to pay a premium, although the service you receive is very attentive. During our first breakfast, our server noted that we had spent a lot of time talking to a couple we met at the table next to us. Before we knew it it was 11, time Got away from us, and we weren’t able to get everything we wanted from the buffet. He noted this and only charged us for the a la carte items we ate. We ate a fruit we had never had before, and loved it, next morning they brought us a plate full of it, remembering how much we loved it. From samples of desserts, or chefs providing us examples of food to try, the service at all the restaurants was 5 star. Specific shout outs to Reeshan, Sippe, Audi and Ahnad who truly made our food experiences top notch. Owing to it being a man made island, the reef is still getting built up. That being said, just outside of our villa, we regularly swam with sting rays, sharks and a turtle. We also did a snorkelling excursion, and saw 5 turtles and an eel. Drinks at Eau Bar, as well as the sunset ceremony are must do’s. From special drinks the bartender thinks you might like to try, to amazing sushi, we were taken care of. Lots of hot days at the beach club, where we were taken care of by George, from drinks, water, friendly banter, and even a home made gift when he found out it was our anniversary. When we were hoping to eat something not on the menu, George made it happen. Another great representative. From beginning to end we were taken care of, and we are already planning our return trip.

We just had an amazing stay at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, and it truly exceeded all expectations. The resort is beautiful, and the staff made it even better. A huge shoutout to our butler, Ford—he went above and beyond to make our stay unforgettable. From drawing sand art on our door to surprising us with fresh fruit and chocolate-covered strawberries, he made every day special with his thoughtful touches and warm hospitality. We also want to express our gratitude for every individual staff member, from housekeeping to the restaurant and beach/pool staff to the gardeners and boat drivers. Each one of them greeted us with a smile and made us feel welcome and honored. The hotel itself was spotless, the rooms were spacious and super comfortable, and we honestly felt like we were in paradise the whole time. The food was also incredible, especially at the Arabesque restaurant. A special mention to Chef "TopG," the Egyptian chef, whose passion and skill really shone through in every dish. You could really feel the love he put into his cooking. The Ritz-Carlton Maldives really set the bar high. It’s going to be hard to go back to real life after such an incredible experience. We’ll definitely be back!