Coco Bodu Hithi

My wife and I enjoyed 8 nights in one of the Coco Residence water Villas and had an exceptional stay. Having the choice to dine in Stars restaurant for any of our meals was a pleasure and felt as though we were detached from the masses hovering over the buffet style offerings in the main dining area. It was lovely to have the privacy of just a select number of couples and small families every time we dined, all of whom were both friendly and pleasantly discreet and respectful of the other diners. Due to all the guests electing to dine at the festive gala dinner buffet on Christmas Eve we were lucky enough to have the whole restaurant to ourselves which was actually truly spectacular having a table overlooking the sea on such a memorable night. We did dine in the other restaurants, having two nights at Aqua, an evening in the Japanese restaurant (which was exceptional) and one night at the buffet. All of the food was very good and every single course we had over our stay was perfectly cooked and delicious. Our whole experience was made extra special by all the staff, every single member of staff is a credit to their employers, nothing is too much trouble, they are all so happy and helpful and no matter who you pass they will go out of their way to stop what they’re doing to greet you with a smile. We look forward to coming back soon.

Had a fantastic time at Coco! It was our first time staying away from the UK at Christmas and we feared we'd miss the Christmas atmosphere but needn't have worried - from the festive meal to Santa's arrival on the boat we were all in the festive spirit minus the cold from the UK! We stayed in a Residence villa with our two children (well, they're adults 20 and 22!) and were worried about space but they accommodated the extra beds in the lounge area well. Worth noting that a few of the villas on the sunrise side (including ours - 614) have an unfortunate view of a new resort being built in the distance. Not noisy and not the Coco's fault but it did have bright lights at night and initially disappointed us as it broke up the view. We did mention it to our host who was very sympathetic and Coco did offer to move us part way through but we'd settled and got used to it by then so decided to stay put. A good gesture though and unlikely to be an issue when finished. On the topic of hosts - Shihan our host was brilliant! He was on hand throughout but not intrusive. He helped me to arrange some birthday surprises and ensure my wife's birthday went smoothly and helped with restaurant bookings etc. On that note, maybe due to Christmas, we were surprised to find booking limited when we arrived - if concerned, enquire in advance. Jakir, who serviced our rooms was great at leaving little decorations for us whilst servicing the room well twice a day. Very friendly too as was everyone we met working on the island - creating a great atmosphere. Snorkling was fantastic throughout. Good from the villa but stunning across the island on the main reef by the other water villas. Small sharks swam by and we saw turtles. Even saw a turtle swim by our villa! We also used the spa for a treatment which was excellent and also used the fitness room - fantastic views. I've seen some reviews mentioning the food quality. I tend to agree that quality wasn't "five star" but selection was good and we were rarely disappointed. However, we were all inclusive and so not looking the prices - it would likely have been a different story if we were. All in all, highly recommended - if you're considering it, it's not cheap but hey, you only live once so live it well!!

Having stayed at a number of different Maldives resorts, both large and small, it’s the ambience, the food, the service staff and the sea-life that make Coco so special (and encourage our return). The island’s facilities are of a high quality, yet traditional Maldivian (so should appeal to those who don’t much care for Dubai high-rise glitz). The white sandy beaches are empty, and the sea is calm. The beach pool villas are spacious and are well serviced, not overlooked and with a generous pool (our party didn’t suffer from insect bites - although those unused to the Indian Ocean should bring insect repellent). The boat transfers seemed better than former years – but since Covid the boats have been renewed - and our transfers were organised so that we did not have long waits at Malé airport. We would all (our family of 12) like to thank: Hassan, our professional water who anticipated our needs each day, and was ready with the espresso before we ordered it; our restaurant hostess Samikshya (Sami) who was so attentive to ensure our comfort and Gowtham who organised our villas, all of our activities and our restaurant bookings so efficiently. He was always available to answer our questions (usually by a group WhatsApp). We recommend the Star and Tsuki (Japanese) restaurants but the variety and quality of the buffet food in the main Air restaurant is outstanding and the staff are lovely. The size of the island seems just about right with many tree covered walkways and snorkelling the house reef is excellent, with an abundance of fish, turtles, (harmless) reef sharks and rays.

While the resort and facilities were great, the dive team, lead by Antonio, made the whole experience amazing. Great dive sites and knowledgeable team. Dove with silver tips, turtles, rays and plenty more. The boat team and captain were also super friendly and helpful.

Everything was ridiculously expensive but I suppose it is The Maldives! Staff always helpful and greet you with a smile especially if you tip them. Food was actually very average including the a-la-cartes except for the Stars Restaurant which had one great choice which we had both times we went. I believe management are about to change it so Stars is now only for those who pay for the water villas, so we were lucky to be able to go! Buffet restaurant was not the best and is not air conditioned. We did always manage to find something to eat but for cost of holiday we expected to be wowed a little more! We met 2 or 3 other couples who said they had stayed on other islands and the food there was better than here. The pathways around the island which link the your rooms to the facilities are all concrete which have been covered by sand and after a few days walking to dinners becomes tedious. Biggest complaint is the mosquitos which ate both of us. Had to use the locals skin spray as the British ones we took (Jungle Formula Extreme etc) just did not work. Not sure how good the local one in our rooms is for our skin and body but we were so desperate we used it anyway! Be very careful what you eat and drink out of the mini bar as you will be advised very quickly of a list of items which are free and didn't actually turn out that way as we found on check out $320! Jet bike hire is over £100 for 15 minutes!! Speed boat transfers are enjoyable and fun and only take around 40 minutes from the airport. Rooms are a little dated and had to call staff more than once to fix a few things. Even got locked out while on our beach loungers when after house keeping locked up when finished in the room! Would we go again? For the money and experience probably not.