Embudu Village Maldives

Everything was excellent, from the warm welcome to the transfer back. The staff were always ready to help, and the food was superb (5/5). We had a bungalow right by the sea, literally 5 meters away. Two days before our Maldives holiday ended, we were upgraded to an overwater villa for free, and it was incredible with a huge veranda. I really hope to come back again. Thank you to the hotel!

The biggest drawback is that the overwater villas don't have direct sea access. You have to walk down a pier to the beach to enter the ocean. Directly next to these villas, there's a treated sewage discharge. There's a smell from it, depending on the wind direction. Basically, out of the four overwater villas, choose the one farthest from the pier, as all the others are affected by the smell. On the overwater villas, the sound of the waves during high and low tide is so loud it's impossible to sleep. The glass floor is beautiful, but at sunrise, it reflects directly onto the bed and into your eyes. You have to cover it with a blanket. The food is excellent, and coffee and drinks are free in the morning. Any other meal requires an extra charge, even for water. They provide two 0.7-liter bottles of water in the room once a day. There are many large lizards running around the island. We didn't see any parrots. There are fruit bats hanging in the trees. The reef is spectacular; there's something to see all around the island. For my birthday, they surprised me by decorating the bed and placing fruit and a cake in the room.

The location is excellent, not far from the airport, about 15-20 minutes by speed boat (the hotel's high-speed boat). You need to notify the hotel in advance, and they will arrange everything. Despite it being the low season, there are many tourists staying at the hotel, predominantly Europeans, especially Germans. The local diving school is quite popular with them. The hotel is a true 3-star property. The rooms are spacious, located in bungalows; I can't speak for other areas, but I assume they're similar. The staff are very polite and eager to help. It was especially nice that they were able to arrange an early check-in and late check-out, probably due to the season. During peak season, I'm not sure if this would be possible with a large influx of tourists, but only experience and the situation itself would tell. The grounds and rooms are cleaned daily. They treat the bushes and trees for mosquitoes, which are particularly abundant across all Maldivian islands during the rainy season. Still, it's advisable to bring some insect repellent for biting insects. A special thank you to the chefs; they put in a lot of effort. Both European and local cuisine are available, and their desserts are fantastic. If I were to return to the Maldives, I would definitely stay at this honest three-star hotel again. Oh, and there are excursions here and an amazing reef around the island. It's a shame, though, that not all tourists follow the rules, and over years of tourism, parts of the coral reef are dying around all the islands – it's a sad story. But there's still plenty to see when snorkeling and diving, including various fish, sharks, and turtles.

I stayed here specifically for diving. The biggest draws of this resort are its rich house reef and the ability to self-dive 24/7, as much as you like. After completing the mandatory check dive (note: it's only once a day at 10:30 AM), you're free to self-dive whenever you want, or join the boat dives held every morning and afternoon. The area under the house reef's jetty, in particular, was absolutely fantastic, with huge schools of fish, and we even spotted spotted eagle rays and sharks. The boat dives are essentially buddy dives, so I'd say they're best suited for experienced divers who can understand English briefings. A dive computer and SMB are also mandatory. The dive boat itself is spacious, making it easy to don tanks, and it even has a toilet, which was very comfortable. The resort also has excellent facilities for rinsing and drying gear, which were incredibly convenient. While you set up your own gear, the staff on the boat were helpful, assisting with carrying tanks for those who needed a hand, especially some of the female divers, which was much appreciated. I stayed for 5 days, but I really wished I could have stayed longer to explore the house reef more thoroughly. Diving the house reef between the morning and afternoon boat dives meant we'd be diving around lunchtime, so the half-board plan was perfect for us. I think this is an amazing place for an affordable, diving-focused resort stay in the Maldives. The rooms are simple with minimal amenities, but since we were always diving and not in the room much, it didn't bother us at all, haha. The buffet offered a different theme every day, so the food never got boring.

The island scenery is beautiful, and you often see stingrays and crabs, with an occasional eel swimming by the shore. When you arrive on the island, a porter helps with your luggage, and you're greeted with welcome juice upon check-in. The overall cost on the island is decent, not as expensive as rumored online, and generally affordable. However, some activities are a bit difficult to book.

There are different activities every day, but advance registration is required, which is more friendly to travelers staying for more than a week. The environment is okay, but some room facilities are broken and cannot be repaired, so you have to change rooms, which is inconvenient. The snorkeling is very good. As an introductory resort island, it's passable.

The staff were friendly and wonderful! This was my first time in the Maldives, and I'm so glad I chose this place. There were so many fish, it was amazing! I'd love to stay longer next time.

This was my first trip to the Maldives, and I'm so glad I chose Embudu Village. The island is conveniently located for Male: the speedboat transfer was quick and comfortable (you need to contact the hotel two days in advance of your arrival to arrange the transfer. Payment is $90 upon arrival on the island). I had a connecting flight in Dubai, and my flight from Dubai was delayed almost two hours, so I arrived in the Maldives later than expected. They still waited for me and sent me straight to the island without any problems. I liked the bungalow room: clean, spacious, with working air conditioning, a safe, a refrigerator, a kettle, and two glass bottles of water (refilled daily during housekeeping. They forgot my bottle once, so I went to reception and told them, and they refilled it right away – no problem). I stayed on half board – breakfast and dinner. Important: you'll be assigned a specific table, and you'll eat at it throughout your stay. The food was delicious—beef, chicken, lamb, various fish, even pork (!)—they had it all. The dessert table was huge and incredibly delicious. Tea and coffee are complimentary at breakfast, but drinks are extra at dinner (a 1.5L bottle of water is $3, a glass of wine is $7, and a bottle of wine is about $50). Payment for all additional services (including purchases at the on-site shops) is due the evening before departure at the cashier's desk next to reception. The biggest advantage of this resort, in my opinion, is the HOUSE REEF!!!! I'm an inexperienced person, and it was my first time snorkeling here—and it was absolutely wonderful. There are so many different fish, but the highlight is the abundance of blacktip reef sharks. I saw whitetip reef sharks twice. You can also spot turtles. I once watched an octopus hunting, and I was lucky enough to see an eagle ray fly by ❤️❤️ The reef is incredible, with so many different creatures. If you go, I highly recommend snorkeling as much as possible! And don't be afraid to swim at least a little away from the pier. The reef entry points are marked with red flags; it's best to study the reef map before diving. On the first day of my stay, I arranged a reef walk with the dive center, and I didn't regret it; it was a pleasant and safe experience. A few days later, I signed up for a snorkel with nurse sharks and lancehead rays at the dive center. At the appointed time, we all gathered and swam to their feeding area. We spent an hour and a half swimming with nurse sharks and rays. Blacktip reef sharks occasionally came by, and there were also some predatory fish, I don't know their names. I really enjoyed watching them all; they were wonderful creatures and created wonderful memories. I paid $30 for a shared reef walk, and $60 for swimming with the sharks and rays. Payment is made at the dive center. The island itself is also beautiful, with plenty of sand and trees. The land life includes grey herons, reef herons, a flock of Indian flying foxes, white-breasted crakes, koels, parrots, and scaly-sided hawks. There are lounge chairs and hammocks scattered throughout the area. The island's size and the trees make it possible to relax on the shore in the shade and enjoy the ocean views. Twice a week (I think Wednesday and Friday) there's live music after dinner. There's also a gym (or, let's call it a mini-library) on site, and the WiFi is very good – I could watch TV shows and play games. Checkout was also comfortable. I checked out of the bungalow at the appointed time, my suitcase was picked up and taken straight to the speedboat, and I went to breakfast (it was served, even though I had to check out very early in the morning). My luggage was delivered to the airport on time. I'm very happy with my stay at this resort; if I ever go to the Maldives again, I'll choose Embudu Village. Thank you so much for a wonderful vacation ❤️❤️

Great value for money! The food is great. The chalet has everything you need. I would definitely come back.