Ritz Carlton Maldives Fari Islands

My wife and I had an incredible stay at the Ritz-Carlton. The villa is absolutely stunning and the property was always immaculately taken care of. The staff, especially our Aris Meeha Mary, was Read MoreMy wife and I had an incredible stay at the Ritz-Carlton. The villa is absolutely stunning and the property was always immaculately taken care of. The staff, especially our Aris Meeha Mary, was phenomenal and went above and beyond to ensure we had an incredible stay. We also loved the fact that we could take a boat to the Fari Marina Village and the Patina Hotel for other great restaurants. We would highly recommend this hotel. Read Less

This was hands down the best vacation experience we have had at a resort. The attention to details was incredible at the Ritz in the Maldives from the room setup and gifts, to the food accommodations Read MoreThis was hands down the best vacation experience we have had at a resort. The attention to details was incredible at the Ritz in the Maldives from the room setup and gifts, to the food accommodations at their restaurants and finally the incredibly friendly, personalized service of all the staff. In particular we wanted to mention Manish Kumar the yoga teacher for the resort. We have had many yoga teachers in my time but he was definitely the best. Knowledgeable, genuine, down to earth and warm. A teacher to look up to for other yoga teachers. We can't wait to come back Read Less

Wow…where to begin on this one? Sorry, but I tend to be very passionate and verbose when a place like the Ritz Carlton Fari Islands gives me so many things to write about; being brief feels like a Read MoreWow…where to begin on this one? Sorry, but I tend to be very passionate and verbose when a place like the Ritz Carlton Fari Islands gives me so many things to write about; being brief feels like a disservice. If you don’t want to listen to long drawn out praise…then just know this place has a very good chance of extending the expectations of even the most demanding traveler. Ritz Carlton Fari Islands is up there on my list as one of the most beautiful and memorable stays I have had. Coming on the heels of Phulay Bay, I’m torn because they’re both stellar properties that will deliver completely different cultures, environments and experiences. I’m truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit both this summer and forever spoilt! For those who want more…read on! Being a loyal Marriott customer, we had many choices with our travels throughout Asia this summer. You won’t be hurting for places to stay if those travels, like ours, take you to the Maldives. For us, the decision came down to two brands that are highly ranked consistently by their overall product and brand; the Ritz Carlton and the St. Regis. Each comes with significant strong points; however, the Ritz Carlton was the overwhelming decision for us on this trip and one that I can say without an hesitation, the perfect choice. The Ritz Carlton had a balance of younger families and couples; however, much like the concept of their other smaller Ritz Carlton Reserve properties, there were times you felt like there was no one else around. We had a couple of days where we ventured out of our villa and went to the main pool for hours at a time and still were the only ones there. For a resort with 100 rooms, you would think we would have seen more people and honestly, this was perfectly fine. It lended to a larger scale property that still upheld an underlying secluded experience. Service wise, this hotel is in a league of its own. From an amazing pre arrival team that coordinated everything in advance until our departure where we were waived off by members of staff and management, we were continuously looked in on to ensure that every detail about our experience was seamless. There’s a reason why this property and the Mandapa are are constantly in the top 5 of Luxury Asian properties. They work tirelessly to ensure that your first impression is lasting and that you feel part of something greater than a resort stay. You have a lot of options for places to stay in the Maldives and more than likely, wherever you decide based on your preferences will be an outstanding choice. For us, the Ritz Carlton Fari Islands included a yacht transfer in lieu of sea plane and that quintessential overwater villa with views that people dream about when making their way to the Maldives. Most of the rooms (with the exception of the 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom villas) have a circular floor plan. So whether you are over water or in a beach villa, they’re going to be the same with the exception of the beach villas having significantly more privacy. Floor to ceiling hide away doors transform the room into an outdoor modern bungalow giving a 180 degree view of (in our case) the reef and Indian Ocean. This view is reason enough why some people stay in their rooms all day. We were offered an upgrade to a Sunset Beach Villa, but were both set on the overwater sunrise side which was a beautiful way to start the day. In front of the room was a reef (may have been waist deep during low tide) that extended all the way out to the drop off. While the reef is still developing, there were definite areas of growth. Nearly 100 clown fish had recently hatched not more than 50 feet from our room and I made a daily trip to that area in particular to take it all in. Ironically, under our villa was where we saw the most in terms of fish on the reef. Lots of inquisitive parrot fish would just follow us around. We had a small black tip reef shark and a ray swimming around on a couple of the days and needle fish that took me off guard. If a heathy vibrant house reef is driving you to a particular resort, then this may not be it; however, if you do like we did and take part in one of the excursions offered as part of the John Michelle Cousteau Tours and led by Sean and an amazing team of people at the dive center, you’ll be amazing a what lies just on the other side of the edge of the property. During our 2 occasions with Sean, we took part in Coral planting and probably the best snorkeling I have every experienced; a short 20 minutes from property and we saw everything from Dolphins and smaller sharks to a Sea Turtle that just cruised along beneath us. All this combined with the Ritz Carlton reinforced the choice that we made as the best one! Staff at this property are above and beyond, and should you run into any of these individuals, know that you’re going to be well taken care of. As mentioned our room was an amazing location. Further made memorable by our Aris Meeha, Abu and our room attendant Mangoo. These two were amazing. Abu always made sure every little detail was just right and always had an itinerary for us. He knew that I enjoyed champagne and had bottles waiting for us on a couple of occasions “just because” he wanted us to enjoy a hot bath or the outdoor patio. Mangoo kept the room looking spotless and fresh; always stocked and always making sure that if something was needed, to take care of it. The bed was always decorated with beautiful palms; something that just made us feel like we were the only room he was tending to…even though we know that wasn’t the case. Food is amazing! I probably gained 10 pounds in the week we were there! Beach Shack and Arabesque were easily one of our favorite places to dine. We ate there 3 times during our stay and were just blown away with what Chef Mohammed and his team would deliver. Highly recommend the Arabian buffet one night if you are a fan of the menu; it’s a feast that also includes Maldivian Lobster tails. Not to say that Summer Pavillon, La Laconda and Iwau were nothing less than stellar! We met some memorable people while dining and at certain hosted functions. A big thanks to everyone, including Nikita, Naseem, Grace, Jessica, Ahnaf, Khusniddin and Khulood who just took everything to that next level! I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Spa. Ideally situated in the center of the overwater villa loop, the experience was noteworthy. From the warm welcome from Ayu and everyone up front, to amazing therapists Fon and Chaba who had the room decorated pre treatment and did some amazing work relaxing us during and then again preparing us for the long journey home. Spa treatments were decently priced and what I liked most were that their quoted prices factored in the 26% taxes and service fee. It can be a shock when you order dinner and get that bill…anywhere else than the Maldives I might raise an eye brow but here, I just sat back and savored everything up until that last day that we had to depart. You’re going to be challenged to find a place as indulgent and amazing as the Ritz. Carlton Fari Islands. Truly you get what you pay for and I emphatically endorse a visit to this property as a much if your budget and means allow. It will take a bucket list destination and most definitely elevate it to that next level. Read Less

The journey from California to Maldives is far from easy, but it is definitely well worth it. We decided to stay at RC Maldives in Aug to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday, and we couldn't be Read MoreThe journey from California to Maldives is far from easy, but it is definitely well worth it. We decided to stay at RC Maldives in Aug to celebrate my girlfriend's birthday, and we couldn't be happier. The resort and the service have exceeded every single high expectation we set before our trip. Everything is perfect starting from the moment they picked us up at the airport with their beautiful yacht, to the birthday flowers arrangement, breakfast by the pool experience, the photographer studio service, diving and other activities, breakfast, dinners and finally the heart warming farewell moment during the departure. They are all, for the lack of better word, perfect. While the facility is beautiful but it is indeed the service and the culture that set RC Maldives apart from the other resorts we have experienced in the past, including those at Bora Bora and Fiji. We want to take this opportunity to especially thank our Aris Meeha, Muneef Ahmed, for taking care of virtually everything for us during our stay. He is without a doubt the main reason why we enjoy our stay at RC Maldives so much. Thank you Muneef, good luck with the kid, the family and the journey. Read Less

‪Have just returned from the most amazing 8 nights in the Maldives at the stunning Ritz Carlton resort, could not rate it highly enough! From the moment our family set a foot on the island we were Read More‪Have just returned from the most amazing 8 nights in the Maldives at the stunning Ritz Carlton resort, could not rate it highly enough! From the moment our family set a foot on the island we were treated like royalty and every member of staff made us feel very welcome . A special thank you to our villa host Abu. He made our stay unforgettable. He was so proactive. In many cases, he did everything for us even before we asked for his help. The staff is trained so well and everything is so organized. For example, we took a day trip to Patina via boat and I forgot to inform Abu that we need a buggy ride to our villa from the pier. To our surprise, we arrived and the buggy was already waiting for us. We realized that the boat staff informed Abu that we are coming back and he organized a ride for us. Also, he gave our kids sand toys and pool floats. We were staying in one of the stunning sunset beach villas, which had every possible amenities and if you needed anything else by chance it was not a bother and sourced for you asap, in minutes! ‬ ‪All restaurants we attended had a great service and lovely food. Everybody knew our names and names of our kids. They make very thing so personal. They knew our food preferences in the morning and what kind of food we ordered before. We were amazed. Personal always helped me with our bags and with kids, because my husband was diving in the morning. Service was extremely fast and efficient. Can’t thank enough, because with small kids dining could be a challenge. ‪All in all we could not have had a better experience for our first time at Ritz (hopefully not last). Ritz and people from Ritz will hold a special place on our hearts. Read Less