Canareef Resort Maldives — Hotel in Addu Atoll

We have just returned from a week at the Canareef Resort, developed on a coral reef situated just off the coast of Gan Island in the Maldives. We travel a fair bit so thought I would share our thoughts.||||The journey to get there is long – 24 hours door to door. We took a direct flight from London to Male, then Male to Gan and then a speedboat to the resort . The only way to access this resort is from Gan airport, you cannot access it from Male. There are limited flights from Male to Gan so you need to check your transfer times or you can have very long waits at Male. You do have use of a lounge while you wait with a small selection of buffet food and hot and cold drinks.||||There are three types of villa - Sunrise, Sunset and jacuzzi. In hindsight I would not have paid extra for a sunset villa, there really is no need, we watched the sunset from a bar each night, and the beach was never crowded. The premium jacuzzi villas are the furthest away from everything whereas the sunset and sunrise villas are a lot closer to the restaurant, reception, bars and pools. The bed was large and comfortable and the pillows were soft and we had four.||||We had bicycles for the week. The lanes from one end of the resort to the other (in total, approximately 4 kilometres) are more like tracks and do have potholes so the ride is not smooth. You can hire the bikes from a bike hut, no extra charge - but the gears didn’t work and the seat is uncomfortable - my husband put a beach towel on his bike seat and this helped. They were fun and we regularly cycled along the reef to our preferred pool we liked best. We did not need to use bikes in the evening as we were only a five minute walk from the buffet restaurant. We did use the buggy service a few times, which was simple to do - you can switch buggies at Reception to travel to opposite ends of the reef, east or west.||||There is one main restaurant and it is typical all inclusive buffet style. We stayed for a week and found there to be plenty of choice each day. They are not catering for the British masses, you will not find chips or wedges each day – we saw these once. There was always plenty of meat options, never pork as it is a Muslim country – somebody has previously posted a review stating they couldn’t find any protein, which I find really peculiar as there was so much choice ! Also, someone said they were like school dinners, not sure what school they went to but it must have been great at dinnertime !||||There is fresh fruit available each meal, the puddings are not very sweet but look pretty, we stuck to ice cream. We always found a table laid to sit at, drink service can be a little hit or miss but if you approach the bar they will get you a drink. There are three dining rooms, we always chose the middle one where the bar was based. The wine is not great but I did find that the white wine with soda made it palatable and refreshing. There is work in progress for a new restaurant and pool being built, not far from completion and due to open this year.||||This is not an all inclusive where you can graze all day, there are no snack options so if you want to snack I suggest to take your own. There is no drinking in your room either, you cannot take a drink to your room, you cannot take alcohol into the Maldives, duty free will be confiscated on entry. There was a small limited room service drinks menu but it was so expensive I doubt people use it. We really did not find this an issue but if you are usually used to all day eating at all inclusives then it is best to be aware. ||||There are three main places where people sunbathe - no one is hogging sunbeds and we always found some, at whatever time we went. At each location, beach and pool, there are towels available and access to a bar.||The Dhoni bar has a very large “Olympic” pool and separate children’s pool which was preferred by families. Not many sunbeds with umbrellas but plenty of shade from trees. The bar itself has pool tables, a ping-pong table, book exchange area and a large outside seating area that gives great sunset views. This outside area got busy so go early if you want a seat.||||The Meera bar was our favourite pool, much smaller than Dhoni and quieter. We found service better at this bar, and people came to sit for a coffee here too. You could buy food here, burgers and pad thai and sandwiches to supplement the all-inclusive buffet. We didn’t eat at the Meera Bar but did see some burgers being served, they were huge !||||Most people seemed to sunbathe at Bar-Kuda, this is where the sea is your classic Maldives blue with white sands. There are lots of sun-loungers on the beach and we again didn’t have any issue finding two, although the beach was busier than either pool. There were sunbeds with umbrellas, some under trees, the prime location ones on the wooden platforms were very busy. The bar here sold food too, but we didn’t see anyone eating – too much sand and healthy activity going on.||||Check out was not a pleasant experience , whilst the initial return flight departure time of 10am seemed reasonable at the time of booking, the reality of getting up at 1.30am , waiting 20 minutes for the buggy to arrive after allocated time ||(understandably only one member of staff driving a buggy at that time but 25 guests checking out) a speedboat at 3am, domestic flight at 4.50am and then the 10am flight home was exhausting. I would advise staying near the airport the night before the flight and having a pleasant end to your stay rather than doing what we did !||||The resort itself is not five star, but as no one is paying five star prices I am not sure why anyone would expect it to be. It is an all inclusive in the Maldives at a fraction of the price of other resorts and there are reasons why you are paying less. It was clean, staff were polite and it was in the Maldives ! It's not abut glitz or overwater villas - its about space, tranquillity and...

We returned again to Canareef, this was our fifth trip, for our annual escape from life at home. A trip meant only for quiet reading and relaxation, swimming and watching the fish. A break from our busy lives with children and grand children work and the other responsibilities of everyday life.|The resort has change since ownership changed hands a few years ago and a lot of it for the better. All of the accommodation units have now been renovated to the extent of a repaint and cleaning up and all of the excess vegetation has now been removed making the resort look more 'lived in' than it was originally and at last the Keema restaurant is being reopened expected in August but there is still a lot of work to do to complete this and the bar opposite with a feature swimming pool. A great part since the new owners have arrived is the acquiring of two 'Bobcat' machines, mini diggers, with which they do their best to keep the roads flatter but it is inevitable with the nature of sandy ground that when it rains and with the constant use of the Buggy's it is an ongoing task. 'Maybe those with a bit more than is necessary brace themselves after a rainy period' I say that tongue in cheek in this day and age but the rides can get a bit bouncy at times.|The Beach which is bit of a misnomer really because there is beach all the way along the 'Sunset' side of the island has been transformed with sunbeds having taken away the wooden loungers so it is appearance is a bit more Majorca than Maldives which I think is a shame, but that's only my opinion, although I understand why I just preferred the original. Several little relaxing spots have been added on the various beaches and over the inland lakes which are nice a cosy, ideal for romantic reminiscing..|The changes are all for the better and do improve Canareef for the visitor and we can see clearly that it will become the favoured choice for the more discerning visitors. certainly not a place for the night clubbing fraternity.|One cannot leave a review of this magnificent resort without reference to the staff. You will never meet more helpful, kind, considerate staff anywhere. from the room boys to the head chef and all in between. Front of house are so welcoming and when you leave are there to wave you off, did I see tear in some eyes as our boat pulls away? The service is exemplary throughout and although one would want to mention names that would not be fair on those who's names we do not ever get to know but who regardless take so much care of you. To all we must say a heartfelt thank you for making our stay so enjoyable and looking after us so well.|The question is of course would we come back? Yes of course in a heart beat. We were going to have next year elsewhere to celebrate a significant event but as we left we knew we would be back next year. How can we be so sure, well we have already researched our air travel for the weeks we want to be there, its too early to make the booking with the airline but we are now waiting for our email from Canareef as we will...

We had a room in the 600s – a Premium Beach Villa with a whirlpool bath. The villa was spacious, air -conditioned, and with a big bed. There are UK-type power sockets and good WIFI. The shower was very good, although a bit daunting initially as it was effectively outside – although covered, the back wall was completely open, whilst still completely private. At the rear was a nice veranda with reclining benches and direct access to the lovely beach, which was only a few metres away. Do note there is nothing in the room at all apart from a couple of bottles of fresh water – no food, no minibar or anything similar. You can order drinks, but they’re not cheap, particularly when you’re on “all inclusive” and there are three bars not far away. The villa was cleaned twice a day and towels refreshed (if you want - you can hang a “do not disturb” sign on the door).||Most people get about using the fleet of 12-seater electric buggies. You phone reception, they send one in a few minutes and it takes you where you want to go. We used these a lot, as did most other guests.||You can also easily borrow bikes, which are free & useful as the resort is over 3 miles long, but flat. We didn’t use ours after about 6 pm as it gets pitch dark. ||There are four places to eat and drink; ||1/ Kilhi restaurant is massive with three huge rooms where it seems most people go, as it’s covered by the all-inclusive deal. There is buffet food including lots of fresh vegetables, nice curries. You can get a beer or a glass of wine with your meal, (but to be honest, I thought the all-inclusive wine was literally undrinkable). ||2/ Bar Cuda Beach Bar - very nice beach, some free drinks, food costs, but it’s very nice food. We spent a lot of days here.||3/ Meera Bar - quiet - a nice place – some free drinks, beach access and loungers on the sand and around the large swimming pool. We also spent a fair bit of time here. ||4/ Bar Dhoni – very different feel - pool tables - DJ - nice outside - vast swimming pool. Not for us, but it seemed busy. ||The dolphins tour is 100% recommended, we saw loads of dolphins and loved it. ||The weather was great, we were there for ten days and only had one overcast day. It was consistently 30 degrees and quite humid. The sun is very bright, I suggest you use factor 50. ||We flew out of Gatwick, then to Dubai, then Male, then another flight to Gan, from where we got a boat to the resort. Blue Bay Travel sorted out all the transfers, which was great as they can be expensive. On the way back, we had to leave at 02:30, get the boat, then the flight from Gan to Male stopped on the way at another airport, so one boat ride and four flights to get home. Don’t underestimate the travel – we took 24 hours door to door, and we spoke to another couple from the UK who had...