Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort — Hotel in Kooddoo

This review is a tough one to write. While the resort is beautiful, I expected a lot more from a 4-star all-inclusive Maldives resort.

Pros: The transfers are seamless. When going across the world to a new place, it can be a bit intimidating that all the transfers will work out, but the staff did an impeccable job. The place is beautiful- the rooms are gorgeous, the views are immaculate. Everything is clean and the rooms are fixed up beautifully every day. The food is wonderful. I would recommend always eating at the Alita, which is a massive buffet of excellent food. The Vista is Italian table service dining, so you'll be expected to tip for everything at the end and I don't find the food was better than the Alita. The people are very kind and attentive. Big shoutout to Nandini who runs the wellness activities, Chef Maapril, and I feel really bad but the lady of the boutique shop whose name is escaping me! The house reef is amazing. Snorkel out to the area where the light blue water meets the dark blue water and you'll be amazed. We saw 4 massive nurse shark, tons of black and white tip reef shark, at least 5 turtles, some Napoleon wrasse, and a group of ~10 spotted eagle ray. This may be a con, but honestly this is way better than the Sand Bank trip. Go to the end of the pier, climb down the ladder and snorkel the house reef, don't bother with the Sand Bank trip.

Cons: My biggest grievance relates to the tips. This may be my mistake, but when I purchase all-inclusive, I don't expect or want to see a bill every time I order something. Every drink you order (alcohol, juice, coffee) will come with a zeroed-out bill with the expectation of a tip that will charge to your room. The prices are insane- I ordered a watermelon juice and it was $15 (USD). My husband ordered a Disaronno pineapple, and was charged for 2 Disaronno AND pineapple! So it was $15 for each charged Disaronno and $12 for pineapple which was the mixer (?!) making it a $42 SINGLE DRINK!! That's insane. Again, this is zeroed-out, but the expectation is that you tip on it. We ordered 1 Old Fashion and were charged for THREE!! What is that?? It feels very predatory and tip poaching. Additionally, they will chase you down to make sure you sign the bill. We finished dinner and started to head to our room and got followed handing us our bill. It makes the whole "all-inclusive" experience feel not all-inclusive. This kind of goes with 1, but the experience is very "upsell". As my husband put it, the place feels like a timeshare. Upon our arrival, everyone is given a QR code to scan to sign up for certain promotions. That same night we were approached in the middle of eating dinner to ask if we would sign up. When I said I'd think about it, I was approached AGAIN by another person asking if we could go ahead and sign up right now AT DINNER. It felt very pushy, salesy, promotional, all the things I don't want in my all-inclusive experience. At the end of our all-inclusive stay our bill was ~$200 of tips, additional fees and taxes, and we drank very rarely, maybe 2-3 drinks total per day. The meditation and yoga led by Nandini was amazing, but there is supposed to be an independent facility for yoga/mediation and there is not. Supposedly it was meant to be finished in December, but instead we had to practice above the Alita kitchen which was very loud and distracting, not the fault of the kitchen staff nor Nandidi but the resort. No hair conditioner

Tips: -We weren't told this, but if you book the snorkel trip it can be canceled if they don't have 4 people. This may be true of other trips as well so I would ask in advance for all trips. Ours was canceled the night before our last day which came as a big surprise. Luckily they allowed us to use the voucher for the Sand Bank trip, but honestly that reef is very unimpressive. -Ask where the scuba dive trip is going before booking. We wasted out only dive on a trip that literally dropped us at the house reef where we had already snorkeled so it was extremely...

A property just the size with an amazing and beautiful resort with water villas and beach villas to suit your choice. Water villas running really away from the land to give you an ultimate experience of what a stay in water villa actually means, there is a choice of lagoon view water villas as well as sunset water villas and both has the choice of a private pool or not. Highly recommend a sunset water villa, which will give you an amazing view of the ocean with its crystal clear water, breath taking sunset and with perfect access to some of the corals with great snorkelling experience too, on a good day you may sight a sand ray or baby black tip sharks around the villa waters.

Food The packages are mostly all inclusive as it should be. All meals are set out as a buffet. The breakfast has 2 menus which are used every other day. Lunch & Dinner are put out according to themes; hence everyday is a different taste and a different culinary experience. Food offered from the starters to desserts are perfectly flavoured and matched to give that ultimate satisfaction of a good dining experience. The choice of dishes and desserts are not excessive but just the right numbers. The all inclusive package includes alcoholic beverages too, quite limited in the menu, but you could always request the bar tenders for a surprise. The buffet is arranged in the main restaurant Alita and they also have another restaurant named Vistas, where one should try Chef Manjula's Jamaican Jerk Chicken...!!!

Comfort All accommodations are villa type, very spacious and with beautiful beach kind of cabana architecture. We has requested for a queen size bed. The rooms have a writing table and a chair and small single sofa chairs included too. Every water villa has a viewing glass built into it, which gives a view of the exotic marine life swimming by the corals. All water villas has its own private access to the sea waters, the porch has 2 sunbeds with a garden umbrella. A coffee table and a chair for 2 persons are also kept in the porch, The porch also has access to the bathrooms through a separate door, which means you don’t need to make the room wet after a swim in the sea! There are 2 showers attached to the wash room area with complete privacy along with a bath tub.

Location Located 385km away from the Male mainland, with a 50 minute domestic flight time, this resort is located in the most untouched serenity in the south Gaafu Alif Atol in an island known as Kuddoos. The hotel is a 2 minute ride from a golf cart from the domestic flight and the only resort in the island which does not need to be reached by a sea plane or a boat ride (which is very convenient).

Facilities Room service is available and all villas are air conditioned with ceiling fans attached as well. Dental Kit, Sanity Kit, toiletries, towels, bath robes and Bed Room Slippers are readily available in the villa. Tea/coffee and Creamer are also placed in the villas and more could be requested if necessary. The all inclusive package includes the minibar and snacks, but honestly if you do enjoy your snacks while in the villa suggest you bring your own, since the only snack that is provided is a packet of salted peanuts. Drinking Water bottles (1ltrx2) are also provided daily and is complimentary and more could be requested if necessary. Every room comes with a TV and Hot/Cold water for showers. A safe keeping facility is also available to be used to keep your valuables safe. WIFI is also provided for every villa and within the resort. Water sports and other excursions are available too and an extra cost, you just have to talk to the resort staff. However, the gear for snorkelling and non motor sport activities are included in the all inclusive package.

Staff : We were welcomed by the resort representatives after landing to Male and escorted to the lounge awaiting the domestic flight, refreshments were also...

There are so many options in the Maldives that it took me over two months to research and finally decide on one. The Mercure was everything I wanted for a Maldives experience and it checked all of the boxes. We flew into Male and were met when we got off the plane and brought to a comfortable lounge to await our flight to Koodoo. Don’t worry, this plane isn’t too small and is quite comfortable. It is an hour flight to Koodoo where there is a runway in the middle of the small island. From there you are greeted by Mercure staff and put into a golf cart to get to the resort. After a warm greeting and quick check in at the office, the cart then brings you to your room. We had a gorgeous overwater bungalow that was everything I imagined it would be and more. I did see a lot of reviews recommending the sunset side. I didn’t find it worth the extra money either, but we didn’t miss out. We simply walked out the front door and stood on the boardwalk to enjoy it every night. The bungalow was perfect. The room is spacious, the bed is large and very comfortable, and the cherry on top was that floor window. That was definitley a must have on our list. The large bathroom was very modern and wonderful (everything is excellent quality). There is an indoor shower, but I always opted for the outdoor shower. There is also a tub outside (these are open roof, but surrounded by a wall for privacy - bungalows are very private regardless). Pro Tip: bring some bubble bath solution for the outdoor tub. The back balcony was perfect with a couple lounge chairs, umbrella, and stairs down to the water. There is coral everywhere and you will see sea life immediately. We saw plenty of sharks (mostly black tip and some larger Nurse). Snorkel to your hearts content and you’ll see all that you want. We did do one snorkel excursion just to mix it up. We also did the dolphin cruise which I recommend. Another highlight was the jet ski. I recommend an hour rental so you can go with the guide and ride with some dolphins (even more magical than the dolphin cruise). We made a stop at a sand bar in the middle of the water. What a cool spot to take in the beauty of that ocean. I am always sceptical of a buffet environment, but the main restauraunt was awesome. Every meal was like a Dubai Friday Brunch (if you know, you know). Every night was a different theme with many choices. They have delcous drinks they make as well as the usual suspects of beer, wine, and other staple liquors. There is one beer on tap (Carlsberg). Overall, I was very pleased with the selection. The other restauraunt is an Italian one that sits over the water. Awesome location and the food was good. There is a good shop. Super friendly staff and options for gifts are locally made. If you’ve read the sunscreen is expensive, that isn’t an exageration. Do not forget that. Prices of everthing else seemed fair. The resort is also adults only. The entire vibe is complete relaxation, just perfect. The highlight with any resort of this size is the hospitality. The entire staff at the Mercure Koodoo are so very nice and welcoming. You quickly become friendly with them and they are the key to what makes this resort so special. I apoligize for the lengthy review, but just wanted to share the results of countless hours of research. Contact the hotel directly and book your dream vacation today! This was our honeymoon and I can’t imagine it being any more perfect than what it was. Only thing missed, and I highly recommend, is do some scuba time. They have small excursions for those who have never done it as well. I wanted to make sure my wife was comfortable with the mask and fins snorkeling first. The last day was booked so didn’t get her down there (saw video from a fellow guest and it was breathtaking). Thank you to the staff of the Mercure Koodoo! You are amazing! This really was the perfect...