OBLU XPERIENCE Ailafushi — Hotel in Malé Atoll

This was our first time in the Maldives and we loved every minute of it. We were concerned before the holiday because we read some comments about Ailafushi being a "party island for young people" (we're definitely not young!), and "nothing like the real tranquil Maldives experience". We needn't have been concerned.||You are met by a very professional team at the airport and taken across the road where the boat is waiting to take you to the island. 15 minutes later we arrived and were given a very short introduction talk outlining the layout of the island. The reception process was quick and painless. The resort has its own app and you can enter your details in advance so our room key was ready and waiting for us, and our luggage was delivered to our villa shortly after we got in. There is an information channel on the TV and everything you need to know can be found on there.||If swimming is your thing there is no shortage of water and there are areas suitable for swimmers of every level from beginner to advanced. We didn't use it but, if you're interested in scuba, jet-ski or excursions for swimming with turtles etc. the dive centre is open every day.||The Element X buffet restaurant provides a choice of regional dishes at each meal time. Asian dishes varied each day (Thai, Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Indian Ocean cuisine) and an "international" choice of Western dishes. If, like us, you're not a fussy eater you should have no problem finding something to eat every day. We enjoyed trying something new every day.||The Copper Pot food truck was great. We went for the 'surf n turf' option and both the lobster and steak were perfect. We were fortunate with the weather when we went so we dined under the stars. An experience well worth the money.||The Only BLU underwater restaurant is the other chargeable dining experience but again it's worth every penny. The food, the surroundings, and the staff were all superb. Jackline was a star.||Evening entertainment in the X360 bar is a bit patchy. OK, if you're of a certain age and not looking or the "party island" atmosphere, it's not good. There is a "house band" of three girls and one guy who are not great. We have to accept that they're not a quality cover band and they're not singing in their first language, so the performance isn't first class. You wouldn't want to pay to listen to them but it's there and you can take it or leave it. Oh, and they could be considered too loud if you just want to chill with a few drinks and some background music. The resident DJ falls into what I personally class as "awful". Some might like it but we don't appreciate ear shattering techno tunes for hours on end. Some people might like it but the start of the DJ slot usually had us heading back to our villa.||We went in May so the weather was changeable. We were told to expect some rain (it was forecast every day but you should ignore those weather apps) and sure enough we had two days and nights of passing storms. The rain was biblical while it lasted but didn't really last long before everything was dry again. When the sun was shining temperatures were around 30c but you could always add on another 10c because of the high humidity. Basically you were wet through within minutes of leaving anywhere with air-con!||Moving around the island can be hard work in those temperatures, especially if you've got dressed for dinner (nothing special, just smart casual) so there are golf buggies constantly circling the island which you can flag down to get you to your destination in less of a sweaty mess. The only drawback with the buggies was some have a very high floor and my wife couldn't always climb onboard because of mobility problems. There was one buggy with a super low flow which was great for her but it would be helpful if the other buggies carried around a portable step or box of some sort to assist people getting in. A minor issue really but probably the only thing we could suggest that could have improved our stay.||Finally I want to sing the praises of one of the housekeeping staff. On our first day at Ailafushi I was outside watching a swimmer in the lagoon. A girl had swam out and got into difficulty on her way back in. Her family were shouting and waving to her when this man grabbed a life jacket from a villa, jumped in and swam out to her. He put the jacket on her and pulled her back to safety. I don't know if all the staff are trained for such eventualities but his quick actions certainly saved a life that day. Unfortunately I didn't get his name but I hope management were able to acknowledge his actions in some way.||All in all I think I understand what some reviewers mean by it not being the "real" Maldives experience but this was our first time in the Maldives and have nothing to compare it with. It was one of the best holidays we have ever experienced. Would we go again? We don't really enjoy long haul travel but if we put that aside, yes we would go to the Maldives again. We would not return to Ailafushi though for no other reason than "we've been there and done that", so we would choose another...

We have been visiting the Maldives since 2006, so we have substantial experience in understanding what can be reasonably expected. We typically choose both 4-star and 5-star resorts. As everyone has unique preferences, I will simply describe the facts so readers can objectively decide if this island suits their needs.||Location|The island is indeed very close to Malé. You can see the city and hear planes taking off and landing. It’s only a 15-minute speedboat ride away. The OBLU Lobigini resort is directly opposite, but unfortunately, you see its service side from here.||Snorkeling|There is no house reef, and the underwater life typical of the Maldives is nearly non-existent.||Beach|On the sunset side, there is a small bay suitable for swimming, but it’s crowded with boats, including garbage transport vessels. On the family villa side, the beach is unswimmable. The communal beach near the pool is very small and crowded because everyone goes there to swim in the ocean. It feels like a packed Italian beach in the middle of summer. After breakfast, it’s almost impossible to find a free sunbed as they are all reserved. This is understandable given that most other beach areas are unusable, and the island accommodates about 100 water villas plus day visitors.||Rooms|The rooms are 4-star quality, with furnishings to match. However, the villa floors were completely soaked, and splinters stuck into our feet. The wardrobe space was very small with only a few hangers. The room included a kettle, mini fridge, and hairdryer, and daily cleaning was done properly with fresh towels provided. Overall, the room quality met 4-star expectations.||Food|The main restaurant is the most beautiful building on the island and is tastefully designed. The food is delicious but lacks variety, and there is very little fruit. The kid’s corner offers the same options every day: one European pasta, one Asian noodle, and French fries. That’s it. You have to help yourself to water and drinks from the fridge, and wine is dispensed from a machine similar to a juice dispenser, allowing you to fill your glass with white, rosé, or red wine. There is no table service for ordering additional drinks. You are left entirely on your own, with staff only clearing empty plates. We have never experienced this in the Maldives before. Even at the least expensive islands, water was served, and staff asked if we wanted any paid drinks.|At the end of the designated dining time, everything is immediately cleared away, and even the drink fridges are locked.||All-Inclusive Service|Water, soft drinks, and alcohol are available all day, and the mini-bar is restocked in a limited manner. The AI package includes only breakfast, lunch, and dinner — no afternoon snacks. Only popcorn and peanuts are available, which was surprising as every Maldives resort we’ve visited, whether 4-star or 5-star, offered afternoon snacks. The alcohol is available all day but of low quality. Fresh coffee is only available at the buffet restaurant; otherwise, you have to drink pre-made coffee from plastic cups. It was also surprising that a simple cup of coffee was not included in the all-inclusive package — you have to buy it at La Promenade for $3 per cup. We felt like it was mass catering, where only the basics were included, and anything of higher quality required an extra charge.||X360 Bar|There is very little staff, and they struggle to serve the large number of guests. There are no snacks or food options available, only drinks. No poolside service is provided; you must queue at the bar for any drink. A drink fountain is available all day for quick access to alcohol. It’s unclear why they don’t just stock canned drinks in a fridge like the main restaurant, which would reduce waiting times. A coffee machine would also solve the issue of fresh coffee availability. The alcohol quality is poor, the cocktails are questionable, and the house wine is the worst we’ve ever tasted at a hotel.||Cleanliness|Room cleaning was satisfactory, with daily upkeep. However, the communal areas needed more attention, as glasses were often dirty.||Service|The island is overpopulated with guests, but there aren’t enough staff members to serve them properly. Although the staff were friendly and did their best, the lack of personnel was evident.||Other Observations|There was often a strong smell of fuel or burnt trash on the island, even near the dining area, making it unpleasant during meals.||Conclusion|This island was a major disappointment for us. We trusted the OBLU brand after a great experience at OBLU Sangeli last year, but that was a mistake. We never felt like we were in the Maldives on this island. It was overcrowded, lacked any sense of exclusivity, and fell far short of the magical experience we’ve come to expect. On previous trips, we always felt like we were on one of the world’s most unique islands, with exceptional oceanfront views and attentive service that made our vacation feel special. Unfortunately, none of that...

We had the most fantastic week at Oblu Xperience! The water is unbelievably beautiful- so clear and blue, and lots of different beach areas that are all stunning, as is the lagoon at the centre. The beauty of the island was definitely the highlight. We went in “off season” in July but were lucky and had 6 days of sunshine and 1 day of rain/clouds.

The staff were all so incredibly friendly, especially because we had our toddler with us, they always made an effort to say hello to her and to get us a high chair etc which was appreciated. So I was surprised by some of the other reviews saying staff seemed disinterested as that was the opposite to our experience. From the second we were greeted at the airport we felt all staff were amazing. We only had a 10 min wait at the airport until our boat transfer.

Our room was lovely, with a beautiful view of the beach. Being able to walk out onto the beach was a highlight. The flooring was a bit scratched up but the room was otherwise in good condition.

The food was great. It’s not gourmet dining, but the chefs do a great job. There is lots of variety and different sections to choose from. Things we especially enjoyed were the tuna tartare, French toast, pancakes, strawberry crumble, vegetable fritters, paneer curry, local baked fish. After about 3 days you notice some dishes start to reappear but there is so much variety that it wasn’t a problem for us. The dining area is definitely hot as it’s open air, so prepare for hot meal times. I wouldn’t bother wearing fancy resort clothes as you’ll be sweating. The breezy days made a huge difference.

The included alcohol was average which I expected. A few cocktails included in the plan which are ok but not amazing. The wine is “on tap” so I didn’t try it. Canned soft drinks available.

The meal times however are not good- dinner from 7pm-10pm is a late start compared to what most other places offer, and made it challenging with a toddler who should basically be asleep then. There was always a queue of people waiting to get in at dinner which I think tells you it’s too late a start. 6-9pm would be much better and is more standard. Lunch starting at 12pm also wasn’t ideal, 11-2 would be preferred, but it was more the dinner which was too late a start.

We were surprised by how many fish are around, lots of different kinds, and we saw so many baby sharks. I also saw a school of huge tuna swim under the gym jetty and a few huge sting rays as well. There isn’t colourful colour but we enjoyed snorkelling around with all the fish. Also the cute little hermit crabs everywhere!

One of the cons was on some days there was a bit of a sewerage smell around the central part of the island. You can also see some of the skyscrapers from the mainland from some parts of the island (in the far distance) if that’s something you don’t want. For us we wanted a resort that only needed a short boat trip rather than another connecting flight or long boat trip due to our toddler.

They seem to market themselves as a party island which I found a bit odd, and not necessary as it is a beautiful place without trying to market it as a party niche. Sometimes at the pool they are blasting loud music at times of the day where you would rather no music or relaxing music, it just seemed strange.

We didn’t do any of the extra paid tours as we had our toddler with us, but we enjoyed just relaxing and rotating between beaches and the lagoon/pool each day. There were free activities each day like a gym class, Aqua Zumba each day was fun. One night there was a band and fire show which was great. The gym is over water which was special, and it is in great condition.

It is a very smoothly and well run operation overall and we were very impressed with lots of the little details they had thought of. It is not absolute luxury if that’s what you’re after, but it is priced less than the islands that offer that next level experience. We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend...