OUTRIGGER Maldives Maafushivaru — Hotel in South Ari Atoll

We visited the Maldives for the first time this month. There were so many resorts to choose from, with very similar appearances and offerings, and we chose Outrigger based on the consistency in the reviews and the videos/pictures we saw. In short, we enjoyed ourselves very much and were very glad to have made a good choice! Our stay was for 5 nights, which was an ok duration, though we would definitely opt for a longer stay on our next visit

Villa: We stayed in a sunset-view overwater villa with a pool. Definitely would recommend this as being so close to the water makes for some excellent views. It's also quite convenient for snorkelling (we were at the end of the stretch that was nearer the house reef area at the lagoon edge). And having a pool was awesome for just chilling and lounging on the deck during sunset / after breakfast or lunch when the sun is overhead. Only inconvenience during our stay was a minor leak in the AC, which dripped water onto our bed. The team however responded very quickly to address the issue.

Hospitality: Right from our first step onto the island, the hospitality was excellent! A team greeted us at the arrival jetty, and the manager gave us a quick intro greeting before handing us to our host. I guess most islands probably have a similarly warm reception but still, it shows the commitment the team has to the guest experience. Throughout our stay, our host was quick to respond to our requests and also provided some suggestions on what we could do and when. All the other staff we met at the restaurants, bar, cafe etc were also very friendly and some even took effort to address us by name. It made us feel very at-home and welcomed.

Activities: We snorkelled almost everyday (at the lagoon edge near our water villa, at the jetty area, and also went on a safari led by the team from the water sports centre). As shown in photos, the water is pristinely clear and we could see a lot of marine life among the reef. The reef unfortunately was largely bleached, as with many areas in the Maldives, so it wasn't super colourful. But seeing fish and the occasional shark up close was quite fun! For more colourful reef, you probably have to go on a dive trip where you can do deeper. We also did some of the water activities: stand-up paddling, iaqua, kayaking and parasailing. Aside from that, we spent a lot of time just lounging around poolside and beachside, and reading

Food: Food was a lot better than we had expected. We expected normal hotel food i.e. buffet-style with not much quality. However, we were pleasantly surprised by the food, particularly with the dinner menus. For dinner, our all-inclusive package allowed us to dine at any of the 3 restaurants. All 3 were very good, with Moodhu Grill being our favourite (we loved the steak and prawns). The variety was excellent with different cuisine types, and even on a single menu there are many good options. Breakfast is standard with an international spread of choices, more than enough for us. Lunch is ok as well, though we didn't eat much during lunch as there was already too much food from breakfast/dinner! Would definitely recommend trying all their restaurants.

Weather: Given the time of the year, there was some rain during our stay. But it didn't significantly disrupt our activities. The rain mostly came and went very quickly - perhaps just 30 min of each day. On one of the days we had to wait a while for the waves to become less choppy before going snorkelling, but it wasn't a big issue for us.

Overall: On all fronts, Outrigger provides a very good experience for couples. It is a small island compared to some others, which we found quite charming. Location is also good (30 min seaplane ride from Male) as it's secluded enough to be relatively undisturbed by boats, seaplanes etc, but not too far to be a hassle to travel to. We also spoke to some other guests which were...

My husband and I, we are currently (March 2021) spending 10 amazing days at LTI Maafushivaru. We love the place and definitely recommend it!

It is our first trip to the Maldives, it was not easy to choose a resort. We wanted something not too big/not too small (there are 81 rooms), with more than one restaurant to choose from (there are 3 a la carte, 1 buffet restos, a bar and a lounge) with some sea life for snorkelling (by simply sitting on our terrace, we see lots of colorful fish swimming/jumping around and when snorkeling around the resort there is lots to see) and not too far from Male (25 min flight with water taxi). We researched for days! This resort, in the end, was recommended by a travel agent and we are very happy with their reco/our choice!

The resort was completely refurbished and expanded in 2020 (water pool villas are completely new, not yet visible on google satellites). Since the reopening in summer 2020 it is part of the LTI group and is called LTI Maafushivaru (before it was simply called Maafushivaru).

What we love about the place:

The space (on the island): currently there are around 160 guests (max would be around 200). This spreads out on the island (and the different restaurants), we hardly ever see more than 40-50 people at once. It is great to have some people around, but no crowds. It is great to walk to the restos, not having to take bikes/carts.

Our room: The room is big and wonderful with all the amenities one can think of. We can jump in the ocean and/or pool and observe the fish swimming/jumping around any time. The wooden parquet floor „squeeking“ is the only flaw (maybe because it is new?).

The food: we booked AI = all inclusive. We have self service buffet breakfast at the Cuisine Gallery, which offers a great variety. We have lunch served at the Water Bar, where we can choose from 3 different restaurant menus (again, tons of choice). Afternoon tea at the Library Lounge. Dinner either self service buffet or one of the 3 a la carte restos (Ciello for Italian, Moodhu for South Asian, Umi for Japanese). Overall, the food choice is huge, portions are generous, quality/taste is great! Honestly, I expected less :) The only difficulty we sometimes face is to understand the ingredients in detail. My husband is vegan and it is not always clear what is „only“ vegetarian and what is vegan.

The staff: is really friendly. We like to talk to them about the resort, the island, where they are from, how it is to work here. Couple of times the service was a bit slow, but on average it is very good.

The activities: we were told one can get bored easily on a small island. This didn‘t happen to us yet. We enjoy our meals, read, sit around in the bar for coffee and drinks. We go for several swims/snorkeling in the ocean, our own pool and the big pool at the bar. We go to the gym, SUP and kayak rides. We read and enjoy the views. I had a massage in the spa. We sunbathe and watch the fish. We signed up for snorkeling and sunset fishing trips, manta ray sighting and dive intro. The days pass so/too quickly :)

Summa summarum: we really wanted to get out of home office/constant cooking/cold winter. Usually, we go on road trips and seek the adventure, but this isn‘t really possible currently. Hence, for the first time we booked a resort holiday, on a small island, with AI and what a great choice it was! We consider ourselves super lucky to be here! Hope you can come here...

It was the most wonderful holiday that we’d ever had. We (my husband and I) went for 8 nights with our good friends who are also our neighbours. From the moment we saw the sea-plane at the Malé seaplane airport, we were all very excited. |From the greeting we received there by the Outrigger staff to the flight, the transfer of our luggage and the greeting we received from Naaif on the beautiful island of Maafushivaru we felt in good hands and well looked after. |Our villa, an over the water sunset villa with pool, was exceptionally beautiful and roomy. It was everything that we had hoped for. Naaif couldn’t do enough for us, customising our mini-bar according to our preference; adjusting the air-conditioner vents, even bringing us a top to seal our champagne bottle. He would always greet us each day and advise us of what was on and where we were meant to be for that night’s meal (which were all pre-booked). We loved his sense of humour. In fact, we couldn’t fault any of the staff. Joy always greeted us by name and with a big smile at breakfast. Shashanke and Tahe were also in the Cuisine Gallery at breakfast and made sure we always had whatever we needed. Waail, Naseed and Simah were the wonderful waiters who we kept “bumping” into at the different restaurants. And Ninja who manned the egg station at breakfast put on a very entertaining Temenyaki at Koto’s. How versatile and energetic the staff all are, each one making us feel special. The meals too were exquisite! We had full board and even though meal sizes were smallish, there were so many courses we couldn’t do it all justice. Chaminda the executive chef even created wonderful platters of Sri Lankan curries and side dishes on our last night when he knew we had a Sri Lankan background. It was done especially for us and was sensational!!|And to all the background staff - the cooks, cleaners, groundsmen, reception etc, a BIG thank you to you all for helping make Outrigger such a wonderful resort. We even had someone “watch over us” when we were snorkelling out by the jetty in front of reception in case any of us got into difficulty. |And speaking of snorkelling, we were loaned a brilliant set of snorkel, googles and long flippers and had the best snorkelling we have ever experienced. Considering we have snorkelled in many well-known areas around the coast of Australia, that is really saying something! AND it was so blissfully warm in the water too. |We would certainly love to come back one day and this time take an underwater camera so that I can capture and paint even more of the sea life. p.s. thank you Chloe (resident marine biologist) for the pics you...