Arena Beach Hotel

We came away from this trip exhausted and frustrated, and I wouldn’t recommend this hotel. Our room had a loud motor sound from the AC compressor. The front desk staff seemed unconcerned, and when we asked to move, she offered us a room with the same problem. It took three rounds of complaints to get the noise partly sorted. There was no soundproofing, and the toilet smelled awful, probably because of a plumbing issue. The excursion sales pitch at check-in was also a mess. A very rude Arabic guy promised great drone photos and the cheapest prices, but the package didn’t match what we were told. Dolphin watching was listed in our shark bay trip, yet the crew only told us during the trip that seeing dolphins wasn’t guaranteed. They’d stop only if they spotted one while travelling between places. Drone shots cost an extra US$15, which hadn’t been mentioned when we bought the package. For a resort tour, the hotel also forgot to send in the guests’ name lists, so check-in took longer and we lost an hour of the trip. Food was another letdown. The dinner and breakfast buffets were mediocre, sometimes unappetising, and other restaurants on the island have better options. The hotel is handily located on Maafushi, has a private beach, and cleans rooms twice a day, but those things didn’t make up for the rest.

Shark Bay was an exciting hotel excursion, and we’ll remember it for a long time. The excursion team were friendly and looked after everyone’s safety and satisfaction throughout. Ali and the whole team deserve a hello from us. Our several days at Arena Hotel were lovely too. The airport transfer was arranged, the pools were clean, and beach service was available. We also enjoyed the varied, delicious breakfasts. Our room was cleaned every day, and the staff greeted us with warm smiles at every turn. Everything felt carefully arranged.

Ripon, the bellboy, made a real difference to our honeymoon. He was attentive, friendly, and always ready to lend a hand with a smile, so we felt genuinely looked after. My wife and I found the whole stay at Arena Beach Hotel relaxing, with a team whose service made our time together memorable. Check-in was smooth, and the receptionist welcomed us warmly as soon as we arrived. It was a lovely place to celebrate the start of our new chapter and spend some quiet time together. I’d recommend it to visitors to the Maldives, especially couples.

The breakfast was fresh and had a good spread, and the staff were lovely. They also kindly arranged a small breakfast for us before our early dive, and they gave us the higher-floor room we asked for. Still, two things really spoiled the stay. After our journey we were exhausted and wanted to check in quickly. The hotel knew several of us were arriving by speedboat, but instead of having things ready, they kept us in the lobby for half an hour to sit through a marketing presentation about Arena. That was irritating and completely unnecessary. We’d paid for a room, and I don’t think guests should have to sit through a sales pitch. Then the person in charge of Arena excursions also made us listen to a talk, saying he could offer discounted excursion prices. They weren’t actually discounts, the prices were raised first and then presented as reduced. When we later asked him to book something, he seemed completely uninterested, as if he’d already met his quota for the day. Why make us sit through the talk if he had nothing to offer? Please don’t make guests attend these presentations.