Oaga Art Resort

A calm, down-to-earth escape for anyone who loves nature. The rooms and food were both a solid 10/10, and our stay was fantastic. The whole team was warm, polite, and welcoming, with exceptional service. We’ll definitely be back! 💯

The food was good, and we had a lot of fun on the tube ride, one of the best parts of our short visit. Still, Oaga wasn’t for me. I can see the resort has a distinctive artistic style, but the bold colors felt out of place with the tropical setting and weren’t what I want from the Maldives. The rooms disappointed me most. They felt dark and heavily styled, instead of bright and airy. I was glad we only stayed one night, because I think I’d have regretted a longer visit. It’s a matter of taste, of course, and people who enjoy bold design may love it. If you’re after a classic, bright Maldives luxury feel, this might not suit you.

We were given a very late checkout on our last day, plus lunch, so we didn’t have to wait around at the airport. That was a lovely extra after a honeymoon that was one of our best trips ever. Everything went smoothly from the start: we landed at MLE from BOM around 8:40 am, and an Oaga Resort representative met us outside the airport, guided us to the speedboat, and had us boarding straight away. The ride to the resort took about 50 minutes. On arrival, the team greeted us with a traditional welcome dance. We didn’t have to wait for the usual 2:00 pm check-in either; they arranged an extraordinary day-use room and included breakfast and lunch. Our overwater villa was amazing, and the activities and team were excellent. Adam, Zayaan, Sarath, and Danny were humble, friendly, and always ready to help. Veronika also took wonderful care of our requests. I’ve stayed in hotels and resorts across several countries, but this was one of my best experiences. I’d highly recommend it.

There was loads for our family to enjoy: a kids’ club, small zoo, tennis and padel court, clinic, and a lovely spa. My wife and I had a great back massage. The clinic doctor helped with my sunburn. Around the island, the white sand and clear water were beautiful, with shallow and deeper areas for swimming or snorkelling. We saw a large shark, four baby sharks, stingrays, a turtle, starfish, a couple of squids, and lots of colorful fish. We stayed six nights in mid-January in a Haruge Sunset Beach Villa with Private Pool, using the greatest AI plan. There were four of us, with kids aged 15 and 12. I preferred this villa’s location to the Bodu Haruge Beach Villas, and think it’s the best spot on the island. We’d hoped to combine it with an Odi Water Villa, but none was available. It’s a family-friendly hotel. The villa had a king bed, sofa bed, rollaway bed, and still plenty of room, plus a minibar, safe, fan, roomy closet, universal AC sockets, and five laundry items per day. The semi-open bathroom was great. The colorful design and nighttime LED lights were fun. Outside were a small pool, chairs, and a tap to rinse sand off our feet; at the beach there was an umbrella and two loungers. The room was spotless and cleaned twice daily, with bath and beach towels changed. The boat ride from the airport took around 50-55 minutes. It may be longer than usual, but was smooth. Staff met us at the airport, helped with bags, and welcomed us with a dance, drink, cold towels, and sparkling wine in the room. There’s no reception desk, but we met our personal “receptionist/butler/helper” on arrival. Our “butler,” Shifu, was a huge help. We could text her and she’d arrange activities and bookings, leaving us to relax. All the staff were helpful, very polite, and spoke English. Food at the restaurant was great. Breakfast was buffet style with an omelet station, while lunch and dinner were partly buffet and partly à la carte, which worked well for me. The bar drinks and cocktails were great, especially the welcome cocktail and passion fruit mojito. Eram, the restaurant manager, and Ishaq, the main waiter, did a great job, as did Dani, who served our floating breakfast and a lovely lunch at Samaasa restaurant. There was a colorful pool with plenty of loungers and chairs, jet skis, kayaks, SUPs, snorkelling gear, beach volleyball, darts, ping pong, and indoor and outdoor gyms. Arcade games, basketball, and hockey were set up on the last day. There was some music in the evenings. We also took a sunset cruise, a guided snorkelling trip, a cooking class, and a cocktail-making class. Bob and the water sports crew were great. I went diving with Bob, who was such a nice guy. For anyone thinking of booking this hotel, just book it, relax, and have a great time.