Embudu Village

The staff made our week at Embudu Village especially enjoyable. Everyone was friendly, helpful, and nice, and Ravindra in the restaurant deserves special credit for the service. The resort was well organized and maintained, and our room was clean, spacious, and cozy. The island felt like a little piece of paradise. We came away with very positive impressions and had a super experience.

Getting there was easy, with a smooth, well-organized transfer that took just 20 minutes by boat from Malé. The house reef was beautiful, full of colorful fish and rich marine life, and perfect for snorkeling. The resort itself felt old and poorly cared for. We were upgraded to a water villa, but its bathrooms were in bad shape, and we found cockroaches at night. The food was pretty basic. I’ve stayed at four different resorts in the Maldives, and for the money, this one wasn’t worth it.

I had a good week at Embudu Village, with lovely beaches, plenty of space so it never felt crowded, and amazing wildlife in the water. I saw lots of sharks, a turtle, parrotfish, clownfish, clams, and an octopus. The rooms are simple but clean. I’m a light sleeper and had been worried about the noise insulation mentioned by other reviewers, but it was absolutely fine. Staff were nice, especially my housekeeper, who was very friendly and polite. I was on half board and found the food tasty and plentiful, with lots of vegetarian choices. The main drawback was the meal schedule: breakfast ends at 9.15am, far too early for a holiday, and dinner doesn’t start until 7:30pm, which is too late for most Europeans. Because it was a busy period, I had to share a table with another guest at every meal. She was lovely, but I don’t think that’s a good solution. The hotel should add more tables or stagger meal times. They also leave one glass bottle of water per person per day in the room, but there’s no way to refill it, so you have to buy plastic bottles at the restaurant. A refill station would be better for guests and the environment. The quality was good for the price, and I’d consider coming back mainly for the reef and wildlife.

We spent time at Embudu at the beginning of November and had a great time. It’s an authentic, very green island, a real tropical paradise. This place is for people who care more about natural beauty and authenticity than luxury. While snorkeling, I saw different kinds of fish, reef sharks, and turtles. On shore, there were lizards, crabs, and parrots. Our room was clean and well maintained. There was no TV, but with all that beauty around, who needs one? There’s no swimming pool either, but in the Maldives, do you really need one when you have some of the world’s most beautiful beaches? After Embudu we went to another 5* luxury resort, but our best memories are from Embudu.