Palm Gate Maldives

The island was my favorite in the Maldives, with a calmer feel than Male but still plenty of good restaurants and shops in the village and along the beach. At Palm Gate, Charme and his family were so kind, and he was great at suggesting island activities. He even showed me the quieter, beautiful spots at Dream Beach and Sunset Beach. You can rent a snorkel mask for the day for just 5$. My room had air conditioning, a towel, and a hairdryer, plus a rack for drying swimwear and beach towels. Breakfast was fantastic too, with juice, eggs, milk, cereal, Nutella, bread, butter, jam, and fresh fruit if you prefer.

I won't stay at Palm Gate again. Shaam, who told me he was the owner, was kind at first when I said I was a new revert and fasting for Ramadan. Then one morning he saw me drinking coffee and got angry, accusing me of saying I was Muslim and fasting when I wasn't. Women have reasons to break a fast every month, but he didn't consider that, and it wasn't his business anyway. He would send messages like “don't ask me,” “don't bother me,” and “don't let me repeat my same answer,” then act sweet again before saying something mean later. It felt exactly like the way my toxic, narcissistic ex-husband treated me. When I asked him to speak respectfully because I was a paying customer, he scoffed, paced around the courtyard, pointed his finger at me, said “I can't tolerate you,” and stormed off. I stopped communicating with him after that to protect my peace, both in person and by text. I told him to text me if he came back acting sweet and wanting to talk. That wasn't the kind of atmosphere I wanted during my stay in Maldives. He can be perfectly nice when he's not offended or upset, so maybe your stay will go well if you choose the place. I have the exchange in writing. After he found my review, Shaam sent me a text during Ramadan in the middle of the day. It was disturbing enough that I felt it should be shared. I encourage people to pray for him, because he seems like a lost, hurting young man. He may be pleasant to your face, but this is the side I experienced, so think twice about staying at Palm Gate. I also attached a text from February to confirm how he spoke to me at the time. I expect him to deny what happened, give his own inaccurate version, gaslight me, and blame me. That's what I expect from him.

We were comfortable and the host was nice, but I don't understand why Google calls this a 5 star hotel when it needs serious refurbishment. The furniture was peeling, there were damp patches on the walls, the mirror had streaks, and the bathroom window wouldn't shut because its handle was broken. Fixing those things would make for a satisfying stay. The $48 environmental tax for Thulusdhoo is payable on arrival. We only had Maldivian Rufiyaa and were first quoted 920 Rufiyaa in cash, equivalent to $60 elsewhere in Maldives. After we questioned the exchange rate, the amount somehow dropped to 860 Rufiyaa, or $56. It was confusing. We eventually paid $50 by card, the amount shown on the booking. If you stay here, card or cash dollars seem the best way to pay the fee.

The rooms, breakfast, and location were fine, but the WiFi “ran out” on the second day and stopped being usable. Worse, we asked the guest house manager to arrange ferry tickets back to Male and he didn't. The ferry was full, we nearly got kicked off, had to stand the whole trip, and almost missed our connection.