Sun Siyam Iru Fushi

This was our second visit to Iru Fushi and it certainly wont be our last. A beautiful Island and equally beautiful people. From the moment you arrive by seaplane you are made to feel so welcome, nothing is ever too much trouble. My husband is coeliac and the chef, Nakala, in Iru Restaurant made sure his every need was catered for. The other restaurants were also very good with allergens & dietary requirements. The food overall was exceptional. We had a water villa with its own infinity pool which was spectacular and kept spotlessly clean by our cleaner Tarek. The villas have fully equipped bathrooms with all the toiletries you need so no worries if you forget anything. I had two spa treatments which were amazing, such a beautiful, calming area. The biggest shout out goes to our butler, Fayaz, who took care of our every need. He as our butler the last time we went and it was so lovely to meet up with him again. I have no hesitation in recommending Sun Siyam Iru Fushi to anyone considering a holiday in the Maldives.

Having read reviews prior to booking my trip, I thought it appropriate to share my experience. I'm aware that there are many different types of people visiting the maldives who prioritise different things. Therefore, my review is relevant for those who are a couple, without children whose main priority was to enjoy great snorkelling. We're not normally resort/ all-inclusive /cruise kind of people. However, if you are someone who likes to socialise on holiday and meet new people, make some holiday friends, then this place would be good for you. My husband and I prefer somewhere that feels a bit quieter, with fewer people. We've been to resorts of a similar size elsewhere, but it was much more spaced out, so socialising was more optional. There are places at the resort were it does feel a bit more intimate, such as Trio, where the tables are more spaced out, and it's a very picturesque setting. If you are visiting, book your tables in advance via the app. Trio is very popular and can be difficult to get a reservation. Similarly, the spa is beautiful, spacious and feels much more in keeping with what I'd expected of a hotel at this price point.If you are all inclusive, I would recommend booking for the complimentary access to the spa hydrotherapy circuit, there's a spa, sauna and two plunge pools that you can book for your private use. The food was generally really good, and the menus are extensive to cater to the different nationalities tastes. So I would recommend you seek advice from your server. We had some very flavoursome dishes with a nice amount of spice in both Bamboo, and particularly in Taste of India. We had excellent steak at Trio, and for lunch, the salt and pepper calamari and ceviche at Reflections were delicious. The biggest letdown for me was the breakfast buffet. Whilst the quality was good, it was here that it really didn't feel 5 star, more like a really good canteen. At other resorts of similar sizes, they have split the breakfast between two restaurants so that guests can still enjoy a more relaxing intimate feel. In terms of the accommodation, having stayed in both one of the renovated and unrenovated water villas, the renovated villas are beautiful, but are currently next to the construction work, whilst the unrenovated villas are quieter, though thy really are in need of renovation for a 5 star resort. Our butler Fayaz, who was very responsive and friendly, helped us change rooms because the area we were staying in was undergoing refurbishment with angle grinders operating up to 11pm at night. To be honest, if we had been warned in advance that there was construction ongoing during peak season, we'd have booked alternative accommodation as its not what I pictured when staying in the maldives and paying over 1k a night. In my opinion, the snorkelling in terms of the maldives was just ok. We saw lots of colourful fish and a stringray, as well as sharks and another ray from the deck of our water villa. However, if snorkelling is your primary motivation for visiting the maldives, do your research and stay elsewhere. We accept we should've looked into this more before we booked this resort; we had been spoilt at a previous resort with a house reef and just assumed this would be similar. The biggest credit to the resort is the staff, who are very helpful, kind, and friendly. Aside from our wonderful butler Fayaz, special mention to Naeem at breakfast, who always greeted us with a smile and the perfect cappuccino and Matteo at Trio, who was a great host and full of character. When booking a 5 star resort in the Maldives, I expected it to feel a little higher end and exclusive, and more akin to the previous experience I'd had at a cheaper, 4 star resort closer to Male. Unfortunately, at times, it felt a bit more like a package holiday or a cruise, which was not the vibe we were hoping for.

This trip was for our honeymoon and was a 10/5 every way you can evaluate it. I want to specifically recognize a couple people from this trip that really made it special. Lakshan - Lakshan is genuinely one of the nicest people we've ever met and made our trip even more lovely. He took care of us and made the world’s best drinks. We’d come back to the Maldives to visit with Lakshan. He made the whole trip amazing 😊😊😊😊 Faahim - Faahim helped us coordinate the whole trip and made it all so easy. He scheduled everything for us and made it so we never lifted a finger. Request Faahim if you want to have the best experience! Seriously!!!! Sabari, Gopal, & Thilina - bartenders at the beach. 3 of the coolest dudes on the planet and went over the top to provide my wife and I incredible service. Kept ice cold drinks in our hands and helped us whenever we didn’t know what to do. Seriously so unbelievably nice. Mishal - Mishal coordinated the coolest dolphin cruise imaginable. My wife called it “her favorite valentines” ever. That’s not a light statement 😊. Gayan - last but not least was Gayan. He was another bartender that made the best drinks and provided the best service imaginable. From day 1 he was looking out for us to truly make this a 5* experience. Gayan and Lakshan have convinced us to come see Sri Lanka next time we travel and Gopal told us all about places in India to go. I cannot recommend this place enough it was truly truly world class and I’ll tell everyone I come across to come and see this place for themselves. The views and the snorkeling were the cherry on top of a fantastic experience. These people have convinced us that another trip to the other side of the planet is in our near future.

We went for our honeymoon and it was incredible from start to finish. The sea plane lounge was fabulous, and the free massage was great. A good selection of food and drinks whilst waiting for the sea plane. On arrival the greeting was lovely. Our butler Faahim was incredible throughout. He greeted us on arrival, check in was easy, he was very knowledgable. He checked in every day with a list of activities and to find out how we were doing. He booked any activities for us. The food was incredible and the all inclusive package was well worth it. We tried trio, taste of India and bamboo. We had the flavours menu (but due to renovations the flavours restaurant had temporarily moved into trio). The à la carte meals were like being in fine dining restaurants. All all-inclusive drinks were available in all restaurants. Most evenings we watched the sunset with the DJ and live music at reflections which was absolutely beautiful. As part of the honeymoon package we had a free mini photoshoot, got a free 30 minute massage each, and had a ‘private sundowner’ on the beach with candles, prosecco and chocolate strawberries. We felt very well looked after. For lunch we tended to have snacks at either reflections, fluid or the main bar and they were great. It meant there was loads of variety so you didn’t get bored with food. The service was amazing everywhere but a special shout out to Faahim our butler, Deepsna, Ashen, Darshan, Naresh, Ajith, Vipin and Grishna (there were a couple more who were amazing but we didn’t catch their name). They made our time very special. As part of the all inclusive package ladies got a free facial, and it was wonderful. The spa was beautiful. We also did yoga and Pilates in the spa area, and you get a cup of ginger tea and a cold towel on arrival. There was a mix of evening entertainment although it was quieter than other all inclusives we’ve been to before, but there was always something arranged in the evening, whether live music or a DJ. We stayed in a horizon water villa with pool, and pool beach villa, and both were incredible. The beach villa was much more spacious, but the water villa had a gorgeous view out into the lagoon. Snorkelling was fantastic and sharks could be seen at Trio restaurant in the eve. The wine tasting as part of the all inclusive was great. Would recommend pre booking restaurants / wine tasting / excursions before coming. We did and had no trouble with availability, but we spoke to some people who hadn’t and they were struggling to get restaurant reservations whilst there, so booking in advance (even for Pilates etc) seemed to help.

We would like to say we do not usually write reviews, however the experience we received visiting Iru-fushi was out of this world. From the minute we stepped on the island until the moment we had to leave was nothing short of paradise. We really couldn’t find any fault. Our ‘butler’ Shahu was exceptional, whatever we needed he was there for us. Thank you for really looking after us. Our villa was amazing and we were looked after by Showrob, who visited our villa at least twice a day and still asked if there was anything he could do, incredible. The food in the buffet restaurant was exceptional and because of this we only visited one of the specialist dining restaurants once. Saying the, the food at Trio was amazing. In the buffet we were so looked after by the head chef Nalaka, chef Newsha which made us feel like they were our personal chefs. We would also give a big thank you to Harish and Sandip, who really took care of us. Saying that, we would also thank all the restaurant staff for their curtesy and politeness, we just could not find any fault. The management should be proud of all their staff working on this island. Nothing was too much trouble. We would finally like to add that we booked to return later in the year whilst we were on the island. Which we feel is a brilliant recommendation. Returning to an island is something we have never done before.

My family and I had a wonderful holiday on this beautiful island. A 5* resort without any doubt. Our butlers Naveen and Faahim couldn’t have been more helpful from buggy rides to various locations on the island to helping make restaurant and activities bookings. They were amazing! Our rooms were large and spacious and kept immaculately clean for us with twice daily services. We ate in all the restaurants (except Flavours which was undergoing renovation) and in each the food and service was excellent. We also went to the beach bbq where we enjoyed a feast of lobster and various meats accompanied by a huge range of salads, breads etc. We were on the A/I package which was very comprehensive and excellent value. We had two young children in our group and they had an amazing time too. Finally a big thank you to the staff, everyone working on the island was very friendly and helpful to all of us. So a truely wonderful holiday, we have been to several islands in the Maldives and this one stands out as one of the best.

Wow, what can be said about Sun Siyam Iru Fushi?……it is literally paradise! From the moment you arrive at the sea plane terminal ready to be transported to this magical island, you are truly spoilt. On arrival our butler, Lea, explained everything to us, and then amazed us by saying our beach villa had been upgraded to a beach villa with a pool! Amazing! We had this for a week before moving to water villa with a pool (one of the newly refurbished ones on Boli bridge). Our beach villa (254) was on the north side of the island, and in my opinion, this is the better beach side as more beach and the sand is soft and white! Although it can be breezy, walking from your villa through the trees to the beach is amazing. The pool in the beach villas are quite big too and the outdoor bathrooms are great. On our second week, we moved to a water villa with a pool (604). This was on Boil bridge (north east). Our bags were picked up by staff and taken to our new villa then Lea came and collected us in a buggy and drove us to our new home. Our villa was amazing, and we had sun from sunrise to approx 16.30 on our deck! Nothing on the island is too far, a complete lap of the beach is a 30mins walk (although at high tide you do have to go into the sea for a small stretch due to a narrow part of the beach on the north eastern side, however at low tide you can walk all the way round. If you can’t walk far, there are a number of ‘pick up stations’ where you can phone for a buggy and a driver will appear in a golf buggy to take you where you want to go, or you can just flag one down if one comes past whilst your walking. The food is amazing, our favourite restaurant was bamboo, and on our last evening, they put a special table on with a message spelt out in sesame seeds, it was such a nice touch. Big shout out to all the staff there, especially Pratek, Deepisna & Yalsan. They really do go above and beyond. We also really enjoyed Taste of India and Trio (our booking in flavours was moved to trio but we could still order from French menu). We had a few trips to the spa, which is a must do! It’s so tranquil and peaceful and all the staff are lovely. Big shout out to Eka and Riska, who were both lovely and gave great treatments. There is also the hydrotherapy area which you can book for a private hour session, this was lovely with sauna, steam room, hot and cold plunge pools and sunbeds to relax on. We did a couple of trips - Lucky Manta rays, which was amazing, we saw so many mantas and to swim with them is incredible. We also stopped off on way back to swim with turtles! The guides are so helpful and take videos in the sea with the marine life that they then send to you! We also did the golden sunset cruise which was a lovely cruise around the island and out to watch the beautiful sunset. We snorkelled most days, either at Nemo park, the house reef or just the reefs from the north beach. From the north beach we saw black tip reef sharks and sea turtles! If I had to find some areas to improve on (and this is only minor things), it would be - Time to wait for a drink in the Iru restaurant, especially a decaf coffee at breakfast. - Size of the robes in the spa, they are not for broad shouldered people! Overall, this island is perfect. The staff are so polite and always say hello around the island, as well as stopping for a chat. The food is amazing, everything we ate was so well presented. Must do’s / top tips - Go on lucky manta ray trip, as you stop off to see turtles too, it’s like two trips in one! - Book up restaurant reservations on app in advance if you can, to ensure you get in (we never had any issues, but heard of people not being able to get in when they wanted). We ate everywhere we wanted to on multiple occasions. - Catch a sunset at reflections, sit on a bean bag with the DJ and a drink. - Visit the excursion pier around 16.45 /17.15 to see reef sharks! - Have a treatment (or two) at the spa. - If you want extra beer in our mini bar fridge, just ask, our fridge was stocked to our requests. Final shout out to our butler Lea, she sorted anything we wanted out and kept us fully informed at all times. She came a visited us occasionally at dinner too. We are lucky to be on a honeymoon package and the extra little things that are included are amazing. One highlight was a mini photo shoot, it was only 15 mins, but the photographer Awf picked us up from our villa and drove us to a beach for photos. He made us so at ease (we are not photo people). When we went to collect them he told us he took 50+ pictures and for us to choose the ones we liked, he then edited them. It was all so cleaver and he explained it all in such detail. If you have the chance, definitely use him, as he is so friendly and helpful. There is so much to do on this island…..if you want to, or just relax and chill. We will definitely return as it truly is a special place which the staff make even more incredible. Thank you for making our honeymoon so special!

Honestly the best place we have ever been. The villa is amazing, the wildlife, the excursions and no exaggeration to say that the staff have been nothing short of exceptional including Mari who made sure our villa was always in immaculate condition! We have already booked our next stay here. Oh, and the food is to die for!

What a place. The place is paradise. The lounge at Male airport was not expected whilst we waited for our Sea Plane. Buffet Food and drinks provided and a 10 minute shoulder massage. What a nice treat. Came here to celebrate our 50th Birthdays and what a way to celebrate. This island is fantastic. All members of staff were friendly and always said hello from bar staff, restaurant staff and groundsmen. We can not fault this place. Food in the buffet Iru Restaurant had so much variety and the other restaurants were superb. We ate in the Iru buffet at breakfast and lunch and booked the other restaurants for evening meals. Flavours was closed for refurbishment so we can’t comment on that.Our favourite was Bamboo. We ate twice at Islanders Grill where you do have to pay 50% for your food. We had Smoked Salmon and Prawns for starter which were to die for. Tomahawk Steak and Lamb Shank best we’ve ever had. The Villa was fantastic, own pool and access to the Beach. White Sand and clear blue sea. Lots of marine life in the rocks and coral bays. Our Butler Aalam was great from the moment we stepped of the Sea Plane until we left. He also came to see us every night to check our day was good and that all ok. This island really is Paradise. Again ALL members of staff were absolutely outstanding. Would recommend this Island Iru Fushia 100%

Sun Siyam Iru Fushi was the best experience we could have wished for. Not having been to The Maldives before, we didn’t know what to expect. After having a very warm welcome, we were told that we had been upgraded to a beach villa with a pool…. It was amazing! 307, was the perfect location for us. The food, staff, everything was first class.