Canareef Resort Maldives

I made this trip with my loved one, Meriem. We planned to make our honney moon at the Maldives and canareef was the best possible choice. It’s not about the view, the sea, the sun, the beautiful landscapes or whatever. It’s all about the people working there. I'm from Belgium and I swear to god that never ever in my life I met people with a heart like this. Must go there to understand. They soften your heart and mind, you'll go home more humble. A special shoutout to Than, a waiter at the main restaurant that we cary deep in our heart. Aster three days, I got sick. We then met Dr.Ali, the doctor of our island. Soft voice, he is very present for his patients. This man doesn't work for money, he works for love of the humain being. He stood by my side for so long and I wish we have more people like him the world. I'll never forget them all. I wish i meet you all again very soon. We carry you all deep inside our hearts. Steven & Mariam.

It was quite the adventure to get there, 3 planes (4 take offs as the last plane stopped to collect more people enroute) and a speed boat. I am not the most confident or comfortable traveller but I must say it was well worth the journey. Canareef Resort was an absolute paradise dream from start to finish. We were met from Male airport by a Canareef rep and enjoyed the complimentary lounge (with food, drink, WiFi and toilets) while we waited for our final flight. We were then welcomed by another rep at Gan airport where they supported us to the boat. It was late at night but we were still welcomed with happy and warm welcome. A fresh drink from a coconut, a cooled flannel and a palm leaf gift which was the perfect welcome and were escorted by buggy to our room where we were shown around. The room was amazing, we had a premium whirlpool room (709). It was extremely spacious, beautiful 4 poster bed and a little outside decking space with breathtaking views. The food was delicious, plenty of variety each night to suit all palettes. All restaurants/bars were very tidy and cean and well maintained. The staff were very attentive and we never had an empty glass/cup for long! The resort embraces diversity, they celebrate all customs/worldly events and encourages guests to join in the celebrations. They go to a lot of effort to ensure each and every guest is happy, comfortable and having a wonderful time. All staff welcome you with a smile and hello. Nothing is ever too much! Our room was cleaned every day with fresh bed, clean towels and fresh water. Our room service attendant would ask if we were ok and provided us anything we needed in no time at all. The island itself is just stunning, everywhere you look is an opportunity for a stunning photograph! White sandy beaches, lush green plans, bright flowers, turquoise sea. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it was real/without a filter! The sunsets are spectacular and there are so many beautiful spots to view it from. While there are plenty of guests, there are so many beautiful places, nowhere ever seems busy, never an issue getting a lounger or table. At all pool/beach stops, there are fresh beach towels to use. There were some interesting wildlife, fruit bats, lizards, mammoth wasps, fish, sharks and dolphins to mention a few! All harmless and fun to see. There is plenty to do, the Dhoni bar often hold themed nights which are fun. We did the lucky dolphin tour which was amazing. We travelled by traditional Maldivian boat and saw so many dolphins! It was a bargain at $55. We also watched the fish feeding, this is free and is a great experience! There are 2 pools, one at the Dhoni bar that is really big, I think it is the biggest in the Maldives. There is also another smaller, but deeper pool at the Meera bar. The Meera bar was the best of all worlds for us, it has the pool, the bar,the food and the beach all in one location. You can call a buggy to collect you wherever you are, you never have to wait long. You can also start walking and wave one over when they pass and they will pick you up. You can also use a bike for free. You can visit the local island, the water under the bridge that connects it is a sight to behold. The beaches do get washed up seaweed but the maintenance staff are out all the time, raking it up and keeping the beaches beautiful. We visited in October which is the tail end of monsoon season. It rained for max 7 minutes on 3 of our 7 days. It dried quicker than it actually rained for. The rain is crazy heavy and quite a fun experience. The sun always wins and you go back to dry sunny weather in no time at all. If the rain does bother you though, each room has umbrellas to use and all main areas have shelter not to mention the constant availability of the palm tree shelters! My husband notified the hotel about my birthday, they went to great measures making sure I felt celebrated. The bed decoration was a wonderful surprise. It is a good idea to take beach shoes as the initial shore/coral can be uncomfortable on the feet in some places. My only gripe is that there is only 1 shop and it was closed for the duration of our stay. Not that we needed anything, just would have liked to look for gifts for our loved ones at home. We will be back, I can't wait!

We visited Canareef Resort Maldives with my family to celebrate my birthday, and from the moment we arrived, everything felt like a dream. When we landed in Gan, the staff gave us a warm welcome before a short 15-minute speedboat ride to the island — where our paradise truly began. Upon arrival, we were greeted again with fresh coconuts and a beautiful handmade fish crafted from palm leaves. The reception team explained everything about the island and gave us a map before escorting us by buggy to our villa. Our villa was spotless and beautifully arranged, with the jacuzzi already prepared for us. We arrived late for dinner, but the staff at Kilhi Restaurant were so polite and arranged an alternative dinner at Merra Bar. The buggy took us there, where the staff were waiting with menus and big smiles. The food was fantastic — a perfect start to our holiday. The next morning, we opened our back door, and in just 20 steps, we were on the beach! The view was breathtaking — crystal-clear blue water and soft white sand, like living in paradise. Breakfast was rich and delicious with a wide variety of options. During our stay, we enjoyed many activities, including bicycle rides (free of charge), swimming pools, beach bars, tennis, pool, mini football, darts, and volleyball — all included! Lunch and dinner were always full of colorful, fresh seafood and a huge variety of tasty dishes, desserts, and ice creams. One day, we went snorkeling at Baracuda Bar and saw beautiful corals, lionfish, stonefish, jackfish, sharks, and many more colorful fish — truly unforgettable! Every day at 4:45 PM, we also gathered to watch the shark feeding, which was an amazing and unforgettable experience for the whole family. 🦈 We also took a boat trip to watch dolphins, which was magical. The dolphins were playful and graceful — one of the highlights of our trip. With permission from the reception, we even visited the local village on the other side of the island. Riding bicycles around, meeting local people, and learning about their life was such a beautiful cultural experience. Everyone was polite, friendly, and welcoming. Prices were reasonable, and the overall service was beyond expectations. We truly felt like VIP guests in paradise. All the staff and management deserve a big thank you for making our stay so special. We will never forget this holiday, and we can’t wait to return to Canareef Resort soon! 🌺💙

Sehr nettes, freundliches Personal und immer bemüht. Ganz besonders fanden wir Than und Raina ( waiters at the Restaurant) They made everyday special! As the weather was not good we missed some Softdrinks in the room for free whats I am use to in all my all inclusive Trips. And I did not like the long distance from our room to the Restaurant and bars. We often had to wait long for a buggy and we wished there would be more programms indoor. A big problem were the cats…… They seemed to be erverywhere and for me I could not sit relaxed at meal time because I am allergic to the cats hair.

We spent two wonderful weeks there. The cottages are very spacious and beautiful, especially the outdoor shower, which has beautiful views of the palm trees. I recommend the Sunset Villa rooms. They offer sunset views and beach access. The food is very good. There's plenty of it, and above all, beautiful views. The resort is quite large, almost 5km long, and there are plenty of attractions. We spent our evenings at the bar, where the Beyond Rhythm Band entertained us almost every day. Three wonderful people: Jay, Marie, and Chris. 😁 Thank you for the beautiful music. And most importantly, the weather was very good, even though it was supposed to be rainy.

Wow, what an experience! We had great weather, amazing food and a great balance of relaxation and things to do. The service and commitment of the staff was to be commended - they couldn't have done more for us if they tried! Barracuda Beach was breath-taking, and the gardens and surrounds were lush and beautifully taken care of. Our room could have used a more comfy bed and a couple of other updates, but the outdoor bathroom was so cool, and who goes to the Maldives to stay in their room anyway?

This was our 9th trip to the Maldives and we were quite apprehensive about the size of Canareef, it's the largest of the islands, but certainly didn't feel the size it is, it's very long and narrow. From the moment we touched down in Male, we were looked after by the Canareef team, very swiftly checked in to the domestic flight and up in the air in no time, arrived in Gan a couple of hours later and whisked off to the island on the speedboat, we were met with the Boduberu drums, much to my delight, as we've never had that welcome before! Drinks in coconuts during check in, then onto a buggy to our beautiful room, we had a sunset jacuzzi villa, the very last one on the island near the Bar Kuda, we loved the position, but it did prove problematic when the island filled up, buggies were often full and we missed a couple of events due to this, however on moaning to the reception, we were given complementary ebikes for the rest of our stay, thankfully they were returned in one piece (I'm not a natural on any bike, let alone an ebike!) The rooms are beautifully presented, bright, airy decor with outside bathrooms, toiletries are of good quality and I'm fussy, so they must be good! The rooms were kept clean and bed decorations were done during our stay, to which we reciprocated with a thank you lol! Our only gripe with the room was the hard mattress, but despite being uncomfortable, it actually helped my spinal condition. Food: I cannot thank the restaurant staff enough for looking after me, I'm coeliac and was extremely concerned about eating, I did take protein bars and snacks to keep me going if there was a problem, but the amazing Lyn (restaurant manager) called the chef Anil out to help me, he then went on to cook fresh food for me, separate from the buffet food, I was thoroughly spoiled with amazing seafood platters, GF pasta dishes, chicken, vegetables and tasty curries, I wanted to take him home, but sadly not an option lol!! I'd also like to mention the lovely Ziyad, one of the waiters, what a lovely man. My husband used the dive centre, but sadly didn't feel that welcome, it was all German, even the WhatsApp messages were German, he therefore only did 2 SCUBA dives, it was also extremely expensive in comparison to other islands we've visited, but he did enjoy the 2 he did. We did the snorkeling trip which was ok, but at $45 each, thought it quite steep! Other resort without reefs offer free snorkeling excursions, so if snorkeling is important to you, then bear this in mind. We also did the dolphin cruise, which we actually won as a prize from the crab racing, we thoroughly enjoyed that and would love to thank the man who does the trips, we spent so much time talking and joking with him, we didn't get his name. The swimming pools are huge, never an issue for a sunbed and daily aquafit relieves the guilt of all the food. The beaches aren't quite the typical Maldives beaches, there's lots of coral, so shoes are needed, but not really a problem, the sea is typical turquoise waters. One thing that originally put us off Canareef was the local island, however this turned out to be a bonus, we actually went over to the island twice, it's amazing how strong the need for a packet of crisps becomes when you're faced with $12 a bag in the island shop! On the local island, 2 huge bags of posh crinkle crisps, plus 4 drinks, was just $5 Overall, would I return? Yes, in a heartbeat, it had everything we needed/wanted, the staff are amazing, rooms comfortable, hats off to Sherzod Berdov for all the work he's doing.

From arriving at Gan airport, the Canareef staff looked after our transfer very effiiently. We arrived in the dark at Canareef. The Canareef family greeted us with a very warm welcome. We were checked in super fast and taken to our villa in a buggy along with our luggage. The villa on the sunset side was gorgeous. We did ask for a mattress topper as the bed was harder than what we prefer, but it was all good when we got that sorted with no fuss. Our attentive housekeeper Hrudoy was an absolute diamond. Every member of staff( Canareef family were beautiful inside and out)...nothing was too much trouble, quite the opposite they all go out of their way to look after whatever you want. We loved the peaceful Meera pool & bar for quiet time. Bar Kuda is a superb location on a lovely stretch of beach which is lovely for snorkeling. Dhoni bar has more going on, with a massive pool. There were always plenty of loungers and shade, no need for the dreaded towel run. We found the food was very good. Hubby was happy with drinks, but I wasn't keen on the white wine. Getting around the islan is a doddle, you can have courtesy bikes all duration, or just call transport anytime for a buggy to pick you up and take you where you want to go. I did a few dives and the Diveland team were great. Very safety conscious, all equipment was in excellent condition and the dives were just stunning. We did go on the island tour, the guide was good. We did the dolphin excursion, the boat and crew were great, but the dolphins had a day off that day ! There is a fish feeding session on the jetty. It's pretty cool to see so many black reef top sharks and a huge stingray. It's lovely to see Hawksbill turtles whilst wandering on the jetty or swimming by Dhoni bar beach. This was my 4th trip to the Maldives, stayed on a different island each time, Canareef would be my go back to choice.

The canareef island was so Beautiful to see coming in from the ocean on a speed boat. The staff were amazing nothing they wouldn’t do for you . Food was excellent far to much to choose from, ate to much , Beaches lovely white sand , lots of fish to see, Bars and entertainment, We did water aerobic with Torah not sure how to spell his name but he was very good we all enjoyed his sessions, I would like to go back as it was a fantastic holiday. Thank you to all the staff . Carmel and Peter Tilley sep 25 to 5 Oct 2025

My holiday at canareef was a pleasant one, and the staff were warm and friendly. The beaches were well maintained with regular debris removal. The atmosphere was laid back relaxing but with entertainment in the evenings and organised fishing, dolphin watching, diving, snorkeling etc trips throughout the stay if required or maybe a massage. My sunset villa was spacious clean and tidy with a short palm lined sandy path, leading directly onto the beach where l often took my coffee and watched the hermit crabs shuffling along. l need to give Panaveex a mention he cleaned the villa and maintained my supply of water and milk powder ensuring I never ran out, l do hope I've spelt his name correctly he was very helpful and informative. Getting around the island is very easy you can collect a free bicycle from the gym area,or hire an electric one for an extra $20 per day or simply call for a buggy, again for free. The gym was well maintained clean and tidy of which l used daily. Suranga was the personal trainer and showed great knowledge and understanding, worked well with people, ensuring correct movement, motivation etc. The food hall restaurant was always spotless and the very large variety of different dishes were authentically delicious, and the menu theme changed daily, barbecue, french,maldivian etc . Again l have to mention the waiting staff who were always polite and courteous firstly the chap who's name escapes me but he knows who l mean, and also Bianca and Princess easier names for me to remember all very genuine friendly and chatty. Last but not least eco warrior Milly and her manager both good people