Canareef Resort Maldives

This was truly a heavenly, stunning place. Wonderful members of staff that certainly made my stay very enjoyable. Key activities were great for everyone. Lovely food choices daily and the Duoni Bar for the evenings amongst others.

Holiday was out of this word the staff were unbelievable and could not do enough for you I was in crutches as recovering from broken hip they even arranged a low level buggies for me to get to the restaurants it was so good we are trying to save up enough to go in December for my birthday 🎂 xxxx

Staffs were very friendly as always and the location was best for engagement activities. Food was also good. Enjoyed a lot. 😊

Amazing time hospitality was out of this world couldn’t have done more. Attentive on every scale from the buggie drivers to the restaurant and the pools were lovely too. Beaches and wildlife who could ask for more. Accommodation was decorated beautifully and the whilepool was a great addition. We have been the Maldives many times but can honestly say we will go back. Thank you to everyone who made our stay perfect didn’t want to leave. The airport lounge was a great surprise when waiting for the Gan flight and the welcome at the other end with big smiles and such a happy welcome took the tiredness of the journey away. Thank you to everyone see you soon.

Canareef offers a peaceful escape with a unique local touch. It’s close to inhabited islands (S. Hulhudhoo and S. Meedhoo), where you can explore interesting spots like the Eco Garden and Koagannu. The resort is simple, serene, and surrounded by nature which is perfect if you're looking to relax and also get a glimpse of real Maldivian life. A great balance of comfort and culture.

Everything was perfect, Good location. Facilities are good. Pool is nice. Room is fantastic. Transport is also good and well arranged

we enjoyed our badhahi trip at Canareef. The space provided by the resort is just amazing, we got our privacy to play games with our office big team of 118 members. everything was arranged very well by the resort. It was a memorable trip

It was an awesome trip. Arrangement was superb. Would love to visit in future too. Thank You Team Canareef for the awesome hospitality.

Great accommodation and super nice staff. Beautiful resort. My only comment would be to state upfront the Green Tax and transfer charges which were a $1K surprise on checkout

Positives : Welcome coconut drink on arrival and very quick check in . All staff are positive, smiling and respectful. Special mention to Millie who listened to our holiday hiccups and made holiday experience better. Even decorated our villa with flowers and champagne which was unexpected and wonderful. She didn’t have to do that, thank you Millie. Chef Lucky in Bar-Kuda beach bar cooks some wonderful food, beautifully presented and tasted delicious. Staff behind beach bar Albert and Jessica, thank you for your warm welcome and topping them drinks up . Lifeguard at beach bar always friendly, always smiling. Island is long and very green with different birds, animals and lakes. We found that there’s lots to do here. Tennis, volleyball, water sports, ping pong, billiards, darts, etc. It also has a gym that is well equipped. Spa treatment was good and reasonably priced. You can go to local villages to explore if interested in local culture. We hired taxi/ guide for couple of hours which was enough. It was $20 per hour. Premium villa was spacious, light and in good walking distance to amenities . Jacuzzi was nice and decking at the front of the villa was large with sun beds, table and chairs. Direct access to the beach from villa was perfect. Beach was clean and waters clear. Plenty of fish to see and baby shark often comes to shore to swim around . There’s some broken corals in the water but plenty of new growth. Rocky side of the island produces some wonderful waves for pictures . Beautiful sound to listen to while eating at the restaurant. Beach cocktails party was nice touch. House DJ is very good, producing great mix adding fantastic atmosphere to the evening. Not so positives : Island is on the other side of equator so you will need to take a domestic flight, which fly 3 times a day. Somehow between resort and our tour operator communication got lost and we hadn’t been booked in for 4.30 flight and instead had to wait for 12hrs for next one at 23.20. After an easy direct flight from London it wasn’t great news, which ment a total 48 h in travel . I’m blaming both resort and our tour operator for this miscommunication. There’s 15+ cats and kittens on resort island and the only reason it’s a negative point because they are hungry and have to scavenge for food in rubbish. It’s an island and cats can’t go anywhere, surely it will be enough left overs from buffet to feed them. They are hungry and it’s negligence to leave them to breed between themselves as it will create bigger problem overtime. Canareef is a nature reserve and it’s a shame to see poor animals suffer. Housekeeping is hit and miss. In our case mostly miss . Unfortunately one keeper allocated per villa and we only found out difference when he was on his day off and different boy came to clean . What a disappointment to have a lazy keeper and forever asking him for towels and to change our bedding which in over two weeks was only changed 3 times . Bathroom floor never swept , jacuzzi not topped up, shower gel not replenished. He was Waste of time. It would be nice to have ability to eat at the beach bar for lunch on all inclusive basis as restaurants is on the other side of the island and it’s very hot to wait for buggy. Now restaurant the only one available and it’s flies paradise. We were shocked to see how many flies around open food in a restaurant. I mean surely it’s unhealthy and unhygienic not even mention to how disgusting it is to eat something after a fly landed on it. Well we didn’t so it was very limited to want we could eat which was hot food in covered trays. My husband is plain eater and he found it a bit difficult to eat here. It would be nice to have chips or potatoes dishes rather than rice and pasta every day. I found curries a bit same with no real tase difference. To my disappointment I couldn’t try desserts as they were covered in flies. Covering dishes with cling film is not really working as first person takes the cling film off it’s never go back to how it was, leaving it open for flies. Best option would be section food hall with close doors and air conditioning and leave rest of the restaurant open to air. You really should think how to improve this as this is a big issue. Buggies either arrive before you put the phone down or you will have to wait for 20/30 min at a time in scorching heat. Very inconsistent. Our Bikes were a bit rusty and in not good working order. Bike saddle was as hard as a rock. Evening games / activities need to have timesheets so you know when they start . Jet ski is expensive hence not often used. Canareef Shop is expensive. Long sleeve T shirt $140 ! Overall we lost 1 whole day in resort due to miscommunication coming to holiday and good night sleep coming back from holiday . Few suggestions: More food options/ restaurants and healthy options like nuts and grains . Salad bar is not enough. Maybe Pool aerobics , some evening yoga classes and meditation sessions . Local villages bazaar once a week with local produce would be entertaining and excellent way to support local community . Welcome booklet in your room with history of the island and general information.