Paradise Island Reviews

After booking the holiday at the beginning of 2006 i was a little worried to come on here and see some of the negative reviews, I have a feeling that Villa Hotels have carried out extensive improvements since some of the older, negative reviews, so here is my truthfull assessment!!

Resort - A beautiful island which is near to Male, to walk over the bridge to the resort is an eye-watering experience and really does look like Paradise, a tip would be to ask for a room on the North West end of the Island (numbered 220-240) as these are right on the best beachfront of the whole island. We were 10 steps from a lovely 300m stretch of gorgeous white beach which had at most 10 other people on it at any one time. We did a day trip to Bandos (which has some great reviews on this web-site) and found it to be not even close to Paradise Island in terms of scenery and beatiful beach.

Accomodation - Very clean and is cleaned / towels changed twice a day, you will find the odd ant on the bathroom floor but there arnt too many and they are harmless. The island sprays insecticide every morning to control bigger bugs (such as cockroaches) and we only saw one in our two weeks there (and this was on stage in the main bar :-) Outside shower is great after a few hours on the beach to cool off!!

Food - We were all inclusive and found breakfast, lunch and dinner great on every day. The chefs are really adventurous and i never ate the same meal twice in 14 days. There is a huge selection of cakes and deserts every lunch and dinner which are amazing. The buffet has beautiful fresh fish, prime cuts of juicy steak, various pasts dishes, curries and loads of other types of food. Considering it is all imported (apart from the fish) it tastes better than it does in 90% of the restaurants i have visited in England.

Staff - Really friendly and helpful, never pushy at all, nothing is too much for them :-)

General - We did our PADI open water course there and enjoyed it immensely, the instructors were excellent and made it a pleasure (even the theory stuff).
We also visited the Aarumi Spa twice for a full body massage which was good!!

Overall - I would not hesitate to recommend this resort to anybody, young or old, active or just there to relax.

10/10

We visited Paradise Island in December 2004 and can only say that it was absolute paradise. The Island has lots of facilities that to be honest we did not really use. We had a beach bungalow which was situated on the best part of the island. I have read other reviews of the island and do agree with them in that if you happen to get a bungalow on another part of the island you would have a sea wall as your view. Should we have got one of these bungalows I feel my review would not have been as favourable.
I guess this is the luck of the draw - which you do not want when you are travelling so far and paying so much money for a holiday.

Putting that aside I have to say the staff and food were of the best quality. Our waiter was such an attentive person and nothing was too much trouble. The sea was crystal clear and the sand as white as snow. The snokling was brilliant and the sea life amazing.
We did have a couple of spa treatments which were set in a beautiful area.
This was truly an amazing place to go and we both have fond memories.

We will go back to the Maldives but maybe to a smaller and more remote island and maybe at a different time of the year.

Paradise island was an excellent holiday for anyone seeking exactly that-pure paradise.

Having been to Mexico Cancun in 2003, we felt a relaxing holiday would be just the ticket. The perfect holiday for both the diving enthusiast and the reading beach / pool dweller.

On arrival to Paradise island we filled in the numerous forms and recieved the wrist bands allocated for all inclusive guests. We were then issued a key number and a lobby attendant took our bags to our room which was a beach bungalow. We found we were on the opposite side of the island from all of the facilities i.e. dive centre, pool, bar and restaurant. It was approximately a ten minute walk, this would not have been a problem as it was a nice walk through the gardens which were immaculately kept, however james had his own diving gear which was heavy to carry that distance up to twice a day. We contacted the reception and explained the problem, and without any agro they moved us to another room that evening which was less than a two minute walk from the main complex!!! Fantastic

Another warning the beach around the back of the island is full of dead coral aswell and has a large wall for a breaker which spoilt the view, therefore if you get a room there unless you are happy with this think up some excuse to be moved and they will be only too happy to help!

Tips for your holiday:

Restaurants:

You will be allocated a table and a waiter which will be the same for the duration of your stay. We found this a little bizarre at first but soon we got used to this and built up a good relationship with Rasheed our waiter. It was also nice to never have to wait for a table! If you are all inclusive you will still be asked to sign a bill for all drinks even if on all inclusive menu. Do not be alarmed this is so they can keep a stock take not so they can charge you!!! We tipped our waiter at the end of the holiday on the last day instead of at every mealtime. If travelling with tradewinds they will provide you with information that tells you acceptable tips to give to staff on island

Cocktails are not included on all inclusive and neither are ice creams, which are not expensive however soon add up. One day when we return i will take the lollies you can freeze yourself and put them in the freezer of the mini bar in the beach bungalow.

On the whole, we found there was a wide range of different food to cater for all available and a different selection every day.

There are four restaurants:

1. The main all inclusive restaurant

2. The Seafood Restaurant - expensive, however good deal on lobster dishes monday nights

3. Italian Restaurant

4. The Beach Bar Grill - open in between restaurant opening times, situated around the back of island next to the spa area. This is not all inclusive however food is not too expensive and we made good use of this facility

Pool Area:
If you tip the poolside attendant at the beginning of your holiday he will ensure he saves you sunbeds for the rest of the holiday. Do not take towels on the holiday the towels in the room are changed twice daily if needed, and towels are provided by the poolside.

bar staff will also serve you around the poolside regularly with drinks so you will not have to keep getting up to the bar for a drink!

Dive Centre:

Excellent staff. Good dive packages available for reasonable cost. Just remember the cost of the dive boat trips.

Evening Entertainment:

Evening entertainment is not the best consisting of karaoke which nobody relly takes part in. also two bands who are good but not great!! This did not pose a problem to us as after a day of sunbathing, reading and diving, we were happy to have a quiet drink and go back to the bungalow.

All in all an excellent holiday staff were extremely helpful, very happy to help at all times.

Hopefully one day we will return, however we have plenty of other destinations to try first
Enjoy your holiday

Having literally just come back from our honeymoon out at Paradise, we felt obliged to give such positive feedback about such a fantastic island. Whilst it was our first time to the Maldives, it lived up to our expectations in every way. Unlike the previous poster, the staff (Abdullah and Mohammed) were attentive to every little detail, the food was wide ranging and different every night and the facilities and the ambiance of the resort were A1. This island is a must to visit and be part of.

The snorkelling in the coral, coming face to face with Tiger Sharks and other aquatic life was a unique and unforgettable experience.

Whilst the entertainment was varied each night, some of the live bands on were of high quality (even the magician tried his hardest!!) and the crab racing was original.

Despite being on the east of the island in a delux beach bungalow, the 5 minute walk to the main bar and restaurant was pleasant, filled with countless happy gardeners and pleasant staff.

Without a doubt, we shall be returning in the very near future.

Paradise Island was the fourth island we have been to in the Maldives, and by far the least impressive.

I have travelled all over the world and have never encountered such a poor service than that received whilst staying here. In general, the staff on Paradise Island were friendly - principally the security staff and the house-keepers.

However, the staff in the main bar were extremely rude and very unhelpful towards us, and other guests.

On several occasions the bar staff asked guests to order drinks from other waiters as they were busy (understandable if they were busy but the bar was never full). One night I spoke to four different members of staff before I found one who was willing to take my order.

Similarly, the staff in the buffet restaurant also came across as very rude, and everything seemed to be too much trouble - not an image a hospitality provider in such a setting should be portraying.

In terms of things to do, the island is more diverse than many of the others in the Maldives. The Italian restaurant located at the end of the main pier is very nice, and the service here is superior to that received elsewhere on the island.

If you are planning a holiday to the Maldives don't choose Paradise Island - because its clearly not.