written by BTan18 on 28/05/2012
Room that I stayed in had termites! Had to sleep in their waste all night!
written by on 28/09/2010
I would recomend this holiday to everyone, fihalholi island was wonderfull, people, stuff, everythings was excelent. Me and my boyfriend went on 18th of august for 2 weeks with a firstchoice.
The flight was nice 10hours on a plane and 45 min with a speedboat. We get a entertainment on a plane and food as well light refreshments. I loved every min. of it.
When we get there we receive not very nice room, no aircondition at all,but if u pay extra like we did, u can get nice room. So we change for a 190 dolars. They cleaned a room twice a day which one was so nice from loads of sand, is the best thing.
The breakfast is avarage like u need just a light for a morning it was a full english breakfast. Than dinner and lunch was excelent loads of choices, fish meat, nice salads, soup, dessert, fruite, excelent nice and clean plates the restaurant is so clean, tidy.
We have had great time, we went for a excursion for a different islands and we didnt like them islands we went for, because fihalholli was nicer,
We recomend this to everybody who like nice, calm, relax time.
written by on 09/01/2010
My husband & I travelled to Fiha for our 28th wedding anniversary - we were only 46 at the time, married young, worked v hard - previously went to Meeru for our 25th so we did compare!!!
The island and reef is fantastic - better than meeru we think - the food was average. We found most of the staff to be very good, but some of the bar staff seem to be out to make money out of the guests, so check your tabs very carefully. We were charged for a lot of drinks we didn't have, needless to say we complained and had the bill altered!! When you save up to go to a place like this you don't need some staff to try to rip you off, we found this spoiled our holiday somewhat. We would rather tip than have it taken from us. We stayed in a water villa which was, but they need to sort the food out!
We did make the most of our holiday, but won't go back to Fiha. Ther are plenty of islands to choose from and we are saving up to go back for our 30th next year.
written by alan major on 29/03/2009
Fihalhoh Island Resort has adequate accomodation, food ok but not gourmet. Bars are pleasant and buffet restaurant ok. Generally had a great time but had to make own entertainment. Took a few movies with us films on my laptop. The reef is fantastic though, everything from manta rays & turtles to baby sharks & fabulous fish. House reef goes around much of the island and varies from a few feet to 30 metres, ideal for snorkeling, no need to dive. Beach is great and every room has its own sunbeds and lots of shade from trees if required.
written by caeciliuspp on 21/07/2007
I definitely recommend this place to anyone. If you want a true paradise for a reasonable price, take advantage and book up. You won't regret it
written by jackieh on 23/01/2007
The flight with First Choice was excellent, no problems from beginning to end. Excellent in flight entertainment. We had extra leg room seats which work out at only $3 an hour and it was so, so worth it. Transfers were excellent, although the speed boat ride at the end of a long flight was taxing.
Just to make you all aware, as it seems to be quite common practice. We were offered to go to another resort for 2 nights at the end of the holiday. We were told it was so that we could try out their sister resort Club Faru, formerly Club Med. As it was all inclusive and for only 2 nights we said yes. When we got there, we found out that actually they were overbooked, the rep said this happens frequently. We were only there for 2 days but if you like Fihalhohi Island Resort the chances are you might not like Club Faru. The island is no-where near, as pretty as the view of nearby Male is, all the planes landing there spoil the peace. The current in the water is so strong it is very very difficult to snorkel, swim or even stand up. The water is not as clear, lots of weeds, debris and there is no house reef. On a good note, the food was OK, as were the rooms, but there was no fridge and to make the shower work you have to turn all lights on! I would just say, think twice before trying Club Faru.
written by coughlanp on 03/01/2007
Fihalhohi island is very pretty, with a good barrier reef and lots of tropical fish.
Unfortunately the atmosphere wasn't as good as we thought.
Everyone we spoke to seemed to have some complaint.
The non-motorised sport were not included in the package as stated on the First Choice website.
The comfort rooms weren't quite so comfortable, a lot of the rooms like ours had a lot of humidity coming through the walls.
The food was very repetitive and not fresh at all, so quite a few people had tummy bugs at some point of the holiday.
While we accept that it was a budget resort I didn't expect to have all these problems.
A couple of days before departure we asked to see a summary of our itemised bill.
The statement was produced, and when we started to go through it we realised that there must have been some mistake, as we had been overcharged on several occasions!
The resort had a happy hour for cocktails, from 6 to 8pm, and a promotion on Australian wines during the first week of our stay but on the final bill they always charged us the standard rate regardless.
When we queried the statement and asked to see the bill, they were very slow to produce the bills, in-fact it took them days.
Eventually the day before departure they showed us some bills. When we asked for an explanation on the different price charges, they were unable to come up with any explanation and I was told quite abruptly that I should, just pay your bill sir!
Of course, during the stay we weren't given any receipts, occasionally we were asked to signed for goods consumed but not always.
So we were unable to take the matter any further without any bill copy proof.
At that point we knew we had been incorrectly charged and we had no choice but to pay the additional unreasonable charges!
The extra charges amounted approximately to $100 or so for the two of us.
The day before departure the First Choice Rep got in touch with us and I explained the situation to her.
She said she was sorry to hear about the overcharging incident but unfortunately this had nothing to do with First Choice.
This is not our first holiday to the Maldives, we have been to Holiday Island and Kuramati Island previously and we loved both Islands.
Needless to say, we will not consider or recommend anyone we know a holiday at Fihalhohi Island resort, as we feel that dishonesty is the worst complaint of all!
written by maldivesmaniac on 19/07/2006
My boyfriend and I travelled to the Fihalhohi Island Resort in the Maldives with First Choice Airways. We appreciated the longer leg room they offer compared to other tour operators. My boyfriend is 6ft 3", and he travelled well considering the flight was 10 hours.
Upon arriving at Male airport you collect your baggage and find your rep., and then wait outside a cafe. They sell drinks here but they can be a little pricey. We asked for 2 waters and we were given 4 being told that we'll need them for our boat trip. Anyway, they cost us $20 for 4 330ml bottles.
After the 50 minute speedboat transfer (which was VERY choppy on our way there) you arrive at Fiha and are greeted by staff with cool towels for you, as well as a fresh coconut drink. You are given the chance to upgrade to water bungalows for $90 a night.
Bag boys carry your luggage to your room for you, and we tipped them a dollar per case. We had a comfort room which was very nice. It had an indoor bathroom with bath, as well as a shower, a mini fridge and air conditioning. With the classic rooms you have to pay an extra $10 per day for air conditioning. Some comfort rooms are 2 storey. We had one on the bottom, and we weren't disturbed by noise from any of our 'neighbours' at any time.
The island has 1 small shop selling snacks (Pringles, biscuits and chocolate bars etc.), as well as souvenirs. My boyfriend bought a couple of detailed hand painted t-shirts, and we were actually able to see him painting the t-shirt we had chosen and helped design.
There is also the fishermans bar and the surf cafe. We ate lunch at the surf cafe a few times, as the food was very reasonably priced and extremely yummy! They do things like burgers, sandwiches, pizzas, salads and milkshakes made with ice cream in lots of flavours, which I would highly recommend. In the evening you could have a candle-lit lobster dinner.
The main restaurant is buffet style. When you first enter the restaurant you will be appointed a waiter who you will have for the whole of your stay. Our waiter was lovely, and my boyfriend and I loved to hear about where he was from and his family, and he gave us a brilliant insight into Maldivian life.
If you love spicy food and curries you'll love the food. I can not eat spicy food, so I found myself mainly eating bits of salad, bread, grilled fish (when it wasn't in spicy sauce) and poppadoms for 2 weeks. My boyfriend loved the curries, and was especially delighted when they did huge minted lamb chops one night! Every night is themed, and they even did farmhouse night where the waiters also dressed up as cow-boys, and there was a fish and chips night.
Snorkeling is a must. We saw a few sea-turtles which swam right up to us, as well as 'Nemo', squid, baby shark and so many other fish. I couldn't possibly name them all. Round the jetty was the best place to snorkel for us. We went on the snorkel safari and travelled to 3 different reefs. This was good, but I was quite tired towards the end and just wanted to go back!!
The only other trip we went on was the sunset fishing, where we went to various different places on a boat and used a fishing line each to catch fish. We caught 2 each, but some people didn't catch any. Later on that night they cooked the fish and you could eat it if you wished.
Although I didn't go on the dolphin trip, I would advise against it, as it is pure luck if you see them or not. We spoke to people who went on the 3 hour trip and they didn't see any, which would be a let down after paying $28 per person for it. When we were on the snorkeling trip, they were swimming alongside and in front of our boat, and you can also see them playing in the sea from the island, occasionally anyway.
Being monsoon season, we did expect rain, and we got a little, but to be honest it hardly affected our holiday at all. It was mostly either at night or in the morning, and by the time we'd had breakfast it had finished.
As you sign for drinks and extra meals whilst you're there, I'd advise you to keep a note of what you have spent so that when you get your bill at the end you can check quickly that it's right. Also, bear in mind that everything you sign for has a 10% service charge added (which goes to the people 'behind the scenes'), so include that in your budget if you're on one.
I would definitely recommend this island to anyone who wants to relax, and who loves snorkeling or diving. We had a brilliant time and would have loved to stay longer than our 2 weeks there.
written by Inchy on 19/06/2006
Two adults and one child aged 8 travelled to Fihalhohi Island Resort in the Maldives for two weeks from 17th May until 31st May 2006.
We flew with First Choice which was excellent, and we would find it hard to fly with anyone else now. Once we got to the Male airport we were last off the plane and last to get our hotel details off our rep, which meant more time in an air conditioned airport rather than the heat outside, so only had 5 minutes to wait for our speed boat transfer. This only took approximately 50 minutes, but it was a very enjoyable trip.
Once we arrived at the resort a warm welcome and cool towels were given to us, and after check-in we were shown our room. We had booked a comfort room on the north side of the island, and what a lovely room it was too. Very spacious (even with an extra bed), clean and light. Lovely clean modern bathrooms and plenty of clothes hangers in the wardrobe. There's a front door and a door leading on to a veranda with chairs and a table. At the front door there's a tap to wash the sand off your feet, and at the veranda door a terracotta container for the same thing.
The island is nice and small, with only one main restaurant where all meals are buffet style. Now I'm a fussy eater and I don't eat fish and my daughter would live off chicken nuggets every day if we let her, but we both still found plenty of food for us to eat. What we had we certainly enjoyed. My husband eats anything and everything and he loved it all. We did eat lunch at the surf cafe on the odd occasion, and they served toasties, burgers and pizzas etc., at very very reasonable prices. You can also treat yourself to a Walls ice cream if you want to.
We didn't do many of the excursions. In fact, the only one we did was the dolphin trip which was brilliant. Our daughter said it was the funnest day of her life (her words)! We saw literally 100's of dolphins who put on a spectacular show for us, and an added bonus was that we saw 4 very large manta rays. The only other things we did were hire a catamaran which took us to a sand bank, or should I call it the rubbish tip! unfortunately, a lot of the rubbish washes up on these banks, but the ride itself was great, and again we saw dolphins. The island has it's own glass bottom boat which we rented for $40. It took us all around the island and it was a good way for our daughter to see the different fish, as she's not confident enough to go out snorkeling very far.
Entertainment is very low key, but that's how we like it. We joined in some of the things like crab racing, bingo and we watched the underwater video. The entertainment staff are great. There were very few children on the island and they made my daughter feel very much at home. They always greeted her by name and made a big fuss of her every time they saw her. In fact, I cannot single them out as all the staff on the island are brilliant, and you will not find friendlier people anywhere.
The room boy always put flowers in our room from the lovely plants that grow on the island, and he also brought us coconuts split and ready to eat, and beach towels were changed every other day. We tipped our waiter and room boy $15 for the first week and then $20 for the second week because we appreciated the service. We also tipped the waiters at the surf bar at the end of the holiday because of the service, and yes there is a 10% charge on everything you buy, but that's not a great deal, and it's mainly for the staff that work hard on the island, but you don't really see, such as the kitchen staff, the men who rake the sand every morning, and the man who goes around the island spraying the trees etc. It does annoy me a little when people moan about this measly 10%.
When the sad time comes when you have to leave the island, you will not find a fonder farewell. They shook our hands, kissed and hugged our daughter, and then they all stood on the dock waving us all off. A perfect end to a perfect holiday!
We are now looking forward to going back to Fihalhohi next year for 3 weeks, as 2 weeks were not long enough. My only worry is that one day in the future, like so many islands, this lovely resort will be taken over and made into a 5 star resort with 5 star prices. In my eyes, it is already a 5 star resort but with reasonable prices.
written by hylands1 on 29/04/2006
We flew with First Choice Airlines from Manchester to Male, and the flight was brilliant. All the seats are leather and were big (2+3+2 across the aircraft), with a 33" seat pitch, so plenty of leg room. 7" TV screen on the back of the seat in front, 2 meals (1 being a pre-landing snack box). Though drinks were not free!
We quickly got through the airport when we landed as we were the only plane at that time, but had to wait about 20 minutes for the next flight before we all boarded our speed boat together. During this wait you're shown into a bar overlooking the harbour for a much needed drink.
The speedboat ride takes about 45 - 50 minutes, during which time you're whizzed across the sea at 30 knots. You pass many islands and reefs on the way. The time passes very quickly, and before you know it you're at Fihalhohi. (After 30 minutes, stand up and look out the front of the boat and you'll see the island in the distance. it is impressive.
When you arrive at the island you will be shown into the bar where you get a free drink and a bite to eat. You then walk 10 seconds next door to the reception to get your keys for your room. We booked early and booked a water bungalow (£2900 - 2 weeks Full Board - Eclipse Direct / discounted First Choice Holidays)
The room was as far out to sea as they went (Rm 145). We had a CD Stereo, 2 Air Con Units, Ceiling Fan, a HUGE double bed (as wide as it was long) from which you could see through the French door out over the ocean, a separate dressing area with wardrobe, safe and mirrors, a separate big bathroom with WC, bath and separate glass shower. In fact you could sit in the bath and look through the floor the ceiling glass out over the sea. The bungalow has a large terrace with table and 4 chairs, 2 modern wooden sun-loungers and direct access into the sea.
We had a look around a Comfort Room and they were certainly large enough, with a huge bed, free air con, ceiling fan, balcony or terrace, bathroom with bath and shower. The classic rooms are pretty much the same, but do not have free air con ($10 per day), which is a must as it is hot.
All rooms are cleaned twice a day, every day, and your bed sheets are all folded into patterns when you go to bed at night.
The Island has 1 main restaurant (Palm Grove), which has a stunning 4 story high vaulted ceiling and ceiling fans throughout. Upon arrival on your first day you'll be assigned a table (which you may have to share with another couple). You will keep this table for your entire stay. The waiter will remember you by your room number and name, and they are so friendly and chatty. Food is all buffet with different themes each night (Mexican, Curry, Maldivian, etc). You always get fish, beef, lamb and chicken dishes, plus loads of salad, bread and soups. Every other night some dishes are cook out in the restaurant.
In addition to the main restaurant, there is the surf cafe / Beach Bar. Here you can get snacks (chips, fish, sandwiches), but also a candlelight meal on the beach (around $40 each), which is very private and romantic, especially just listening to the sea. Up at this bar you won't get any music, just peace and quiet.
Entertainment on the island is sufficient for what you want. Each night the entertainment team organise something which is advertised in the main restaurant. But believe me you are never bored.
The island also has its own massage and treatment centre, gift shop, diving school and water sports centre. All reasonably priced.
The weather in the Maldives is often unpredictable. Ignore the BBC Weather reports, as the weather in Male can and is very different to Fihalhohi. We had 2 rain storms in April, both were about 1 hour long but then its clears up almost instantly after, and you're back on the beach.
The beaches on Fihalhohi are so white you need sunglasses just to look at them. They are no way near crowded, and you will be able to find a spot for yourself away from others. Each room is assigned 2 sun-loungers with your room number on (to stop the Germans stealing them), so wherever you leave it, the next day it'll still be there. You will also be provided with beach towels in your room when you arrive, so no need to take your own.
The seas around Fihalhohi are out of this world. About 28 Deg C, and teaming with life. I saw a turtle, loads of 'Nemos', eels, millions of brightly coloured fish, and on the final day about 10 dolphins. There are 3 reef sharks that live on the house reef, but before you worry, they are small and only 2 foot long babies. They will just swim away from you.
You must take snorkels and flippers with you as there is so much under the water you wouldn't believe.
Excursions from the island include, Island Hopping, Male visit and Sunset Fishing amongst others.
Island Hopping was OK, but apart from visiting the local Maldivian Island, it was a waste of time
The Male visit was not too bad, but Male is a dump of a place and there is not much at all to see.
Sunset Fishing is brilliant. It is amazing how competitive you get, especially if there are children on-board. You could literally catch dozens of fish. After getting back to the island, the chefs cook all your catch and you can eat them.
Tipping:
The staff on the island are very low paid, so tipping is a kind gesture to say thanks for your help. All the staff are so friendly and polite that it's nice to give something back.
Your Restaurant Waiter - $10 / wk
Porters - $1 / Bag
Room Cleaner - $10 / wk
On all drinks and food bought on Fihalhohi a service charge of 10% is added (normal practice in the Maldives), of which the money is given to backroom staff (Grounds men, Cooks etc) who don't get tips.
Drinks:
As Fihalhohi is a 3* Island, you only pay 3* prices
Big Bottle of Water - $3
Coke - $2
Bottles of wine from - $10
In all, including 3 excursions and 1 massage each, we paid an additional £600 between two of us for 2 weeks, and we have wine every night and drank loads of coke and water. So we were very very pleased
Safety and Security.
As all the people who work on the island also live on the island you will NEVER feel threatened or feel uneasy. We left money, computer, camera out in our room and it was never touch.
Money.
Everything on the Island is charged to your room, so money (apart for tipping) was never needed.
For visiting Male or other Islands just get American Dollars. We never used any Moldavian money.
All in all, this island is fantastic and I would recommend this to anyone (couples or families). The food might not be the best, but it is all edible and there is plenty of it. You can not go wrong going here.
Websites of interest
www.fihalhohi.net
www.fihalhohi.info
Email the island any questions, they always get back to you.
Written on: 03/05/2006
This is what a review should look like! Very well done. You even included the cost of the holiday. What is the point of reviewing something without knowing its cost? More similar reviews please!
Written on: 02/08/2006
Brilliant review - again, adding the cost element was perfect. We went to Rangali and it sounds exactly the same! - but we were conned into flying with Monarch who were awful, cramped and had no TV's, so First Choice sound much better for the future.
Written on: 03/05/2006
Brilliant review! Thanks for all the info, it's much appreciated!
written by jshelb2004 on 29/03/2006
We stayed at Fihalhohi from 08/03 - 22/03. This was our second visit to Fihalhohi. We booked and flew with First Choice. This was a much improved service from our flight in September 2005 with Monarch. Wider seats, bigger seat pitch, seat-back TV, infact exactly what they say on their website. We departed a few minutes late but made this time up enroute. Arrived at Male airport, queued to see our rep (only 15mins or so) and were soon on our way to Fihalhohi.
The transfer by boat took about 50 mins. From leaving your luggage with the boat crew you will not have to carry your luggae again till back at the airport. The crossing was pretty smooth and no problems. When we arrived at Fihalhohi it wasas if we hadn't been away - everything was exactly as we remembered it. We checked in with reception and got our keys, identified our luggage to be taken to our rooms and were on our way. It is customary to tip $1 per case taken to room. This time we were staying in the mid-range, comfort room. Our particular room was in a block of four (2x2). We were on the 1st floor. The room has a/c, ceiling fan, fridge, safe, bathrooms (shower over bath), balcony. The biggest
difference to the Classic room which we stayed in last time was the inclusion of a/c in the price. The room was clean on arrival, towels provided (including beach towels) and everything worked.
Fihalhohi is classed as a 'budget' resort - three stars. It certainly is not plush (except for the water bungalows) but it has everything you need for a comfortable holiday.
The first five days of the holiday my partner completed with Open Water Diving course (ISS). He had 1:1 tutition as no-one else was starting the same time as him, however we met other guests who had completed the course during their holiday. I had not previously dived before this holiday and decided to try the Island's 'resort course' which is aimed at
complete beginners. You see a video, go through shallow water skills (this is done in the lagoon as Fihalhohi does not have a swimming pool) and then go out for a dive. There is never more than four students to one memebr of dive staff. On this occasion the ratio was 2:1. After my partner had completed his OW course we went on a further three dives together. The housereef is literally a couple of steps in the ocean from the beach, so even though i was limited to 12m depth, the experience was fantastic. The dive staff were patient, helpful, always close by but also gave you space to learn. If it takes 10+ attempts to do a mask clearance in shallow water skills (resort course) then that is fine. We would personally highly recommend the dive centre on the island. We saw plenty of fish and other sea creatures including giant moray eels (three live in the housereef), sharks (nurse shark from boat dive, grey & black tip reef sharks in house reef) lion fish, trigger clown fish, blue fin trevelly, squid, octupus, stingray, eagle ray and hundreds of pretty little fish.
The food a Fihalhohi is generally good. We were on Half board basis. Every meal at the resturant is buffet basis, however the Blue Lagoon bar also does food which is an additional cost. Breakfast is OK. We tended to have cereals, toast/breads/pastries, cheese, fruit and whatever was being cooked at the grill. This changed daily, eggs, waffles, pancakes.
As pork products are illegal, the sausages and 'bacon' are beef based and were something that I couldn't get a taste for. We occasionally missed breakfast (07:30 - 09:30) so had lunch at the Surf cafe. For $4 each you could have toast, pastries, muffins, tea/coffee and juice. Breakfasts went up to about $7:50. Lunch we had at the Surf cafe and generally had toastie and chips though occasionally had the 'special'. For
$3.50 you could have a toastie, chips and coleslaw salad whic personally we thought was great value. Food here was very good. Other foods were burgers chips and colslaw from $5, pizza (from $4), salads (from $3). Each meal was cooked to order. Drinks are reasonable:- 1.5 lt water $3.50,
mug of beer $3.50, 330ml soft drink $2, milkshake (made with icecream) $3. Fruit cocktails from $3.50 and alcoholic cocktails around $6. Don't forget there is a 10% service charge on these.
Dinner was again buffet style and was theme. Somtimes the food did look a bit 'samey' but it was usually pretty good and hot. There was always salads, soups, breads, rices, pasta, meat, fish, grill, fruits, deserts. We also had a candlelight dinner on the beach but unfortunately we never made it on the beach due to bad weather. Nevertheless the food was fantastic. I had the seafood platter (saltbeef & cucumber roll, vegtable soup & bread, seafood platter which included half lobster, giant prawns, calamari, fish, salad, fries, fresh fruit, tea/coffee for $36) my
partner had the fillet steak (seafood cocktail, carrot soup and breads, fillet steak, salad, fries, tea/coffee for $24) Excellent value in our opinion.
The evening entertainment generally passed us by as we had seen it all before, so mainly sat in the Fisherman's bar chatting. The entertainment is low key.
The coral cove does snacks if you are peckish which was mainly hot savoury pastries from $0.80 to $2 like chicken sausage roll, prawn puff and tuna bun. They also have a fab range of cake which again i think are
reasonably price from $1.50 - $3. The portions are big!
In terms of 'bugs' the main creatures you will see are ants, some of which are really quite big but they are harmless and important for the island. We saw two cockroaches which were dealt with swiftly. There are
also snails. Other animal life includes, fruit bats, crows, gekkos and herons.
We did a couple of excursions. Sunset fishing, Island hopping and Guraidhoo. As always the sunset fishing was great (went 4 times last visit). The boat crew remembered us (in fact all the staff did) and could not have been friendly. We specifically wanted to return to Guraidhoo to see how the post-tsunami work was going. Things are improving but very slowly. Only eight houses built since our last visit in September. We took
a couple of footballs with us from home for the kids but to be honest I found the experience quite upsetting. The desperation of the show owners comes across. Most of the shops sell exactly te same things. Our group split up so most of the shops were visited at least once.
At Fihalhohi you have two sunloungers that are marked with your room number so others shouldn't use them, however on two occasions I had to
hunt mine down on the beach but that's not the resorts fault. The beach is very good and quite wide in some places and whilst the island was fully booked when we were there there was still plenty of room. There is a lot of broken / dead coral so aqua soes can be useful.
Overall we feel that Fihalhohi is great value for money. What you pay for two people on this island wouldn't cover one person on many other islands (£1500 for two H/B). We did spend quite a bit on the island around £1000 whilst we were there, but half of this was diving courses and additional dives. I also had three treatments at the Spa.
We are planning to return in September 2006. We love Fihalhohi, service is great, friendly and relaxed and has everything we want in a holiday.
The new FCA are a bonus!
written by patricia goodfellow on 17/11/2005
Just come back from our 2 weeks holiday I have been to some lovely places in my time but none that have taken my breath away like Fihalhohi Island Resort, the sea life was spectacular we swam and snorkellled with rays, sharks, turtles, mantas and eels every type of fish you can think of, we would recomend doing the night snorklling rent out a torch from the dive centre, this was unbelievable all the turtles were sleeping the sharks and eels were out hunting, the large grouper fish follow the light from your torch to catch the small fish, the plancton in the sea was alluminated in the night which made it feel magical.
We upgraded to a water villa for the last 3 days which just topped off the holiday completley words can not describe the feeling of waking up to the view of the sea with dolphins playing, the bath also overlooked the sea which was not good as when you got in you didnt want to get out.I would also recommend the sea plane photo aeriel view this was outstanding and well worth doing. The food was fantastic I have never tasted fish curry like theres, the night life was low key just as we like it but did have something going on every night the high light for me was the crab racing very good fun, we will definitely be re visiting again very soon.
written by Jane Shelbourne on 27/09/2005
We have just come home from a two week stay at Fihalhohi from 11/09/05. The flight was awful. We booked extra legroom seats (costing £60 each) with Monarch, however as one of the seats was a window seat I was only able to extend my right leg due to there being a built in cupboard right where my left leg was. The flight going was slightly delayed as we missed our take off slot at Gatwick due to late passengers which was annoying as we had already been on the plane 2 hours as we came from Manchester. The inflight entertainment started extremely late and the films did not start till after 11pm more that 7 hours after we boarded the plane. At this point most people were trying to drift off to sleep.
Arriving at the airport in Male we were greeted by our rep Laureen who was very helpful and before we knew it we were on our way to Fihalhohi on a speedboat. The journey was a little choppy and lasted just under an hour.
Arriving at Fihalhohi we were greeted by the duty manager and provided with cold towels and a coconut drink we then proceeded to lunch. The first week we stayed in the 'Classic' room which is the most basic of the rooms provided. The bedroom was huge and had a safe and fridge included. A/c was at an additional cost but we just used the ceiling fan. We can not fault the room. We were about 10 steps from the sea and the magnificant views.
The second week we upgraded to a water bungalow. This was fantastic. Again I can not fault the accommodation. The room had tea/coffee making facilities and a stereo in addition to the safe and fridge. Each evening our bedsheets were arranged in pretty patterns and occasionally with flowers.
We went on three fishing trips whilst there and enjoyed every single one immensely. The arra of fish that we caught was amazing and the boat crew couldn't do enough to help us.
My partner went on a couple of dives which he says were fantastic. Even though I only snorkelled the array of fish and underwater marine life just took my breath away. Again the dive centre staff were friendly, helpful and fun people to learn with.
The food was something that we were concerned about, however we were very happy with the food. It is not a la carte, it is a buffet but i felt that on most nights the food was of a very good standard. The only night we did not eat a lot was on the Indian night as we are not keen. As I am not keen on curries, I found plenty of food for my palate, though a curry stand was provided in addition to the buffet most meals.
If you want an action packed holiday then you wont find it at Fihalhohi (unless its diving) but if you want to totally chill and relax do some watersports (diving, snorkelling, canoeing, catarmaran, windsurfing etc) there is also a badmington court, table tennis, billards, read, spend time with partner / family then I reccommend this island. I had a couple of fantastic treatments at the massage centre.
Oh don't bother with shoes. We didnt wear any for the whole two weeks except when going to Male. A word of warning, be very careful in sun. We wore T-shirts when snorkelling and SPF 35 however I burnt on the back of my legs which was very painful.
written by Hayley and Dave on 07/07/2005
My boyfriend and I went to Fihalhohi Island Resort in June/July 2005 for two weeks with First Choice holidays.
The Journey
We flew with Monarch Airlines .if you're going to Fiha, don't! The amount of problems this airline manifested was ridiculous, including delays, inhumane seating room and actually flying us to Manchester to drop all of 5 passengers off before flying to Gatwick, our chosen airport, without informing us. This was a nice little surprise. Unfortunately I think that this is the only UK airline to fly into Mal , but I could be wrong? The flight out was 10 hours 35 minutes.
Arrival at Mal was smooth and easy. The locals are very grateful if both sexes cover their shoulders and knees whilst in Mal due to their Muslim religion, this isn't required at Fihalhohi. After collecting your luggage, you look for your rep, who will give tick you off their list and explain that your boat will be leaving shortly and would you please wait outside. So off you go outside and sit down in a chair, which actually belongs to a very cleverly placed caf . A bloke then comes along and asks you what you would like, well now your sitting there you can't exactly say "Nothing mate, just your chair." So you order a drink .a can of coke say .for $3! (£1.74) Eventually you're called for your boat. Please take a travel sickness pill even if you believe you'll be ok, because you probably won't, it was very choppy - honestly our bellies kept flipping over, like when you go over a bridge in a car.
Arriving at Fiha will take your breathe away, it is paradise to look at, every picture you take will look like a postcard. Once off the boat you're greeted with a cold face towel, a coconut with a straw and asked to go to reception. Whilst there you will fill out a form giving your details etc and the staff will then give you your room key, get two bag boys and lead you to your room. Tipping is customary in the Maldives and for bag boys its $1 per bag. You will also be asked to attend a welcome meeting later in the evening, if you're too jet lagged and tired honestly don't bother going. All the information they give, though essential, is provided for you in your room in a handbook.
All of the staff speak English, however some are more fluent than others. It's best if you speak slowly and clearly to avoid confusion.
The Room
We stayed in the cheapest type of room, a "Classic", which was massive. Inside it had two beds, a desk with a chair, two comfy chairs with a coffee table, a vanity table with mirror and stool, a mini wardrobe room with plenty of space, and a bathroom with shower, toilet and sink. Also a vase of flowers was provided along with 2 small bottles of water.
The room also contains a telephone, (incoming calls only), an umbrella, hairdryer, fridge, free safe, ceiling fan and an air conditioning system. The air conditioning isn't turned on in a classic room but can be for $10 a night. If you're a light sleeper like me then you must take ear plugs. If you could sleep with a helicopter at your window then you'll be fine the fan is a little loud to say the least and the air con, if you choose to pay the expensive $10 per night, is even louder. If you choose not to have the air con the first few nights won't be nice, it really is just too hot to sleep .PJ's? Don't even waste the suitcase space! Knickers, that's all you'll need for night time, even the thin sheet on the bed is too much at first, but once your body gets used to it you'll be okay.
Strangely, the room doesn't have a clock, which is difficult when you need to know when to get ready for dinner, et.c, though if you want an alarm call in the morning just ask at reception.
The plug sockets are actually English, so no worries about taking anything electrical.
Although the island doesn't have any mosquitoes, the government there is very strict about keeping them and therefore malaria out of the atoll and so each room is fitted with a mosquito ball and refill tablets, which the room boys will change daily.
The room also contains a handbook with information about the island, local customs, and prices of treatments at the health centre, writing paper, envelopes and fax paper.
Outside of your room is a veranda. This contains two plastic chairs, a coffee type table, washing line, rack (for shoes?) and brilliantly a tap to wash the sand off your feet. Leave your veranda light on when you go to dinner; else you will have trouble finding your room on the way back!
The resort provides you with 2 beach towels with your room number on, 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels and 2 face cloths. If you want your bath towels changing then leave them on the floor for the room boys. Despite this you must take at least 2 more towels with you because you wake up, have a shower each, then at 12.30 it's dinner time, but you're all sticky from the sun so you have another shower. After dinner you go back into the sun, get sweaty again and have another shower before evening meal - all with one towel. Also nothing dries quickly on the island because it's quite humid, so the towels from the morning won't dry in time for the evening. Likewise, if you wash any clothes; my knickers took 3 days to properly dry on the line. As nothing dries here it's probably best to take spray deodorant rather than cream/gel.
Talking of water, the shower curtain in our room was about 60cm off the floor which meant the whole floor in the room got soaked every time we had a shower, so we used the room as a 'wet room'. Don't know whether this was just specifically ours (no. 44).
The room boys will come as often as you want them too. You're advised to tip them $5-10 per week, so we left a dollar a day on the bed. They change your sheets, towels if you wish, the mosquito tablet and swept/mop the whole room. Your room door will have a tag on, red and green. If you don't want them in your room after they have cleaned for the day then put the tag on red, as one day we took the tag off all together and they came in anyway, (our valuables were out, etc., though nothing was taken.)
Outside of your veranda there will be two beach loungers with your room number on the back, which is good, no getting up early to reserve a chair.
The Beach
The beach is amazing. The water is crystal clear, the sand pure white and gorgeous tall palm trees everywhere. It's honestly more beautiful than anything I've ever seen. It's also impeccably clean.
The heat is intensive and unfortunately the island has no parasols. As a result under every palm tree you will find 5 people crammed together desperate to get out the sun but maintain a view of the gorgeous scenery.
If you think that something is crawling up your leg then chances are there is something crawling up your leg. There are giant ants everywhere, they are completely harmless though.
The snorkelling is amazing here. If you don't have any gear then the diving school rents out, though to be honest it would be cheaper to buy your own before you go and take it with you. There were 6 baby black tip reef sharks patrolling the shore line in 1ft of water the whole time we were there. The diving centre explained when I asked that they were harmless and wouldn't bother you; but it was still a bit daunting at first, swimming along and coming face to face with a shark. We humans are scared of them for a reason, it's in our genes. Wait until it's extremely sunny and the tide is out before taking underwater pictures, else they won't come out very well.
The staff at the diving centre are friendly, very helpful and multi-lingual.
If you're a bit iffy about swimming with fish all around like my boyfriend was, then take a walk on the runway to the water bungalows. They are directly above the reef and you can see clearly loads of fish. If you choose to go to Fiha mid-summer you are almost guaranteed that a water bungalow will be available, though this comes at an additional $80 per night.
Just off from the beach, are the 'gardens'. Basically hundreds of palm trees, etc., on most palm trees you will find either a hammock or swing, both of which are usually out of the sun, which is nice if it gets too hot.
The island feels extremely safe and people just leave their beach bags on their loungers whilst they snorkel, etc. However, you need to hide anything that is quite small, especially keys because the island has hundreds of back large birds which are, lets just say playful. They enjoy picking things up, playing with them and then dropping them somewhere else. They are funny to watch other wildlife includes a few fruit bats which are interesting and large.
Restaurant/bar
When you first go into the restaurant you will be allocated to a seat which then becomes yours for the duration of your stay, along with whichever waiter runs that table. If you can, grab a seat marked 'Mohammed', his tables are right next to the door. He is by far the best waiter there, polite, excellent English and funny. We had no idea how much we were meant to tip the waiter as it does not say anywhere. We tipped $1 per meal, which was $3 a day. Have no idea whether this is generous or stingy?!
The food unfortunately was the biggest let down of the holiday. Let's hope you love fish and spicy curry type foods! Although there is a buffet selection, it's all cooked very similar and so everything has a very Indian taste to it, therefore if, like me, you have blander taste buds there isn't much you can do. Ideally they need to provide something standard every night for those who don't like the food, something like chips or potatoes, things that everyone likes. There were a few meals that I skipped because I just didn't like anything. We stayed full board and we recommend that you don't. Half board would be best. There is a bar/a la cart restaurant over the other side of the island called the Blue Lagoon. The food here is excellent and reasonably priced; more westernised - chips, burgers, hot dogs, etc. Tthe milkshakes here are amazing, the best I've ever tasted. If you fancy a drink in the day it's best to come here as the view is gorgeous.
The main bar holds a massive list of cocktails, I've never seen so many different types on offer. They are roughly $6 each.
For everything that you purchase at Fiha you have to remember to add a 10% service charge to the cost. This goes towards the people who work on the island that you have no contact with, like the chefs/gardeners, for example. Although this doesn't sound like much it really does start to add up, especially when you count the tips. This is what makes the island so expensive. As an example, this is how much my boyfriend and I spent every day.
Breakfast - 1 bottle of water (to last the day) $3
- 1 bottle of apple juice $4
- 1 coke $2 (300ml a can)
- $0.90 service charge
- $1 tip for the waiter
Lunch - 2 cokes $4
- $0.40 service charge
- $1 tip for the waiter
Dinner - 2 cokes $4
- $0.40 service charge
- $1 tip for the waiter
Bar - 1 cocktail $6
- $0.60 service charge
- $1 tip for bar staff
Room boys - $1
That's $30 a day. The above isn't exactly extravagant either.
If you order something, you don't pay with cash, you sign it to the room. Therefore please check everything that you sign for as it's so easy to say "Room 88", leave and let room 88 sign the bill. This signing business sounds like a good idea - you're in your swimsuit all day so you can't carry money so its best that you sign. However you might as well carry money, because if you do order something you have to leave a tip, which is money! Because of the tipping business, you will have to visit the cashier every now and then to exchange larger notes for $1 bills.
You settle your bill the day before you depart at the cashier's desk. He will provide you with everything that was charged and signed to your room plus 10% service charge. This can be settled in cash, traveller's cheques or by credit card.
Entertainment
Is extremely limited: karaoke, bingo, crab racing, etc. They did screen a F1 race in the bar at one point. The bingo night is a big scam. A guy will approach you and shove 5 tickets in your hand explaining that they are the price of a beer. What he doesn't explain well is that he means each. So one ticket is $3.50 plus 10% service charge, so the 5 tickets would cost $19.25.
Facilities
The island offers a telephone at $5 per minute plus 10% service charge.
Billiards is available at $3.50 for 30 minutes plus service charge.
The internet is available. $5 for 30 minutes or $8 for 1 hour, plus service charge.
Both ping pong and badminton are free. Ask at reception for the rackets, etc.
There is also a herbal centre, which we couldn't afford to visit but I do have a full list of treatments and prices. Don't hesitate to email if you would like them.
The island also provides many excursions, i.e., island hopping, banana boats, water skiing, diving expeditions, etc., all of these are highly priced though, on average about $80 per person.
Although First Choice does have a rep, he is the rep for 11 islands, meaning he only visits your island once every 11 days. This is not good, though he can be contacted via phone at $5 per minute.
A laundry service is also available: $1 for a T-shirt type prices, remember that service charge too...
The Weather
We went June/July which is classed as monsoon season, however when we got there the staff assured us that it hadn't rained in 4 months. It did rain twice whilst we were there, but both times it was during the night. Everyday was intensive sunshine, though often with a few clouds which in the heat were greatly appreciated.
Girls
Just a quick section for the girls:
Topless bathing is strictly prohibited throughout the Maldives, as is all forms of pornography.
If you wear fake tan, be aware that as soon as you go into the salt water it will come off in big patches and look awful. I had to exfoliate and reapply every night.
Water resistant mascara - don't bother, the sea just melts it all down your face.
Sort out the time that you take your pill before you go. Fiha is 5 hours ahead of England which can be a pain if you take yours at 11pm UK time 'cause that's 4am Fiha time.
Conclusion
The island is beautiful, the snorkelling is awesome and the sun is scorching. Unfortunately the food, hidden expenses and lack of stuff to do lets the holiday down. Literally, unless you are a sun worshipper/snorkelling fanatic you will at some point be bored. I know it seems hard to believe considering the stunning scenery, but there is only so much time looking at it takes up. Would recommend 10 days as holiday duration, one week isn't enough but 2 weeks is just that few too many days.
written by Richard Boon on 05/10/2004
Fihalhohi
When me and my partner were considering going to the Maldives for our holiday we did our best to search out reviews of islands by people who had been in June and July as this was the time we had planned to go.
Obviously this is the wet-hot monsoon and therefore the weather is a bit of a gamble, and so we were desperate to find out if it was a waste of a lot of money to go at this time or not.
Unfortunately the only reviews we found based around these months talked a lot about the islands and facilities but didn't mention the weather! And so we went anyway on the grounds that at least it would be warm and still a nice change from England.
So this review is written for a number of people - obviously anyone going to the Maldives will probably find it useful in someway or another, but those going to the island of Fihalhohi will obviously benefit greater, and a lot of what we say may only be relevant for those who are going in June / July, although no matter when or where you're going - have a read of what I have to say here as I'm sure it will benefit all.
Ok, so me and my partner went to Fihalhohi in the South Male Atoll for two weeks, I start this review by simply stating that one week would not have been enough but for us three weeks would have been too much.
Fihalhohi is a very small island, you can walk around it in about 15 minutes although we never timed ourselves, mainly because you can't actually walk all the way around the perimeter, but you can walk around most of it. I guess what I'm saying is that the beautiful white sanded beach runs around most of the island, but the so called 'front' of the island doesn't have much useable beach, this is where the boats are all kept etc, (we did however snorkel all around this area!).
When we were looking at going here we were disappointed by not being able to walk all the way around on beach - don't be! You are NEVER more than a few feet from the water and to be honest the island is better for it because at night there is one place opposite the main bar where you can sit with the water right up to you, and that my friends is truly relaxing!
Fihalhohi is a simple resort, not for those looking for noise and endless water sports, it is a real place of tranquillity and this is what makes it paradise.
The island is home to some of the tallest palm trees in the Maldives (as you will notice when going past some of the others), and they give the place an amazingly natural feel despite the man made buildings that live within the island.
Starting from the beginning we flew with Monarch Airlines and were delayed by an hour and a half when we flew from Gatwick.
The flight was truly horrific as the seat room was ABSOLUTELY REDICOULOUS AND INHUMANE!
I have wrote my review of Monarch on this very site and at the time of it going online it was the only one so please check it out BEFORE agreeing to fly with Monarch, some friends we made on holiday told us that you can actually demand not to fly with them but know one knew this.
The flight was the pits, worst flight EVER, for a number of reasons and we will never fly with Monarch again long haul, although I don't want to go into this in too much detail as this is my review of Fihalhohi not Monarch but believe me - if you can avoid Monarch then DO, there is a rumour that due to all their complaints they are upgrading their planes in 2005, although I don't know how true this actually is.
One great thing about flying is if you get a clear day when you arrive as we did you get a great view of the atolls and islands as you fly over, you can really see the turquoise lagoons and reefs from way up above and the circles of white sands encircling each island.
Male airport is a little chaotic, and the heat hits you as soon as you get off the plane, we were greeted here by our rep and were taken to a speed boat where along with another six people and loads of staff were transported very choppily to the island, the journey took about an hour and the first 20 minutes were rough and very choppy - not for those who get sea sick!
Although it was June and therefore the ocean was obviously a little choppier than in Dec-Apr.
We had never been to the Maldives before and so only had internet pictures to give ourselves a taster before arriving, when the boat pulled up to the jetty of Fihalhohi I was lost for words, the palm trees lingered over the beach, the water was beautiful and amazingly clear, like nothing I had ever seen before - I was in love already.
We were treated to a cold face towel and a coconut drink (coconut with a straw in it) and some food (although no drums like on some islands).
We were given a talk straight away about the island which was a little bit frustrating and hard going after the long journey we had all just endured, then we got to go to our rooms.
We upgraded to a Water Bungalow straight away, not because the other rooms were not good enough (admittedly we never saw in one of these properly) but just because there was a water bungalow available and we took it!
It cost about £700 to upgrade for the two weeks but was WELL WORTH IT! The water bungalow was incredible, extremely spacious, amazing air con, and a large, part shaded private decking area with our own private lower platform with steps into the lagoon!
And what a lagoon it is! Just from the shallow waters around the bungalow you could see all kinds of fish and by putting your face under you will see a whole new world before your eyes.
The wonderful thing about the lagoon around the side of the island towards the water bungalows is that snorkel or just follow it out and eventually the sea bed just literally drops vertically into the great deep blue creating a visible line where the water goes from light to dark blue. This is of course the coral house reef and is like something from a wildlife documentary, all kinds of amazing underwater life swimming around you - and in no short supply, you are constantly surrounded by hundreds of fish.
We snorkelled endlessly whilst there and saw some amazing things, conga eels, baby white tip sharks, rays, even turtles. We even went night snorkelling with a group of people we made friends with and that was really brilliant, we rented large water torches from the dive school and snorkelled until they burnt out! - Remember though - all the poisonous stuff comes out at night!
The island had one restaurant, two bars, reception area, a massage and health centre, a dive school, badminton court, and a small shop - mostly for purchasing gifts and clothing such as madly coloured 'typical westerner on tropical island' shirts that I didn't touch because of this stereotype! - Not dissing those who do of course!
You may think having two bars is pointless but it was actually quite convenient, the main bar is called the Fisherman's Bar and is located in what is the main part of the island next to the large restaurant and reception, but this bar is rarely used during the day being more for the night time after-meal entertainment (such as karaoke, crab racing, native performances, films etc). The other bar is called the Blue Lagoon and Surf Caf where most people who are half board go at lunch time to have some food - simple things such as pizza, burger and chips, etc (milkshakes here are fantastic coz they are made with real scoops of delicious ice cream).
We were half board and chose to use our money to have lunch at the Surf Caf instead of going Full Board and having to eat at the restaurant as the food wasn't always that great.
Food
Breakfast (if you can be bothered to get up before 9:30 - and you should because the island is beautifully calm in the early hours) is generally fruit, bread, cheese, occasionally eggs and chicken sausages or something like that, I always just had cheese sandwiches and some cake, where as my partner always had melon.
We had lunch at the Surf Caf where the waiters are really friendly and the food is pretty good, especially the chips! And the prices are actually reasonable. The Blue Lagoon and Surf Caf (why it needs two names I'll never know) is situated around the other side of the island to the main bar and restaurant and is right next door to the water bungalows - where the best stretch of beach is as well!
Just thinking about it as I write this I really miss my afternoon stroll over the Blue Lagoon for burger and chips in the beautiful tropical weather!
Dinner in the restaurant is themed, every night they cook to a certain theme, examples include - Thai night, Sri Lanka night, American Farmhouse, English Fish and Chips (bless 'em), BBQ Buffet, etc, etc, and the food generally consists of chicken and fish - a lot of fish, oh and rice of course - always a nice selection of rice!
The dinners were not the best and some nights we didn't eat much, it's all self service so you take as little or as much as you like. Other nights it was really nice and so I eat too much!
Desert was always really simple, simple puddings and fruit usually.
In the main season (Nov - April) you will probably have to share a table with another couple, but from May - Oct you will be ok, there was only 75 people on the island in our first week and baring in mind that in the high season they have a constant 300 people we found it quite comforting, and also didn't have to share. You always sit at the same table and always have the same waiter who you will become on first name terms with - our was Ahmed and was lovely, but some people we met didn't like their waiter, it's one of those pot luck things really.
Entertainment
Evening entertainment comes from the Fisherman bar with karaoke, crab racing, performances, film nights etc, and is not great, but then as already said this is a relaxation island and so you don't want it to be too much. You can always sit outside by the water or up the jetty or go around to the dead quiet Blue Lagoon bar which in this quieter season never has anyone in it at night because it's the other side of the island and is badly lit.
The Fisherman bar is the place for cocktails and Joseph the lovely man you will come accustomed to being served by is a cocktail wiz!
The staff in both bars are fantastic, my partner didn't like the food one night and told Joseph when he asked how dinner was, and the bar staff gave her a free helping of chocolate cake which kept her happy.
The evening is a great time to socialise and usually everyone there is nice. We made some friends from England who we are going to see again and spent many drunken nights with them! We also spent time chatting to people from all over the world, Europe mostly, French, Swedish, Italian, and a lot of Swiss.
Activities
Activities include, volleyball, snorkelling (you can rent snorkelling and dive equipment from the dive school) diving, all kinds of excursions including Dolphin trips (on which we were surrounded by large groups of Dolphins but other people didn't see any on their trip!) this trip also includes lunch on an uninhabited island where the reef is so far out that the lagoon is the calmest water I have ever seen, it's like an island, and is called Paradise Island, you will understand why if you go.
You can also go on speed boats and glass bottom boats, have candle lit dinners on the beach and get on banana boats.
Weather
This is where the problem is, the island is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen and for the first of our two weeks we were granted with absolutely superb weather, I was truly burnt up by the end of the first full day and everything was fantastic, I didn't want to leave EVER. Then came the second week, constant rain, constant thunder storms, water too choppy to go in - snorkelling out of the question - especially if you're not a confident swimmer, and so what does one do with ones self on a tiny island on which everything depends on the sun?
The unfortunate weather in our second week meant that I was actually eager to leave come the end of our stay, having spent about 5 days being constantly bored.
You see, if you're lucky and get the weather, then this is a great time to go as the island has only about 80 people on average on it, compared to 300 in the main season!! It's also cheaper this time of year and you don't have to share a table! And of course Water Bungalows are easier to come by, but if you go in the main season (dec-apr) you are practially guaranteed the weather, where as may-nov is a gamble.
We were there for 14 days and for 9 of them we had sublime weather which meant that my memories are nothing but great, however I can't help but wish we had been as fortunate as those who went a week earlier and had two weeks of brill weather! But that's life.
Conclusion
This was an amazing holiday and a truly unique island. The sand is incredible and if the weather holds up then you will be truly depressed come leaving time.
The staff are amazing, the food isn't great but is in no way horrid and the excursions are fantastic. Make sure you go on the snorkel safari where you get taken out into the ocean and told to jump off (although if you've recently watched the film Open Water then you may be a bit weary! - although large sharks aren't as frequent in these parts, mainly just reef sharks - and we never saw any sharks bigger than little silver tip babes).
Tipping is really down to your likeness of the people on the trips and your waiter, I don't believe it mandatory tips, if you weren't happy then don't do it, but on the most had I felt it appropriate to tip generously - they also look after you better when they know you're a tipper! One German fellow refused to tip anyone on his stay, this isn't really acceptable as all of staff work so hard and deserve the extra that tips bring in, we found out that some of the staff don't take days of very often because they don't want to miss out on tips, and when you consider that some of them come from homes consisting of one room buildings in shanty towns with tens of kids it's nice to know that you are helping someone that has never known the pleasures that you and me are used to everyday. Get talking to any of them about their lives (Joseph's good for a chat) and it's an incredible new world and a real eye opener, so be nice to them as they are to you!
If you've never been to a tropical island before then be prepared to fall in love and have memories that will last a life time, if you've been to the Maldives before then try out Fihalhohi and see how it compares to where you've been before and tell me so I don't go to any bad ones!
It goes without saying that I hope to return to the Maldives one day, and with so many islands to choose from it's often quite hard to decide where to go, we will try somewhere new next time we go, but are so glad we chose Fiha for our first trip. We hope any of you going have as good an experience as we did (oh and watch out for the falling coconuts as more people are killed by these than anything else in the Maldives! And on Fihalhohi they have a long way to fall!)
Fihalhohi, where the sands of time stand still it really is paradise, and I miss it everyday
Richard Boon
Written on: 30/01/2005
Hi Richard
<br>Just read your review on fihalhohi and found it very helpful. You didn't mention the price of drinks? I would be interested to know how exspensive they were...both alcoholic and soft drinks.
<br>Regards M Mckenna
Written on: 15/06/2005
Sally:
<br>
<br>The shop doesn't sell alcohol, well didn't when we were there anyway, but you can buy bottles of any drink at the bars and take them away. There are no mini bars, not even in the water bungalows! In the water bungalows you have a fridge.
Written on: 06/06/2005
Hi,
<br>My husband and I went to Meeru Island in Nov 2004. It rained on and off nearly everyday but we still had a wonderful time. We have booked to go to Fiha next year and are really looking forward to it. Can't wait to get onto that house reef!! Can you buy alcohol in the shop or bar (beer or wine, not necessarily bottles of spirits) so that you can take it back to your room as I noticed there was no minibar in classic rooms?
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Maldivediver's Response to 299666_caeciliuspp's Review
Written on: 30/12/2008
I agree with this review because...good honest review