Olhuveli, Olhuveli Beach & Spa Hotel Review

Good Points
Good linen service, well managed grounds

Bad Points
Food is disappointment, Music is loud and bad

General Comments
Olhuveli Olhuveli Beach & Spa Hotel - I saw ROBEM's review before leaving for Olhuveli. Too late to cancel trip so decided to go and see for myself before commenting. I spent the first week of June on the island, and here are some comments.



(I did not verify whether the original review was written by the English Ents Manager of the resort or not. Even without checking there is enough to say. But just the thought of someone trying to get away with this type of tricky reviewing is what motivates me to reply and also to write a review of my own.)



Rooms:

We were happy with our room. I think it is a standard "deluxe" room on the second floor. Basic but quite adequate. In fact the standard rooms might be better value for the money since they are located in the quieter side of the island. The northern part of the island, where the deluxe beach bungalows are located, seems a bit more crowded and less private.



I am not surprised, however, by the bad experience suffered by ROBEM. Depending on your location on the island, your dream vacation could be ruined by one of the following: Sound from generators, or the deslination plant, bad music from the bar, or, of course, looking into a satellite dish.



Food:

Large quantity and variety of food but of uneven quality. Good for people who like heavy Italian cooking. Recommendation: Don't go to this island if you fit one of the following description:



a.You are French and like well-prepared food.

b.You like food that is not overwhelmed by grease or the taste of the sauce.

c.You like to eat fish (Fish is plentiful in the Maldive, so ruining good fish is unpardonable)



Besides the dining room, the only other place to get food is the coffee shop. Here the service is slow and the menu is limited. You can get pizzas, hamburgers, salads and curry. But quality is again low.



Entertainment:

For us the best entertainment on the island is the beach, the clear water lagoons, and the sound of Palm trees rustling overhead. We did not come to the Maldives to hear loud rap music, or live rock late into the night. The latter is what we got. Imagine, you are sitting at the lagoon bar waiting for your drinks, the sun is setting over the lagoon, a warm ocean wind is blowing in your face and suddenly the bar decides to play some rap music. We cancelled our drinks and left on the spot.



Sevice:

Service in the dining room is ok. The grounds keepers do a wonder job with the garden. Reception staff are friendly. Sometimes it is hard to get a satisfactory answer. You might get a yes / no but no explanation.



Resort:

There is a house reef. It might not be as good as house reefs on other island. Also the lagoon surrounding the north side of the island has a lot of sea grass and algae. Makes me think that this could be the result of improper waste disposal or pollution of some sort.



Recommendation:

I would hesitate recommending this resort to a friend. The risk of something ruining the vacation could come from anyone one of the following: poor food, loud music, getting a bad room on a noisy part of the island. And the prospect that the ents manager wrote one of the glowing reviews is troublesome.