Dreamland Maldives Resort

In one word: Heaven! Natural beauty with the best offshore snorkeling / house reef. This is our 3rd time in the Maldives and we've also visited resorts in Jamaica, Mauritius, Indonesia etc... - I can honestly say that if you are looking for a quiet and peaceful holiday with incredible snorkeling - this is the best. The house reef which was just outside our room is the most diverse I've seen - we went snorkeling a couple of times a day and saw Reef Sharks (every single time), Nurse Sharks, a turtle, a massive Stingray, octopus and millions of colours fish. Absolutely incredible every time and you don't need to schedule an excursion or wait for a boat, you can just jump in the water whenever you like. Excursions There are a few every day and they are about $20 each. You get one free per person with the all-inclusive package. We did the Adventure Snorkeling which was nice, but I think the nurse shark might be better. There are also excursions via the Dive Centre - we did the night snorkeling ($66 per person) and it was OK. You basically see the same reef sharks just in the dark. At the end they chuck some fish in the water and like 30 nurse sharks show up, which is amazing and quite scary. However, you can do the $20 nurse shark experience via reception which is the same only during the day. Weather We arrived on December 17th and there were a few very cloudy days and some rain as well. It wasn't too bad, you can snorkel when it rains, so it didn't bother us too much. Rooms Huge outdoor shower, massive in-door bathroom as well. Big bed and 2 single sofas and that's basically it. All rooms open to the beach with direct access to the water. Other than the Beach Bar, there's no public sunbathing area, you just use the space outside your room, which we really liked because it's more private. If you like snorkeling I'd recommend asking for rooms 144-150. Food Very good, we were pleasantly surprised. There are 2 restaurants both serving the same buffet but there are lots of options from meat to chicken to vegetarian, Indian, western, pasta etc.. And the Christmas feast on the 24th is insane - I've never seen this much food in my life. Manta Reys Season ends in November, so we didn't get to see any and the excursions to Hani Faru end in mid-December. Spa I did the Thai Massage and it was great - traditional dry massage (no oil) with just the right pressure and stretching. Staff Very kind, very helpful and they work so hard, so bring some cash with you to tip, they really deserve it. Special shout out to Yasin and Rashfan and the smiley guy at the eggs/pasta station. Worth noting: This isn't a 5* hotel with servers attending your every need - you don't get the fancy slippers and lotions. This is nature at it's best - it's quiet and peaceful and you'll be left to enjoy it, which is what we like. We had the 5* experience in Jamaica and I can honestly say we prefer this type of holiday. Can be improved: - instead of cleaning rooms twice a day (whi

Poor hotel from day 1. Should be no more than a 3 star at best. Staying here currently and have never been so disappointed in any hotel, let alone in the Maldives. They have no sunbeds with shade on the beach, or tables for the sun beds, no drinks service when you’re sunbathing (you have to go get it yourself), no towels you have to carry yours around from the room, find and move your beds yourself, and they’re really uncomfortable cheap sunbeds. Xmas eve gala was terrible. This is our 7th time in the Maldives over Xmas and new years and definitely the worst, from all aspects. First day they checked us into a room where the AC didn’t even work (water bungalow). Fridge didn’t work either. Wasted an Entire day of our trip, Food not labelled for vegetarians correctly and the chefs aren’t even aware of what’s what. Accidentally informed me something was vegetarians when it wasn’t. I’m not one to write reviews or even complain but after spending so much money for our Xmas holiday and start to the new year I had to. Spoke to the manager at length today before writing a review as I like to give people a chance, but to no avail. All we got was ‘no’ or we can do that but ‘you have to pay extra’. All inclusive is awful with disgusting red white and rose wines. I really don’t know why this hotel has got so many positive reviews. Some really nice and helpful waiters but generally the attitude is poor. Ben our rooms were cleaner to a poor standard. Go to another country if you have to but definitely don’t book dreamland for your Maldives experience, unless you want to be bitterly disappointed.