4 stars basic, not 5 star luxury experience
Why?
1) Infrastructure is old and dated
2) appliances and amenities in the room :- very outdated. See pictures
3) Restaurant style and food quality-the buffet was reheated food
4) no luxury touch or essence
The island itself is a naturally beautiful setting. And this is definitely the best thing to take from it. The beach villas do give you beach front access which was the drawcard for us attending.
the island was very limited with one restaurant so would appeal to people who are happy going to the same place every night. Very casual setting.
For all of the above it was twice, if not three times more expensive to what it should have been.
The entertainment was authentic and genuine but definitely amateur. You have singers reading off their mobile phone. It seemed like you were sitting in a neighbours backyard listening to their music.
The staff are genuine, friendly and nice people.
If the place was rated at 4 stars my expectations would have been managed. But I was very disappointed in what I had read and expected the place to be a luxury experience and felt it was highly over rated with the prices being charged.
star Vanessa McKinney
It was a wonderful experience to stay here at this luxurious resort. The food was lovely, the service was amazing. We stayed in a beach front villa which had beautiful views all around. There was a private pool too.
The hotel had an island all to itself. There were two jetties. Beautiful coral reefs were present all around the island where one can snorkel. Water sports are also available. There are some planned activities like city tours or cooking or yoga or local folk music and dance which are conducted by the hotel. Some are free and some are paid. One can choose as per convenience. There is a sister island too present just beside the banyan tree island where one can go by a boat. The arrivals and departures from airport are well coordinated.
starstarstarstarstar Avi Bhardwaj
First time here.. amazing rooms and views.. friendly staff.. perfect place for a vacation.. its heavenly.. halal food.. Mosque on the island.. 24hr gym.. lots of activities to do.. or you can just relax and take in the amazing views ..
starstarstarstarstar Amran Shah
Um maravilhoso resort em uma ilha magnífica. Se você aprecia paz e privacidade, este é o lugar para você. Além disso, todas as possibilidades para esportes aquáticos, um excelente spa e também uma comida muito boa, uma cozinha fresca e incrivelmente diversificada. Funcionários muito simpáticos, sempre motivados para satisfazer os desejos dos hóspedes e tornar a sua estadia mais agradável.
starstarstarstarstar Hannelore P.
Beautiful location, well maintained facilities,helpful staff members except a young lady who always sit in the reception. We mentioned their CS team that we want book a cake to celebrate my daughter's birthday, but on the island seems no one care about my message only that lady, when we checked out she asked me did you clean up your room for birthday deco? We always visit Maldives for anniversary or celebrations so feel a little bit wondering what is that meant. Finally I realized that they knew we celebrate daughter's birthday but they only care about their job but not customer's request or experience. Saddly I have to say that their CS team didn't ready to welcome customers back yet. Bela localização, instalações bem conservadas, funcionários prestativos, exceto uma jovem que sempre se senta na recepção. Mencionamos a equipe de CS que queremos reservar um bolo para comemorar o aniversário da minha filha, mas na ilha parece que ninguém se importa com minha mensagem apenas aquela senhora, quando saímos, ela me perguntou se você limpou seu quarto para decoração de aniversário? Nós sempre visitamos as Maldivas para aniversários ou celebrações, então sinta-se um pouco imaginando o que isso significa. Finalmente, percebi que eles sabiam que comemoramos o aniversário da filha, mas eles só se preocupam com o trabalho, mas não com o pedido ou a experiência do cliente. Infelizmente, devo dizer que a equipe de CS deles ainda não estava pronta para receber os clientes de volta.
starstarstarstar Serena CHAO
Rare 5* for everything review from me, location, rooms, staff. From check in to check out we had a spectacular honeymoon stay at the Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru. Honestly can't fault a thing.
starstarstarstarstar Rob Lacey
Thank you for this wonderful vacation! We enjoyed every minute.
We first stayed at Angsana Ihuru for 6 nights and then again at Banyan Tree for 3. Both were wonderful, here are details:
Banyan Tree:
Beautiful island and gorgeous resort!
The villas directly on the beach are comfortably furnished; have a coffee maker, high quality bathroom furnishings, open bathroom with mini and whirlpool incl outdoor shower and on the beach normal sunbeds and a small covered veranda with extra sunbeds. In addition, there are 2 swimming mats for each house, with which we had a lot of fun in the sea.
The food was excellent and left nothing to be desired - for breakfast everything about fresh fruit, freshly squeezed juices, egg dishes prepared on request and so much more. At lunchtime à la carte with a large selection of delicious dishes and additional fresh barbecue and in the evening also very tasty. We were happy as could be.
In the spa we were also very satisfied and enjoyed the treatment; only in the bar you often had to plan for longer waiting times. Maybe they could assign a little more staff here ?
For us, snorkeling was especially important and we liked it very much. The reef is a bit further away than on the neighboring island, which means it is a bit more strenuous to get there first, but it goes well and you are not dependent on a boat, but can go directly from the room into the sea. We saw beautiful colorful corals, pufferfish, reef sharks, etc. and swam through real schools of fish. Wonderful!
The barefoot concept has convinced us despite initial skepticism fully and has only made the vacation perfect!
The friendliness of the people on the island was unbelievable and the picture that stuck in our minds is the farewell wave at the end of our vacation - unfortunately we were so overwhelmed that we forgot to take a picture of it. But it was sooo beautiful!
starstarstarstarstar Sabine Becker
Beautiful location, well maintained facilities, helpful staff members except a young lady who always sit in the reception. We mentioned their CS team that we want book a cake to celebrate my daughter's birthday, but on the island seems no one care about my message only that lady, when we checked out she asked me did you clean up your room for birthday deco? We always visit Maldives for anniversary or celebrations so feel a little bit wondering what is that meant. Finally I realized that they knew we celebrate daughter's birthday but they only care about their job but not customer's request or experience. Saddly I have to say that their CS team didn't ready to welcome customers back yet.
starstarstarstar Serena CHAO
Ilha muito confortável. As boas-vindas ao desembarcar na ilha são relaxantes. Os funcionários da recepção são gentis e generosos A paisagem natural da ilha é encantadora, podem ser observados morcegos frugívoros e pequenos papagaios O show de alimentação das arraias é incrível~ O quarto também é muito confortável. estilo de comida internacional Aconteceu de ter uma ótima experiência de jantar de churrasco na praia A boneca tartaruga de boas-vindas é adorável Fiquei em dois quartos diferentes com vistas diferentes
starstarstarstarstar 洪于智
Compared to other islands in the Maldives this gem in the Indian Ocean is amazing. This is the smaller of two sister islands, Banyan Tree is bigger but after a visit it seems less personal.The staff members are super nice and make you feel very welcome. When we arrived we were welcomed by the assisant manager, Naoufel and front office staff Julian. The watersports facilities are great. Although some advertised activities are only available on the other island, which is just a short hop on a speedboat. However, you can snorkel, dive, sail and peddle at your heart's content. The watersports staff are very freindly and accommodating.Dining is a joy. Every day was a different experience. On some days we had a set menu and other days were a buffet style. The quality of the food was great and the service was sublime. The head chef, Ibrahim selected a great variety of food at an exellent quality. Our waiter Waalsh really made our day with his humor and positive attitude.The villa was lovely. It was kept clean twice a day by room attendent Amir. He made sure that all the requests we had were taken care of, whether it was about extra towels, change of cussions for the sun lounger, extra tea bags etc.The surroundings are amazing with lots of wildlife both in the water and on land. Unfortunately because the island is so small you cannot walk all the way around it unless it is low tide, since all the villas have private beach access.The sealife around this island is the best I have ever experienced. The reef is really close to the island and we have seen so many different species, including reef sharks, turtles and many reef fish. A short trip to Banyan Tree and you can witness the feeding of the sting rays. There is also a sealife centre to visit.I am sure we will be back very soon to this paradise Comparado com outras ilhas nas Maldivas, esta jóia no Oceano Índico é incrível. Esta é a menor de duas ilhas irmãs, Banyan Tree é maior, mas depois de uma visita parece menos pessoal.Os membros da equipe são super agradáveis e fazem você se sentir muito bem-vindo. Quando chegamos, fomos recebidos pelo gerente adjunto, Naoufel e pela equipe da recepção Julian. As instalações para esportes aquáticos são ótimas. Embora algumas atividades anunciadas estejam disponíveis apenas na outra ilha, que fica a apenas um pequeno pulo em uma lancha. No entanto, você pode mergulhar, mergulhar, velejar e pedalar à vontade. A equipe de esportes aquáticos é muito simpática e acolhedora.Jantar é uma alegria. Cada dia era uma experiência diferente. Em alguns dias, tivemos um menu fixo e outros dias foram em estilo buffet. A qualidade da comida foi excelente e o serviço foi sublime. O chefe de cozinha, Ibrahim, selecionou uma grande variedade de comida de excelente qualidade. Nosso garçom Waalsh realmente fez o nosso dia com seu humor e atitude positiva.A vila era adorável. Era mantido limpo duas vezes por dia pelo atendente de quarto Amir. Ele se certificou de que todos os pedidos que tivemos foram atendidos, seja sobre toalhas extras, troca de almofadas para a espreguiçadeira, saquinhos de chá extras etc.Os arredores são incríveis com muita vida selvagem tanto na água quanto em terra. Infelizmente, como a ilha é tão pequena, você não pode caminhar ao redor, a menos que esteja na maré baixa, já que todas as vilas têm acesso privativo à praia.A vida marinha ao redor desta ilha é a melhor que já experimentei. O recife fica muito perto da ilha e vimos muitas espécies diferentes, incluindo tubarões de recife, tartarugas e muitos peixes de recife. Uma curta viagem a Banyan Tree e você pode testemunhar a alimentação das arraias. Há também um centro de vida marinha para visitar.Tenho certeza que em breve voltaremos a este paraíso
starstarstarstarstar Jeroen Heins
Espectacular resort en las Maldivas. El personal es increible. Inmejorable para relajarte.
starstarstarstarstar Agustin Borrell
Compared to other islands in the Maldives this gem in the Indian Ocean is amazing. This is the smaller of two sister islands, Banyan Tree is bigger but after a visit it seems less personal.
The staff members are super nice and make you feel very welcome. When we arrived we were welcomed by the assisant manager, Naoufel and front office staff Julian.
The watersports facilities are great. Although some advertised activities are only available on the other island, which is just a short hop on a speedboat. However, you can snorkel, dive, sail and peddle at your heart's content. The watersports staff are very freindly and accommodating.
Dining is a joy. Every day was a different experience. On some days we had a set menu and other days were a buffet style. The quality of the food was great and the service was sublime. The head chef, Ibrahim selected a great variety of food at an exellent quality. Our waiter Waalsh really made our day with his humor and positive attitude.
The villa was lovely. It was kept clean twice a day by room attendent Amir. He made sure that all the requests we had were taken care of, whether it was about extra towels, change of cussions for the sun lounger, extra tea bags etc.
The surroundings are amazing with lots of wildlife both in the water and on land. Unfortunately because the island is so small you cannot walk all the way around it unless it is low tide, since all the villas have private beach access.
The sealife around this island is the best I have ever experienced. The reef is really close to the island and we have seen so many different species, including reef sharks, turtles and many reef fish. A short trip to Banyan Tree and you can witness the feeding of the sting rays. There is also a sealife centre to visit.
I am sure we will be back very soon to this paradise
starstarstarstarstar Jeroen Heins
Voltei a Banyan em junho passado pela terceira vez e definitivamente irei lá novamente; chegar lá é muito conveniente porque fica a apenas 20 minutos do aeroporto com sua lancha rápida sem ter que esperar horas por um hidroavião; a ilha é como as mais simbólicas das Maldivas, forma circular com seu recife ao redor, você também pode contorná-la completamente nadando em torno dela A praia é larga em todos os lugares, um "luxo" agora nas Maldivas Muitos peixes, tubarões de recife e arraias fantásticos e inofensivos (todos os dias às 17h eles alimentam as arraias explicando as espécies, show excepcional) O resort é bem administrado, os quartos são amplos e todos possuem mini piscinas e hidro; a comida é muito boa e a equipe acolhedora e profissional Em suma, se você sonha com as Maldivas, a Banyan Tree é a ilha certa
starstarstarstarstar Mario Savoini
Passamos 2 semanas em julho de 2022 com a família. Se procura paz e natureza, este é o local ideal. O atendimento em geral é top, nada a dizer, somos muito atenciosos.Não podemos esperar para voltar.Muito obrigado à Sra. Nour e sua equipe.
starstarstarstarstar Xpider KBZ
Best holiday so far! We spent 4 days at the resort and totally fell in love with it! We had a beach front villa and it was amazing. We requested for a villa with a sunset view and it was magical watching the sunset everyday. The design of the room was certainly not the newest but it was well maintained. We were very satisfied with the staff as well. They always greeted us with friendly smile and helped us if we had any queries. For any snorkeling lovers, we would recommend just taking the shuffleboat to the sister resort. Their house reef is insanely beautiful. We saw shark and numerous types of fishes within few minutes of swimming. We also tried the snorkeling safari at Banyan tree but would say the Angsana marine life is far better. For food at the hotel, we didn't take on any meal plans and we're glad we made that decision. We were not big eaters/drinkers. The breakfast buffet had a good selection. The a la carte menu at the bar was very yummy, especially the grilled seafood platter. We actually tried the set menu at the restaurant and it was so-so only. Melhor feriado até agora! Passamos 4 dias no resort e nos apaixonamos totalmente! Tivemos uma villa de frente para a praia e foi incrível. Solicitamos uma villa com vista para o pôr do sol e foi mágico assistir ao pôr do sol todos os dias. O design do quarto certamente não era o mais novo, mas estava bem conservado. Ficamos muito satisfeitos com a equipe também. Eles sempre nos receberam com um sorriso amigável e nos ajudaram se tivéssemos alguma dúvida. Para os amantes de mergulho, recomendamos apenas pegar o shuffleboat para o resort associado. O recife da casa deles é incrivelmente lindo. Vimos tubarões e vários tipos de peixes a poucos minutos de natação. Nós também experimentamos o safari de snorkeling na árvore Banyan, mas diria que a vida marinha de Angsana é muito melhor. Para comida no hotel, não fizemos nenhum plano de refeições e estamos felizes por termos tomado essa decisão. Nós não éramos grandes comedores/bebedores. O buffet de pequeno-almoço tinha uma boa selecção. O menu à la carte no bar era muito gostoso, especialmente o prato de frutos do mar grelhados. Na verdade, tentámos o menu fixo no restaurante e foi tão-so.
starstarstarstarstar Shelby Ko
Regresé a Banyan en junio pasado por tercera vez y definitivamente volveré allí; llegar es muy cómodo porque está a solo 20 minutos del aeropuerto con su lancha rápida sin tener que esperar horas por un hidroavión; la isla es como las mas emblemáticas de las Maldivas, forma circular con su arrecife alrededor, también puedes rodearla completamente nadando alrededor La playa es amplia por todos lados, un "lujo" ahora en Maldivas Muchos peces, fantásticos e inofensivos tiburones de arrecife y mantarrayas (todos los días a las 17:00h dan de comer a las mantarrayas explicando la especie, espectáculo excepcional) El complejo está bien administrado, las habitaciones son grandes y todas tienen mini piscinas e hidro; la comida es muy buena y el personal acogedor y profesional En resumen, si sueñas con las Maldivas, el Banyan Tree es la isla adecuada
starstarstarstarstar Mario Savoini
Best holiday so far! We spent 4 days at the resort and totally fell in love with it! We had a beach front villa and it was amazing. We requested for a villa with a sunset view and it was magical watching the sunset everyday. The design of the room was certainly not the newest but it was well maintained. We were very satisfied with the staff as well. They always greeted us with friendly smile and helped us if we had any queries.
For any snorkeling lovers, we would recommend just taking the shuffleboat to the sister resort. Their house reef is insanely beautiful. We saw shark and numerous types of fishes within few minutes of swimming. We also tried the snorkeling safari at Banyan tree but would say the Angsana marine life is far better.
For food at the hotel, we didn't take on any meal plans and we're glad we made that decision. We were not big eaters/drinkers. The breakfast buffet had a good selection. The a la carte menu at the bar was very yummy, especially the grilled seafood platter. We actually tried the set menu at the restaurant and it was so-so only.
starstarstarstarstar Shelby Ko
We stayed a total of 5 days. The experience at the resort was really amazing and staff were so friendly. Adam, Nour and Ameen at the front desk were extremely helpful, courteous and are always there to assist us. They made us feel so well taken care of throughout our stay! Thank you so much Adam, Nour and Ameen for taking care of us!
Although it’s a small private island, there were many activities to do. We took the sunset cruise, reef snorkelling, dolphin cruise and massage. The massage was superb, the sunset cruise was romantic and the dolphin watching was exciting and the crew onboard was so nice and attentive, he made the experience even better. We didn’t manage to get his name, he was one of the key dancer when we went to the sister island Angsana to watch the cultural Maldivian dance. Please send our thanks to him!
Another highlight at the hotel is the stingray feeding everyday at 4.45pm. The stingray feeding young guy shared a lot of knowledge about string rays with us as we reached there earlier. He was really nice and friendly, please send our thanks to him too!
For food, we were lucky that the chef Biswarup offered us customised food options! They were extremely delicious especially the fresh catch of the day cooked in Maldivian style. We really enjoyed our food there because of him. Thank you Biswarup, superb service and culinary skills!
Lastly, we requested for a late check out and Habeeb who assisted us allowed us to stay till our flight time, which was really a pleasant surprise. He was so kind and friendly which made us feel extra special as guests there, thank you Habeeb!
We really enjoyed our stay there and the service at the resort is really top notch! Thank you so much to all the wonderful staffs we met!
starstarstarstarstar Benson Wee
Uma experiência muito agradável em todos os aspectos e foi minha primeira visita às Maldivas e foi uma ótima experiência. A praia é muito limpa, os assentos são lindos e as villas têm privacidade. Muito interessado em higiene duas vezes por dia. A equipe é nova e alegre, o que significa que podemos voltar ao trabalho e o restaurante estava delicioso. E eles são muito legais Agradeço à Irmã Nour por seu tratamento, proteção e serviço para nós.
starstarstarstarstar حصه بن سعيد
We went diving every morning and Tholal, Sharath, Viju and the entire dive and boat staff were amazing. Our gears were rinsed everyday and loaded on the boat. At one point I had a problem with my regulator and they helped me fix it!For Spa, we got deep tissue massage which is highly recommend.F&B was decently priced and room was nice despite the age. Villa has a/c in the room but not in the bathroom so could get bit hot but there is ceiling fan. One minor thing that can be improved would be the ability to charge electronics when key is removed from the room.All the staff (restaurants, reception, housekeeping, etc) were super friendly and very accommodating.We were bit nervous going at a low/rainy season but weather ended up being perfect. We only got rain (if any) mostly overnight, few times overcast but otherwise lovely weather. No problem getting lovely Instagram photos. It was actually more enjoyable with less people around at the resort and while diving.
starstarstarstarstar Jon Mattera
Uno piensa que al llegar a un Banyan tree obtendra lo que todo Banyan ofrece, lujo. Este hotel tristemente no fue el caso. Día instalaciones muy muy muy viejas. Sin mantenimiento, sus restaurante y bar muy venido a menos, digamos que tuvo mejores tiempos. El Staff, Adam, Alona, Johanna, maravillosos como personas y su atención formidable, nada que decir de ellos. Almen en restaurante siempre sonriendo, Rameez muy amable pero muy frío en su trato. Nos desilusiono mucho. El jacuzzi de la habitación, ni siquiera prendía. Sus playas bonitas, sin duda y limpias. La experiencia con las Stingrays y los delfines formidables. Atención en el bar muy muy muy lenta, y eso que no había gente. Personalmente me dejé llevar por el nombre de la marca, y me llevé una triste sorpresa. En otros Banyan sobra el lujo, por lo que uno paga, aquí no fue así. Muy abandonado en general el hotel. No hay equilibrio entre la vista de la habitación desde la playa, la playa maravillosa y la habitación deja mucho mucho mucho que desear. Hay paz en el lugar eso si. En este caso muy particular fui víctima de pura propaganda. Arrepentido por mucho de haber pagado tanto por tan poco. Yo no recomendaría llegar a este hotel, si no hay un plan de renovación total de la propiedad.
starstar Erick Vonlichenstein
Lugar de ensueño
starstarstarstarstar Ramon V V
Fabuloso
starstarstarstarstar Marta Marta.pitarch
Por su ubicación, sus empleados, sus habitaciones y su comida, buenísima.
starstarstarstarstar Julia Garcia
Trato exquisito por parte de Gera... Un paraíso.
starstarstarstarstar Pedro Lorente
El paraíso hecho realidad
starstarstarstarstar Rafael Belderrain García
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