“Submitted on behalf of clients of Jill Taylor at Jetset World Travel who stayed in March/April 2024:
We had a fabulous time. I could write a novel, but will share some highlights:
Resort/Amenities: The resort was beautiful. Privacy was extreme. Nothing ever felt crowded. The Ocean Villa that we stayed in was beyond perfect. The bed was super comfortable (very important to me). The restaurant choices were nice, and the food was very fresh and flavorful. You could go to a buffet or have a fine dining experience. The views from every restaurant were spectacular. Some were on the beach, but most were over the water. The gym was very nice, and had everything you needed to get a good workout. It was also always very clean and bottled water was accessible everywhere. The pool table area and the game area were a nice respite from the heat outside. The vegetation on the island was so lush and green, and provided nice shade on the paths throughout the island. The included excursions were ok, the horizon didn’t cooperate for the sunrise/sunset cruises (not their fault), but the boat rides were fun. My husband caught fish on the fishing excursion. I gave up pretty quickly (I’m not a very patient fisherman). The dolphin cruise was magnificent. We were told when we started that we had a 50/50 shot of seeing dolphins. We saw a pod of about 5-7 and thought that was neat, but then they moved to a spot where they estimated that there were 1000-1500 dolphins. They were jumping everywhere and the water was in constant churn around us with dolphins. At our Villa, it was like looking into an exotic saltwater fish tank. We saw fish that we would only see in a fish store here, and spotted Rays and other larger fish from our back porch. Our back porch was a huge plus. We had a nice table outside, and with our upgraded Ocean Villa, we had room service, and we had meals outside on that table overlooking the pool and ocean a few times and that was very nice. There was also a big bed type swing outside that was so nice to just hang out on after being in the pool or just to relax. The pool was perfect. In the pics it looks small, but it is very nice, and a very relaxing spot. We used it daily.
Service: We said so many times that the service was mind blowing. We were guided every step of the way from the Male airport. Getting to the sea plane was easy. If I had anxiety about anything, it was the sea plane. I get motion sick and thought that would be harsh. It ended up being so fun, though, and seeing all of the islands all over the Maldives was an extra treat. Once we got to the island, we quickly met our Butler Dinu. She was wonderful. She ferried us to check-in, then whisked us off to our Villa where she showed us around and told us how everything worked. She took care of arranging the first 4 days of restaurants, and all of our included excursions without us even asking, and after the many hours of travel, the “not having to think” part was very nice. She would come get us in a moment’s notice and take us wherever we wanted to go. She handled booking massages, and any other changes we needed. She also ensured that our snacks stayed stocked well in the Villa. She checked on us multiple times a day. WhatsApp made communication so easy. The Villa was always clean (they cleaned twice a day if you wanted them to). The restaurant staff was kind and you never went without anything you needed or wanted. The spa experience was good. The spa was very clean. The massages were very nice, and the staff was very professional.
One kind of cool side thing. The resort was very focused on being good to nature. Everything was reusable. All the containers were glass and the napkins were cloth. Almost no waste which they had been recognized for apparently as being one of the greenest resorts in the Maldives. It was obvious it was very important to them, though.
I will say the Maldives experience may not be for everyone in the US because the travel is long, you are on a small island, and you have to want to relax. This for us was perfection, though.
Overall the whole experience was magical and exceeded our expectation in every way.”
“Our resort, Heritance Aarah is beautiful. Our over-the-water villa is beautiful. Our relaxation lounge in Male and seaplane ride was absolutely beautiful. Jenna Tak of Vue Maldives Collection nailed this recommendation! It’s raining today but who cares… it’s still beautiful and they provide raincoats and umbrellas.
The culinary team is award-winning across the globe with numerous gold and silver medals via head-to-head competitions. We enjoyed every meal every day! We had simply the best:
Executive Chef... Amila Silva
Executive Sous Chef... Madhava Ehelamalpe
Chef de Cusine... Mahmoud Salah
Demi Chef Jayalal
Butler... Preetham Sequeira
Food & Beverage Managers... Silva & Akshay
Dedicated Servers... Hussain, Firu, Nahid, Aslan & many others
Dive Instructor... Toddy & entire Dive Team
We had very up close and personal interactions with everybody listed above and many others. Everyone from top to bottom treated us like royalty and we are forever grateful for this treatment and experience. We shall return in the very near future for more pampering and special treatment!
Sincerely,
Derek from Maryland, USA”
“Heritance Aarah was perfect in every way! We are so grateful to Vue Maldives for suggesting this resort. The service was impeccable -- efficient and warm and completely seamless. Food was an experience and the drinks were imaginative and of such a high quality. Our villa was thoughtfully designed and had everything we needed. We loved snorkeling from our villa. I can't get over the beautiful beaches and sea life. Everything from the restaurants to the spa was beautiful and contributed to a wonderful Maldivian experience. It was a magical place!”
“Absolutely wonderful experience. Although a long voyage to get there from the States, it is well worth it. Highly recommend the Ocean Suite units - as they offer outstanding amenities and the Butler makes it even that much better. With 7 restaurants and 5 bars you'll have endless opportunities at wonderful food, service, and drinks.”
“Fun, Fun, Fun AND 4 days was not enough! We were in a beach villa and waking up each morning to this ocean was heaven. The water and beaches were perfect, food and drinks were plenty and every day felt like a new experience for us.
Our personal butler service was great and never had to wait for service. Anything we needed he sorted asap for us.
One other thing I noticed that was great about this resort was it's only a short seaplane ride from the main airport so we were at the resort super quick. Also, it was awesome to see the Maldives from that perspective. It was like a tour in itself!
I loved this resort and hope to return again on another trip.”
“Wonderful Resort! Great value for the money. All inclusive was great and food was delicious! We had an overwater villa which made our stay magical. Loved every second of it!”
