First, a little preview: unless something unexpected happens, next week there will be an incredibly exciting Maldives product. We are currently finalizing the details with the hotel, and it is definitely worth looking forward to!
Today, I’ll be writing about the Radisson Blu Resort Maldives. Before the New Year, we spent over half a month in the Maldives, gathering and compiling information from eight hotels, and Radisson is one of them. This itinerary may seem challenging, having to visit so many hotels in the Maldives all at once and stay several nights in each. In reality, the team at Xi You has expressed a desire to explore the Maldives again next time.
We promoted the Radisson Maldives back in mid-2021, with an initial price of 9,699 yuan per person for four nights in a water villa, including daily breakfast and dinner, plus round-trip waterplane transfers. If it’s a honeymoon, couples received an extra 60-minute couple’s spa.
9,699! The world’s only six-star heart-shaped island, with pool water villas and return waterplane transfers, valid until returning home without needing quarantine. Looking back, that initial price was indeed a bargain; currently, Radisson’s packages are seldom under 13,000 yuan per person. This perfectly exemplifies the saying: “What was once ignored is now unattainable.”
This is quite normal, as when we promoted the Radisson Maldives back then, it coincided with their opening offer. Just like hotels in China, opening offers in the Maldives usually provide the best value for money. Of course, new hotels in the Maldives have their own issues as well; the satellite images below make that evident. The vegetation was not great back then (new island). However, the vegetation on Radisson Island has improved significantly since then. Typically, satellite images are at least one year delayed, so the current vegetation is even better.
Satellite image from 2021
Satellite image from 2024
The Radisson Maldives is located on Huruelhi Island in the South Ari Atoll of the Maldives. It requires a 30-minute waterplane ride to reach the island, or a 20-minute domestic flight followed by a 15-minute speedboat ride.
This atoll has whale sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles visible year-round, with seasonal sightings of manta rays. There is plenty to see underwater, and everything is of “large stock.” However, looking at the map above, Radisson is positioned on the side of the South Ari Atoll closer to the open sea, meaning it’s relatively on the western edge of the Maldives, where wind and waves can be harsher. You can see things while snorkeling, but the waves here can add a bit of difficulty.
Radisson Maldives is also an island predominantly visited by Chinese tourists. The main reason is that the owner is from Singapore, and the aesthetic of the island aligns well with Chinese preferences. The villas at Radisson are spacious, with the smallest villa measuring 215 square meters, and each villa has a large private pool. Even the smallest room can accommodate four guests (one main bedroom, one sofa bed or sleeping chair, accommodating three adults and one child, or two adults and two children).
Let me show you the water villa; the pool is impressively large.
The room has very high ceilings, with the highest point around 6 meters (just my estimation). The internal space is well utilized. Additionally, since it opened in 2020, the room hardware is quite new.
Moreover, Radisson has more water villas than beach villas, and the prices for four water villas are better than two beach and two water villas, knowing that we Chinese love to stay in water villas.
Radisson is the unique heart-shaped island in the Maldives, suitable for proposals, weddings, and honeymoons.
By the beach, there is a chapel for weddings, and the island has a Chinese photography studio because it’s well known that many people visit island vacations for photography.
The infinity pool is also photogenic, continuing to meet everyone’s demands for beautiful pictures.
Radisson’s all-day dining restaurant has a chef from Xi’an, who can cook dishes on-site. It’s not easy to find Chinese cuisine in the Maldives, and the dishes are cooked by a Chinese chef on-site; I believe that’s only available at Radisson. Many guests praise it for its authentic flavors.
Radisson is indeed very suitable for Chinese tourists; it’s a Chinese-friendly island. There are six staff members who can speak Chinese, and 24-hour butler service is available. Radisson has its own app, with Wi-Fi coverage throughout the island. If you need something, you can directly communicate in Chinese on the app, and the butler responds quickly, essentially making it a service that’s at your beck and call. Oh, and there’s a mahjong table on the island.
Having covered the highlights, let’s move on to the detailed guide for Radisson Maldives. Like other islands in the Maldives, you only need to land at Malé airport. Upon exiting the airport, staff will receive you and take you to the waterplane terminal (if you arrive late, you may need to spend a night in Malé). Here’s a charming airport reception lady.
Radisson uses the TMA lounge at the Malé waterplane terminal.
When it comes to choosing a room at Radisson, it’s important. Since the price for four water villas is cheaper than two beach and two water villas, we naturally recommend everyone choose four water villas. There are water villas at both the front and back of the island; in general, the “tree-shaped” area of water villas has better views than the “heart-shaped” area. Most water villas in the “tree-shaped” area have good privacy and do not have a breakwater, except for a few I have circled that face the main island, which slightly affects the view. The upper area has a sunrise view while the lower area has a sunset view.
However, the “heart-shaped” area has more water villas facing the main island and breakwaters, which I have also circled; I recommend avoiding these when choosing a room. Similarly, the upper area offers a sunrise view and the lower area a sunset view.
Regarding the breakwater, I want to elaborate a bit. Nowadays, new islands indeed have more and more breakwaters. The main reason is that many new islands are farther from Malé, some at the edges of the Maldives, which means they are subject to greater winds and waves. Although the breakwater may not be aesthetically pleasing, it does ensure safety. I feel that it’s important to pay attention to this when choosing a room; just avoid those directly facing the breakwater. The Maldives is different from others; it seldom experiences fully booked situations, so in case you are assigned accordingly, cordial communication usually solves the issue. For the packages aimed at the Chinese market, four nights of consecutive stays typically upgrade one level, effectively avoiding views of the breakwater. While Radisson has breakwaters, there are indeed things worth seeing underwater.
The beach villas have no visibility issues; stepping out leads straight to the beach without breakwaters. The beach at Radisson is excellent, with powdery white sand that feels comfortable to walk on barefoot.
The beach villas are also large, over 200 square meters, with extremely high ceilings, and come with a private pool, making them quite attractive. If it weren’t for the basic beach villas being pricier than the basic water villas, I would genuinely recommend that everyone opt for the beach villas. There are fewer beach villas, which are popular with foreign guests, leading to some supply shortages.
For families, the proportion of two-bedroom and three-bedroom villas at Radisson Maldives is also high. Of course, for those seeking value for money, a one-bedroom villa can also accommodate three adults and one child or two adults and two children. I mentioned that Radisson Maldives aligns with Chinese aesthetics; take a look at this two-story villa in the picture below. Isn’t it just the ideal image of a Maldives vacation for a Chinese family?
Radisson is a “double island,” and the reason I put it in quotes is that one of the islands is quite small. Radisson is not an artificial island, but the smaller one (Hanhaarafushi Island) is indeed man-made, and currently, the vegetation on that small island is still not dense enough.
On that small island, there is a spa, a pool bar, and a yoga pavilion. Having two islands is indeed intriguing; one island, two experiences.
I haven’t had time to visit the spa, so here’s an official image from the hotel; the highlight is a transparent glass floor and a 270-degree ocean-view bathtub.
I highly recommend participating in the sunrise yoga activity at the yoga pavilion.
The picture below is the bar on the small island, Crusoe’s, which looks quite nice.
I usually don’t give direct ratings to a beach or snorkeling experiences. Terms like beach A or snorkeling A are mostly created by domestic agents. I prefer to simply post pictures, directly conveying what the beach is like and what the snorkeling experience is. Radisson has plenty of corals underwater, and there is plenty to see while snorkeling. Additionally, being close to the western edge of the Maldives, you can see a notable underwater fault line, where deep diving also reveals “large stock.”
The only thing to be cautious of is that the waves can be rough, which may impact your snorkeling. Due to the waves, the areas available for snorkeling at Radisson are somewhat limited.
As for the beach, the entire island is surrounded by a ring of white sand, as fine as flour.
Most of Radisson’s basic packages are HB (breakfast and dinner), with meals primarily served at the main restaurant, Raha. This restaurant floats over the sea, with every dining spot offering ocean views, following a semi-buffet model. In the middle, there’s an open kitchen where the chefs cook on-site, including the chef from Xi’an.
Dinner featuring freshly cooked dishes has been mentioned previously; the breakfast at Radisson Maldives is also very friendly for Chinese guests.
Eats & Beats is also one of the main restaurants, offering HB (breakfast and dinner) and FB (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Eats & Beats is a poolside restaurant and bar.
Other restaurants are chargeable. The Alifaan Mediterranean restaurant specializes in Mediterranean grilled dishes, open only for dinner. Dining there, you can see schools of fish, even small sharks, especially at night when they are attracted to the lights.
If guests who have dinner included dine there, each is provided a $65 voucher. This means if a couple eats for under $130, there’s no additional charge.
Kabuki is a Japanese restaurant focusing mostly on seafood, open only for dinner. For guests who have dinner included, each also has a $65 free allowance. However, the dining expenses at the Japanese restaurant might be slightly higher than at the Alifaan Mediterranean restaurant. This is quite nice; even though most packages include breakfast and dinner, you’ll notice that you can actually have dinner at four different restaurants.
Crusoe also serves meals as a Western pastry & lobster restaurant, which requires additional payment.
Radisson also features a wine cellar with over 700 brands of wines and champagnes from more than 20 countries. This is a relatively diverse area.
There are also several bars, including Eats & Beats, Crusoe’s, and Mahurab.
Now, let’s discuss activities at Radisson Maldives. Non-motorized water sports are all free, but I want to remind everyone that Radisson has larger waves, so please pay attention to safety during water activities.
The hotel also has a lighted football field, but it seems to have low usage.
Most four-night packages include a dolphin cruise as a gift. The chance of seeing dolphins while at sea here is extremely high.
Moreover, during outings and snorkeling (or diving), sightings of whale sharks and manta rays are very probable. South Ari Atoll is primarily known for its “large animals.”
The kids’ center at Radisson is open from 9 AM to 6 PM. Overall, Radisson leans more towards catering to couples and honeymoon needs, but children are welcome too.
In summary about Radisson Maldives:
**Advantages**
– The only heart-shaped island in the Maldives; romantic
– The hotel is new, with good hardware, spacious rooms, large pools, and high ceilings, and even basic rooms can accommodate three adults and one child or two adults and two children
– Excellent beach and great snorkeling (though the snorkeling areas are somewhat limited)
– Water villa prices are cheaper than beach villas
– Superior geographical environment, located in a famous diving reserve, rich in marine species
– Chinese-friendly, with Chinese cuisine available, and the island itself aligns with Chinese aesthetic preferences
– High-caliber on-island photography team
**Disadvantages**
– Somewhat large waves
