Rahaa Resort

Bruno Birro

My wife and I stayed at this resort in the Maldives with a couple of friends, and unfortunately it turned out to be one of the worst travel experiences we have ever had. The resort presents itself on social media and on its website as a luxury destination with beautiful beaches, amazing food, drinks, and plenty of activities. In reality, the experience was completely different and extremely disappointing. The property is clearly not well maintained. Many areas look old, neglected, and in poor condition. There are broken chairs, damaged facilities, and even parts of the roof in some areas appear to be falling apart. The overall impression is that the place has not been properly maintained for quite some time. Our room was advertised as having a “lagoon view,” but what we actually saw looked more like a stagnant pond with still, smelly water. The beach around the resort was full of seaweed, which made the area smell unpleasant and look very far from the paradise that is advertised online. Hygiene was also a serious issue. We found ants inside our room and bathroom, saw a large spider in the room, and even noticed rats near the area where we were staying. The dining experience was equally disappointing. The food selection was very limited, and on several occasions we saw bugs and even roaches around the food. The resort promotes a variety of activities and amenities, but there was very little to do. There is no swimming pool, the drink selection was extremely poor, and overall there was almost no entertainment or activities available for guests. The only positive aspect of the experience was the staff. The employees were friendly and clearly trying their best to help, even though communication was sometimes difficult because many of them do not speak much English. Their kindness was appreciated, but unfortunately it cannot make up for the overall condition of the resort. In our opinion, the resort is being falsely advertised online. It may have been a nice property when it first opened, but today it feels neglected and far from the luxury experience that is being promoted. Considering how expensive this resort is, the experience was extremely disappointing for all of us. Sadly, we cannot recommend staying here.

A Wut

Overall our experience at this resort was fantastic. We stayed in an ocean view villa for a week. Negatives: the biggest let down for us was the waiting time at Male international airport. We arrived after having already taken two international flights to be told there was a 6 hour delay until our domestic flight. While we were given a lounge with lots of food and drinks this just isn’t satisfactory. We found out that the hotel only have two transfers a day. This should be advertised so that people are prepared. There is no evening entertainment or daytime activities such as yoga. Positives. Staff were out of this world amazing. Very attentive. Worked so hard and such long hours. Our room was kept immaculate. Our mini bar was stocked daily. Food was varied and enjoyable (even for someone who doesn’t eat chicken or fish) there were always plenty of veggie dishes and beef dishes. My husband ate everything and loved it. There is a free snorkelling trip each day which I would highly recommend and also excursions that you can pay for which were fantastic. The turtle snorkelling was a highlight for me. With this hotel you get what you pay for. You are able to experience the beauty of the Maldives at a reasonable price compared to some of the islands closer to male airport that are 5 star.

Sadiq Sadiqov

We arrived in Malé on the 10th as scheduled. Our international flight landed on time, but we were informed that the hotel’s transfer aircraft would not arrive until 6:00 PM. As a result, we were forced to wait eight hours for the transfer. Eventually, another aircraft arrived, but instead of flying directly to the hotel, it first landed on a different island and then took off again. Because of this disorganization, we reached the hotel only at 9:00 PM, completely exhausted. An entire day of our vacation was lost. A hotel representative, Shruti, acknowledged that this situation was the hotel’s responsibility and initially promised a cash refund. Later, however, this promise was withdrawn, and we were told that any compensation must be handled through the travel agency. Now the agency has informed us that the hotel’s proposed compensation is 100 USD. For two guests who lost a full vacation day and endured extreme fatigue after a long international journey, this amount is absolutely unacceptable. It does not reflect the seriousness of the inconvenience and feels more like a formality than genuine compensation. This experience showed a lack of proper transfer planning, accountability, and respect for guests’ time. I strongly advise future guests to carefully consider this before booking, especially if arrival transfers are involved.

Sultana Abdullah

"I am writing this review to share my mixed experience at Rahaa Resort. While the resort itself is beautiful, clean, and boasts a wonderful atmosphere, there are several critical issues that significantly impacted my stay. First, I must commend the exceptional staff, particularly Bradip and Mohamed Ashraf. They were always smiling, helpful, and professional—truly the highlight of our visit. However, the dining experience was a complete disaster, especially for Arab guests. The food is utterly bland, lacking any flavor or seasoning across all meals. It is clearly not prepared to cater to international palates. I strongly advise all Arab travelers to bring their own food, snacks, and canned goods, as the options on the island are extremely limited and frankly unpalatable. The management urgently needs to hire chefs who can provide a diverse menu that suits all visitors, not just local tastes. Furthermore, our Honey Moon decoration request was completely ignored upon arrival; we only received the service two days late, which ruined the special moment. To make matters worse, our room phone was broken from day one. Despite reporting it, it was never fixed until the day we checked out. Even basic service requests were a struggle. Requesting something as simple as ice was met with 'not available,' or we were given a ridiculous one or two cubes. For a resort of this caliber, this level of service is unacceptable and insulting. Rahaa is a clean and beautiful destination, but until they fix their kitchen and their basic hospitality standards, I cannot fully recommend it."

Gunel Aliyeva

We waited 8 hours for the hotel transfer in Malé due to poor organization and arrived only at 9 PM, losing a full vacation day. The hotel admitted responsibility but offered just $100 for two guests, which is unacceptable and disrespectful. Poor service and planning.