My friend Michaela has recently been to Meradhoo. Take a look!
Raffles Meradhoo has opened its doors to the first guests. This 5 star deluxe resort is located on a small and beautiful island on the west side of the Gaafu Alifu atoll, just next to the boarder of Gaafu Dhaalu.
Raffles has taken over the former Jumeirah Dhevanafushi, and has refurbished the entire island.
You can get here by taking a one hour domestic flight from Velana International airport to Kaadedhdhoo, followed by a 30 minute boat transfer.
The resort has opened softly, and the Ocean Pearls (water villas) and the overwater restaurant will not open before later on this year.
Once it is all open, it will feature 36 villas:
-13 beach villas
-5 deluxe beach villas
-3 beach residences
-7 overwater villas
-7 overwater sunset villas
-1 overwater residence.
The villas range from 220 sqm to 300 sqm. The photos below are from one of the beach villas. The pool shot is taken from one of the deluxe beach villas (entry level beach villas have a smaller pool). The design of the villas now features a more colonial style.
The pool area:
Once fully open there will be three restaurants and two bars. Thari, The Firepit and Long Bar are located on the island, while Yuzu and Yapa will be located on the overwater outlet.
Photos of Thari and Long bar below:
For a more romantic setting, you can also have a private dinner on the beach (destination dining) while watching the sunset or under the stars.
The reef used to be one of the best islands in the country in terms of corals, but like most islands a lot of the corals were bleached in the global event «El Nino» in 2016. Luckily the corals have started growing back, and the marine life is good as it always has been. The reef is located close to a big channel, and chances are great for spotting adult reef sharks.
It will be interesting to see how the resort will do in the tough 5-star deluxe competition in the country. But just like Dhevanafushi did, I think it will deliver a truly luxurious holiday experience, even for the picky traveller.
Thanks a lot to Michaela at Reiseagentur Reisser for sending me the photos! Got to add a few more below 🙂
Maldivitis 