We recently returned from a 5-night stay at Diamonds Thudufushi. We'd dreamed of going to the Maldives for nearly 30 years and finally made it to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary and a big birthday.
Our holiday was truly special - not only did we arrive in paradise (turquoise blue water, coral reefs, white sandy beaches) but we were also blown away by the wonderful management and staff. They helped make our time magical and nothing was too much trouble. We always felt completely spoilt!
We stayed in an absolutely wonderful water bungalow which was light and airy.
Saeed prepared our room and each evening adorned it with flowers and decorative towel art.
The island was absolutely amazing. We went snorkeling at the hotel and saw manta rays, a turtle, and a triggerfish (best avoided as they can bite!) On the Sunset Dolphin Cruise we saw a pod of pilot whales – a rare sighting of 20 to 25 swimming on each side of our boat. We even saw dolphins from our room on the sunrise side.
Rasal was always there to transport us to the restaurant in his electric buggy. At each encounter he insisted we relax and take it easy. At the restaurant, we were often met by Nick, who, like all the team, was amazingly attentive and always good-humoured. We were thoroughly spoilt by the restaurant staff - Anil gave such a warm greeting at every meal and Say made a spectacular birthday greeting on the table out of coloured rice.
The food served was truly a highlight - made even more spectacular by visiting chefs.
We were fortunate to be there for Valentine's evening festival - with a gala dinner on the beach, prepared by 26 chefs with phenomenal displays of carved food, crafted and arranged magnificently. This special occasion happens a few times a year and was an amazing experience!
The buffet restaurant has varied choices and the À la carte restaurant at the Water Villas has really good service. The food was excellent with lots of different options and everything on the menu was fresh and tasty.
We were entertained most evenings by Vaughn Prangley who is a brilliant singer and guitarist (check him out on Spotify)
ALL the staff were so helpful and added to the lovely, happy and relaxed atmosphere on the island. Carla and Jaco - the general managers were visible throughout our stay and knew all the guests by name. They are inspirational in their management style, helping set up for the Gala evening even in the heat of the day. They have a true bond with their teams and their warmth and hospitality are obvious to all. We loved seeing the team effort, all hands on deck, and the staff are clearly happy...as were we.
It was a truly amazing holiday - could not fault it. The seaplane experience was just fantastic for a bird's-eye view of the islands in the Maldives!
We have a lifetime of wonderful memories from our short stay - in no small part down to the wonderful staff. We dream of returning to the Maldives one day and when we do, it will be back to Diamonds Thudufushi. It truly is paradise!!!!
Photos @ Joanne
I wanted the assurance of going through a Travel Agent and spoke to Christine at Abbotts Travel for help and advice. She was super efficient with prompt responses, giving us several suggestions, including Diamonds Thudufushi, which really was a diamond! Abbotts Travel held flights, booked internal flights, advised us on a slight date change to save money and helped us with online check-in which gave me confidence.
Please thank everybody at Abbotts Travel! I will definitely come back when booking our next big trip.
Joanne & Neil Feb 2023
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