Traveled with my 2 daughter’s to Maldives. Was a last minute decision with so many Covid restrictions in international travel. Zeroed in on Maldives, after a lot of research decided on Centara Grand MALDIVES We booked a Water Villa Ambiance- excellent, Cleanliness -Superb Jamshed the house keeping staff was so nice and he made my stay so beautiful by decorating the room celebrating my birthday Front Desk and Reception- Brilliant - Asim received us so warmly and made comfortable, the AC in our room was not working, He gave us another suite immediately -Peter at the front desk is very responsive and open to suggestions Breakfast@The Reef Amazing setting by the Lagoon. Delicious though somewhat limited and same everyday. But hospitality and service was amazing. Suan Bua the Thai Restaurant Ambiance is nice. Delicious food and very authentic Thai. Portion size is very small, only sufficient for one person is the only drawback. Azzuri the Italian Restaurant Beautiful ambiance, food is nice not great, risotto was great, portions are nice. Staff is a little unfriendly and feels like they serve as a chore. Coral Bar A view to die for, I could just spend my entire life sitting in the deck and watching millions and millions of stars. Special special mention about Mr Venkat, the F&B Manager( he’s more a Host than a Manager) He’s warm, kind, and a welcoming person. He made the stay memorable for us. The resort celebrated my 50th Birthday with all the staff wishing me with a beautiful chocolate cake. It was so delightful. Venkat went all the way to arran ge the Bollywood Night for all of us, the DJ happens to be a Manager who’s a part time DJ for the love of Music. He played amazing numbers, was thrilling to groove through the night. Again Venkat made it so special, Thanks Venkat…from all of us Satish, Piyush, Mojo at the Bar made delightful Cocktails in the morning and Evenings, specialty was the Cocktails were made to suit our personality and mood!! Cheers to the Corel Bar team. Swimming pool Water activities, snorkeling lessons and the experience of watching hundreds of colorful fishes at the Reef was enthralling. a magical world! Best for the last: The king size Water Villa was the most delightful. It’s huge. all 932 sq ft. The bathroom is Palatial with an amazing Jaccuzi. The amenities in the Villa are all according to the expectations. You open the curtains to world of emerald Lagoon and fishes and corals only Couple of feet deep under the water villa. I have never seen millions of stars in my entire lifetime in one trip. Spent every night on the loungers, sipping a drink and looking at the mesmerizing stars all Night. This is one experience I take with me for a lifetime. Over and all its an amazing property. A must if you’re planning Maldives. Only Down: Had problem contacting the property. Had a expensive non refundable flight and couldn’t connect with the Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa Maldives till few hours before departure. So had heart in my mouth. Had a terrible experience with Make My Trip, once the payment was done, they completely absolved themselves of all responsibility. I connected with the property with great difficulty. Sama at reservation was helpful. But the stress was terrible to take a few hours before a vacation. Centara should hold take note of this. One of the best unplanned Vacations..Thanks to Centara Grand for making this. Memorable one for Me and my Daughter’s.
