28 September 2023

I have been fortunate enough to experienced some of the best high-end properties [in the Maldives]. The service, staff, the standard of the food and wine on offer at Heritance Aarah was exceptional. It is up there, competing with the best. The hotel was authentic and the staff all seemed happy to be there which is really important. The seafood restaurant (Ginifati), the Tepanyaki restaurant (Hattha) and Ambula (10-course tasting menu!) were particular highlights. The cocktail menu was like going to a fancy cocktail bar in the city. Everything you can think of, all the classic plus their own specials. No matter what bar, they all tasted the same and made correctly, which shows that all the bartenders have been trained up well. We spent most of our time in Ralu, which was an á la carte Mediterranean restaurant just over the water. It was open for late breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a very good standard of food throughout the day. If you're not a buffet fan, then this is the spot for you. They had steaks (fillet!), tuna, salmon, salads, eggs, burgers and some fantastic mains for the evening. This restaurant in particular felt just like a restaurant that you would be happy to pay extra for and we loved sitting there for a sun downer or for a bit of lunch in the afternoon. We had an overwater villa, 817. New, clean and very functional. The deck had cover from the sun which was ideal so that you can sit out there late afternoon and watch the world go by. There's also an area for sunbathing and safe steps down to the ocean to cool off. Wildlife - this is one of the main reasons for visiting Maldives. The first day we arrived, walking on the pier to our villa, 5 small black tip reef sharks just swimming in the shallow waters. What a treat. Over the week, we saw the resident sea turtle, multiple types of rays (from eagle to whiptail) and many types of fish. We were taken on a dive to Manta point, no mantas that day but we saw a school of eagle rays, sharks and more turtles. The house reef was lively; it was a bit of a swim to reach from the water villas so the easiest way to access it is by walking to the dive centre and getting in from there. The house reef seemed very healthy and there are options to dive. If you stay 7 nights or more you get up to 4 trips included, such as a dolphin tour and sunset cruise. They have thought of everything. We did see dolphins on our trip too, a pod of around 20! I really am struggling to find fault with Heritance Aarah and I still can't quite believe how amazing the whole experience was. The hotel has something for everyone. 10/10"