Nova Maldives

Colin Service

We spent a beautiful 7 days here with our two kids in interconnecting family rooms. The room layout and design are very well thought out and extremely light, airy and spacious. We could work, sleep, refresh and relax in all parts of the sunrise beach villa. Everything is where it needs. Wi-Fi is functional. We also enjoyed a tour of the overwater villas which had a huge bathroom. In general, we prefer the beach villas due to being directly on the beach and a little bit more land space to spread out and relax. Highlight is the cleanliness of the facilities and room cleaning; our room was cleaned during breakfast and again turned down at dinner. This is always very much appreciated on island life due to the sand issue being everywhere and in every corner. The attraction of this hotel is definitely the 25 minute seaplane transfer which was just a breeze. There is a noticeable difference in the snorkeling by the sunrise beach village than the sunset beach villas. We much preferred the snorkeling at the sunrise side. An abundance of sea life from sharks and turtles to rainbow colorful fish. Activities we enjoyed included the kayak rental, turtle snorkel and dolphin searching. Although we didn’t see any dolphins this time the boat journey around the Indian Ocean was just spectacular and chatting to the crew was just great to get some local insight. I am delighted that the hotel is locally owned and employing the majority of local staff but they really just need to drastically rethink their buffet style dinning. Usually we stay more than a week on the Maldives but this case with the kids it was only 7 nights. Any longer and I think the food would have drove us crazy. The only setback the island has is really the dining with the half board/all inclusive option in their Buffet restaurant. Here is where the international management aspect is really missing. The daily options are of course freshly cooked but very repetitive and lacking a varied of flavor. Breakfast is very satisfactory where everyone will find something. We also tried flames restaurant which was delicious and their teppanyaki and a very welcomed change to a monotonous buffet. The kitchen; They are trying really, really hard but they are working with weak quality food provided from management budget. For an international hotel you need an international food/chef. This must change drastically. Drinks prices are very reasonable around the pool bar 12-14$ for cocktails excluding taxes. Kadek (from Bali) at the teppanyaki restaurant and host at the main restaurant was outstanding and showing us our table in the main restaurant. Anggi who cooked breakfast omelet every morning with a smile. Alisee is just remarkable person providing above and beyond service. In general the staff are friendly and professional however there were a selective few who were really proactive in providing above and beyond service. Bar area was very welcoming where there was table tennis, snooker, board games, afternoon snacks and cinema. Their gym faciltiy is absolutely wonderful! A very solid hotel with some aspects being excellent. The food just lets the experience down completely and the staff do a marvelous job. Onsite management is very much appreciated to be able to talk to.

A Adrien Chiang

Everything is perfect in Nova. This is my first time visiting Maldives and Nova is a definitely a good choice I will recommend to my friends. All the staff here are nice and caring. Some of the staff even remember our name and our drink preferences at our last of visit. It provided me a relaxing atmosphere to enjoy my vacation here. Last but not least, there are lots of aquatic creatures nearby. I could find sharks and sting rays out of our villa. Love it!

Ventsislav Konsulov

From the airport we were immediately taken to the seaplane terminal and there was no wait for our flight. Check-in was relatively fast, however we were put in a duplex (family) villa, which we didn't book. Had to stay there for the first 2 days as they didn't have a standalone villa. The villa itself was nice, modern, new, maybe a bit on the small side for the Maldivian standards, but good overall. What I didn't like is that the patio in front was shared with the neighbors and they are really, really close to you, especially since the manager decided to put both large sunbeds together, only separated by a tiny wall, instead of just having them on the opposite sides of the duplex. We also stayed at a Water villa and this one was great - spacious, nicely decorated, new, clean - no complaints whatsoever. The food at the main restaurant isn't amazing. Everything tastes the same and the meat they provide is from the worst quality. I pretty much had to eat wok all the time, as it was the only decent meal. There is a decent fruit selection and fruit is of good quality, besides this one time when there was rotten papaya. But it only happened once. Snorkeling is very good, one of the better locations in the Maldives. There are some currents and waves sometimes and the access to the reef could be challenging, but if you're into snorkeling, you won't regret coming here. Service is OK. Some of the boys on the restaurant were very polite, others were just polite. In general we had no issues with the service, but also can't say anything amazing.

Russell Tanaka

My wife and I had an incredible time on our honeymoon. The house reef was great for snorkeling. The food was lovely at all of the restaurants. We were able to swim with both manta rays AND whale sharks. Unforgettable experience and would love to come back

hanan salah

I had an incredible experience at Nova. The staff, especially Shems at the front desk and Chef Ali, were truly exceptional. Their hospitality and service added an extra layer of enjoyment to my trip. The attention to detail and friendly atmosphere made it a memorable stay. Highly recommend- truly the soul place!