Embudu Village Maldives

I stayed at embudu at Xmas 24 solo for 13 nights my daughter joined me for the last 6 nights we both agreed the staff are fantastic really friendly if you tip them or not they make you feel so welcome i did 13 dives all were great including the embudu express which is incredible all the crew and dive centre staff are 5 star it rained for 3 days standing on the beach on new years eve at the cocktail party under an umbrella was a funny memory I would definitely go back I never wore anything on my feet for 13 nights I went all inclusive the food was great it does get a bit repetitive but that what you get with ai the quality was fine new years eve food was fantastic I have only one criticism the coffee in the restaurant should not be instant especially at breakfast other than that 5 stars I was in room 35 the sea was 15 feet from my room door heaven Read less

We stayed at Embudu in December 2013 and again last year 2023 over Christmas & New Year. We decided to go again on boxing day 2024 and over the New Year. It really is a fabulous resort, excellent buffet cuisine and very friendly staff. Great natural island and a plethora of marine wildlife to keep avid snorkellers busy constantly. Highly recommended. Read less

This was my fifth visit to this lovely island having not been here for about seven years, it was going to be interesting to see how the place has changed in that time. Collection from Male via speedboat was swift and seamless and we arrived on a lovely sunny Christmas Eve ready to start our adventure. I had E Mailed ahead to ask for a room in a particular position and we were placed in room 78 which was absolutely perfect for us, little bit of foliage in front of the room and a nice little cove and beach maybe five steps away from the terrace. With the addition of a sea wall there is now a good beach on this side with very soft sand, its actually pretty well done so far as sea walls go and we spent all our time here. The rooms here are simple, a good size and perfectly adequate , no frills but everything that you need. The beds are super hard but I don't mind that, there is no TV but I don't mind that either. They are kept spotlessly clean by your room boy and water is topped up each day as needed. Nice large bathroom with a good shower, I was more than pleased with my choice. As we arrived on Christmas Eve, we were treated to the gala dinner, wow!!, so much choice , the chefs must have worked very hard indeed to produce such an amazing array of beautiful dishes - we just didn't know where to start. I didn't take a photo of the Christmas Eve menu but I have included a photo of the New Years Eve menu which is very similar. On a daily basis the food is really very good, I have always found the food good at Embudu but they have definitely improved over the years, much more choice now with the curries the star of the show. The island was a mass of tiny Christmas lights - absolutely stunning . There is always the thorny issue of table sharing at Embudu but to date I have never had to table share, the restaurant has been painted ( as has the bar and reception area ) since the last visit and now looks so much brighter. The waiting staff are friendly and nothing is too much trouble - a credit to the island. The bar is also much brighter now and the team that work there are friendly and professional , some same faces here as throughout the island, makes me think that this is a great place to live and work. The alcohol is branded and whilst I mostly don't drink, I made good use of the lovely mocktails. The decking area is a lovely place to chill and watch the sun go down, it was pretty hot when we were there so it was a nice place to sit after our evening meal too. We snorkeled on our first day but due to rather ill health, we did not snorkel again this holiday. The coral reef on the water bungalow side looks very poorly now, I'm afraid and there is a complete lack of baby sharks ( no nightly rays either ) that used to patrol the shallows so frequently. In fact the water goes out so far now on that side that the coral is daily exposed. We met some lovely people on our last day who have visited here 27 times and counting and they were informed by a visiting marine biologist that the building of all the artificial islands to be seen in the near distance has indeed changed the current, although we were also informed that the coral garden on the opposite side is still intact. It remains to be seen how this will impact the island as they are also building what is known as ' Male 2 ' in the near distance. Embudu still feels the same as it has always felt, it is a small friendly island which really punches above its weight for value for money, but, the environment has changed so much in the last few years, This was never a super peaceful island due to its position so close to Male but with so many new man made islands and the new Male 2 taking shape so close, it's much busier now. Sea traffic, building supply boats, seaplanes and international arrivals make this really quite noisy now. The staff really make this island work, they are graceful and hard working, friendly and informative, it's still fantastic value for money, it just isn't anywhere near as peaceful as it used to be. Thank you Embudu, we probably won't return but I've loved all my visits and given that you are part of a large group there may be a quieter island for my return visit. Read less

One word ……. STUNNING!! The staff were friendly and always on hand for anything you needed. The back bungalow was 5 metres from a beautiful small beach which lead onto the house reef where any number of marine wildlife could be found. To have reef sharks swimming around your feet whilst paddling was a hell of an experience. The Stingray City tour was less Stingray and more Nurse Shark which was even more of a breathtaking experience, particularly as you can often see the rays around the boat jetty. Food was varied and great quality. Thank you to all who made our week a holiday of a lifetime Read less