Welcome back! In the first part of this review, I covered the logistics of staying at a private island resort in the Maldives and reviewed the Fairmont Maldives overwater villa. In this post, I will talk about the resort grounds, amenities, and dining options. I will even touch on the weather and the best time of year to visit. You can read my first installment by clicking here.
Fairmont Maldives Amenities
The island of Sirru Fen Fushi is not massive but amenities are pretty spread out. To get around the island, each suite is provided with two bicycles and umbrellas in case of sudden rain. Kids’ bicycles are also available at no additional charge. If you don’t want to bike around or are going out for a fancy dinner, you can also call for a go-kart ride to get around the island. I biked around everywhere and it was great to get a little bit of cardio in each day.
On the island, there are numerous amenities including a spa, fitness center, dive center, and outdoor sports facilities such as beach volleyball and tennis courts. I didn’t use the tennis or volleyball courts but I did use the fitness center, which was pretty nice for a “hotel gym.” The fitness center had plenty of cardio, strength, and high-intensity/interval training equipment.
There’s also a kid’s club to keep your kids entertained and an activity center with a revolving schedule of family-friendly activities such as art classes, yoga, beach volleyball, and tours of their house “coralarium.”
The Fairmont Maldives provides free use of snorkel and non-motorized water equipment such as paddle boards and kayaks. You can keep the snorkel equipment with you for the duration of your stay but kayaks/paddle boards must be returned at the end of the day. Jet skis, clear bottom kayaks and other watersports equipment can be rented for a fee.
There’s also a large infinity edge pool, jacuzzi, and wonderful trails to explore.
Fairmont Maldives Food and Beverage
The Fairmont Maldives does offer all-inclusive and half-board options and my recommendation is that you book at least the half-board. That’s what I did and I thought it was a good value for the price. The all-inclusive package is just that and the half-board covers your breakfasts and dinners only. A drink package can be added on top of that. If you don’t opt for the half-board/all-inclusive packages, then you should expect to pay around $50/person for a very light lunch and $100/person for dinner. That’s not including alcoholic drinks. This fish and chips plate with a Coke was $52.
There are three restaurants and one bar located on the island. The main restaurant is called Raha Market. This is where they hold the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. The breakfast buffet is the same thing every day but the dinner buffet does rotate between different cuisine throughout the week. If you’re here on a Saturday for the beach BBQ, that was my favorite meal of the week.
And there are two specialty restaurants called Kata and Azure. If you book an all-inclusive or half-board package, you can eat at any of the restaurants. The buffet is obviously all-you-can-eat but at the two specialty restaurants, you can only order an appetizer, main course, and a dessert as part of your package. However, not all menu items are included in the package and certain things will require a supplemental cost. And lastly, they consider these two restaurants “fine dining” so expect portions to be small.
Kata is their Japanese restaurant. Between the two specialty restaurants, I preferred this one over Azure. The food here was actually good and the atmosphere was incredible. I loved sitting over the water and this was the one and only time I saw a manta ray. Sharks were plenty around this area also.
Azure is the other specialty restaurant located on the southern end of the island. The atmosphere was also amazing but the food here was just okay.
Fairmont Maldives Weather/When to Visit
I visited in the second week of January and it was perfect. The weather fluctuated between mid 80’s during the day and mid 70’s at night. And this time is actually considered their “low season” so you can expect the resort to be less crowded. The busy times for the Fairmont Maldives are around Christmas time, New Year’s, Ramadan, and Chinese New Year. During my stay, it appeared as if the resort was at approximately 30% capacity. It was empty. I didn’t have to wait for anything and the restaurants were pretty empty.
Keep in mind that the weather vastly fluctuates between the northern and southern atolls of the Maldives. The Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi Island is located in the northern atoll. January is typically considered their “dry” season with less rain but it can also be very windy around this time. The northern summer months (June, July and August) are considered their “wet” or monsoon season. But with all things Maldives, the weather is so unpredictable year after year so you should expect rain anytime you visit and be grateful for the sunny days.
During my 6-day visit, I only got a little bit of rain on the first day but it was windy for about 4 days. The two last days were perfect weather.
Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi Bottom Line
Overall, I had an amazing time at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi Island. The island was Prestine and the resort was incredible but with a few flaws. I loved my overwater villa and the direct access to the ocean made for great snorkel days. The restaurants were hit or miss but the overall amenities provided were appreciated. That being said, this was a “one-and-done” trip for me. I had a great time here but there was nothing so amazing that I have to return for (at this price point).
What are your thoughts? Have you stayed at the Fairmont Maldives or any other resort in the Maldives? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other posts in this series include:
- American Express Centurion Lounge LAX
- Qatar Airways A350-1000 Economy Class, Los Angeles to Doha
- Al Maha Lounge Doha, a Priority Pass Lounge
- Sleep N’ Fly Sleep Lounge Doha, a Priority Pass Lounge
- Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER Economy Class, Doha to Male
- Fairmont Maldives Overwater Villa
- Fairmont Maldives Grounds, Amenities and Dining
- Leeli Lounge Male
- Qatar Airways Boeing 777-300ER Business Class, Male to Doha
- Qatar Airways Arrivals Lounge Doha
- Qatar Airways A350-1000 Business Class, Doha to Los Angeles
