RAAYA By Atmosphere - All Inclusive with Free Transfers

Raaya is a beautiful resort. The staff is very friendly and polite. The facilities are appropriate for tourists of all ages. It has a beautiful play area for kids of all ages. All the restaurants serve different cuisines and serve very good food.

This was my fourth or fifth time visiting the maldives, which makes it easy to compare with previous stays. Music is far too loud throughout the entire resort, in bars, restaurants, and public areas. From 22.12 to 28.12, only Christmas music was played, everyday…. with some songs repeated up to 10 times a day at an ear splitting volume. The only surprising detail is that I never heard Last Christmas or All I Want for Christmas Is You. Escaping the noise is nearly impossible, even when sitting on the terrace of a water villa. If you are unlucky, as we were, you may end up with neighbours like ours. Four English guests who seemed to have originally planned a trip to Magaluf and somehow ended up in the Maldives by mistake. With Bluetooth speakers in every room, it is easy to play loud music all day, drink beer, party loudly, and shout without any consideration for other guests. In the restaurants, the dress code is largely ignored. Tank tops, sportswear, football shirts, and swim shorts are frequently seen at dinner. While acceptable at breakfast or by the pool, this is completely inappropriate in the evening and the dress code needs to be enforced far more strictly. The hotel is simply too cheap and therefore attracts the wrong type of clientele. With over 160 rooms, there are well over 300 guests at full capacity, which regularly overwhelms the buffet restaurant and negatively affects the dining experience. Service staff are clearly trying, but service quality is inconsistent. Drink orders often never arrive, water is only refilled on request, and drinks in most bars are barely acceptable to poor. Bicycles are available on the island but are not assigned per room and are left around for general use. Around 90% of them are old, rusty, broken, or barely usable. A bicycle repair shop would not feel out of place. The hotel has no house reef, which means snorkeling requires a short boat ride of two to three minutes. With around 30 people on each boat, the experience becomes hectic and noisy, and most fish, turtles, and other marine life quickly disappear. Prices in the boutique are outrageous. Charging $50 for sunscreen or $13 for a can of Red Bull is simply unreasonable. Food quality is disappointing overall, including all speciality restaurants, where it remains clearly below average. I had filet mignon 4 times during our stay in different restaurants, and each one was tough like a shoe sole. On a positive note, Atik at the pool bar and Gayan at Seb’s Shack deserve special recognition for their friendliness, attentiveness, and excellent service. Each of them deserves a star.

Dream vacation!!!!!