Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives Resort

We stayed for 10 nights in May on standard All Inclusive in a Superior Beach Room. The transfer by speedboat was fast and efficient. A bit bouncy so prepare if you are sensitive to sea sickness. The welcome was warm and sincere. A nice cold drink and efficient check in before transfer to our room. The room has a sea view and overlooked a small beach area but this side of the island is not for bathing due to strong currents and waves. A massive bed with two single beds for multiple occupation. Daily water supply was adequate and the mini bar could be used for beer and soft drinks on AI. Large wet room/shower and separate bathroom area and toilet. Towels are replaced every day and there is always plenty of hot water. Coffee and tea making facilities were a nice touch. TV channels are limited but you don't come here to watch TV! Standard UK 3 pin plugs Our room was on the ground floor so a decent area to sit as well as some sun beds but to be honest the other side of the island is better for relaxing on the beach. Food was excellent. Multiple choices at every meal time and all tastes catered for. Attentive staff brought water and drinks as soon as you sat down and the restaurant was never crowded even at the "busy" times. Snacks available in the Sunset Bar at certain times if you feel hungry between meals! The beach is stunning. Never failed to get beds and always plenty of towels. The snorkeling off the beach in the lagoon was amazing considering the proximity to the resort. Multiple rays, sharks, sea snakes and a huge array of colourful fishes. Totally safe and calm for those less confident with only minor currents. We had some rain. It wasn't a problem and soon cleared up. The island is protected by a sea wall from the waves. Not the most attractive aspect but necessary to keep the island from flooding. The waves attract surfers from around the world. We spent many hours drinking beer watching them perform between playing pool in the Surf Bar. Great atmosphere and selection of drinks. Standard AI gives you all you need unless you are picky about brands. On the last day we were rewarded with the sight of a pod of dolphins surfing the waves through the surfers. Truly stunning to see! We did the sunset fishing trip and the trip to the local island Huraa for souvenirs and to see the real Maldives. Both were great value but the fishing was again quite rocky! If you think you will get no exercise on a small island think again. We easily managed 10000 steps daily on walks around the resort. Coupled to swimming and snorkeling it doesn't have to be a sedate experience. Checking out was easy and we kept our AI until a couple of hours before we left. Lots of opportunities to fill up water bottles before leaving though. Highly recommended. It's sad to see the coral fading from its glorious days of the past but there is still plenty of wildlife to see and enjoy. The resort seems to be doing all it can to preserve the environment and hopefully so will the visitors that stay there.