Ellaidhoo Maldives by Cinnamon

A stellar housereef provides an out-of-this-world underwater experience for those keen to explore it - it is not to be taken lightly how breathtakingly beautiful it is. The food, as well as the staff at Ellaidhoo also deserves a commendation: They were both, in our opinion, above average in Maldivian standards, which is saying something. Unfortunately, while the various parts of Ellaidhoo are amazing by themselves, they do lack that last magic to make it all come together perfectly. A little too crammed in some spaces, some mismatch in communications and information, Ellaidhoo has the potential to be absolutely magnificent, but as it stands it is “only” magnificent.

Housereef

We have never before observed such a healthy, bountiful and beautiful coral reef; it was truly magnificent, and per Maldivian standards, that is saying something. The coral and marine life on Ellaidhoo was out of this world. Not joking, it felt like a completely different planet underneath the surface, and for any Maldivian wanderer (probably for any wanderer at all, if you ask us!), the reef alone is enough to warrant a visit to Ellaidhoo.

Getting in and out of the reef was easy enough if you’re a little bit observant and stick to the marked entrances and exits between the wave-breakers. The reef was all around the island, so there was not one better or worse place to snorkel, but not all gaps between the wave-breakers were equally swim-able (especially during low tides).

The lagoon on Ellaidhoo was also formidable, even though there unfortunately wasn’t much of it. The wave-breakers around it created an almost pool-like lagoon, where you could float around and didn’t have to worry about drifting off to sea.

Just to re-state: This is probably the best reef we have ever observed, both in general and on Maldives specifically. It is incredibly beautiful, and even if you are not staying at Ellaidhoo, we’d recommend a boating trip to the reef if available wherever you are. It is so worth it. We stayed there for about 10 days, and we barely snorkeled the same place twice (there is SO MUCH reef around this island!), and it was magnificent every time. Even observing it from above ground, from the pier, you could clearly see colorful corals and fish swimming about.


Lodging

We stayed in a stand-alone beach villa on the far side of the island from the reception and restaurant area.

The villa itself was in good condition, and we really appreciated the side-entrance which made it a lot easier to not track in too much sand when returning from a snorkel or swim (or just from the outside, in general). On the front side, we had a little porch with comfortable seating, as well as our own sun-beds.

The villa was placed rather close to the water (or, rather, the concrete wall making up “the beach” on this side of the island), and it was beautiful to look at, but also it did make it very obvious whenever people walked by and didn’t feel that private (when sitting outside). The sunbeds were also placed directly under some foliage, which meant they got quite a bit of bird poop on them. It didn’t really bother us much, but it lacked a bit of the calm beach-y vibes that we’ve grown accustomed to expect in Maldives.

We did appreciate the large windows/doors to the outside that provided a great view of the ocean, even when indoors. And the windows were tinted, so you could leave the curtains open and see outside, without having people being able to see inside, which was a really nice and clever bonus. It makes the time spent inside feel a bit less wasteful, when you just wanna enjoy every second of Maldivian beauty.


Food

The food at Ellaidhoo was, to sum it up, of very good quality and they also did something, which in our opinion, is quite clever: Despite having the classic “buffet” set-up for food, they also included numerous cooking stations. Every lunch and evening, there would be at least a salad-station, where you could get a freshly chopped salad in whatever mix you’d like, and a pasta-station, where you could get freshly cooked pasta with your selection of sauces, toppings and so on. This meant that not only did you actually have an option for (extremely) freshly cooked food (in a portion size of your choice), but you were also assured that at every meal, you’d find something you’d like. If you, like me, is a bit of a picky eater, that can give you a big peace of mind. Oh, and there was also always ice-cream for dessert.

Even though I especially appreciated the cooking stations at the buffet, their “regular”-buffet-style food was also quite good; so much so that we often had a hard time choosing (yes, even with three meals a day!). There was not a particular theme going on each night that we noticed, but rather a selection of both European/Western food, Indian food and, of course, a big selection of Sri Lankan staples. We had very few, if any, repeat dishes - not something we noticed or cared about at least (during our 10 nights’ stay).

There was only one small minus with the food: The restaurant/seating situation itself. To put it as it was, there was just too little space for too many people; the tables were quite close together, and the issue is only amplified by the need to maneuver around with plates of food going back and forth from the buffet. It wasn’t a big issue, but something to consider nonetheless, and it did not invite “hanging around” the restaurant for longer than necessary.


Overall island feel

Unfortunately, “overall island feel” is probably the (only) category that Ellaidhoo does not go above and beyond with. Somehow, the sum of the parts is less than the value of each part on Ellaidhoo.

In the shared spaces, such as the bar, it could be difficult to find seating at peak hours, while there was a huge, empty space (probably a dancefloor, but we never saw anybody actually dance). One of the bars seemed to be permanently closed - you could sit in the bar-area, but it seemed odd to have an empty bar, even when the island was fully booked. It was generally not easy to find “cozy” spaces to hang out. Equally, getting a sun bed by the pool was not easy (unlike our previous Maldives experience) as there were very few, and they were often occupied by towels.

There, somehow, wasn’t a dedicated walking path all the way around the island (neither in front of, or behind the villas). You could get around, no problem, but it seemed like an afterthought, and you were walking on the grass edge of a soccer field, etc.

Of course, the mood on the island was great: Everyone seemed happy and in a good mood, the staff was very friendly, and we didn’t have any issues as such. It just seemed a little disjointed, and like the island could benefit from having maybe 10% less guests, and make it 10% more streamlined.


Excursions

We went on one excursion, sunset fishing. We had a lovely boat ride out from the pier, where we were treated to views of Ellaidhoo from sea, while enjoying a sunset and, of course, trying our best to catch some fish. The fish we caught were freshly prepared for our lunch the next day - which we do recommend, they were very delicious.

We had originally planned on going on the sandbank adventure, but as there were not enough sign-ups, we instead opted for the fishing one and canceled the sandbank sign-ups. Then, the day before our departure, we were confirmed for the sandbank excursion anyway - which, of course, was just a mistake, but still a little annoying and just subtracts a bit from the magic, that they don’t think to double-check their reservations. Oh, well!



Our tips

• Snorkel - snorkel as much as you possibly can!


• Go on the complimentary “inside island”-tour, if possible. Ellaidhoo Cinnamon is very open about how they run things, and it’s a fun experience to see how they manage to keep everything running, and getting to see the “staff village” in the middle of the island.


• There was a low-pitched “hum” from a generator, which could be heard in most places on the island. We did consider asking to move villas because it was a bit more prevalent at our site, but since we never did, it’s unclear whether this could’ve been possible or would have made any difference. It’s worth noting that if you’re looking for absolute quiet (or need to record audio of very specific things), this might not be the island for you.


• The information provided online, before arrival and then actually on the island (particularly in regards to what’s included in the all inclusive) were ... Contradictory, in multiple aspects. In almost every case, what was actually included was much more than we expected (or had previously been told), which was nice, but a little disorienting at times. Plus, why would you advertise less than what’s actually included? Seems odd, but just to let you know, we never had any issues or felt unfairly treated. Nice!
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