BEWARE ... Elaidhoo Resort, Maledives

[blackcat]

We just had a terrible experience with Elaidhoo Resort in the Maledives. I wanted folks to know what can happen to you when booking with this resort.

I booked 5 days 4 nights at the resort in mid Jan. Paid in full in mid Feb. I called 1 week before leaving to confirm and was told everything is fine.

Well we landed at Male airport on Mar 7 to find out that we no longer had a room at Elaidhoo. They canceled our room !!!!! We were so pissed. We had paid for the room, paid for our plane tickets, planned all our diving trips and were at Male airport when we were told. The travel agency we were dealing with wanted to send us to a completely different atoll at a completely different hotel. The travel agency told us that Elaidhoo canceled the day before. Elaidhoo resort said they notified the travel agency 1 week before. Regardless of all this someone took our room at Elaidhoo and the resort had no problems with this. So before you book at Elaidhoo they might just decide to cancel your room.

We went to the police at the airport. The travel agency was trying hard to find an alternative resort. In the end they got us a water bungalow at White Sands in South Ari atoll. This place was very very nice. I would recommend it.

I am still very pissed with Elaidhoo and would never recommend anyone taking the risk and booking with them. If you want to dive the North Ari atoll ... Velidhu is suppose to be a nice resort.

I'm sure what happened is Elaidhoo took our reservation and money to cover their butts then they got someone who wanted to stay 7 nights (more than our 4 nights) so they bumped us.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't goto Elaidhoo
2. Book with a reputable travel agent (Thomas Cook or American Express). They have more clout since they book many more rooms.
3. Call to confirm not once or twice but many times.


Best of Luck.

-Tom

 

[chiara]

This is not a problem unique to Ellahidoo.

It is called overbooking, and is widely used all around the Maldives.

I saw it on Lohifushi at the beginning of February with a French guy who had booked somewhere in Ari Atoll for five nights and was redirected to Lohifushi, which is in North Male.

He was mad, but couldn't do anything about it but enjoy his holidays nonetheless.

Apparently it is common practice if you book for less than a week because it obviously disrupts the general running of the resort.

 

[blackcat]

Look if my 4 nights disrupts the running of the resort then they shouldn't take my booking in the first place.

You don't think our entire vacation was disrupted.

It's crap and if it's common place in the Maldives then it doesn't reflect well on the tourism authority in the Maldives.

 

[chiara]

I'm not saying you shouldn't complain!

Just that it is common practice.

I'm sorry for what happened to you, really!

 

[neilstewart]

Hi Blackcat

Sorry your Maldives experience was marred by not getting onto Elaidhoo. But you did end up at White Sands. I'm sure Beat, Werner, Barbara and Peer looked after you well. I shall be going back in May for my 3rd year in a row. See any big stuff? Did you get to Dhigu and Kudarah Thila's? they are special. Personally I perfer the A-Frame rooms because you sort of get a bit of beach to yourself but I know the water bungalows are great. Please give us a little trip report if you have time.

Thanks

Neil

 

[oliviamarine]

Hi Neil,

It's funny because I was at the White Sands resort (previously called Ari Beach) last year, the first and second week of May ! I did my Open Water Course with Barbara and the Divemaster was Mandu !

Hope you will have a great time there !!

Marine

 

[neilstewart]

Hi Marine,

Just missed you by about ten days then last year. What did you think of the training? Of all the resorts and dive ops I've been to I get the impression by just looking at the confidence and competance of students that they do a first class job. Last year in my week we saw 3 whale sharks and a fair few mantas, reef sharks, schools of pygmy devil rays and all sorts of other cool stuff. Did Barbera or Mandu show you the frogfish on Dhigu? The thing was the size of a basketball.

Did you go with the plan to dive or just for the rest and got sort of sucked into it? Any plans to go back? 3 people I met there last year are making a return this year. Allways nice to have good people and wide range of nationalities on the island. I shall pass on your regards to Barbera.

Neil

 

[oliviamarine]

Neil,

You are lucky ! I arrived in White Sands on April 28 and left on May 13. I didn't see a single shark during the 6 dives I did and saw only one manta ray... Didn't see the frogfish.... They saw 2 whalesharks on one dive, but I wasn't diving this day !!!

First we wanted to go to the Maldives just to relax but then the thought that 2 weeks would be too much and that we would be bored so we decided to do our Open Water there.

The training was very good and I appreciated it a lot.

Say hi to Barbra and Mandu from me, even if I am pretty sure that she doesn't remember me (however, you might tell her that we were 5 girls from Switzerland in the Open Water class).

Bye

Marine

 

[neilstewart]

Ah Marine,

five swiss girls, now I think I was the unlucky one to miss you.

Neil

 

[blackcat]

Our time at White Sands was quite nice. The water bungalows we stayed in were very nice inside. I've seen the brochure photos of them from the outside and they look a little "rustic" but inside they are very nice.

Food was excellent. A good variety and good service.

The diving facility was excellent. They were super professional and had a good safe system for doing things.

The diving itself was good but not amazing. Saw 4 sharks (3 whitetips and a silvertip). The viz in the channel was probably 30m.

Did not see any whale sharks. Although some people did including some students on their first open water dive ?! They really didn't have the "whale shark search" well organized. The minimum they should have is radios to talk with other boats in the area to ask if any have seen the sharks. We just went out to an area and jumped in. Not the best method for finding them.

Saw a fair share of dead corals bleached from I take it a few years back. There were fish but not alot of big schools. Surprisingly saw only 1 barracuda the whole trip. The only big schools we saw were these yellow fish with blue stripes.

My experience along the Great Barrier reef was definitely better. Lots more corals, lots more fish with viz of 40m+ in some places. Just like glass.

I'll go back to the Maldives but I'd like to goto North Ari to see hammerheads at Rasdhoo and other sharks at Fish Head and Maya Thila.

Although I definitely will avoid Elaidhoo.