DSI

We went to Maalifushi last summer and loved it. I agree with a lot of your report and think that the combination it offers with Cocoa Island makes it a compelling destination and a great value.

I noticed a few random things that demonstrated a very high commitment to detail.

1. They had a good hamburger--the very best I've had at a resort yet. Their culinary prowess extends all the way to down to the humble hamburger. They also served genuine Wagyu NY strips.

2. They have a library and I really liked the book selection. High quality (Everyman) books and a very fun selection. It was definitely the most thoughtful collection of books I have seen everywhere.

3. Even their game boards were of very high quality.

I mention these things as a contrast with FS Golden Triangle where we ended up. The book selection was like half a shelf from the Salvation Army, the chess board was mangled and incomplete and the culinary execution was lacking (i.e. here is the cheese, it is blue. What kind of blue? I will have check on that.)

Drink wise the spirits are particularly inexpensive compared to the wine. Their cocktails are wonderful and I think it was only a $5 delivery fee to have them brought to your room. They don't deliver them watered down. A great way to spend the days on a water villa is to have cocktails brought every hour, on the hour. I think I had all of their 20+ cocktails and most were great.

I thought the sushi restaurant was a bit complicated at first but you could ultimately get plenty of great food. The sushi is of much higher quality than most neighborhood places, whereas most resorts have sushi that is no better than supermarket sushi. I think it would be easier to just let people order three things rather than stick to categories.

We ultimately chose the full board, and whether it is a better value I couldn't say. I just didn't feel like worrying about it, though there was a little pressure to eat at every meal so thus, I'd recommend the half board even if it costs a little more to relieve any pressure you might have to gorge yourself for lunch and dinner.

They had some pretty strict internet filtering. I was trying to check the WSOP and it was blocked under gambling, which was annoying since I had several friends in the events. I suspect LGBT may also have been blocked, though I was there early in their opening. Shame on me for not asking it to be lifted--but it was like me missing the World Cup.

I didn't see any children there and the kids club wasn't operating. The children seemed like a little bit of an afterthought, which I never appreciate.

I was so glad we chose Maalifushi over Cheval Blanc.