Originally Posted by frisbfreek

We just got back from our stay at Cocoa Island, and for us it lived up to high expectations. Here are my thoughts.

We found the food to be very good--not 3 Michelin star level (not our expectation), but definitely better than the average resort, and all the dishes we had were tasty. We missed the seafood grill night (arrived late on Thursday) but were there for the Thali and Thai nights, and both were excellent although pricier ($110 per 3 course set) than the usual mains. We were able to share one Thali set while getting a separate entree, so they don't force you to get it for the whole table. Overall the variety was good enough for a 6 night stay... I would say we might have started to order off menu if we stayed longer, though they do rotate dishes almost daily. Sfoactuary was right in that they provided ample food at breakfast.

They actually upgraded us from a Dhoni Suite to a Dhoni Loft Suite (also beyond expectation given that they were pretty full), which was fantastic. The living room and bathroom were very spacious. The spacing between suites didn't bother us. I had read that some people thought the decorations were a bit sparse, but I thought the overall look was quite nice (then again I am not that picky with decor). This was our first time staying over the water, and I gotta say it was amazing that we were able to 1) jump into the water and snorkel straight from our patio, and 2) hear the water while we sleep. That said, if you must have a quiet room for sleep, then this accommodation might not be good for you, as there are windowless wooden screens on either side of the bedroom, so you could definitely hear the water outside (louder than the living room). The water depth at our villa was around chest to neck level depending on tides, so it was swimmable but definitely not too deep. The coral starts about 10 feet out, so you can't walk too far away.

Snorkeling was really good, and we went out almost every day. The water was clear and generally calm, and it was sunny every day despite being in wet season (it rained most nights). They have a good house reef, and we could see fish wherever we went, even right outside our suite. We saw lots of variety of fish as well as a reef shark while we were in the water. We also ended up seeing a sting ray and a bunch more small reef sharks just walking outside the suites, as they seem to like the shallow water area. We kept our eyes out for turtles and shellfish (like lobsters) but didn't see any.

The grounds are simple but nice. The pool area is very pretty, particularly at sunset. The beach sand was well maintained but a bit coarse, and definitely not as nice as at the FS Seychelles (sand there was like powder), but we spent more time on our patio when we wanted a relaxing water view.

Service overall was excellent. I wouldn't call it perfect or exceedingly beyond expectations, but it was solid and consistent, and there were no flaws big enough to point out. They do their best to please guests. Example: they didn't refill the in-room fruit platter one day because we requested room service pretty late in the afternoon. When we called to ask for some fruit, we told them our favorites were mangosteen and longan, and they gave quite a bit of extra for us.

We did a yoga session, which was ok. It felt a bit repetitive (I know you do sun salutations in sets, but the instructor literally said the exact same words in the exact same tones every time), and the pacing was a bit weird (there was a mini 5 minute shavasana in the middle of the session, and then another one at the end), so we didn't return.

We didn't do any massage or facial treatments at the spa, but we were so relaxed from the beautiful scenery and ambiance that we didn't need it.

We didn't stay anywhere else in the Maldives, but I can say that we did appreciate the 40 min boat ride vs. having to take a seaplane, given that we arrived late at night and had a noon departing flight. If we wanted to stay somewhere else with seaplane transfers next time, I would book different inbound and outbound flights.

Overall we had an amazing time and didn't want to leave. The location itself (Maldives) is a big part of the draw, but Cocoa did a great job at filling in everything else. We found a good deal which made it significantly cheaper than similarly rated resorts, but we still felt were at a 5 star location. Highly recommended if you are looking for a simple yet solid resort with good food and snorkeling.

Originally Posted by drazhen

Going to Maldives next April with wife and 7-yr old son and looking for recommendations on resorts that meet our criteria below:

1. Luxury beach villas (private pool would be preferred but not a must), we would like to be able to see the beach/lagoon from our villa terrace (unlike Naladhu, for example, where you seem to overlook a garden even form a beach villa)

2. Nice beach where chairs are sufficiently apart to afford privacy (Gili Lankanfushi is so well regarded but their beach chairs look as crowded as any European city beach)

3. Ability to snorkel on-site/house reef

The deluxe beach villas at Taj Exotica satisfy our first 2 criteria but there is no snorkeling on site there. Would appreciate suggestions for places that actually do meet all 3 things we like

Originally Posted by damaxer91

...
Have been considering the Taj and FS KH. Anywhere else I am missing?

Originally Posted by damaxer91

1. Only have 4 nights and wife does not like small planes (Getting to Amanpulo was quite a traumatic experience) so prefer somewhere that can be reached by boat

2. Would like to stay in an OWB with a plunge pool and keep it to under 2k a night

Originally Posted by damaxer91

Thinking about surprising the wife for a trip to the Maldives in Feb. as we will be "nearby".

Trying to decide on where to book:

1. Only have 4 nights and wife does not like small planes (Getting to Amanpulo was quite a traumatic experience) so prefer somewhere that can be reached by boat

2. Would like to stay in an OWB with a plunge pool and keep it to under 2k a night

3. Food is not important as we are Kosher so usually have it brought in from an outside caterer (Yes, I know this sounds crazy to most)

Have been considering the Taj and FS KH. Anywhere else I am missing?

Originally Posted by theory26

anybody been to amilla fushi? went to maldives in december of last year, stayed at como maalifushi and como cocoa island for 7 nights total (did the package). i booked amilla fushi for this coming december because all the cool kids and fashion bloggers appear to go there, but pretty nervous that i don't see anyone on flyertalk going there! hoping amilla fushi has a reef like cocoa island with the gorgeous new accommodations, spaciousness and service of maalifushi. cocoa island was awesome, but it felt more like a "resort" than maalifushi. i was thinking about o&o too but the reviews are looking worse and worse as every year passes.

Originally Posted by ridefar

I would be interested to hear if anybody has stayed there too. Randheli has a special on that actually puts the pricing in the realm of non-billionaires. Such as these things go...