Originally Posted by Epicura

Quick update as promised, full review to come (too busy, so sorry!).

* As already mentioned in the extensive review by @theLuxuryTravelExpert the hard product and location is just FANTASTIC. I seriously doubt you will find anything on par within the whole Maldives. The location is unbeatable, this is truly vacationing at the edge of the world, surrounded by water. Jani is constituted of several islands and the main island is quite big. Also keep in mind that there are currently only 25 villa's and even at full capacity the resort does never feel crowded. This kind of space in itself is already a luxury factor. The villa's are impressive, we also enjoyed the water slide (which I would certainly recommend). The retractable roof is a nice feature but I would recommend anyway to be driven to the main island at night and watch the stars. Never seen such a clear sky full of stars (light pollution is 0). Falling stars à gogo. Within 15 minutes I made at least 3 wishes, let's see how that will be ending

*I know others mentioned the open air bathrooms as a potential downside, based on typical Soneva experiences. At least at Jani we did not experience any serious disadvantage. Bathroom is spacey and airy. Can be closed with blinds. There are 2 showers, indoor and outdoor. The dressing room is seperated and has full A/C. You can get dressed, blowdry your hair, ... in an A/C space.

*This was our first Soneva experience but we absolutely loved it. This is the real sand between your toes stuff in a yet luxurious setting. I can't imagine having to dress up for dinner at night on a Maldivian holiday. For the ladies: straigthening your hair is mission impossible given the breeze and humidity. In that case I much prefer to be able to wear something casual when eating out

*Activities and excursions are highly recommended: I am by no means an expert but snorkeling was great - the house reef is very big with good views of sealife (manta's etc). We truly enjoyed the dolphin cruise and I would definitely recommend to do the private one (there's also a shared one). The overwater cinema was a great experience. From this point of view, the main island has impressive wildlife so make sure to explore (for ex crabs crossing the path at night, our buggy driver had to stop every 5 seconds).

*The Gathering is a great place with lots of seating options (indoor, outdoor and something in between on different levels) to enjoy whatever head chef Kevin has on offer. We truly enjoyed having a glass of champagne or another cappucino after breakfast whilst lingering on the sofa's and/or basking nets (which you will also find above your private pool).

* Jani has some exceptional staff members. Others are good but are clearly still new to the Soneva family. The exceptional ones (head chef Kevin, resort manager Shaaz, some housekeepers and restaurant staff who's name I forgot) are nothing more than gems. They are so proud to be a member of the Jani team and that shows. I did also meet the general manager Patrick and he was most kind and friendly but I only met him at the end of our stay (he was on holiday).

* Points for improvement:
The A/C in the villa's is just not strong enough to cool the giant bedroom with high ceilings. Smaller spaces are cooled to perfection but the bedroom temperature needs some attention. I did mention this during our stay and we stayed in 2 different villa's. Issue remained.

For a stay of 7 nights one might find out at a certain point that food options/formal menu's are a bit limited (apart from private dining experiences). Nevertheless chef Kevin will be willing to prepare you whatever you might like, besides any formal menu. The more limited menu (if any as a conversation with Kevin can do the trick) also has an upside IMHO. For example Gili Lankanfushi has very extensive menu's but the price difference versus Jani was noteable.

We did encounter some service issues, most likely only related to teething problems. I think July (and especially our 7 nights) was the first month for Jani to run at full occupancy. I am fairly confident that this will be fixed within the next months. Issues we encountered were related to a reservation issue (only 2 seats reserved on the seaplane whe we arrived at MLE but this was fixed very quickly), room service issues (drinks/food orders forgotten) and to a Mr Friday/butler that just wasn't as proactive as one could have expected. I must add that Jani was great at fixing on the spot and/or service recovery. As we all know things can go wrong, we are humans after all, even at a great property. It's exactly at that point where a great property can truly stand out and Jani did.


Overall I would most certainly recommend Jani.


Sidenotes:

* we had a 2 nights stay at LHW Kanuhura after Jani. Whilst not in the same league, Kanuhura was certainly enjoyable with generous upgrades for LC members and great food. We enjoyed Kanuhura and in that price range I would certainly recommend it as the entire resort was just entirely renovated and the property also consists of several islands. You will find much more space than at the COMO properties for instance (same price range or even less).

* we also stayed at Gili Lankanfushi for 2 nights. The location is an up- and downside at the very same time. Only 20 minutes by speedboat from MLE but you will not get the same "edge of the world" feeling as Jani is able to provide. The villa's are also a bit of a step down compared to Jani (but not bothersome, it wouldn't hold me back from staying at Gili). Nevertheless Gili is truly outstanding in terms of service. Just wow. Thumbs up for a great GM, a great F&B manager, a great Mr Friday, a great airport coordinator and a great restaurant supervisor (BF restaurant on the beach). The Japanese restaurant for example was also amazing.

Originally Posted by landing

Sounds amazing! How is food/drink priced?

Originally Posted by Epicura

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...ves-video.html

in the end of the video you will see shots of the menu's and prices.

From the top of my head: pizza at about 25 USD, a steak at 55 USD?

Wine in your minibar was starting at let's say 100 USD for a decent bottle of white or rosé.

I mainly remember that wine prices were much cheaper at Kanuhura (I think food was more or less the same compared to Jani, albeit that the buffet dinner was half the price, 140 USD at Jani) and that food was more expensive at Gili (at least the inroom dining menu).