Room

Jumeirah, like most resorts in the Maldives, has two main classification of villas: Beach and Overwater. The overwater complex is unique in that it is constructed about 1/2 mile away from the beach villas. During construction, Jumeirah was very particular to not destroy the excellent house reef and given the extensive El Nino damage worldwide, the reef has held up incredibly well.

The overwater complex has two sides: sunrise and sunset. Because this  complex is so far away from the beach villas, the hotel provides a dhoni to get from side to side. The problem here is that the dhoni parks on the sunrise side so villas on this side are negatively impacted. That being said, you can request a villa further away from the dhoni dock or book through a virtuoso agent and request an upgrade on booking.

The other nice thing is that the villas are spaced very far apart. This means no ugly privacy fences between each villa!

The other classification of rooms is beach. Jumeirah has two classifications here, beach revive and beach island revive. I stayed at a beach island revive and felt the sense of space was much larger then the overwater bungalows. If you don't need to be overwater, stay on the beach and save your money! If you book through a virtuoso agent, you can get an upgrade on booking from beach - island (2200 sqft -> 3000 sqft).

The plunge pool was a nice size. The other advantage was there was an attached complex that housed a small living room too.

If you dont need to be overwater, book a beach villa and request an upgrade through a virtuoso agent. The pool is a great size and the room is incredibly spacious.

Service

Service was great.
The only service issue that I can point out was that pool service was inconsistent towards the beginning of the stay. I actually didn't notice this at first until wife pointed it out. 
Anyway, we grabbed some drinks with the GM (David Stepetic - formally at 4S and Laucala) and mentioned this in passing. The next day, the pool service was fixed for the rest of our stay. This was a small change that made a world of difference. 

Location

As far as house reefs are concerned, the house reef here was able to survive El Nino pretty well. The sea is still +2 degrees (Farenheit) higher then average, but this is nothing like +6/+7 degrees above average that occured in the Baa Atoll and South Ari Atoll.

If snorkeling or diving is what you're after, Jumeirah (and the broader Gaafu atoll) is a good spot. 

Regarding the house reef, Jumeirah has two major reefs: the reef surronding the main island complex and the reef that extends from the main island complex to overwater bungalows. If you can swim, the reef that extends from the main island to overwater bungalow is incredible - home to many turtles, dolphins, eagle rays, jellys, and many other critters.

Anyway, msot of my stuff underwater is video and maybe I will post it later.

Dining

As I mentioned in another portion of this review, the GM of this resort is David Stepetic. In the past, David was Director of Food and Beverage for the larger 4S hotel chain. He hired some talented chefs that were able to cook whatever we asked for at any given time. 

Besides that, there are two main restaurants: the main restaurant on the beach complex and a sushi/asian style restaurant over the water. Both are very good and the prices are suprisingly affordable (for the maldives).

For breakfast, there is a small buffet. You can also order any item off the menu, which is fairly large. The menu even has some lunch items like Nasi Goreng, which is nice for people who like to eat later (like myself)

Overall

Overall, Jumeirah Dhevanafushi is one of the more affordable (yes, I know) resorts in the Maldives. The resort isn't for everyone though . The small size (36 rooms) means that there is not a kids club or kids activities, which can be an issue for some people.

The small size is advantageous for other reasons though. The staff gets to know what wine you like, what food you like, housekeeping times, etc. This was a huge plus after a few days on the island

If you want good diving at one of the smallest (room wise) resorts at the Maldives, Jumeirah Dhevanafushi is a great bet. The price delta here is incredibly good, especially because you can often secure an upgrade at booking through a virtuoso agent.