Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

Of all the Marriott properties in the Maldives, this is the only one that will allow you to really potentially get by with very little expenditure while still enjoying luxury.

The boat ride to and from the airport is free. We did not try it, but I think if you were to join an existing transfer they would let you to the airport mid-stay, if you want to go shopping on the island or just visit Male.

We decided to take the airport ferry to Male upon arrival. The hotel had confirmed this but did not note it correctly, We were met upon arrival. We discussed with then. They agreed to take our luggage and then pick us up around four hours later when other guests also arrived.

I can recommend to everyone to take a stroll of Male to get an idea for "real" life on the island. The island is generally clean and safe, albeit sometimes crowded and rather hot. We took four hours and we felt that was more than enough to walk around the entire island, visit some cafes, see the sites (fish market, tsunami memorial, mosques, etc.) and return back to the airport. Originally we were planning on walking the bridge back to the airport, but two different people told us you can only walk to the end of the bridge's span but cannot go further as a pedestrian. Since the bridge is so long and it was quite hot, we did not attempt to confirm this statement. We took the ferry back to the airport. The ferry only costs 1 USD and runs after 15 or 30 minutes (depending upon he time of day). There is also a public bus that goes to the airport, We couldn't find the bus stop from which to take this bus, No idea about the cost of the bus.

You will not legally find any alcohol on Male. I bet there will be a black market, but we were not looking. We did however buy some snacks in Male to take with us to the resort. Once you are at the resort, you are in for an inflationary treat. :)

Sunset from the airport

The boat ride leaving the airport

Sign near the launch point for the boat for some nice pictures

The boat ride was a bit rougher than expected. It lasted about 25 minutes. At the beginning one of the staff members handed our small bottles of cooled water to each guest. Be careful to not chip your teeth while drinking during the swells.

I have not asked about tidal conditions. Generally speaking we have observed that the water is calmer all day until the afternoon and evening when it gets a lot rougher. This is potentially always like that or just coincidence.

Check in is done at a special hut from near the arrival pier. You are brought to seating areas, offered a selection of fruit juices and teas. Your documents are collected and they do the check in process from two desks nearby.

I had to go to the desk for them to be able to swipe my card for the deposit. They wanted a $500 deposit for a three night stay. This later would seem like a low amount given the price levels.

For whatever reason they did not want to use Apple Pay/Google Pay for some muttered reason, like "we need to see the credit card number". It took me a while to find many physical card, since I almost never use it these days.

We booked using points. The first night we booked a standard room (50K) and got upgraded to an over water bungalow without a pool. For the second night we paid 130 K for the overwater bungalow with pool and for the third day 50 K for a standard room. We added an SNA to get the overwater bungalow with pool. 

The transfer after the first night between the two rooms was communicated by a letter and the staff moved our packed bags to the new room while we were out and about.

Check in area

There is also a separate full lobby located a bit further into the resort.

Once the formalities have been handled, they will take you to your room with a larger golf cart.

The two room types we enjoyed were essentially the same. The only difference was the addition of the pool for the second and third nights.

We arrived at night to the first from type, allowing you to enjoy the external lighting at the property.

We immediately got changed and went into the water. I did not notice the sign that said you should not swim after six. I am not sure if the motivation for this rule is to provide serenity/privacy to other guests or for swimming safety or a combination of both.

In the second room type the pool also did not have any lights we managed to turn on, so it also was not inviting for night-time swimming.

My travel partner complained that there were not enough hooks or lines for hanging towels and wet clothes.

I also noticed a lot of vibration could be heard from the airconditioner if you pressed your ear into the pillo on the bed. I just adjusted my head a little bit and was still able to sleep like a baby.

The island has a list of no-cost scheduled and unscheduled activities and chargeable activities (mostly water sports).

The weekly list is posted at several locations around the resort, but can also be viewed on their contactless covid website. I suspect that the weekly schedule is the same each week.

The website for all the hotel information is at: https://mi.vserve-protecht.com/ 

I cannot test if this is reachable outside of the hotel wifi, but it does look like a regular URL, so it should be.

Activtiies plan

On the activities we did the botany walk, which we found to be less informative than expected, but it was a nice walk, nonetheless.

We also did the sea turtle presentation. We learned some new facts about turtles, like there are only 7 sea turtle species worldwide, all of them are endangered and five of them can be found in the Maldives. Amelie did the presentation by the pool and was able to answer all of our questions.

My travel partner who did not know how to swim before this trip, participated in the daily morning snorkeling introduction. Now he knows somewhat how to swim and snorkel. Perhaps I will get him to go again so he is no longer a hazard for me when snorkeling. :) This was the only event that had multiple participants.

At the dive center you can also borrow at no cost fins, a snorkel and mask that you can use throughout your stay.

Our overall impression was that the scheduled activities were not well frequented. We were always the only participants. That said, I guess the hotel is only at about 50-60% occupancy.

Many things like darts, billiards, table football (2x), hammocks, giant Jenga. Beach and water volleyball, canoes, stand up paddle boards are available throughout the day and can be used when desired. We enjoyed the table football and giant Jenga several times.

There is also a full indoor gym and an outdoor gym for your fitness needs.

The spa is located at one corner of the resort on its own fairly sizable islet connected to the resort island by a bridge. We did not try any of the services. I believe the general link I have shared will have the spa menu with prices. I also took two shots of some spa/activity bulletins I saw.

There is also a departures lounge for guests to wait at between checking out and leaving the island and a children's center with optional babysitting services. We did not use either of these facilities.

I have read that wifi coverage at many resorts is an issue. I did not have any issues anywhere on the island. It was fast enough for streaming videos, telephone calls, etc.

Departure

If you leave the hotel to its own devices, they will deliver you to the airport for at least three hours before departure. If this is not in line with your expectations (I never get there more than 90 minutes before), then tell them this at check in. They sent me a letter with this. I called them up and they changed it. 

This property has the pros and cons of being so close to Male and and the airport. You do not have unobstructed sea views. On the horizon you will always have some man-made developments in view. Also, you will be able to hear airplanes flying overhead.

That said, this hotel does do a lot to make you feel secluded with barrier islands obstructing some things with trees, etc. We were happy enough. However, if you want absolute seclusion then you should look at another property.

This property has the major advantage that it is close and does not require a seaplane to get to. This enables the property to get people cheaply to the property, making single nights stays reasonable for guests from both time and money perspective. Currently these boar transfers are free in both directions.

Hotel map

This is the portion that will eat up your wallet, even if you do not drink alcoholic beverages.

Breakfast is $30 per person ++ (= +12% tax and + 10% service charge). As a platinum Ambassador member, I naturally chose this as the amenity.

Prices are sometimes listed with taxes and service included and sometimes without, so pay attention to avoid surprises.

The hotel offers F&B packages, which were surprisingly not marketed to us upon arrival. This is the information I got via email:

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We offer all different kind of meal packages within the resort and below are the meal options for your kind reference.

OPTIONAL MEAL SUPPLEMENTS (PER ADULT PER NIGHT)

Half Board (Dinner)                       US$ 99.00, inclusive of all taxes

Full Board (Lunch and Dinner)    US$ 148.00, inclusive of all taxes

Full Board Plus (Lunch, Dinner and Drinks) US$235.00, inclusive of all taxes

*(Meal plans include juices, water and soft drinks during meals)

Half Board meal plan includes daily buffet breakfast and buffet dinner at Feast Restaurant. Vegetarian, Vegan or Jain guests have the option of dining at Masala Hut based on a 3-course dinner (entrée, main course, dessert). Additional surcharge applies on selected items. Soft beverages, including non-carbonated juices, water and soft drinks, are served during meals as part of the meal plan. A $45++ surcharge applies when dining in Masala Hut, Anchorage, ChopstiX, Baan Thai and Sea Salt.

Full Board meal plan includes daily buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served buffet style at Feast Restaurant. For lunch, guests have the option of dining at ChopstiX, Anchorage, Kakuni Hut, Masala Hut or Feast buffet when available. Lunch entitlement includes a 2-course meal ordered a la carte in these venues. Dinner is served buffet style at Feast Restaurant, or, alternatively, guests may savor a sumptuous 3-course meal (entrée, main course, dessert) at one of these specialty restaurants: Anchorage, ChopstiX or Masala Hut. Additional surcharge applies on selected items. Soft beverages, including non-carbonated juices, water and soft drinks, are served during meals as part of the meal plan. A $45++ surcharge applies when dining in Baan Thai and Sea Salt.

Full Board Plus meal plan includes daily buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is served buffet style at Feast Restaurant. For lunch guests have the option of dining at ChopstiX, Anchorage, Kakuni Hut, Masala Hut or Feast buffet when available. Lunch entitlement includes a 2-course meal ordered a la carte in these venues. Dinner is served buffet style at Feast Restaurant, or alternatively, guests may savor a sumptuous 3-course meal at one of these specialty restaurants: Anchorage, ChopstiX or Masala Hut. Additional surcharge applies on selected items. A $45++ surcharge applies when dining in Baan Thai and Sea Salt.

In addition, guests on this full board plus meal plan are entitled to beverage consumption from 3pm to 11pm on arrival day, from 10am to 11pm daily and from 10am to 12 noon on departure day as follows: unlimited beer, selected wines by the glass (Red, White, Rosé and Sparkling Wines), selected spirits, selected cocktails, mineral water, soft drinks and juices.
Important Notes: As our meal plans are very competitively priced without any compromise on quality or products:
- A la Carte option is limited to 2 courses for lunch and 3 courses for dinner and to one meal per person per
meal period. Breakfast from 7am to 10.30am, lunch from 12 midday to 3pm, Dinner from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.
 In Room Dining, minibar, destination dining and special events are not included in any meal plan
- A $45++ per person supplement applies for dinner at Baan Thai or Sea Salt
- Additional supplement charges apply on selected menu items
- Consumption of non-carbonated juices, water and soft drinks is included during meals
- Venue change during same meal periods is not permitted. Meals included with each meal plan are be enjoyed
in one venue. If a guest chooses to have a second meal at another venue, this second meal will incur additional
charges.
- All venues mentioned above are indicative of the available options. The resort reserves the right to change venues without notice. Children under 12 eat for free from the kids’ menu when dining with their parents.

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We were not interested in the packages. I would wonder, but did not ask, if you can choose these packages night by night or if you must take them for a certain number of days or your whole stay.

We pretty much just pigged out at breakfast and did not eat the rest of the day. It is so warm that I never found the need to want to eat again. My travel partner ate some snacks from the island each night.

It seems that they offer a themed dinner each night. Last night it was barbecue and this evening it will be Asian. It seems to attract a universal price of $90++ each night.

There was an Estonian star chef from a Moscow restaurant visiting during our stay. There was also an associated event that had been available in Bonvoy Moments for points auction for for a chunk of change at the hotel to have a private dinner/picnic on a sandbar catered by this chef.

If you look at this link you should also be able to find the prices for the a la carte restaurants.

https://mi.vserve-protecht.com/

Kakuni Hut - https://marriott.vserve-protecht.com/welcome/bDJWVzFTL2ZvaXduUUM1Ny91WU5aSlAvMEsvV2h5c0FmeWpaOVd6YjllYz0/1

Anchorage - https://marriott.vserve-protecht.com/welcome/UW5nOTh3NEZaTjRnb3VYdWtWNitKMVE1RE1wWjdKa01YYk1lY3ZlTkwyST0/1

Feast - https://marriott.vserve-protecht.com/welcome/NXNydlFTSGpwazV0dklaTkN3RmdaUnpQZEI3bCtheU9iMUNsWVVpNCtiMD0/1

I do not have the links for the premium restaurants Chopstix and Bhat Thai. I hope these links work for others.

We only ever ate the breakfast. The breakfast seems to be the same every day, but it has a lot of variety - Indian, Maldivian, Arabic, European. There is plenty of pork, which was a bit of a surprise in a Muslim country that bans alcohol.

There are separate cooking stations for crepes, Omelettes/waffles/pancakes and dosas. The Maldivian omelette contains tuna fish and is a bit spicy. I can recommend it.

Alcohol

This topic needs a special mention. Alcohol is mega expensive. A 0.33 bottled beer costs $12++ and everything goes up from there. There is no legal way to get alcohol on your own to the island. You are captive. So either be prepared to go dry or be prepared to spend.

When we moved to the second room type, we received a free full bottle of South African red wine as a welcome gift. I expect that this same bottle would cost $100 at the hotel prices (and 5 EUR at home in Germany).

These beers were almost $30: 

Mini bar prices

Just some random shots to give you an impression of the island on which the resort is located.