Last updated on February 7th, 2024 at 09:46 pm
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For our honeymoon, Luke and I had the most magical time staying at Sun Siyam Olhuveli Maldives. It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience and we’re so fortunate that we were able to take this trip. It has been a dream of ours for a very long time to visit the Maldives and stay in an overwater bungalow. This trip was even better than I could have imagined.
Maldives
Maldives is a collection of islands in the Indian Ocean, southwest of India. There are about 1,200 islands, about 200 of which are inhabited. Of those 200, about 154 of the islands are primarily for resorts. Twenty-four coral atolls make up the Maldives, each one consisting of several islands that formed over millions of years due to underwater volcanoes.
Why Visit the Maldives?
The Maldives is arguably one of the most beautiful places in the world. It offers great snorkeling, scuba diving, surfing, and other water activities. There is an abundance of aquatic life to see. The beaches are breathtaking. The water is crystal clear. The resorts offer unique accommodations, such as overwater bungalows and beachfront rooms with plenty of privacy and amenities. Many resorts offer rooms with individual pools, jacuzzies, or patios with gorgeous views. The resorts in the Maldives are also known for their great spa services.
The real question is, why not visit the Maldives? There is a hefty price tag associated with a trip to the Maldives. Depending on where you are flying from, flights can be very expensive and long. The resorts are pricy as well as many of the excursions and services. Additionally, if you don’t enjoy the ocean or the beach, this is probably not the trip for you.
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Despite all that, I believe that if you have the ability to visit the Maldives, you absolutely should. It was a breath of fresh air for me when I really needed one. After a stressful year of postponed wedding planning, canceled trips, and one horrible news cycle after another, the Maldives reminded me that I am just one person in a big, beautiful world. We could all use a getaway involving some R&R after these last few years, am I right?
Visiting the Maldives during COVID
The Maldives was the perfect destination during the COVID pandemic. Excluding the massive amount of travel required, the islands are well spread out, most of the activities are outside, and there is the opportunity still enjoy yourself while having plenty of privacy.
The Maldives was requiring travelers to fill out a traveler health declaration form and receive a negative PCR test taken at most 96 hours before departure from the first embarkation point, despite vaccination status when we visited. Currently, there are no additional COVID travel requirements to visit the Maldives but see the most up-to-date requirements here. Our resort, as well as many other resorts, was providing COVID PCR tests for tourists that need them to return to their home country.
Staying in the Maldives
There are several different ways to experience the Maldives. Many people choose to stay at a resort to experience the beauty of the Maldives in luxury. For a more budget-friendly option, it is also possible to stay in guest houses on inhabited islands where the accommodation is cheaper and more basic. The Maldives is a Muslim country and therefore alcohol is not permitted outside of the resorts and not all the beaches permit women to wear bikinis. Another way to visit the Maldives if you are primarily interested in scuba diving is on a liveaboard, where you stay on a ship and visit different diving spots.
Best Time of Year to Visit the Maldives
There really isn’t a bad time of year to visit the Maldives. The Maldives has a wet and dry season, but both are good options depending on your desires for the trip. The dry season is characterized by sunny days with very little rain and low humidity. This is generally November through April. This is the best time for divers based on visibility, but people scuba dive in the Maldives year-round because other seasons bring different marine life.
The wet season is May through October, with September being the peak of the rainy season. The average amount of sunshine each day during this season is seven hours. We visited in September and the weather was great, except for one day when it rained all day. That was a little surprising to me since I am used to the Caribbean, where the rainy season usually involves short bursts of afternoon rain. All the other days we spent in the Maldives were beautiful with no rain.
The weather is great year-round in the Maldives, usually between 79°F and 84°F. It is also very humid, which can make it feel hotter.
May through October can be a little bit cheaper since it is the wet season, but not significantly. The Maldives is an expensive destination year-round.
There are several places in the Maldives where you can see whale sharks and manta rays during certain seasons. We went to the South Ari Atoll to see whale sharks, where the peak season is August to November, but they are often found here year-round. Manta Rays can be found in this area from October through May. Manta rays can also be seen while scuba diving in the Addu Atoll year-round. It is possible to see whale sharks and manta rays in Hanifaru Bay, where only snorkeling is permitted, in the Baa Atoll from May to November. The Baa Atoll is north of Malé and the Addu Atoll is south. Neither of these atolls are very accessible from Sun Siyam Olhuveli.
Before booking a trip to the Maldives, it is important to consider the activities that you want to do on your trip. Determine the best time to visit based on the things that you want to do or see and then consider where those activities are located. Certain areas of the Maldives will be better suited for specific activities. The Maldives extends about 500 miles from north to south, so it can take several hours by boat or plane to traverse the distance.
No matter when you visit the Maldives, there will be plenty of things to do and great weather, so it is really impossible to go wrong.
What to Pack for the Maldives
There are a few things that you absolutely need to pack for paradise and a few things you don’t need. A few swimsuits are necessary since that is what you will be wearing most of the time. Flowy dresses and shorts are a must. It is hot and humid in the Maldives so avoid clothing that is restrictive, such as jeans. Bring flip-flops, obviously, but don’t waste space on many other pairs of shoes. A pair of sandals for a nice dinner at the most, but absolutely do not bring heels! There is sand everywhere and I guarantee you won’t wear them. Also bring several hats and sarongs or cover-ups to easily slip over your swimsuit after a day at the pool. Don’t forget your sunglasses either. These Flamingos on a Booze Cruise sunglasses by goodr are perfect for days lounging on an island (paid link).
Sun Siyam Olhuveli offers yoga classes (for an additional cost), tennis courts, and beach volleyball. If you think you might partake in any of those activities, it might be good to pack some athletic clothes. Since the flight is so long from the US, I also packed some comfy leggings to wear on the plane.
Make sure to bring your voltage converter and plenty of charging cords so you can charge your electronics.
The Maldives is one of the most beautiful and biodiverse places that I’ve ever visited, so please, do your part to protect the ocean by using 
A Bluetooth speaker, such as the JBL water-proof portable speaker, is perfect for playing beach music on the patio (paid link). Of course, make sure you bring a few books to read by the pool. No book is more fitting than Beach Read by Emily Henry (paid link).
Getting to Sun Siyam Olhuveli Maldives
Getting to the Maldives from the United States is a commitment, usually around at least 30 hours of travel. From Denver, we flew into Boston and had a short layover. Then we flew from Boston to Istanbul, where we had an overnight layover.
We had initially wanted to visit Istanbul on our layover but the uncertainty of COVID travel caused us to decide against that. Luckily, Istanbul has two lounges that we could access via the Priority Pass. The first one was a very large lounge with food, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks, and many places to sit. We spent a good majority of our time there. They also had a lounge with about 20 sleeping pods, where you could sleep for three hours. The pods were for one person only but had room to put your things behind your head and a sliding cover that allowed for privacy and darkness. It was my first experience with something like that and it was a little weird at first, but I did manage to sleep.
After our very long layover, we flew from Istanbul to Malé, the capital of the Maldives. Sun Siyam Olhuveli is located about 45 minutes by boat from Malé International Airport. It is possible to fly from Malé to some of the islands in the Maldives since the islands span a large distance.
We checked in with our hotel kiosk after baggage claim and they put our names on the list for the boat. You must provide your arrival time to the hotel before departure. We waited 15-20 minutes until all the guests who were expected had arrived and then they loaded our luggage onto the boat. They let the passengers get on the boat next, providing hand sanitizer and lifejackets for all the guests.
The boat was small and covered overhead but open on the sides. The ride was choppy, or at least I perceived it that way after 30 hours of travel and jetlag.
When we arrived, grateful for the end of the boat ride, we received a flower necklace upon exiting the boat. The boat parked at the dive center, a long pier jutting out over the shallow, teal water as it transitioned to the beautiful deep blue water of the open ocean.
It was paradise.
We were told to sit in a shaded and sandy outdoor area just off the pier as the hotel employees brought us refreshing juice and our check-in papers. Our luggage was taken directly to our room and once we received the explanation of restaurants, transportation, and general locations of everything available to us, all the guests were loaded onto the “buggy”, as they called the golf cart-sized cars that transport the guests around the island, and driven to our rooms.
Staying at Sun Siyam Olhuveli Maldives
Sun Siyam Olhuveli consists of three different islands in close proximity to each other. Main Island is the largest and where most of the restaurants and activities are located. Dream Island has two restaurants, one pool and bar area, and the Grande Water Villas. We stayed on Dream Island. There is also a third Island, Romance Island, which is for adults only. Romance Island will also have two restaurants and a pool bar coming soon.
Accommodation at Sun Siyam Olhuveli
Sun Siyam Olhuveli has several forms of accommodation. They have condo-style deluxe rooms, which are closer to the activities and guest services. There are also beachfront rooms and suites, beachfront rooms with private pools, water villas, deluxe water villas, water villas with a jacuzzi, grand water villas, and grand water villas with a private pool.
It was very difficult to choose, but it had been a long-time dream of ours to stay in an overwater bungalow and when we realized we had enough travel points to cover the Grand Water Villa with pool, we decided to jump on it. In retrospect, I am very glad we did this because the ocean varied a lot, depending on if it was high or low tide, and the current was also very strong in certain areas. While it was incredible to be able to swim off our patio, it wasn’t always a relaxing endeavor. In contrast, it was very easy to dip into the pool, lounge on the floats, and rotate with the pool current.
The room itself was beautiful, mostly white with splashes of green, with a giant bathroom with a rain shower head and a freestanding bathtub, a skylight, and a wall of windows facing the turquoise water. There was also this adorable nook with a skinny window perfectly situated to look out over the water. This was the perfect place to sit and read on a rainy day. The king-size bed was very comfortable. The room had an air conditioner that worked very well and was the perfect respite from the heat and humidity.
The patio was excellent, the highlight of the accommodations. Just outside the sliding doors was a table and chairs to one side and a covered daybed on the other side. There were also two chairs for lounging in the sun adjacent to the pool. There was a tall fence on the left side of the patio that provided plenty of privacy. At the end of the patio were the stairs to a lower level, where there was a ladder into the ocean. Sigh.
There was a lifesaver attached to the patio and lifejackets were provided in the room.
Every night when it got dark, Luke and I would stand out on the patio and peer into the water below. With the light on you could easily see large blue fish swimming around and occasionally a shark or two darting around the shadowy edges of the light. One night a sting ray swam right underneath our patio.
Excursions and Activities at Sun Siyam Olhuveli
The hotel provided many options for excursions. For adrenaline junkies, there is parasailing and jet-skiing. There are numerous snorkeling excursions of varying intensity. Each guest has one complimentary excursion that can be used for reef snorkeling or a stargazing cruise. There is also one hour per day of complimentary use of either kayaks or paddleboards. Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull ourselves away from the ocean exploring and beach lounging long enough to enjoy that perk, but it sounds amazing.
There is also a dive center, which has very good reviews. They have separate diving excursions as well as whale shark snorkeling that require signing up at the dive center.
The excursions ranged in price, the longer or more intense ones being more expensive.
We were mainly interested in being under the sea since we’d heard so much about the marine life in the Maldives, so we did three different snorkeling trips.
Signing Up for the Whale Shark Excursion at Sun Siyam Olhuveli
One of the main reasons for choosing Sun Siyam Olhuveli, other than the fact that it is close to the airport, was that they offered the whale shark snorkeling experience. Not many other hotels in the area offered whale shark excursions. Additionally, in my research, it was difficult to find information on the excursion, because it was not listed on the hotel’s site as an experience. All the information I found regarding whale shark excursions with Sun Siyam Olhuveli was from Trip Advisor reviews, many of which were very old.
Swimming with whale sharks was one of my main hopes for this trip (my other idea was to swim with Humpback Whales in Bora Bora, which is still on my list, but this seemed like a more manageable first step). When we left for the Maldives, I still wasn’t sure if we would be able to see whale sharks. After almost two years of COVID uncertainty, my brain would not allow me to think that everything would work out.
After arriving at the hotel, my anxiety grew when I didn’t see any of the activity boards showcasing the whale shark excursion. I started to believe I had made it up. Maybe the hotel no longer offered the trips. We did finally find the whale shark excursion on one of the activity boards around the hotel towards the end of our first evening.
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The whale shark snorkeling trip must be booked at the dive center. They didn’t answer when we called, so we made the trek up to the dive center. The guides did not make me feel much better about the prospect of seeing a whale shark. They told us they were offering the tour and we were able to sign up on the board at the dive center. But the trip would only happen if they had a minimum of six people to take. So far no one had signed up yet. It was also a very long trip, they cautioned us. It would take almost an hour and a half to get to the snorkeling site, so if the weather was bad the trip would be canceled.
Finally, he said, even if we get enough people and the weather is good, there is no guarantee that we will see a whale shark. The snorkeling site was near the Ari Atoll where whale sharks can usually be found in September. The guides would drive the boat up and down the coast looking for a whale shark and if they saw one, we would jump in the water as fast as we possible and “swim, swim, swim.” If we didn’t see a whale shark after an hour, we would go snorkeling somewhere else and then break for lunch. After that, we would do the same thing in the afternoon. Whale sharks can swim very deep, he explained, and there was no guarantee that they would come close enough to the surface for us to be able to see or swim with them.
I was disappointed. Logically, I knew that anytime you go in search of a wild animal, especially in the ocean, there is no guarantee that you will see it. If there is a guarantee, it is likely that unsavory methods are being used to attract them. The trip was also very expensive, $295 USD a person. That was a lot of money to spend when the chances of seeing a whale shark were not great. We debated signing up for the trip. Ultimately, we decided to at least put our names down hoping that four other people would sign up for the trip.
We were required to sign a waiver because the trip would be dangerous for those who aren’t strong swimmers. We brought our own snorkels, masks, and fins, but all of this was available at the dive center as well (complimentary for the all-inclusive plan).
The trip was scheduled for Saturday and we signed up on Thursday. If you are set on doing the whale shark excursion, or any specific excursion, I recommend signing up as soon as possible. This gives you wiggle room if the trip has to be rescheduled.
Snorkeling with Whale Sharks at Sun Siyam Olhuveli
Saturday morning arrived, with no news of cancellations, so we made our way to the dive center with time to spare. The other three people who had signed up were not there yet, so we killed some time, hoping that they were going to show up. Finally, all five (they had decided to let us go with five people, thank goodness!) guests were accounted for and we all climbed on the boat in preparation for a very long boat ride.
The boat ride from Sun Siyam Olhuveli to the Ari Atoll is about an hour and a half. The guides drove fast in order to make decent time and the ride was choppy. It took us a little while to adjust to the sensation but by the end of the trip, I was comfortable and enjoying myself with the wind flying through my hair and the ocean spray catching my face.
Our guides explained that Sun Siyam Olhuveli was one of the only resorts to offer all-day whale shark excursions. Many of the hotels in the same area as we were staying didn’t offer whale shark trips, likely because it was so far. Most of the hotels that offered whale shark trips were in the Ari Atoll because they didn’t have to go very far to see whale sharks. These hotels primarily offered morning whale shark trips though, no afternoon or all-day trips. While snorkeling could get very crowded in the morning, because all the hotels were doing their tours at this time, snorkeling in the afternoon would not be. For this reason, I was hoping to at least see a whale shark in the afternoon.
We drove the boat around the islands on the Ari Atoll for a while, Luke and I’s snorkels hanging around our necks and fins close by, so we’d be ready to jump in at any moment. Our guides were messaging guides from other hotels in the area to see if they had seen a whale shark anywhere.
We finally drove up to several other boats with snorkelers already in the water. It was time. I happily jumped into the deep blue water with my snorkel in my mouth and fins on, immediately peering under the water to see if I could see the whale shark.
Once everyone was in the water our group started swimming in the direction of the other people. There it was, majestic and steadfast, swimming just a few feet below us. It was big, about 20 feet long. We had been instructed to stay several feet away from it for the whale shark’s safety.
We had to constantly swim to keep up with the whale shark and we were in deep water, although the shore was still visible. The most difficult part of this experience was avoiding colliding with other people who were more focused on the whale shark than their surroundings. At one point someone kicked Luke’s mask, causing it to become dislodged and fill with water. This snorkeling trip is not for beginners or people who are uncomfortable in the water.
We swam with the whale shark until it departed to the ocean’s depths. The boat then came to collect us and we were provided bottled water and snacks on our way to lunch. We lunched on an island not far from there, with no notable facilities, just a table and some chairs. Another group was grilling something not far from us.
We chatted with our other three companions, an Indian couple and the girl’s sister, and the guides, who were all very friendly. The other couple had also just been married the previous weekend, although their celebration took place at our resort over several days. They had decided to extend their trip for some much-needed relaxation afterward. They were also high school sweethearts and had been together for 10 years, the same as Luke and I. It was crazy to find people that live so far from us but were so similar.
The guides brought over our food in plastic containers. It was not excellent but good enough. There was a vegetarian option and a meat option. Luke and I both went for the meat option, which was a chicken leg with several sides.
After eating we had some time to hang out in the ocean or on the beach. Since there were no facilities, I was forced to pee in the ocean.
Finally, it was time to get back on the water. We drove the boat around for a while again. I was satisfied with our previous experience but excited about seeing a whale shark with fewer people around. It must have been our lucky day because the guides soon corralled us to the front of the boat and before I knew it, we were in the water again. The second snorkeling session was way better. There were no boats other than ours, so we had the whale shark all to ourselves. We swam alongside it for a while, taking some pretty good pictures, until it again departed into the depths.
The boat ride back to the hotel was another hour and a half. It was a long, but amazing day, and one of my favorite parts of visiting the Maldives.
Three-Point Snorkeling
Another excursion that the hotel offers is three-point snorkeling. The goal of the trip is to snorkel at three different locations with nurse sharks, dolphins, and sea turtles. Once again, it is not guaranteed that you will see any of these creatures. I was really excited about the prospect of snorkeling with dolphins, but it seemed unlikely. This was a half-day trip, costing $160 per person. This excursion was through the recreation center so we went there to sign up.
The morning of the snorkeling trip we headed out on the boat in search of dolphins first, Luke and I, an English couple, and two guides. We did find them quickly, but they were in open water, so we weren’t able to swim with them. The guides explained that they usually find dolphins in two areas, either in open water or in the lagoon. It wasn’t safe to swim with them in open water because “you never know what might be down there.”
We sat there for a while, watching the Spinner Dolphins jump out of the water and spin in the air. Sometimes the guides would drive the boat in a circle, creating waves that would excite the dolphins. They would swim right alongside the boat. It was amazing, even though we couldn’t swim with them.
After we had watched them for a while, the guides started the boat and we were on our way. However, it wasn’t very long until our attention was piqued by a commotion at the front of the boat. I saw something gray in the water, probably more dolphins. But the guides ushered us to the front of the boat exclaiming, “manta rays!”
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There were six manta rays, swimming just below the surface about 10 feet away from the boat. Every now and then their fins would peak above the water. The boat moved slowly to keep close to them. Suddenly we were right next to them, their magnificent shape and colors distinguishable in the clear blue water, fins extended fully so they looked like they were flying. It was one of the most majestic things I have ever seen, and it was completely accidental.
The next stop was snorkeling with nurse sharks. We eventually found them around another boat that was chumming the water. This boat didn’t seem like it belonged to any of the hotels, it was unmarked and older.
We jumped into the water with the sharks. These nurse sharks were pretty big compared to other ones that I had seen, probably about 6 feet long. There were a lot of them too. They would brush by us and even though we weren’t supposed to touch them, they often would touch us as they swam by. It was important to keep your arms and legs from flailing around and keep your arms to your sides. We weren’t so much swimming as floating around the sharks and observing them. It was a very cool experience and a little scary at times.
Our next stop was to swim with sea turtles. I was really excited about this one as we swam with a turtle in Belize but failed to get a picture of it. The guides stopped the boat near the reef where we would be likely to see a sea turtle.
The reef itself was beautiful so I would have only been slightly disappointed if we didn’t see a turtle. One of the guides took off down the reef, scanning for the turtle. When he found it, he hovered above it and waved until we made it over to him.
There was the turtle, hanging out on the reef. We watched him for a while and eventually, he swam up for air. They can hold their breath for an impressive nine minutes. He was very pretty and it was fun to watch him swim up to the surface and then back down to the reef. We also did some exploring of the reef around him and saw a large school of black fish as well as many other types of fish.
We really enjoyed this snorkeling trip and would highly recommend it as an excursion from Sun Siyam Olhuveli.
Reef Snorkeling
The all-inclusive package includes one free excursion that can be used for either reef snorkeling or a stargazing boat ride. Our friends from the whale shark trip raved about the stargazing boat ride but I couldn’t get enough of this magic that was taking place underwater, so we chose the snorkeling trip.
This trip was much less advanced than either of our other expeditions, so there were quite a few people. We took a dhoni boat, a traditional fishing boat in the Maldives. It was large, with long wooden benches on each side and a roof overhead. The captain steered the boat using a combination of his feet and hands. It looked immensely difficult but he managed it with ease.
We were able to climb up on the top of the boat via ladder if we wanted, where there were no benches, just a flat surface. The view was incredible and standing on the top of the boat I felt like bursting into a Moana song.
After about 20 or 30 minutes, the boat was parked near the reef and we were ushered into the water, some people requiring more assistance than others. It was a much bigger group than we had experienced before, about 15 to 20 people. We were in deep water just off the boat and had to swim to get to the reef. If you aren’t very comfortable in the water, I would recommend wearing a life jacket.
The reef was beautiful. We swam along the edge of the slope, which varied in steepness from very steep to almost flat. In some areas, the reef reached up to the surface of the water. Sometimes you could see it dropping off below, shadows of fish exploring a wall thriving with life. We saw so many types of fish and coral, it was incredible.
The only downside was the number of people. It was nearly impossible to swim freely without kicking someone or being kicked.
Eventually, it was time to return to the boat, which I did so regretfully, knowing it was the last snorkeling excursion of the trip. The trip was about 1-2 hours in total.
Floating Breakfast
Sun Siyam Maldives also offers one of the most Instagramable activities: Floating Breakfast. They go all out for this experience, which is an additional $60 and not included in the all-inclusive option. The breakfast was a feast, with pastries, yogurt, fruit, cheese, crackers, an omelet, sausage, hashbrowns, beans, jam, honey, orange juice, and a smoothie. It is incredible.
The waiter who brought our floating breakfast also offered to take pictures for us. He was clearly a pro. He got shots of us as well as a video that started out focused on the magnificent tray of food that he gently pushed towards us while panning upwards to capture the floating tray, the pool, and finally us with the ocean in the background. Perfect for an Instagram reel.
Schedule the floating breakfast ahead of time and know that you will have to be in your room when it is delivered to you. This activity also requires that you book a room with a private pool.
Spa at Sun Siyam Olhuveli
Another enjoyable activity for your time at Sun Siyam Olhuveli is a relaxing massage at the spa. Sun Siyam Olhuveli has two spas, one is located on the Main Island and the other is over the water on Dream Island. The overwater spa was right next to our room, so we went there for our spa services. The other spa did look nice, tucked away in the lush vegetation of the island, but we were excited about the overwater experience.
We did two spa services during our visit. The first was a couple’s massage. They took us to a lovely overwater bungalow with a window beneath each massage table to see into the water. It was incredible. The massage was excellent and watching the bright yellow fish and sting rays swim around below was calming to the mind. It was the perfect way to recover from 30 hours of traveling.
Later in the week, we did another couples massage followed by a fifteen-minute hydrotherapy session, where we were given private access to the sauna, a warm tub, and a very cold tub. The idea was to switch back and forth between the varying temperatures. The hydrotherapy was in a separate overwater bungalow with a large open patio and two tubs on the edge of the patio looking out over the water. It was beautiful.
Restaurants
Sun Siyam Olhuveli has three restaurants and a buffet. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the buffet during specific times. There are two buffet spots for breakfast and dinner, one on the Main Island and one on Dream Island. You are required to go to a specific buffet based on the location of your room. Since we were staying on Dream Island, we had to go to Malaafaiy, the buffet on Dream Island.
For lunch, the buffet is only available on the Main Island and everyone eats there. This was a little difficult for us because the trip from Dream Island to Main Island is a bit of a trek. Although the buggy does come by Dream Island every few minutes, sometimes it would be full, especially around lunch, and we’d have to wait for the next one or walk. The walk is very pretty, winding through lush vegetation and tropical flowers that open to beautiful turquoise waters. Our main complaint was the heat and humidity, as we would be drenched in sweat when we reached the buffet if we walked.
Lunch is also offered at Island Pizza, on Main Island, and Maghrib Grill, on Dream Island. Lagoon Bar and Dream Bar have an afternoon tea, where you can order from a select few items, usually sandwiches, French fries, or cake. Additionally, room service is available. It is very hard to go hungry at Sun Siyam Olhuveli.
We were initially worried about the food because we haven’t had very good experiences with all-inclusive resort food. Sun Siyam Olhuveli delighted us again though. The buffets were great with many different cuisines to choose from.
For breakfast, they had an omelet station, which Luke took advantage of every morning. They also had some delicious hash brown patties and banana cake that we loved. They usually had some type of vegetarian Indian food, rice, waffles, French toast, pancakes, other variations of eggs, fruit, a rotation of salads and small bites, and assorted pastries. Juices, usually orange and either guava or papaya, as well as an espresso bar, were available for drinks.
The lunch and dinner buffets were also very good. Lunch and dinner were less consistent day to day but overall, we enjoyed almost everything we had. They usually had an Indian food dish, which was heaven for me. They served stir-fried noodles or fried rice, sushi, pasta dishes, salads, sandwiches, and many other things. Both lunch and dinner had dessert options and drinks available from the bar.
The three á la carte restaurants were very good too. It is recommended to make reservations to eat at any of these restaurants.
Namaste was an Indian á la carte restaurant, which was our favorite. It was located on Main Island. They served tandoori chicken, which usually we don’t like at home because it is always dry, but this chicken was very moist and flavorful. We also ordered chicken masala and palak paneer with naan. It was some of the best Indian food we have ever had. We chose to sit at a table on the beach, steps away from the ocean. It was lovely.
The Thai restaurant, Siyam Orchid, was pretty good as well. It is also on Main Island and was on the opposite side of the island from where we were staying, so it was quite a long walk from our room. I ordered pad Thai with prawns. This restaurant was overwater with indoor and outdoor tables.
Maghrib Grill, a seafood restaurant, was located on Dream Island. There were indoor tables, although the restaurant was open-air, and tables on the beach. Obviously, we chose to eat on the beach here as well. We were unsure if the fish were locally caught because the seafood options were fairly standard. We ordered salmon and red snapper, which were both good.
The food experience at Sun Siyam Olhuveli was much more elevated than we expected and we were very pleasantly surprised that we enjoyed almost everything. There is always a chance to get something at a buffet that you don’t end up liking, but we got small portions of risky dishes and there was always something we enjoyed. Since the buffet offered a wide variety of delicious food and was included in our all-inclusive plan, we only ate at each restaurant once and ate at the buffet for the rest of the trip.
Diamond All-Inclusive Plan
We did the all-inclusive plan for our trip to Sun Siyam Olhuveli. It includes breakfast at the buffet, lunch at the buffet or Island Pizza, afternoon tea, and the dinner buffet. It includes a 40% discount on the á la carte restaurants for dinner at Namaste, Maghrib Grill, and Siyam Orchid. The discount also applies to lunch at Maghrib Grill. Non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks are covered from 10 AM to 12 AM. This includes soft drinks, juices, water, beer, tea, coffee, espresso drinks, wines, spirits, and a selection of cocktails and mocktails.
Another perk that comes with the all-inclusive plan is the free one hour per day of non-motorized water sports which can be used for kayaks, paddle boards, or windsurfing. A half-hour group snorkeling lesson and windsurf lesson per person during your stay is included. The use of masks, snorkels, and fins is complimentary. There is also one complimentary excursion per adult, either the snorkeling safari sampler or the stargazing cruise. A spa credit of $50 was included for the Diamond All-Inclusive Plan as well.
In our room, they replenished the mini bar once a day, which included soft drinks, beer, water, tea, and coffee. There were two of each type of soft drink and two Bia Saigon Lagers. The beer was nothing special. When we first arrived, we ordered a 750 mL bottle of rum that we used to make rum and cokes in our room. The bottle was not included and was a little expensive. Room service is not included in the all-inclusive package.
Overall, we were pleased with the all-inclusive package, even though it was a little bit more restrictive than we were used to from our experiences in the Caribbean. There weren’t as many food or drink options, but the quality was much better. As previously mentioned, the food was really good, and the drinks were also fantastic. Luke is a hobbyist bartender and he was very impressed by the quality of the drinks. Most nights he would order a negroni because he was so thrilled not only to see it offered on the menu but also because it was well made. At the pool bar, the waitress knew his order. I also thoroughly enjoyed the drinks. Some of my favorites were the White Russian, Long Island Iced Tea, Tom Collins, and the Pina Colada, of course.
Other Inclusive Options
The lowest room price includes daily breakfast. The resort also offers Half and full-board options, which don’t include any drinks other than water. Half Board includes breakfast and dinner and Full Board includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals can be taken at the buffet or using the 40% discount on the á la carte restaurants for lunch and dinner as applicable. The Full Board plans also receive the 50 USD spa credit per adult per stay.
Saying Goodbye to Sun Siyam Olhuveli Maldives
We had an incredible time at Sun Siyam Olhuveli, and I feel so grateful that we were able to go despite the cost, distance, and worldwide pandemic. It was so healing after a year of constant flux. It was the perfect honeymoon destination. I will never forget the beautiful turquoise water, the biodiversity of marine life, or the way the ocean greeted the day from our little home on the water.
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