Vivanta by Taj Coral Reef, Maldives

It was an impromptu holiday decision ....One had heard so much about the beauty of Maldives so a couple of computer clicks we were good to go ! I am so glad we chose Taj Vivanta ! Couldn't have made a sounder decision . From the location, to the service , food , ambience and luxury. We had it all. If after a forthright past my holiday I can still recall every name of the service providers just goes to show what an impact Tajness made on us ! On landing on the island whilst our luggage reached the room , we made ourselves comfortable at the Reef bar, Rana the bartender was so hospitable and helpful giving us an insight of what to expect during our next three days . There itself we were introduced to Arun, the chef.... He charmed us with his Lucknowi background offering to serve us dishes we desired ...and he lived up to his word ! Along came Alveera who happily initiated us to snorkelling showing us how to make the most of the sea and surf Our ocean room 103 was tidily done each day by Saif , he won our hearts with his courtesy ! Breakfast was a lovely buffet spread with fresh fruits , juices ,cereals , confectionary , eggs and accomplishments besides which we could order more hot dishes of ones choice. Not that there was any need of it !! Every morning at breakfast we were so impressed to see Samir , the GM himself , converse with the guests inquiring about the comfort of their stay. Seeing him modestly lift the plates from the tables with the other servers just went to reflect for us what Tajness was all about ! The names of the staff members I do remember must not take away from the fact that all of them were excellent and the prime reason for giving full marks to the hotel were its people . I fondly remember the dinners that were indulgently prepared keeping in mind the guest preferences. The highlight of our stay at Taj was the fish feeding ritual at 5 o'clock every evening. At 4.30 the grey sting would start congregating and by 5 o'clock the shore was full of them ,along with reef sharks, eel , jade fish and so many other. Buckets full of chopped fish was fed to the hungry shoals. It was a sight to behold ! Time flew by and we returned with happy memories .

Two of my friends and I stayed in a water villa and there was ample room for all three of us. Interiors are lovely and clean, and the deck was spacious and provided direct access to the water. I found the rocks to break the current/waves a little distracting and would have preferred an open ocean view. The resort is small but as we stayed for 3 nights, we didn't get bored. Now to the big positives - we were on an all inclusive package and the food was absolutely fabulous in Latitude. I cannot stop gushing over all the delicious meals we had there and every course was memorable. Our South American themed dinner at Over the Grill was disappointing, so stick to Latitude for meals. I mostly had the Indian options, but the steak with Yorkshire pudding and grilled vegetables was also fabulous and better than the version I had in England! My friend and I also loved the 'Tropicana' mocktail served in Reef bar. Staff were all pleasant and had a big smile on their face, which added to the general positive vibe. It was very nice of my countryman, Selim, to chat with me in Bengali and make us feel welcome. Stingray feeding and spotting all the fish and baby shark was quite an experience! The complementary sunset cruise (on the all inclusive package) was a nice way to take some pretty shots of the island and the sunset. Everything was just as I had pictured it. The only thing I would do differently is not go for the spa treatment as the massage was average and a bit overpriced, but the facilities were good and well maintained. All in all, I'd definitely recommend this resort for a short Maldives break.

My husband and I reserved a very pricey holiday for our 25th wedding anniversary at Taj Vivanta, Maldives in January 2018. We scoured the Maldives website and Taj website for required travel documents and made sure we had everything needed before making payments and booking flights from Delhi-Kochin-Maldives and return. When we reached Delhi airport, Spice Jet did not allow us to board claiming that my husband's passport (though valid until 2019) did not have a magnetic readable strip and hence would be denied entry in Maldives, the passport is valid and he has been travelling internationally on it. We begged to take us to Kochin, which they let us do. In Kochin, again Spice Jet denied boarding passes and this time did not change their minds. The airport security and immigration officers said the same thing - they would not let us go. Shocked and in disbelief, and tired after spending over 12 hours en-route and on airports, we decided to stay the night at Taj, Kochin and then return to Delhi the next day. While at Taj Kochin, we had the manager contact Taj Vivanta in Maldives to explain our case and we called them as well to explain the reason for our no-show. To our utter disappointment, Taj Vivanta declined to refund a single penny from our reservation amount. We cannot believe a reputable chain as Taj has no concern for their customers' hardships and are just a money-making business. We would have been happy with a half refund or so just as their way to honor our full intention to get there but not being able to, due to circumstances beyond our control. It is disgusting that Maldives tourism department who run the website as well as Taj and Spice Jet are all willing to take bookings and payments but take no responsibility to pre-warn the customers of these details. We could have updated the passport before staring on the journey, if only we had known. Shocking, upsetting and unforgettable financial blow to our 25th anniversary dream holiday :( We have been fans of Taj hotels and did not expect Taj to act so cheap.

Most pleasant and seren island. Staff from top to bottom all very warm and sweet. Food quality is unmatchable. Villa was perfect choice for my family. An experience which we wish to get again and again

Just got back from Vivanta and it was a lovely relaxing break. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Loved the snorkeling on the house reef. Just a few downsides to the trip. One was the cost of hiring a life jackets for snorkeling came in at $100 for 5 days even though we actually only had them for four days (be careful about the time you take them out and back or you will be charged for another days hire) Also on our all inclusive package I hadn't expected to have to ring and ask daily for the mini bar to be stocked. You also need to be aware that your all inclusive is on a countdown from the minute you arrive on the island so if like us you are not leaving until the evening you will have to pay for lunch/dinner and drinks for the day on top of your package .

I’ll start by saying that we had an amazing week at the Vivanta by Taj. Let me start by talking about the food! Latitude is the main restaurant. There was a huge variety of food there and majority of the dinners we ate there. Ashraf, our host there was just superb. On many occasions, even before I had asked for what I wanted,he would already have it in hand. Not only Ashraf, but other wait staff were excellent. I would like to add here that Samir, the general manager was a very hands on manager that I have not seen before and that’s a very good thing as he knew what’s going on in general. Adam, the other manager was very helpful as well. Overall, all staff was helpful and friendly. Their masala chai was yummy and we had it most evenings and of course lots of it at breakfast. At breakfast, there was a good spread and could also order off their menu. We had tried their restaurant that served Mexican food and that was very good. Majority of us were vegetarian so we didn’t try the seafood restaurant. We were on half board but be prepared to account for $100 per couple for lunch. One pizza at the Reef Bar was $33 which I thought was quite pricey. Water-chargeable at lunch and dinner though it was free in the room. We were traveling with my 4 month old daughter so needed more water in the room which was readily available. I think you should include water in the charges as it’s a necessity. I saw many guests carrying water from their rooms for dinner which I don’t blame them as a bottle was $6. Sting rays feeding-just fantastic. It happens everyday at 5pm and after that High tea with iced cold tea and some snacks. Rooms-the furniture has been looked after but probably needs updating in a few years. We were in the land villas and had lovely views. Though when we come out from our villa, it had too much coral so water shoes are advisable. House keeping staff was very good. I didn’t get to go snorkeling though I did get the gear but it was the wrong size life vest and I should have tried it. My advice would be that staff at the Dive Centre should make every guest try on the life vest especially since they are charging per day for it. Overall, a lovely property and would definitely recommend and try to visit again. Well done to all the team.

The Taj Coral was spot on for their great service and attention to detail. The coral reef was in a really good condition, it was kept healthy by the marine biologist and his team. The highlights of the trip was the feeding of the sting rays and snorkelling around the island where we saw a variety of sea life including eagle rays, reef / nursery sharks and moray eels. The food was varied and good of quality especially the grill bar.

I frequent Taj properties around the world and rate them using my masala tea index. So here goes.... My wife and i honeymooned at the Taj exotica maldives, the more luxurious property of the two. This time we were with our child and family and opted to do the Vivanta, which on balance was a good call. The atoll that the vivanta is on is about a 50 minute speed boat ride from male airport and in my estimation is approx . 1.2 km in circumference (so small) but frankly we never felt it to be claustrophobic and we never had to jostle for space anywhere. There is a very decent staff to guest ratio and service is top class, my minimum expectation of any Taj property. Rooms - we had the deluxe delight beach villas. My pick over any of the other rooms (including water villas). The beach villas spacious, well appointed and let in a lot of light. You have you own semi-private stretch of beach. 5/5 cups or masala tea. Restaurants and meals - we are at all the restaurants at the Vivanta. A special mention to Ashraf in the latitude restaurant who served us for our entire stay. He alone would have made the stay worth it! Meals are of a very high standard, good choice of meals and exceptional quality of ingredients. As with all things maldives , meals are expensive. On average 40 dollars for a basic entree rising to more for seafood. They have a wine list of good quality low cost wines. They also have an extensive wine list but extremely expensive. Only downside is they charge for island water (water from their own purification plant). The same bottles are provided free in the rooms. At 7 dollars a bottle, this is not cheap. For this reason , I score this 4 out of 5 cups The masala tea is amongst the best I have tasted and comes close to the Taj lands end which remains my benchmark. . 5 out of 5 cups . Pool - there is one freshwater infinity pool with an adjoining jacuzzi. The pool area is phenomenal with spectacular views . Enough loungers and attentive service. Some pesky herons and crows about but that adds to the spectacle. 5/5 cups. Beach - we frequented the beach near the main jetty and the one outside our room. There is plenty of friendly sea life (so snorkeling and diving is a must) . The daily sting ray feeding is also a must see. The beach outside our room was not the greatest. Rocky and loads of growing coral (which you don’t want to step on or interfere with given how key they are to the ecosystem) . I was a little disappointed with the revenue model deployed on equipment. Snorkeling equipment is provided free. However there are several signs that state that one should wear a life jacket when in the ocean given the strong currents. I then find it absurd that they charge 8 dollars a day for the privilege of a life jacket. Like the charge for water, this is a let down. Overall 3.5 cups out of 5. jiva spa - therapists and treatments are very good . The treatment rooms are a little dark. It’s such a beautiful island and am sure some architects can figure out how to let in light and a view of the ocean/ greenery while keeping it private. Take a cue from the exotica that has some of the best views of any spa I have been to in the world. 3 cups out of 5. Staff - I did single out Ashraf but almost all the staff did a fantastic job. No complaints here. 5 out of 5 cups . Adam, the duty manager, did invite us for cocktails on a few occasions but we are always busy with some activity or another. The Vivanta Coral reef is not a poor cousin to the Taj exotica as some will tell you. I have stayed at a few other vivanta’s around the world and they have a marked difference to a Taj. This vivanta has her own personality and is a phenomenal property . It will appeal to families and groups. The vivanta team should be proud of what they have built.

Me and my wife were deciding for our honeymoon trip and our eyes landed on this resort. We have booked through one local travel agency, paid everything through them and went for the "all inclusive" plan. Therefore, this review is from this point of view and I cannot really comment on the prices. Arrival: We have arrived Male airport around 22:30 local time and uppon getting through immigration, we were greeted by our travel agency representative, who, to our surprise, spoke Japanese as well. He guided us from the airport to the boat, which has brought us to the island resort in roughly one hour. There were about 3 other pairs going with us, but all comming with different travel agencies. After arriving to the island, we were greeted by complimentary juice and were almost immediately brought to our rooms/villas. Me and my wife have stayed in the "Indulgence deluxe water villa", which was located close to the arrival pier. Once inside, we were given some time to unpack and were told that the check-in staff will come soon to give us instructions and so on. We were given instructions about our stay, our course and this was basically our check in. No need to fill out anything. Just a small note to the hotel - our passports were being photographed via cellphone upon our arrival. Yes, hotels around the world need to check the passport in order to get along with the authorities. That is fine. But photographing passports via cellphone/smartphone with so many data leaks these days? God knows where the pictures may be sent automaticaly. I would not mind handing the passports for copy rather than being photographed by smartphone. This is not any staff complain and I understand that many guests do not want to bother about such stuff. But... Rooms: As mentioned earlier, we've booked the "Indulgence deluxe water villa". Which is pretty spacey room with bathroom which has shower and bath tub and toilet and a balcony/terrace with stairs to the sea. The villas are actually split, each has two such rooms for two different guests. Despite the pictures in here, the room was really spacey, more than we expected. The rooms are equipped with TV+DVD (perhaps Blu-Ray, but not sure as we did not use it during our stay), iPhone docking station and a cinema (speakers+subwoofer). TV offered not just local, but also foreign channels, including few Japanese. But as mentioned, we did not use the TV at all during our stay, so not really sure how many and what channels are offerent. Safe with numlock for valuables and a fridge were available as well. Fridge was being refilled once a day (I hope I am not mistaken here). Few soft drinks, two snickers bars, 2 bottles of beer, small bottle of wine and several bottles of water. Crisps (chips) and nuts were brought once a day as well. The bath room offers shower, separate bath tub and also toilet. The sliding doors do not offer too much privacy and the room can get bit humid if you use shower or bath for a longer time. However, the villa was equipped with air conditioning, which could be set up from 19C to 32C. Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and other toiletries were also brought daily. Actually first twice a day, but the third day it seemed that just once a day. Giving the small bottles of shower gel (just few ml), it may have been problem for someone. But calling the reception solved this. The towels were also changed daily with the option not to change (enviroment minded guests option). Since there was 2 of us and always 4 towels, we could not complain at all. Instead of a key, you get a keycard to your room and second card as well. The balcony/terrace comes with outdoor shower, one table and two chairs and two beach recliners seats. Stairs lead directly to the sea. As you can see in my pictures, there is also view on the wave breakers. Someone mentioned here that this ruined their stay and they look horrible - I do not share this opinion. Since this was our honeymoon trip, it was critical to us that we do enjoy and remember our stay. The wave breakers were not an issue at all, instead we felt safer as the waves and current outside was sometimes pretty high. Swimming outside the wave breakers is NOT forbidden, however for your own safety it is not recommended. I agree and I can recommend this only to good swimmers. The resort: the resort comes with fitness centre, dive centre, jiva spa, Open-the grill&pizzeria, Reef bar, small shop, water sports centre and Latitude&Rhythm restaurant. Open-the grill&pizzeria: Offers mostly South American and Italian-ish style of cousine. Offering not just chicken and fish, but also pork and beef. We've had our first lunch here, it was Pizza Margherita and burger with chips (french fries). Pizza Margerita is the most basic pizza you can make and you can usually tell if the pizza guy is good or not. Our Pizza Margherita was bit average, nothing special, despite being this place recommended for amazing pizzas. The burger was good, but I was bit surprised that the chips (french fries) were pre-made, probably deeply frozen. No, I really do not mind this, just the fact that it is cheaper and easier to make hand made chips from potatoes than buying and bringing them to the island made me wonder why they offer such chips. And from what we have seen, the Open staff was not busy at all during our stay, no matter which time of the day. We have visited Open once again, but the food was againg average. Not bad, not special. The staff, however, seemed bit cold. Polite and everyting, but bit cold. But I understand this is hard to judge. So for the rest of our stay, Latitude was the place where we liked to visit for meal. Latitude: offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is either bufet, or you can order from the morning menu. Or you can do both. Bufet offers variety of pastries, may it be eggless bread, baguette, croissants. You have the option to make a toast as well. You can also have the chef make scrambled eggs with ingredients of your choice. You can choose from variety of salads, cereals, option of cold ice coffee, tea, fresh juices, several kinds of cheese, various kinds of salami, ham and also sausages (I have seen chicken and pork as well). The menu, including morning menu, changes daily, although I feel that most foods just change the name and servings - but still, there were more kinds of food than we were able to try! The morning menu usually offerent two or three kinds of "local food" (meaning India, Sri Lanka or Maldives kind), then usually one South East Asian, Chinese (ramen) and "international" like eggs or so. Really plenty to choose from in case bufet is not your thing. Just an advice during breakfast time - if you are seated outside, make sure there is always someone at the table. The cranes come every morning and if you leave your food unantended, they will steal from your plate. Someone complained here about this being a huge annoyance. Well, it happened to me as well, but it was a funny experience, nothing that would ruin our stay. Lunch and dinners at Latitude: unlike Open the grill, Latitude offers rather "local" foods, which means mostly Asian/Indian. You get the idea. Since me and my wife love curry, we mostly went for curry/masala kind of food. Either with rice or nam. As for drinks, we had the option to choose two kinds of beer, few kinds of wine, soft drinks, water,...... Not sure about others, because mostly we went for water, wine or beer. As for the wines, there is quite big variety of wines. European (mostly Italy), South America, Australia (if I am not mistaken). We were always served by few people of the staff and did not have any issue here. I have to admit that my memory is bad and generally I have problems with remembering names, so I cannot thank them here by name, I just remember the faces. As we had meals three times, we were quite full by the evening. But still, we wanted to try the local foods there. I asked for recommendation which one of the two foods I should choose and the waiter said it is no problem to make smaller portions of the two foods for me! That was unexpected and kind. Our stay also included one beach dinner, which we have done. It was nice to have a dinner at the beach, but instead of led candles, normal candles or a lantern would look better. Also champagne with a toast with plastic glasses was bit strange. But still, we enjoyed. We went for a beef steak and again curry. As the steak is considered, we were not asked how we want it. If well done, medium, rare or so. But, despite this, the steak was good. Not too much cooked, not too rare. Now, despite Maldives being mostly a Muslim country, pork was available as well. Beef also. The menu also informed about vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes and if the foods are spicy or not. We really, really enjoyed the staff and the food at the Latitude and can recommend it. Latitude was always full during lunch and dinner time. Once we were later after our honeymoon photoshooting, but the Latitude did not refuse us for lunch. Thank you! Just a small note: the last dinner, we had mostly one waiter, but later another joined. When we were leaving, the first waiter (seemed older than other, bit like manager, moustache, white shirt) was not there and got our second waiter to bring our check. We left a tip there as a thank you for the time there. When we were outside, we noticed that also the second waiter, while cleaning the table, took the check and tip. Which was not a problem at all. But please, tell your staff to take tips into their pockets when guests are not there. It does look big strange when someone gets the tip and takes it in the pocket in front of everyone else. Bar: bar is fully equipped. Our "all inclusive" offered variety of cocktails, mocktails, two or three kinds of whiskies, few kinds of wine and two (or maybe three) kinds of beer. All inclusive menu is bit reduced in comparison to the "normal" menu, but still, there are more kinds of drinks and alcoholic drinks, than you could drink in a month. They also offer few kinds of shisha with flavours. We went for berries and because this was our second time, the staff offered he can show us. Which was something we appreciated and it felt actually kind of nice. During our course, we were also offered if we want to change the coal, but we were fine. Mocktail and cocktail were delicious. Glenfiddich whisky (now, I am not sure by the name now) which I ordered was good. Just a note: the part of world from where I come does not drink whisky on the rocks or so. If you like straight one, make sure you say "straight and no ice". Jiva spa: about one hour couple massage. Felt nice. Option to take shower before massage as well. Nothing to really comment here. Dive centre: upon our arrival, we gave our room numbers and were given snorkel and fins. We kept it until the last evening of our stay. Our stay also included one coral reef snorkeling with guide. We expected some boat trip and then snorkeling, so we were bit disappointed at first when Denis took us next to the reception and we started snorkeling there. But, when we saw the corals, various kinds of fish, even small shark and octopus, we were really surprised and excited. It reached our expectation in the end. Sunset cruise: it was bit cloudy during our sunset cruise, so not really special. It was about one hour trip around the island. Talking about a trip around the island - someone commented here with pictures of construction site on the island which is located north west. Well, I completely disagree and agree with the resort staff - the picture was taken with full zoom. First, the construction has ended, obviously. Secondly, the island is so far away, that it looks basically just like a tiny spot. I cannot imagine this being bothersome at all. And definitely no noise at all at night. Nothing can be heard. Stingray feeding: every evening, around 17:00, the beach is visited by stingrays and you have the option to feed them with fish which the staff brings. Disposable gloves are available. During this time, you have the option to get some snack at the beach, for free. Tea included. Stingray feeding was definitely a nice experience. There is always someone from the staff who makes sure you do not do something dangerous and advices you in such case. I remember seeing here an review about this being dangerous - no, it is not. Souvenir shop: USD are accepted. Make sure you have change. Most souvenirs are Maldives related, although many of them are made in China (our photo album). Prices are quite low considered the location and that it's a souvenir shop. The resort/island itself: sea is clean and warm. Beach is clean and being taken care of. The rest of the island is also being always taken care of by someone. We've seen plenty of people who take care of the flowers, clean everything and so on. All the staff there always greeted us. Last day before our departure, on our way to lunch, we were met by one of the staff who said they are taking pictures of the visitors. Because of the accent, we did not catch too much, but did agree. Later we have found out, that it was about being our picture taken as a memory and put into a stylish photo frame. Nice! In the afternoon, on our way to dinner, we've met staff bringing us complimentary desert, which was definitely nice. And later, after we came from the dinner, we realised we have had bath tub with flower petals and foam ready. This was really an amazing experience. The location, service, staff. Thank you for everything, it was really nice. I hope we can return back someday. There were absolutely no issues or annoyances. Just a few hiccups which we really do not mind. Staying here is recommended.