We went for Madivaru on October (unfortunately a wet one) and chose this hotel because of the very, very small size and the few villas. And we were not disappointed!

In short:
LOCATION: a very small island of the North Ari Atoll, ca. 100x100 meters. We travelled by seaplane and it was a surprisingly (franky, I don't like to go by plane) pleasant experience, just a 20 minutes trip with smooth take-off and landing. The six villas are hidden in the jungle, although just a few steps away from the beach. Reef ist directly to the east of the island, while some 50 meters distant from the other sides. The island is known for the best snorkeling and diving areas of the Maldives, and I am don't have to be pressed to agree.

BEACH: extremely quiet, clean, white sand, but not as soft as in the Caribbean due to the corals. No beach-boys, no hustlers, no visitors - only the few guests, the sand, the water and the sun! During the vacation we only saw 2 couples from distance. The water is very shallow and warm, and you can start snorkeling from the beach without any problem. Small reef-sharks, stingrays and morenos right in front of you!

VILLA: Tent-concept, gueranteeing a breezy living. The sleeping-tent is air-conditioned (worked very good), in the other two big tents are remote-controlled fans. Colonial-style furniture, very high-class floors, sophisticating electronical devices (toaster, electric water jug, expresso machine, flatscreen, Bose docking station). Telephones a little bit old. Well-stocked Minibar and wine-cooler, choice of liquors. More than enough free sockets and even adaptors. Indoor bathtub, outdoor shower at tent and terrace. Wide terrace with decent pool. A slight disadvantage of the tent-concept is walking from tent to tent in the rain - wet feet not always to avoid. Not very cozy in the night.

FOOD: solid 5-star standard, but (sorry) not suited for gourmets. All the food clearly of best quality. The fish is always catch-of-the-day, you can't get better!

DRINKS: non-alcoholic are included, the mini-bar is restocked more than once daily. Our island-host had a sharp eye and refilled before we missed anything. I cannot say anything about the alcoholic beverages - sorry, but I cept clean ;) ..wait, one thing: the prices of the drinks were acceptable, with wine and champagne at the very end of the scale.

STAFF: all very kind, friendly and attentive, and - of course! nonobtrusive. During the stay the host (good job, RIYAZ, I assume you speak better German than you admit) took care of nearly everything. Just a call and it was done!

ACCOMODATION: one small bar and restaurant (not used, we preferred having meals in the villa), one well-stocked diving center with a very competent master diver, one small boutique, that had opening times at our wish. Spa will be done in the villa (sorry, not used, I was relaxed and well enough). A little fitness-center without a trainer.

ENTERTAINMENT: there are 4 compilmentary tours per week: sunset tour, night-fishing tour (although not big game, but very nice), dolphin cruise (incl. champagne and hors d'oevres), guided snorkeling.

In summary: if you long for a very quiet, relaxing, intimate trip just for the few of you, if you love to snorkel or dive: DO IT. If you are a gourmet, want perfect beach and swimming and glassy-glossy furniture: better leave it.

This July we stayed at the Madivaru hotel for 10 days. We had a wonderful time even though July is not the best time of the year to visit the Maldives. The service was impeccable and the villas were amazing and very private.

Although we had a few problems with our reservation, the manager of the Vabbinfaru hotel, Albert Ocasio was incredibly helpful and diligent. Albert promptly sorted out everything and made sure we were looked after and happy during our stay.

The staff on the island was also very professional, from the diving master Michi who took us diving every day to a different site to the chef who accommodated all our requests and made each meal a great pleasure. Lastly, we were looked after by Azhan who was very attentive but unobtrusive. Azhan anticipated all our requests and had a great disposition.

We stayed at the Banyan Tree Madivaru for 7 days for our Honeymoon. The island is beautiful, with clean beaches and fantastic reef-life. The resort is unlike anything else we had experienced before with regard to location and levels of service.

The accommodation in the tented villa has everything you need and is very comfortable and extremely private. Our island host, who takes care of everything you need was very professional and unobtrusive. In fact he was one of the only people we saw for the entire week. We did see two other couples on our stay from a distance and waved, this is not a resort for meeting new people!

It was the perfect place to snorkel for the first time with amazing reef life just off of the jetty. As soon as you enter the warm water it looks like the opening scene from 'Finding Nemo' with so many different types of colourful and exotic looking fish swimming about. The dive master was excellent at helping us to get the basics and pointing out interesting fish and sharks that we might have otherwise missed. He was then always on hand if we needed further help. I understand the area is very good for diving at all levels of ability.

The food is exceptional, the chef is talented and was not only able to cater for special dietary needs, but with great creativity. The full board basis really is that 'FULL' you will not go hungry here.

We do recommend indulging in a massage from the very skilled spa staff on the massage tables in your bathroom tent, listening to the waves rolling onto the shore. If you weren't relaxed already by the location and service, this should do it.

We may well return, perhaps for an anniversary. Banyan Tree Madivaru is a real luxury, if you can, go ahead and treat yourself.

This is the most amazing place I have ever been to. You get the full Robinson Cruesoe experience. There are only six tented villas on this beautiful Island. There are three huge interlinked tents to each Villa, one for the bedroom, one for the dining/living room and one for the bathroom and spa beds. There are two showers, both outside, one private, one on your beach front. The rooms were modern and beautifully decorated with air conditioning, Sky tv and an IPOD. It rained quite heavily one night but we did not hear anything.
We had our own private butler who brought us our food and drinks when we required, fab choices with the option of you selecting something not on the menu for the chef to cook for you. Butler service was fabulous, excellent cocktail maker :), very attentive. Thank you Luthfi.
You have your own swimming pool as well as the Indian ocean, the pool was nice and refreshing and very private as you are surrounded by trees so cannot be viewed easily from the beach. The decking area gives a fabulous view of your part of beach and the sea, we ate all our meals on there.
This resort is perfect for relaxing, there are snorkelling and diving options but we were only there for a few days so we just relaxed. You can ask for your evening meal to be served at any location on the Island. There is a small shop on the Island which is opened when you require it and the Spa ladies come to your room to give you your massage/treatment.
We had a fabulous time on our honeymoon, thank you to Luthfi and the Banyan Tree staff who made it so special. I would not hesitate in recommending Banyan Tree Madivaru for an unforgettable holiday.