I will preface this review by stating that I had tremendous difficulty finding a complaint/issue with Oblu Select. My partner had such a phenomenal time and highly recommend this resort.

Boat transfer:
We landed at about 8:00AM, went through customs/immigration, and were greeted by a hotel employee in the arrivals area around 8:30AM. He explained that there were 2 other flights arriving shortly and we would depart at around 9 for the resort. This gave us time to get coffee and walk around the arrivals area at Male airport. The boat ride itself was a little rough. For those who have motion sickness, you should prepare by bringing the appropriate medication with you.

Arrival at the resort:
Upon docking at the resort, we were greeted by hotel staff who were playing drums. We immediately felt at home. We walked through the reception area and within minutes, we were on a golf cart to our villa. The hotel staff took time to explain to us the features of our room, our schedule during our stay, and let us know that if we needed anything, to let the staff know.

The villas:
We stayed in a water villa and a beach villa with pool. The water villa had a great amount of coral and fish beneath, so it was great for snorkeling. The beach villa with pool was awesome because we could walk onto the beach and also had the choice of swimming in our pool. Both villas were extremely clean. The staff cleaned once a day plus a turn-down service. The minibar was refilled twice daily.

The food/drinks:
I cannot get over how amazing the food was. I happen to love Indian and South Asian cuisine, but there were also other options available. It is easy to eat too much, so I’d recommend taking a little bit of everything. In the Courtyard, there is a buffet and two chef stations that will cook you food to order. There were so many options to choose from and nothing was repeated during our 7 day stay there. There are also two restaurants that we dined in: Simply Veg and Just Grill. Both were amazing. My partner is not a vegetarian but skews that way in his food choices and we were greatly impressed by the taste of the food at Simply Veg. The bars were great and the drink options were also amazing. Beers, cocktails, wine, etc. Unlimited!

The staff:
I have never interacted with such friendly staff at a hotel/resort in my entire life. All of the staff make an effort to get to know you and will go to great lengths to make you feel at home. Every time we walked past a staff member, they said hi. The staff in the food areas got to know us by name. I miss them. It was difficult to say bye. The staff is diverse as well, from all different parts of the world, which is welcoming. They wanted us to keep eating the food and try new things. On the last night we were there, the staff (Chan and Manuka) made a special centerpiece and put out a candle for us. How great is that?

The Spa (Elena Spa):
We received a couple’s massage for 60 minutes. It was well worth it. The spa was very relaxing and the staff was very professional.

The gym:
I promised that I wouldn’t work out much on this trip, but after eating so much food, I felt that I needed to. There are several fitness classes all day, including yoga, Queentax training, beach fitness, and more. Ashis ran most of the classes and was so kind. He offered me a personal training session, which I am not sure he is allowed to do, but not very many people showed up to the fitness classes. The gym is spotless, which was refreshing compared to the gyms at home.

COVID Precautions:
My partner and I are vaccinated. All of the staff wear masks and constantly offer hand sanitizer. Most, if not all, of the staff are vaccinated. We did not wear masks at any point except for the boat rides during our stay, and none of the other guests did either. Luckily, you are outdoors most of the time. In addition, the Maldives requires a negative PCR test to enter, so we felt comforted by that. Every surface is cleaned regularly by the staff. I had no concerns about the precautions while there. As the U.S. requires a negative PCR test to reenter, we were given the test by the resort doctor the day before our departure and received the results the day of. The cost of this test was $60 per guest.

Overall, I give my highest recommendation to Oblu Select. You should definitely stay there if you are considering an all-inclusive vacation in the Maldives. I wouldn’t change a thing.