Valla

The island is breathtaking. I stayed in an overwater bungalow and it was absolute perfection. Very clean, verrry comfortable. I recommend the buffet over the restaurant. The restaurant meals were very hit or miss. Some of the service was excellent, others seem miserable and distracted. Saad at the dive school is a fantastic teacher for those who are first timers to snorkeling. If youre a smoker, bring your own cigarettes as a pack is $35 at the bar. If your a non-smoker, be aware that people smoke in pretty much all public spaces. My suggestion would be to bring USD and tip great servers, concierge and bartenders well ($20) early in your stay - it will elevate your experience 100%. They will go out of their way to make your stay the most comfortable.

Would have been 5 stars but there was a huge negative for us. We had paid for full board however of the 2 restaurants included one was closed for refurbishment. This meant every lunch and dinner we had to drag our 2 kids (one is 8 months old) to the other end of the island. Can either get a buggy or walk. Depending on how lucky you get with timing this could be 15-20mins on either option. A walk that far with 2 kids prams was unpleasant in the heat too! The staff in Kandiland were good as was Laizan the bus driver (apologies name likely incorrectly spelt!). He was great with our son.