The Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa is a luxury resort in the North Male Atoll, only a speedboat ride away from Male International Airport. The marquee resort recently underwent a $20 million renovation so I was very curious to stay at the Sheraton Maldives, which was one of the first resorts ever created in the Maldives.
–

–
Reaching the Sheraton Maldives is very easy compared to most other resorts in the Maldives. We were greeted at the airport by a friendly representative who took care of our luggage and swiftly led us to the boat. Only 15 minutes later we stepped onto the dock of the Sheraton Maldives! Now, this may seem like a normal travel experience, but trust me that this is wonderful compared to how resorts in the Maldives must usually be reached. Most resorts require another one hour flight with either a seaplane or a domestic plane, often followed by a  speedboat ride. Since these flights are not available all day, you usually end up having to stay a night at a hotel near Male International airport. In contrast, the speedboat to Sheraton Maldives runs 24/7 so this is really convenient, especially if you arrive on Male airport in the evening.
–

–
THE RESORT //
The first thing that struck me about the Sheraton Maldives is that the island is very lush. There are many beautiful old banyan trees and all the plants, trees and flowers are clearly very well maintained. Kudos to the groundskeepers! Everything is within walking distance but if you really feel like taking it easy, there is always an electric buggy called the Turtle Stop that comes by every 5 to 10 minutes. I can imagine this is very practical when you travel with small children.
–

–
OUR OVER WATER VILLA //
There are 10 different room types at the Sheraton Maldives, varying from beach cottages to over water villas. We stayed at villa 149, a lovely renovated over water villa with private pool and direct access to the ocean. I thoroughly enjoyed that we could snorkel right in front of our villa and hop straight into our pool! I loved the styling of the renovated interior, with wooden ceiling, luxury textures and modern design accents. The most important feature, however, remains the crystal blue ocean right outside. Even the bathroom offered sea views from two sides through the huge windows!
–

–
RESTAURANTS
Part of the renovation was clearly spent on the dining options. There are no less than 7 restaurants with a wide variety of cuisine. Other than at Chopstix, the Chinese restaurant, we enjoyed a meal at every restaurant. Starting with breakfast, which is served at Feast restaurant in a mix of buffet style and many live cooking stations which combined offer an enormous variety of local, western and Asian cuisines. There were many different kinds of fruit to choose from, fresh pastries and sweet desserts. I opted mostly for the Asian offerings, like congee, dim sum and some local dishes like the tuna based Mas Huni, make sure to try it when you are in the Maldives! Meanwhile the boyfriend usually opted for a more Western style breakfast at the live stations with eggs (any style), waffles and pancakes.
–

–
My favorite lunch spots were the Anchorage Bar, where we also enjoyed a fun cocktail making class…
–

–
… and the beach bar Kakuni Hut with delicious Mexican fare, to be enjoyed at picnic tables on the shores of the beautiful lagoon.
–

–
The lunch at Indian restaurant Masala Hut was actually so spectacular that we couldn’t really eat dinner anymore that evening, so I strongly recommend that as a diner location, just like Thai restaurant Baan Thai that offers very delicate, true Thai dishes.
–

–
We really enjoyed the Arabic Night and Maldivian Night (both in cuisine and in entertainment!) at Feast, the fine dining experience at Sea Salt is the culinary highlight of everyone’s stay at the Sheraton Maldives. For us the fun started with a lunchtime cooking class practically on the beach and continued the next evening when we enjoyed an incredible featuring some of the best seafood I have ever eaten. The seafood platter is absolutely spectacular and I highly recommend following the suggestions of the excellent waiters.
–

–
EXPERIENCES //
Other than food, there are many experiences to enjoy at the Sheraton Maldives. There is the fully equipped gym, for the athletes among us. A daily activity schedule offers a variety of healthy activities to participate in. If you bring your kids, they’ll enjoy the Kids Club as much as you will meanwhile enjoy one of the many treatments at the also recently renovated Shine spa, which is situated on its own beautiful island, connected by a bridge.
–

–
We probably got very lucky to run into several large groups of spinner dolphins on a sunset dolphin cruise on our first day, but we were told there are almost always some dolphins around. Bring a camera and keep an eye out in every direction, because they will jump and dive around the boat on all sides. I already mentioned fun experiences to share as a couple, like the cocktail class in which we learned to create four cocktails, and the cooking class where we were taught how to create a curry.
–

–
Yet my favorite experience was definitely the Sandbank picnic. We took a speedboat for a beautiful boatride to a secluded sandbank, where the crew set up a lovely picnic spot. After the gorgeous picnic we took the boat to a remote reef where we snorkeled and marveled at the beautiful fish. If you are looking for a romantic activity in the Maldives, look no further than this Sandbank picnic!
–

–
An often overlooked feature of the best resorts is actually the key component: the staff. I think that this is an area where the Sheraton Maldives really stands out, as the staff members love to chat with you and help you out in every possible way. From pointing out the best, fresh new additions at breakfast to going the extra mile to set up an extra umbrella on the sandbar and rake away sharp shells, they’re all very warm and caring without ever being too uncomfortably subservient. Definitely take the time to ask where they are from, if they have any tips and you’ll enjoy your stay at the Sheraton Maldives even more!
–

*Pressstay at Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort and Spa – Maldives

All photos are taken with the DJI Mavic Pro & Canon EOS M5