Sun Siyam Olhuveli – Maldives – Hotel Review
The Sun Siyam Olhuveli belongs to the Sun Siyam Resorts Group that owns and manages five luxury private island properties in the Maldives and a boutique beach retreat on Sri Lanka. We had the pleasure of staying 10 days at the Sun Siyam Olhuveli on our second visit to the beautiful Maldives. This hotel review will give you an overview of this resort’s unique features and what to expect when staying there.
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The Location
The luxurious 4-star Sun Siyam Olhuveli Resort is located on Olhuveli in the South Malé Atoll, featuring long stretches of white sand and a beautiful lagoon with crystal clear water. The resort itself consists of three islands that are connected by two bridges. Olhuveli is the main island where most of the activities take place. The other two islands, Dream Island and Romance Island, were opened up later. Romance Island is an adults-only island.
The Transfer & Check-in
After picking up our luggage at the airport, one of the resort’s team members greeted us at arrivals. To get to the resort, we were guided to the harbor (which is directly at the airport) to take a speedboat. The speedboat ride from the port to the resort took about 45 minutes and was relatively smooth. Just be aware that the ride also can be rough sometimes (as on our way back) depending on the weather conditions and the waves.
The speedboat shuttle itself comes at an extra cost unless you book a package deal (like we did) where the transfer is already included.
Arriving at the resort’s main jetty, a handful of smiling staff members welcomed us and took care of us and our luggage. We got a delicious welcome drink at check-in before a golf cart took us to our over-water villa at the south end of the island. We felt warmly welcomed at Sun Siyam Olhuveli.
The Property & Amenities
Sun Siyam Olhuveli offers more than 300 bungalows and features 9 restaurants and 5 bars scattered over the three islands.
The reception area and most of the buildings on Olhuveli are designed in a traditional Maldivian style. The reception is an open style lobby, including a seating area with multiple sofas. It also includes a concierge service.
The resort features 4 pools: one infinity pool per island and one main pool in addition on Olhuveli. We spent most of our time at the infinity pool on Olhuveli. This pool is also a perfect spot to watch the sunset with a drink in your hand.
The resort also offers two spa areas and a gym. Carsten used the small gym area behind the reception every day which is equipped with the essentials. Additionally, guests can find a few typical island shops close to the reception area.
Ultimately, the resort boasts a beautiful house reef close to the jetty, which is easily accessible. We went snorkeling every day and absolutely loved the spectacular marine life. We saw everything from turtles to reef sharks to rays, and lots of other colorful fish.
The resort is also a possible wedding venue.
The Rooms
Sun Siyam Olhuveli features over 300 bungalows, divided into two categories: beach villas and water villas. Within the categories, the resort offers 5 different types of beach villas and 8 different types of water villas.
We stayed in a Jacuzzi Water Villas, a classically-styled Maldivian over-water bungalow. The room itself was spacious and measured about 82 square meters. Thanks to the floor-to-ceiling terrace doors, we had magnificent views over the turquoise lagoon. The villa was equipped with a comfortable king bed, a sofa, a small dressing area, air conditioning, and free Wi-Fi. The bathroom featured two sinks, an indoor shower, and a freestanding bathtub in front of a large window front. My favorite part of the villa was the outdoor sundeck with two sunbeds and an outdoor jacuzzi. From our private sundeck, we could jump right into the water and swim or snorkel anytime. The sundeck also offered a great amount of privacy at the same time.
I really liked the features of our Jacuzzi Water Villa, however, the traditional furniture in this room type was a bit too outdated for my liking. I liked the furniture and design of other room types way better (some are even entirely new).
The Restaurants & Bars
The resort offers 9 restaurants. The Sunset Restaurant is the main restaurant on Olhuveli, which offers buffet-style breakfast, lunch and dinner. Malaafaiy is the equivalent for guests staying on Dream Island or Romance Island. For dinner, the main restaurants have a different theme every night and include live-cooking.
Apart from the two main restaurants, there are seven other restaurants. The Lagoon Bar and Island Pizza offer rather casual food options for lunch. For a more exquisite dining experience, you can visit one of the à-la-carte restaurants that feature Italian fine dining (L’Amore), surf and turf from the grill (Maghrib Grill), live cooking of fish and seafood with pavilion seating (Namaste), classic Asian dishes (Siyam Orchid) and authentic Japanese sushi (Teppanyaki). It’s also possible to request destination dining. So, you can dine wherever you want, like under the stars, on a secluded sandbank, or in the privacy of your villa.
We booked an all-inclusive package and always enjoyed our breakfast at the Siyam Orchid restaurant (only possible for water villa guests). For lunch, we went to Island Pizza (expect long waiting times) or the Sunset Restaurant, where we also mainly went for dinner. Generally, I would always recommend booking all-inclusive in the Maldives because the restaurant prices are at the higher end.
The resort also features 5 bars that are spread over the islands. Three of them are located on Olhuveli, whereas the other islands have one each. The Dhoni Bar was our favorite bar because it was the closest bar to our Jacuzzi Water Villa and located right at the infinity pool. It features a chic lounge with some of the island’s best sunset views while offering tasty cocktails and drinks.
The Staff
The resort staff was very welcoming during our stay. Everyone had a genuine smile on their face and greeted us when passing by. The reception staff was eager to help and make the stay as perfect as possible. Upon request, they moved us further up the bungalow line as our first water villa was basically on a sandbank and we preferred to have a water villa where we could directly have a dip into the lagoon. The service team in the restaurants and bars was very attentive and quick with regard to taking orders, serving drinks and cleaning the table. The housekeeping staff and the gardeners did a great job as well, keeping the room and the resort clean and tidy, so it always looked and felt like the paradise it is.
Activities
The resort offers a variety of activities for sports and recreation. At the dive center of the resort, you can book diving trips and lessons and borrow snorkeling gear for a quick snorkel at the house reef. At the main sports center, other water-related activities are offered such as SUP, wind/kite surfing, kayaking, parasailing, jet-skiing, or even hoverboarding. The lagoon is the perfect playground for every water sports lover. I really loved kayaking and stand up paddle boarding in the crystal-clear waters. We also had a 15-minute jet-ski ride included in our package which was so much fun!
Apart from water-related activities, you can play tennis, badminton, darts, table tennis, football and beach volleyball.
In addition, the resort offers various excursions. We opted for a dolphin sunset cruise. It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of our stay. We spotted some big pods of dolphins that were so playful and kept flipping all the time. It was such an unforgettable experience to watch the dolphins while witnessing the most breathtaking sunset. A truly magical moment!
Spa & Wellness
Sun Siyam Olhuveli features two Sun Spa areas that are the perfect place to unwind fully. One is hidden amongst lush vegetation on Olhuveli, in contrast, the other is located in an over-water Pavillon on Dream Island. The Sun Spas offer an extensive range of therapies, treatments and massages combining traditional Asian rituals with modern Western practices. We enjoyed a complimentary neck-shoulder massage at the beginning of our stay. The massage was very relaxing and most of the tensions we had from the long flights were relieved.
The One Unique Thing
The One Unique Thing of the Sun Siyam Olhuveli: You are spoilt for choice! You can choose between 3 dreamy islands, 13 different room types and 9 restaurants and that all in one resort.
Conclusion
The 4-star Sun Siyam Olhuveli resort is definitely a good choice if you are looking for a luxurious vacation that comes at a reasonable price. As mentioned, the options at this resort are endless regardless of whether it’s room types, restaurants or activities on the islands. That being said, the resort is vast compared to other islands in the Maldives, especially after they opened up two more islands. So, if you are looking for an intimate island experience, there might be better choices in the Maldives. If you plan to spend most of the time around your villa and in the water, privacy is not an issue. Depending on which of the three islands you decide to stay on, Sun Siyam Olhuveli is an excellent pick for couples and for families with kids. All in all, Sun Siyam Olhuveli is a wonderful place to experience a relaxing Maldives vacation.
You may also enjoy reading: Maldives Travel Guide – Best Things to Do in the Maldives
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