After my stay in Adaaran Meedhupparu, Hudhuranfushi and Prestige Vadoo I completed all the Adaaran Maldives resorts by visiting Adaaran Club Rannalhi. It was already my 4th trip to Maldives in 2 years time and eventually this became the longest one of all. In total I stayed 22 days in paradise checking out the most amazing resorts in Maldives. In total I stayed 6 nights in Adaaran Maldives so I was able to write you an in-depth review about the Club Rannalhi resort.
1. Where is Adaaran Club Rannalhi
The distance from Male Airport to Rannalhi is about 30 kilometers and after a very convenient speedboat ride of 40 minutes I arrived on the island. Airport reps will be waiting for you at arrival with a big sign. May you miss them enter the hall with all the hotel booths and you will find the Adaaran Maldives desk on your right hand side all the way in the corner.
There are multiple boats driving guest up an down From Rannalhi to the airport all day long so you will never have to wait too long. When I arrived from Adaaran Meedhupparu I wanted to buy a sim card in Maldives but there was hardly time, the boat was leaving already.
Sometimes the speedboat first stops at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo which is on the way.
Reef safe sunscreen
Are you aware that the standard sunscreen is harming the coral reefs badly? Get your eco friendly sunscreen here! Safe the ocean, safe the planet!
Adaaran Club Rannalhi seen from the air.
Sunsets at Adaaran Maldives Club Rannalhi.
Walking all day barefoot feels so good! I am all about those Maldives holidays... may be one of the best things about traveling to Maldives.
2. Arriving at Rannalhi
Upon arrival there were a couple Maldivian staff members playing instruments, welcoming the new guests to the island. We were handed some refreshing cold towels and we sipped on the ice cold homemade ice tea while completing the check in. The reception desk is open 24 hours and JK, the Front Office manager and his team were amazingly helpful.
The arrival pier at Adaaran Club Rannalhi.
3. Club Rannalhi rooms
Although a fairly small island there are still more than 130 rooms at Adaaran Rannalhi. What I noticed straight away is that the buildings have two stories. I have now been to many resorts in Maldives and did not see that on a resort island yet.
I have also traveled to local islands in Maldives, a completely different experience!
Coincidentally I stayed in a second floor room, it was 102. The first room you walk up to when walking away from reception. My room was located perfectly as everything was within a couple meters walk. This room is the shortest to reception, the restaurant, the dive center and the cocktail bar. In terms of view there was none. The vegetation became too thick to peak through. It would have been great to have a little view from the balcony. But as the vegetation all around the island is pretty thick I am pretty sure most rooms on the second floor don’t have ocean views. Nature is all around you though.
The room was fairly big, I would say about a 20 sqm, excluding a 6 sqm shower. There was also a balcony with outdoor seating. There were electricity plugs all over to charge all my electronics and in the bathroom there were all the standard amenities provided.
4. Overwater villas Adaaran Club Rannalhi
As I did not stay in one of them it is hard for me to review this, but I have seen them from the inside. The bathrooms looked completely refurbished and modern, they have a private sun deck and a lot of natural light coming in because of the floor to ceiling windows. There are two different types.
Some Rannalhi overwater bungalows are made from wood, some are from concrete. Sorry that is all I can tell you about the Rannalhi overwater bungalows.
Click here for the Rannalhi overwater villa prices.
5. All inclusive package Adaaran Club Rannalhi
My stay was based on the all inclusive package, which I experienced as a great thing. All inclusive hotels in Maldives are definitely worth it if you don’t want to break the bank and like to have a bunch of drinks every day. All in all this this is your holiday, right?
I am not much of a heavy drinker myself but I like to just order whatever and whenever without having to think twice about how much it costs. Alcohol is expensive in this country and expect to pay a lot for it on your Maldives holiday unless you opt for one of the all inclusive packages.
The Club Rannalhi all inclusive package offers you 3 meals a day all in the main buffet restaurant and unlimited drinks from 09.00 - 00.00. Gin, vodka, rum, whiskey and beers are all included so you can order your favorite mix. There is also a wide range of cocktails available! If you are a fan of drinking or traveling to Maldives in a group I would definitely recommend the Adaaran Rannalhi all inclusive package.
Sunset from the Cocktail bar.
6. Bars Club Rannalhi
There are two bars in the resort that are both open till midnight. Alcohol can be consumed here for free when you signed up for the Club Rannalhi all inclusive package. The Cocktail bar has a big pavilion with outdoor seating. This is the perfect spot to watch the sunset. Also there is live music at night.
Behind me there is the Nika Bar, a beach bar. Outside seating with your toes in the sand and good views over the piers and the overwater bungalows.
Playing with a lensball at Cocktail Bar for sunset.
7. Buffet restaurant
There is only one restaurant on the island and it is a buffet. There is an Italian chef working his magic on pastas and there is fresh seafood every day. Remarkably it was the only Adaaran resort that has no fresh fruit juices for breakfast and the fresh fruit was limited as well. All the others Adaaran resorts have! The restaurant is very airy with its high ceilings. Eating out felt uncomplicated and relaxed, the way it should be in Maldives. They serve South Asia and continental dishes on all buffets. It was a bit of a hit and miss to be honest, but the buffet is big so there is plenty of choice.
8. Private dinner on the beach
Of course things like this can be organized at the Rannalhi resort in Maldives. Surprise your partner with a romantic dinner for two under the stars. I enjoyed one during my stay at Club Rannalhi. No that it was a romantic dinner I was there with one of my best friends, but me and my travel buddy had a great night out. It was amazing to enjoy dinner on a completely deserted beach under thousands of stars.
9. Lively resort
Adaaran Club Rannalhi is a lively resort compared to other resorts in Maldives. Surprisingly bars tend to be busy until late, where in most resorts everything dies quickly after 21.00. Live music goes on till late and having drinks out on the pavilion and watching the stars is very much recommended.
10. Social resort
Hanging out for a couple days in the Rannalhi resort made me realize how social this island is. Guests interact with each other a lot and make friends. I got to know a couple people on the island and everyone is very friendly. Obviously because here in paradise there is no reason to be grumpy, right? But mind you that a lot of resorts in Maldives guests isolate themselves. For example at Adaaran Prestige Vadoo I hardly interacted with other guests.
11. No swimming pool
Mind you that Adaaran Club Rannalhi has no swimming pool. So far I think it is the first Maldives island resort I have been that has no swimming pool at all. That said the ocean is crystal clear, so who needs s swimming pool?
12. House reef
There is a pretty big house reef surrounding the island and it surely is lively. I went for a snorkel and the visibility into the deep was not that good. But the housreef is very shallow and therefore you can pretty much always snorkel.
13. Snorkel with sharks
Apart from the house reef there are sightings of big nurse sharks next to the supply pier on a daily basis. If you are brave jump in around sunset and just hang around the pier. There is plenty of fish there anyway but if you are lucky you might also spot big nurse sharks of up to 2 meter. Don’t panic! These sharks are pretty much harmless. They move slowly and are not impressed by human interaction!
This nurse shark was probably bigger than me!
14. Excursions
Adaaran Maldives organizes daily excursions to local islands in Maldives and to Male, but also snorkel trips, fishing sunset cruises and shark feeding trips. You can sign up the day before at reception and there is a book with more information about the costs and the times. There are half day and full day trips and prices range from $20 to $100.
Interested in a day trip to Hulumale or Male, this is what you can expect.
15. Shark feeding trip
The cheapest excursion is the shark feeding trip and only cost $20. It leaves very early in the morning so set your alarm for around 06.00. But trust me this experience is totally worth it! I have seen many many marine life while diving, but never have I seen so many nurse sharks all together.
16. Snorkeling trip
As I am a big fan of snorkeling I signed up for one of the snorkel trips. We went to two different reefs and saw eagle rays, multiple turtles and eels. It was a great trip and took about 2,5 hours in total.
17. Dive center
I have been an avid diver for many years and have been scuba diving around the world. Unfortunately because of my eardrum problems I have not ben underwater for about 5 years now. A sad thing, but some day I hope I get the chance to dive again. That said I always walk into any dive center to have a chat. The Italian/German couple that runs the dive center at Adaaran Club Rannalhi are super friendly. Diving in Maldives is world class, if you are a diver have one for me!
The dive center at Club Rannalhi has good views!
18. Water sports
There are many options available: wind surfing, jet skis, water ski, wake boarding and even flyboarding.
19. No mosquitos
Although there is plenty vegetation there were hardly any mosquitos or at least they did not bite me. I bet you like to hear this about Adaaran Club Rannalhi. Who like Mosquitos anyway? Order your organic mosquitos repellent here. Be responsible, especially in a fragile environment like Maldives.
Wouldn't you be smiling in paradise!?
Review Adaaran Club Rannalhi
Most of the time on this trip to Maldives I was accompanied by my best blogger friend Dave from Jones Around The World. He is also the one who took these amazing Adaaran Club Rannalhi pictures. We had an absolutely cracking time enjoying our Maldives holidays at the Rannalhi resort. We enjoyed the social aspect of the resort, the laid-back vibe on the island and how quiet and deserted it looked while at the same time the Rannalhi resort was running full occupancy those days we were on the island.
Here is a little recap video to show you a little more, including drone footage!
Hope this review and all the information about Adaaran Club Prestige was helpful for you! Interested in the latest offers online for Adaaran Club Rannalhi then click here for the latest rates.