Emerald Collection

Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa

Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa

Emerald Maldives is a Deluxe All-Inclusive island in Raa Atoll, for couples and families who want the plan to cover every outlet on it. There are 120 villas split evenly between the beach and the water, on twenty hectares with 1.5 kilometres of white sand and a house reef you can swim to. Four restaurants, two bars, a dive centre and the Dolphin Kids Club are the rest of it, and the transfer takes about 45 minutes and is not in the rate. Guests praise the ease of a plan that works everywhere, the size of the villas and the overwater options, the food and the range of the restaurants, and the warmth of the service. The complaints are the cost and logistics of that transfer, premium items that sit outside the plan, and villa views that differ more than the categories suggest. The thing people wish they had known is that the resort takes most of the friction out of a Maldives booking, but the transfer and any premium exclusions still need settling before arrival. The Deluxe All-Inclusive formula applies in all the outlets, with Wi-Fi across the island and the kids' club included; the spa is charged, the ultra-premium bottles and the minibar's restocking rules are worth confirming against the current sheet, and the seaplane, or the domestic flight and speedboat, is extra. Compare those two transfer routes on timing before booking flights, because they land at different hours. A Water Villa with Pool is the couples' room and the Family Beach Villa is the one to take with children. Anyone counting the total cost should price the transfer first.