SO/ Maldives

We recently stayed at SO Maldives from April 15-23, 2024 and it was absolutely incredible! Upon arrival at the Male airport, the resort had someone waiting to escort us to the speedboat to the island. The speedboat took about 15 minutes and when we arrived at SO Maldives we were greeted by our GEM (Guest Experience Maker) Riq. He checked us in and then took us around the small island on a buggy, showing us the 3 restaurants, the spa and gym and finally our overwater villa. The Room: We booked the Over Water Villa with an Oceanview and it was breathtaking! The villa includes an outdoor pool, a hanging net to lounge on, a round day bed and steps down to the ocean, which was always warmer than the pool. Inside the room had a king-size bed, a soaker tub with a separate shower, a minibar and a large closet. The Food: We opted for the package that included all of the food which I would recommend as each meal generally includes an appetizer, main and dessert each which would cost around $85USD per person (so $340USD/day not including breakfast which is cheaper) There are 3 restaurants, Lazuli Beach club is more casual and open for food from 10am-10pm and they serve pizza, burgers, salads and sandwiches. Citronelle is an Asian restaurant where the breakfast buffet (as well as al a carte options) is served 6:30-10am, lunch is 12-3pm and dinner is 6:30-10:30pm (Try the deep fried ice cream, it was my favourite!) Hadaba is a Middle Eastern restaurant open only for dinner 6:30-10:30pm. All of the restaurants are al a carte and you can eat at whichever one you want as many times as you want, your GEM just makes you your reservations. We did not get the package that includes drinks because we are not huge drinks but keep in mind that most of the drinks cost $22USD each. The Resort: 2 of my favourite things at the resort where that there are free bikes to use that you can ride to and from your villa (the whole resort is maybe 1km long and wide?) and that on most days there is a DJ paying chill music on the beach between 1-3pm and 7:30-10:30pm. The DJ was great and I loved dancing barefoot in the sand under the stars. The activities: When you arrive, they give you access to a website that lists all of the information you will need like the restaurant opening hours as well as the daily activities. We mostly relaxed so we only took part in 2 activities which were a latte-making class hosted by Maya (our favorite server from Lazuli) and a movie night on the beach under the stars. They also had day trips to the nearby Crossroads Island, a dolphin cruise, snorkelling trips, pizza-making classes, cocktail classes etc. Some of these are included and some cost extra. The Spa: Our package included 1 60 min massage each and the spa was amazing! They give you a cold towel and a cold butterfly tea when you arrive and the spa is beautiful and relaxing. The Service: The service from everyone was amazing! From the servers, especially Maya and Joe at Lazuli to all of t

Absolutely the best experience ever. We went for our honeymoon and could not have imagined better. It was everything and more thank you could fathom! Special S/O to Riq for being the absolute best host possible!! The staff was more than accommodating and everything was done with a smile on their faces. Customer service was a 12/10!

The resort was absolutely stunning with incredible staff who arranged everything from airport arrival, island transfers to and from the island and everything in between. Incredible facilities and even though it was at 80% capacity, it felt like no one was around and we had all the space we wanted. Yejin looked after everything we needed while we were there… She was amazing! Thank you to the whole SO team, what a truly memorable experience you are creating for your guests.

The resort was truly 5 star with 6 star staff who arranged everything from airport arrival, island transfers to our departure , the island facilities offered as little or as much as we wanted. Riq our GEM was great and nothing seemed to much trouble. If you want shopping this is not the stay for you .....but if you want beautiful rooms , service , quality food and a calm place to relax then 10 out of 10 for a first class holiday. Graham F

This is our second time in Maldives and it didn't disappoint. Riq made our stay extra special and went over and beyond. The views and facilities were amazing. The staff were amazing, thank you again to Riq, Jojo, Ryan, Zimyan, Maya, Luna, Budda, Afrah. You guys made it all the better. We would recommend this place without question.