Highlights
- Larger Private island resort
- Excellent value
- Excellent house reef
- Family friendly
Start planning your tailor-made trip by calling one of our specialists on 855 686 7694
EnquireBandos is a well-established private island resort offering excellent value, easy speedboat transfers from Male, an excellent house reef and a range of sports facilities.
The resort is home to the Maldives’ longest running diving establishment and is very popular with divers of all capabilities thanks to its abundance of high-quality dive sites. It’s conveniently located close to Velana International Airport and the capital city of Male, with speedboat transfers taking just 10-15 minutes. The draw-back of this location is that you are somewhat exposed to aircraft flights.
There’s a range of accommodation choices to suit all budgets, from standard beachfront rooms, to deluxe water villas set over the sparkling blue sea. Common to all types of accommodation are air conditioning, a satellite TV, a minibar and tea and coffee making facilities. Most of the rooms are by the beach, while those facing inland offer pretty views of the island’s rich vegetation.
A huge variety of water sports are on offer from diving, surfing and sailing, to snorkeling and even extreme water sports. Submarine dives, island-hopping trips, sunset dolphin-spotting cruises, whale shark viewing expeditions and a number of fishing trips are all on offer. Back at the resort, guests can unwind in the Orchid Spa, which includes a salon and even offers age-appropriate activities especially for children. With a total of four restaurants and three bars, there’s plenty of choice for eating and drinking. The Gallery Restaurant is the resort’s main eatery and offers international cuisine, serving up three meals a day. Other dinner options include Thai cuisine at Koon Thai and teppanyaki at Umi Yaki. For light snacks and continental dishes, there’s the 24/7 Sea Breeze and for drinks, guests have the choice of the Pool Bar, the Huvan Bar or the Sand Bar with its eclectic line-up of live entertainment.
The resort welcomes children and there’s a ‘kids club’ that’s open daily from 8am to 5pm. There’s an outdoor playground, along with plenty of games and toys and lots of fun activities on offer. A babysitting service is available on request. Some of the resort’s entertainment shows, such as the children’s magic show, are particularly geared towards younger family members and there’s endless fun to be had in the pool, games room and on the beach. Parents are reminded to keep youngsters under adult supervision at all times.
I would like to say a massive thank you for organising our Vietnam trip. The itinerary and execution were superb, as was the attention to detail. I would also like to thank the agent who was on the end of my whats app chat (I have no idea who they were!) – always available, always quick to respond, and kept me updated regarding times etc. Also, the guides Dan (north) and Tien (mid) were just excellent, and we really enjoyed their company. The lady (whose name I have forgotten) who was our additional guide for the DMZ day was exceedingly good and made that day very special.
fiona g reviewing Complete Vietnam For Families on 15 April 2024
Trip was great and all the arrangements were excellent so thank you for all the help!
Drivers and transfers were all good - on time and very good service on each trip.
Accommodation was lovely - Douar Samra was amazing (weather could have been better but lovely regardless). Riad in Marrakesh was also great!
All in all a great trip and we loved the variety of the mountains, Marrakesh and the coast.
Thanks you once again!
Hardeep S reviewing Boutique Marrakech & Atlas Mountains on 15 April 2024
I was also just about to email you to thank you and the team for arranging yet again, another wonderful experience.
Mount Kenya was spectacular and wild - I think I prefer it to Kili in many ways. The entire support team was professional, friendly and all round fantastic in making sure that we were safe, well fed and well looked after. In particular, we would commend Peter the guide as well as Paul one of the porters who doubled-up as his deputy on summit day. Our route was often shrouded in mist and rain that rapidly gathered in the valleys and moorlands, and we were very impressed at how Peter managed to navigate us safely through all of that notwithstanding. In addition, we loved learning about the history of Mount Kenya from him in the evenings. And ofcourse, I was blown away by the lovely birthday surprise at the end complete with balloons and a delicious cake that had journeyed with us from day 1. One thing we might recommend because of the sudden change in weather (it would sometimes get extremely cold and wet) is for the equipment list to be a little bit more detailed in terms of its recommendations e.g. layers to be moisture-wicking, walking boots be waterproof, doubling up on socks to avoid blisters etc.
El Karama is a beautiful conservancy and the lodge a true labour of love. Great hospitality in a relaxed environment. Delicious, fresh food. We enjoyed the drives, even if we didn't see much wildlife as the heavens opened on us for the last two outings. However, since it was very much geared towards families, I am not sure if I would stay again without kids. That said, I think it was perfect for a 3d/2n stay post mountain, and a much better choice than flying to the masai mara given the limited time we had.
Our transits were smooth. Samuel the driver was always on time, drove safely and kept the vehicle clean.
So it was a brilliant experience and one which I certainly will cherish for some time to come. It was great to work with you for a third time, and I certainly hope it won't be the last
Juhae C reviewing Mount Kenya Sirimon Naro Moru Trek on 01 March 2024