Nova Resort was chosen after much online research. It was our first visit to the Maldives and so this review contains no comparisons to previous Maldivian experiences. The headline summary is however, that after over 30 years of holidaying as a couple, this resort and holiday ranks as number one. From the moment we arrived, to when we left, we couldn’t find a fault with the staff or the facilities. A holiday in paradise where we were perfectly looked after. The number of guests that the complex accommodates is up to about 180. (There are more staff than guests). It means that it never felt busy. We were there in late February and didn’t get troubled by mosquitoes or other insects. Not sure whether that is a benefit of when we visited or is the norm. It is worth noting that the entire resort has undergone a renovation approximately 18 months ago and so none of the facilities are ‘tired’. Staff Without exception, every member of staff was pleasant, had a smile on their face and went out of their way to make sure that you were happy and well looked after. This included the ‘behind the scenes’ staff such as the maintenance and house keeping teams. Discussions with staff confirmed that Nova looks after their employees and that probably goes along way to them recruiting and retaining staff with the right attitude. Dining Most meals were taken at the ‘Soul Kitchen’ which was a buffet and self service. The food was varied with daily choices to suit all tastes. The buffet area where the food is collected is a separate air-conditioned room from the dining area. This ensured that the food was kept in a temperature controlled environment. The waiting staff were amazing - kept our drinks topped up, water glasses refilled and plates cleared as we finished each course. They worked hard, but importantly there were enough staff on duty all the time. We ate at ‘Flames’ on three occasions, where it is a fully-served ‘a la carte’. The quality of the food and the service was excellent, but not all dishes were included as part of the ‘all inclusive’ package. That felt a bit strange and maybe it would be better to give a financial ‘allowance’ to all-inclusive diners rather than a small discount off some dishes. As an example, you could have a 220g rib-eye steak as part of the package, but you have to pay for a 220g sirloin steak. We also paid extra for the ‘Fish BBQ on the beach’, which was excellent, but again felt that maybe more than a 15% discount as an all-inclusive guest would have been appropriate. Diving The diving experiences and the team at ‘Aquaholics’ were super. One of the most professional outfits that I have dived with. Whilst the corals in the area are badly bleached, the marine life is fantastically varied and plentiful. Successful trips were organised to snorkel with Whale Sharks and dive with Manta Rays. That coupled with the ‘normal’ sharks, napoleon wrasse, turtles etc etc made for a memorable week of dives. The dive crew knew their dive sites
