Gaafu Alifu is part my personal favourite atoll, for its ideal round islands in the middle and its storied inhabited islands around the edge. One such inhabited island is Gaadhu, which produces the best grass mats in the world, it’s neighbour is Gan, which has the ruins of a Buddhist temple lost in the jungle, and another is Fiori, which grows yams and the grass for the mats and has one of the country’s best surf breaks.
Robinson Club’s island name is Funa Madua and there should be ‘smile’ as well as ‘fun’ its name. The island has many tall palms lining its shore and a wide, deep and soft beach without a wall orgroyne. There is a small but sufficient clear swimming area and corals out to the reef edge. Snorkeling is excellent and easily reached.
The only blemish to a perfect resort island is the vegetation in the middle of the island that was cleared quite unsympathetically for the buildings. The gardeners are working to replenish the plants and flowers. Evidently, environmental matters are taken seriously across all the Robinson Club properties and here a permanent Environment Officer is assisted by 2 other members of staff.
Although it is true to say that staff make a resort, there are not many companies that have a clear philosophy of service and high standards that all staff buy into, but at Robinson Club it seems to be the case. Smiles and an easy air of helpfulness pervade the resort, from the boat crew to the General Manager serving at the pasta counter.
The club concept is there but it is toned down for the Maldives. There is no theatre for nightly entertainment as there is in the other properties. There is one unplugged night from Mezzo, one of the best Maldivian bands, and another night of them plugged. There is also a movie night and a White Night, where everyone dresses up in white and feels special. A programme of activities and entertainments is put in each room at turn-down service and is available also at reception, the dining room and the bar.
The bar is large and sociable but also has areas where you can go to play table tennis or pool or sit quietly. One area, Zero 32, is a small library that is superbly stocked with huge, hardbacked Taschen books on subjects as varied as parrots, Japanese prints, great cities and antique maps.
Every guest comes on the same full-board basis. Drinks are not only free at meal times but the waiters come around to make sure you are topped up with beer, wine or whatever you are drinking. For chargeable items, the room key acts as a credit card. An excellent system as things gets logged onto your bill immediately and without fuss.
Even among the great buffets laid out each day in the Maldives, these are stand-out spreads. At breakfast, soft music eases you into the day as a waiter offers you espresso, macchiato, cappuccino or filter coffee. It’s very impressive and goes from there. Tables fit either 2, 4, 6 or 8 people. Guests sit with guests, management, guest relations and other staff sit wherever. There are introductions: acquaintances made and holidays enhanced.
The rooms are practical rather than spectacular. The Garden Villas are the first to be booked out. Size and status of the room is not what Robinson Club is about, it is other aspects of the holiday that are emphasised here. Nonetheless these are good rooms with similar interiors to the other categories. Though a little smaller and with only 1 basin, they are more open than the other villas and have good privacy. The Water Villas are fairly large and have big, private decks from where you can swim to the reef drop-off. Their bathroom is smart with a minimal fuss design and a bath tub that looks out over the deck to the sea.
This is a barefoot place but the buildings are a bit straight and strict as Robinson Club had to finish a half-completed resort. The built environment doesn’t have a natural, cosy, thatched feel but you would rarely remember that as you fill your days with good memories.
Another downside is the transfer from the airport, with a lengthy domestic flight and then a long, sometimes bumpy speedboat ride to the island. The domestic flight (rather than seaplane) means transfers can happen after dark, and may explain the number of Asian guests who have discovered the island. I recommend it to everybody else.