The 16hr travelling was forgotten the minute you arrive at the jetty via speedboat the view is paradise. Check in was very quick and we were in our villa within 15 minutes. We have a jacuzzi villa on the sunset side of the island which is the better side, the sunrise villas have the rough sea.
The villa was huge with a large 4 poster bed, outdoor bathroom with a jacuzzi and 2 sun beds and the back of the villa a big veranda with table and chairs and another 2 sun beds on the sand. We had number 508 which was roughly in the middle of the island which I was glad about
The beach by the villas is beautiful and the sea so calm and warm. We went to the far south of the island which had a beach bar and ample of sun beds and did a bit of snorkelling.
The food was very good always something that I liked and I am a very fussy eater. Our waiter Ikeel was lovely and very knowledgeable about the island and I liked the idea of having the same waiter and table throughout our stay.
We went to the Dhoni bar a few evenings but we liked the Meera bar staff amazing. We got to know them all quite well as we always used the pool there as it was only a minute walk to the villa. We had the pool practically to ourselves the first few days then maybe 6 people towards the end of the week The waiters Shahumeen , Sampack and another waiter from Bangladesh were amazing. As soon as we got to our sun beds we had drinks brought over to us and help with parasols etc. On our last night Shahumeen set up a table on the beach with lights in the trees and a sculpture of a dolphin in the sand with a message hope to see you soon I was gobsmacked did not know what to say. He was amazing a credit to the hotel. Also we only got coffee mate in the room so we asked the bar for proper milk so they delivered a big glass to our villa for us
The dolphin trip was amazing best I’ve ever been on and I do a dolphin trip every holiday, there were loads of dolphins jumping out of the water doing turns in the air fabulous. We got that trip free due to being all inclusive maximum of 18 on the boat. This is a must trip to do.
Our housekeeper was Rubel and he also was amazing. He came twice a day and always had a chat with us if we were in.
All in all a fabulous holiday where all the staff said good morning or just hello and cannot wait to go back. I even learnt to ride a bike whilst I was there but hard work in that heat. Beware the sun is very strong we sat in the shade most of the week.

Just back from a wonderful holiday at this resort, we stayed in a sunset beach villa which faced west of the island which the calmer beach side of the resort. Our villa was spacious and cleaned twice a day , you couldn’t fault the cleanliness throughout the resort.
We have visited the Maldives four times and this is by far the largest island we have been to, we enjoyed the use of the free bikes that came with each villa on all inclusive. Alternatively you can walk around or get a free electric buggy if the heat gets to you. We liked the idea of having your own table in the restaurant reserved for you with your own waiter for drinks although the food was buffet style with a really good selection each day. All of the staff are very eager to please and very helpful and friendly.

Canareef resort is one of the nicest places I've ever had the pleasure to stay in.
Let me provide some details to why I have this impression:
1. The resort is huge, about 4.5 km in lengthand the infrastructure is very well maintained, therefore is easy to get around using either bycicles or the buggy service(free of charge);
2. The Sunset Villas are the best, IMHO, because you have your own beach 10m away from the villa, the sea is calm and the water is like in the movies :)....on top of that, there were times when we were the only persons on the beach, or in the sea....the feeling of being by yourself in that majestic place is worth every penny;
3. The water is not deep at all....you can walk 4-5 hundred meters before water level goes beyond 2 meters...perfect place to learn how to swim, do snorkeling, etc( we've seen very small sharks in the water near the beach twice in 10 days);
4. The staff is ultra friendly, you can see it from the moment you checkin until you checkout ....they will fo everything in their power to make you welcomed and enjoy the experience;
5. The food and drinks are good, not the most diverse( the morning omlet was my favourite), personally, being an european, I would have wanted to taste mango, but they don't have it....the alcohol drinks are very,very expensive ( a bad wine from Spain, that you find in the supermarket at 3-4 $, in the resort it costs ~25 $); the resort wine,white or red, cost 7$/glass and is much better
6. You can do a lot of activities( water sports, scuba diving, they have tennis fields, gym, etc)...again the prices are not cheap
7. Wireless was available in our villa and the main facilities, free of charge.

The thing I enjoyed the most in this resort was the SILENCE and the calm of the area, it was not crowded with turists( according to the manager the resort can facilitate 516 turists, and they have 370 staff members) and we were able to disconnect from the noise and crowd of our daily life.

I would definitely like to go back one day,
Andrei