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  >  All-inclusive hotel   >  Hotel Review: Avani+ Fares Resort, Maldives

Avani+ Fares is one of the new kids on the block in Baa Atoll. Set on the outer edge of the reef, Avani+ recently opened with rooms at an affordable price point, a fantastic Premium All-inclusive plan and a truly incredible house reef. We were excited to see what this new property had to offer!

Location: 5/5

Baa Atoll is notoriously one of the most sea-life rich atolls in the Maldives thanks to environmental protections that have been in place for decades. Baa Atoll also has restrictions on hotel construction and was the first atoll to ban plastics. Baa Atoll is approximately 45 minutes by seaplane away from Malé and has some of our absolutely favorite hotels including Milaidhoo, Soneva Fushi and Avani’s sister property, Anantara Kihavah.

Avani+ Fares is located on the outer edge of the atoll and there are very few occupied islands within view of the resort. It’s surrounded by stunning teal water and a beautiful house reef easily accessible from the overwater villas, beach and the arrival jetty.

Lobby & Check in experience: 4.5/5

Lobby and check in begins when you arrive at Velana International airport. You are greeted by an Avani+ Fares representative outside in the arrivals hall and taken to check into the seaplane in the main terminal. From there, you are escorted via Avani private shuttle to the seaplane terminal and taken to the shared Anantara, Niyama and Avani+ Fares lounge. The lounge is small but well stocked with snacks, soft drinks, tea & coffee as well as a shower and two restrooms. They do have internet and it’s a comfortable space to relax before your flight. There is a balcony as well to watch the seaplanes take off and land from. Typically, your wait in the lounge will be between 1.5-3 hours depending on other passengers and the seaplane scheduling.

Avani+ Fares leverages Manta Air, which is our favorite seaplane company thanks to their comfortable planes where they offer water and ear plugs. The flight to Avani is extremely scenic and you fly over dozens of hotels and islands along the way. Typically, you will drop people off along the way at other properties and we did stop at Anantara Kihavah before Avani.

Since we were arriving from COMO Maalifushi, we were greeted at the seaplane terminal and handed off to the Avani+ Fares representative for a seamless check in at the seaplane terminal.

When you arrive at the seaplane dock at Avani+, you are greeted by a guest service representative for a quick 2 minute boat ride. We were gifted a beach bag on the boat and greeted by members of the management team and staff on the arrival jetty. There was music and welcome beverages handed out to the guests before heading off on our buggy for an in room check in.

Rooms: 4/5

Avani+ Fares has a a nice selection of room types that range in price so there really is an option for everyone. We were checked into a Water Villa with sunset view but it’s worth noting that all rooms (with the exception of the suites) feature almost identical interiors.

There are three categories of rooms: Rooms (that can be booked as Pavilions), Villas and Residences.

The Ocean View and Beachfront rooms are the most standard room types and are located in two-story buildings with 4 rooms in them (2 ocean view, 2 beachfront). These can be booked as Pavilions (aka adjoining rooms or the entire 4-room pavilion). These are great options for budget conscious travelers who do not expect to spend a lot of time in their rooms and rather spend time at the main pool or beach.

Beach Villas and Beach Pool Villas are located along a gorgeous stretch of white sand and teal water between the arrival jetty and the water villa jetty. The Water Villas are located on the sunrise and sunset facing sides. The villas are a bit over 900 square feet including the exterior space and are a bit small by Maldives standards. That being said, they are extremely efficient and very well-appointed. Since the property is less than 2 years old, the furnishings and details are still very new and we found the room to have absolutely everything you would need, just displayed in compact ways. Every beach and water villa has the same interior structure. When you walk into the villa, there is a minibar, desk and vanity combo area complete with a fridge, nespresso and snack cart. There are two bar stools at the minibar/desk and the vanity is cleverly tucked on the end of the desk and can be pulled up to expose a mirror.

The closet is next to the minibar setup and is very small and not ideal if you have a lot of luggage. That being said, it’s also extremely well equipped with three different types of hangers for all your clothes, two different sets of bathrobes, a safe, slippers and flip flops.

The bed is located on the other side of the closet-desk-minibar combo area and is plush and comfortable. Master switches are located on both sides of the bed and you can control all the lighting from the bed.

The bathroom is located in the back of the villa and features one sink, a toilet room and large shower room. There is also an exterior shower located off the shower room as well as a soaking tub. The bathroom is very private overall, which we absolutely loved.

The main differences in the villas are around the exterior. The beach villas and beach pool villas are mostly tucked back behind mangroves and very private. If you are looking to book a beach villa with a view, be sure to let your travel advisor or the hotel know as there is a selection of villas that is less private and have great views. There is a plunge pool in the beach pool villas off the deck as well as a dinette, hanging chair and chaise loungers.

The water villas without pools feature two chaise loungers, a dinette and a beautiful glass railing that makes it feel more like a cruise ship due to how incredibly close the water feels. It’s extremely well done and we absolutely loved our water villa. There are stairs right off the deck that lead down to the water with gorgeous reef beneath it. The water pool villas do not have a glass railing as the pool sits as an infinity edge pool. They also feature an umbrella and lounger that are not available on the water villas with a pool.

The pool villas are worth the upgrade if you don’t love swimming in the lagoon or like to take a dip in a refreshing pool, but the water villas are gorgeous and absolutely amazing if you prefer the lagoon.

One thing to note about the water villas and water pool villas is that they are extremely private from the outside. They all feature tall wooden doors and are completely walled in. There is one window from the bathroom out to the jetty that you can close the blinds to and you would have no idea that someone is in the room. For guests looking for a private experience, the water villas are actually more private the majority of the beach villas, making this a fantastic option if you’re looking for a private experience overwater. We loved that you are unable to see into the rooms from the jetty.

The residences are a bit different and feature multiple bedrooms, large living rooms and beautiful outdoor seating areas and pools. They are priced very well comparatively speaking to other properties and have upgraded amenities like glass floors and kitchenettes. These are excellent for larger families or groups of friends.

Overall, the quality of the villas and rooms themselves is very high. The amenities are excellent, cleverly branded and they have absolutely everything you can think of in the rooms. They are very small compared to Maldives standards, particularly if you travel with a lot of luggage or are traveling as a family. That being said, for the price point it’s a fantastic option and the rooms are very comfortable and quiet.

Service: 4/5

Avani+ Fares is a new property and it’s clear that staff are very excited to there and be part of a great new resort offering. We ran into multiple staff members we had met at other resorts over the years which is always an amazing experience. Overall, the service quality by individual staff members is very high. The resort does not have personal butlers, but instead assigns you a guest service representative that is available via Whatsapp for questions, reservations and requests.

They do offer twice daily housekeeping and overall the housekeeping is very good. We interacted with multiple housekeepers and managers on the jetty who stopped to ask us how our room was and if there was anything they could do to improve. We felt this was a really nice touch because they take great pride in the work they do. On our last night, our housekeeper decorated our bed in great detail and it was so personalized and well-done. It was a wonderful send off from a great stay. There were a few misses in housekeeping where the door in the bathroom out to the jetty was left open one day or they forgot to replace the waters, but they were quick to address mistakes when we mentioned it.

Dining: 4/5

Avani+ has a variety of dining options and overall, the food is very good. They have several meal plans which can be a bit confusing but we will break down each one and its inclusions as well as provide our recommendations for booking.

The Ocean Terrace is the main buffet dining restaurant on property and is available for all meal plans. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and the breakfast does offer sparkling wine included. The food is simple, but overall tasty though does not change much day to day.

Skipjack Bar is located on the main pool deck and serves lunch daily as well as dinner on most evenings. It is an a la carte dining option included in the full board and all inclusive plans. The menu is size-able with a variety of fresh and delicious options. This was by far our favorite place to dine on property.

Tribe is a bar located down the beach from Skipjack and is open in the evenings for sunset and beyond. It’s a very cool space with swing-chairs and sunken seating and there is a DJ that plays daily. We absolutely loved having a cocktail here and it’s a fantastic vibe overall. All the cocktails are available on the premium all inclusive plan and I would highly recommend watching sunset from here.

Charcoal is located next to the Tribe and is the only restaurant not truly included on any meal plan. The food is fantastic here, but it was sadly always empty because all-inclusive guests are only entitled to $40 per person credit and the prices are quite high. We had a wonderful dinner with a delicious seafood platter and the flavors were fantastic thanks to the fact that everything is cooked on charcoal. We did recommend they include this on the premium plan, which appears to be something they are considering for next year.

Smuggler’s Shack is a tiki-inspired bar on the eastern side of the island and has tapas as well as a variety of rum-based tiki drinks. They serve lunch here as well as the all-day bar and it’s a fantastic area to spend the day. The beach is stunning and you have direct access to the house reef just off the beach.

They do also have an indoor bar with light bites in the lobby called Hammock. It is included on the Premium all inclusive plan.

Avani+ Fares offers bed & breakfast, half board (breakfast and dinner), full board (breakfast, lunch and dinner), all-inclusive and premium all-inclusive. In my professional opinion, I would opt for the premium-all inclusive plan for a few reasons. The food and drinks are priced very high on property. Relatively speaking, a cocktail at Avani+ will run you $24-30 which is the same as Milaidhoo. In fact, most of their wines by the glass are priced higher than at Patina. The Premium All Inclusive plan is excellent and does include an extensive menu of drinks and restaurant options. The standard all-inclusive plan has a large number of upsells on drinks, where you’d still be paying $4-10 for items that really shouldn’t be charged extra for. There are very limited options that are truly included on the standard all-inclusive plan. The Premium plan guarantees that you won’t end up with a bill at the end of your meals. While the dining itself and quality of the offerings is very high, we did rate the dining a 4 due to the confusing and somewhat frustrating meal plans that have previously led to frustration from guests. We advise all our tavelers to book Premium All-inclusive at Avani+ to ensure the best experience.

Facilities: 4.5/5

Avani+ Fares is a new property and has done a great job constructing amenities and facilities that travelers today are looking for, including an excellent spa and a spectacular gym.

The spa is located in the center of the property and features Malin+Goetz products. We had the chance to experience a wonderful couples massage at the spa and highly recommend building in enough time to relax and enjoy the facilities. They offer a steam and sauna and lovely relaxation area.

The gym is located near the main pool and is a collection of buildings including the main fitness center, yoga/meditation room and the lounge room. The fitness center has brand new technogym equipment, wood way style treadmills and cardio equipment as well as weights machines and free weights. They also have cold towels and water available. There is a separate yoga and meditation room across from the fitness center as well as a big lounge room with foosball, ping pong, video games and lounge space. During our stay, we didn’t see anyone in there but it’s a great space to hang out if it’s raining. The resort does offer some fitness activities, though the schedule is a bit limited during weekdays. On the weekends, you can find pretty stacked events such as HIIT cardio classes, yoga and more. Hopefully in the high season they will add to their activities list to have some more fun fitness activities throughout the day.

They do have a water sports center located near the fitness pavilion that offers paid access to sailing, paddleboards, windsurfs, kiteboard equipment and more. Guests on the All-Inclusive plan do have access to kayaks complimentary for 1 hour. All-inclusive Premium guests do also get 1 sunset cruise per stay per person which is run through the water sports center.

The Dive Center is also located near the water sports center and offers paid excursions for snorkeling and diving. We took part in a guided snorkel on the house reef and it was a great way to experience the best of the reef. They do have daily dives as well but it is priced a bit high. If you do like diving, Baa Atoll is known for its incredible sealife and it’s worth budgeting for.

Finally, my favorite facility was the shop, Island Bazaar. Avani partnered with a local community bazaar concept to bring the shop to the resort and they sell goods made by Maldivian artisans. We love this store and this concept and the shop has amazing clothing, accessories and jewelry. The prices are reasonable and you’re directly supporting local Maldivian artists by shopping here. This is the first resort to have this concept and we absolutely love it.

Overall, there is a lot happening around property if you are looking for activities, water sports or a fantastic spa and wellness facility. We loved the modern gym equipment, the relaxing and excellent spa and the main pool area that looks out over the beautiful lagoon.

Style: 4.5/5

Avani+ Fares is a new property and offers a beautiful, modern aesthetic that is very thorough and considered across the rooms, public spaces and the island itself. The branding of all the amenities and spaces are clever and almost youthful in a fun way. We found there to be ample lounge areas, including the air conditioned lobby and air-conditioned main restaurant, Ocean Terrace. Being a new property, they really nailed the needs of travelers today by offering excellent fitness facilities, comfortable seating and generally modern style throughout.

The rooms and villas are quite small which is the one downside we see about the rooms. While they are very efficiently designed, it can be quite cramped with extra luggage or a third person in the room.

Overall: 4.4/5

Overall, Avani+ Fares is an incredible new property that sits on arguably the best house reef we have seen in a long time. It’s a fantastic property aesthetically and from a facilities perspective and it’s my personal opinion that booking the Premium All-inclusive plan is an absolute must-do to maximize your experience at the the resort. Be sure to contact us for exclusive rates if you’re looking at Avani for your next vacation.

Disclaimer: We were hosted by Avani+ Fares on a media stay. Please know the opinions expressed are all our own and may not reflect the hotel’s own views.

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