Bandos Island Resort & Spa
The Island | Accommodation | Restaurants & Bars | Excursions & Entertainment | Diving | Travel Info | Prices |
Introduction to Bandos Island Resort & Spa
Just 10 minutes from the International Airport, Bandos Island is a lively and attractive resort offering an excellent standard of accommodation and food. Sports facilities are superb, Bandos has a good size gym with up to date equipment and instructors for weights and aerobics. The island’s beaches are beautiful and the interior is rich with bougainvillea. Male Atoll has some of the best diving in the Maldives and Bandos Resort has an excellent house reef and superbly well run dive centre.
Island at a glance -
Location - South east side of North Male Atoll
Distance from Airport - 8km
Transfer Time - 10 minutes by speedboat
No of Rooms - 225, including Standard and Deluxe Rooms, Garden Villas, Jacuzzi Beach Villas and Water Villas
Meal Plan - Bed & Breakfast, half board, full board
Sports - Spa, gymnasium, squash courts, aerobics, tennis, badminton, volleyball, swimming pool, sauna, steambath, catamaran sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, parasailing, kneeboarding, scuba diving
House Reef Accessible - Yes
Rating - 4 Star
Accommodation
Standard Rooms: The Standard Rooms are conveniently located on the southern side of the island and are all beach-fronted and in blocks of four rooms adjacent to each other. Facilities include: double/twin bed, tiled floor, mini bar, International Direct Dial telephone, air-conditioning, beach beds with beach chairs, bathroom with shower, hot & cold water, hair dryer, satellite television, tea/coffee making facilities and electronic safety deposit box.
Deluxe Rooms: The Deluxe Rooms are all beach-fronted and in blocks of two rooms, each with inter-connecting doors and are more spacious with sitting/living area. The Deluxe Rooms are ideal for families with small children and have excellent access for wheelchair users. Facilities include: double/twin bed (some rooms have four-poster beds), tiled floor, mini bar, International Direct Dial telephone, air-conditioning, beach beds with beach chairs, bathroom with shower, bath tub, hot & cold water, hair dryer, satellite television, tea/coffee making facilities and electronic safety deposit box.
Garden Villas: All Garden Villas are located in the middle of the island, facing the landscaped gardens and the newly built swimming pool. These are full wooden chalets with private patio and are elegantly furnished. Facilities include: four-poster king size bed, mini bar, International Direct Dial telephone, airconditioning, bathroom with shower, hot & cold water, hair dryer, satellite television, tea/coffee making facilities and electronic safety deposit box.
Jacuzzi Beach Villas: The Jacuzzi Beach Villas were newly built in 2005 on the northern side of the island, with most modern facilities and amenities, yet blending in well with the tropical surroundings. Designed in loft type individual units with living room, bathroom, and Jacuzzi on the ground floor and the bedroom is located upstairs with a private balcony overlooking the azure lagoon. Facilities include: king size bed, mini bar, International Direct Dial telephone, airconditioning, beach bed with beach chair, bathroom with separate shower, hot & cold water, hair dryer, satellite television, tea/coffee making facilities and electronic safety deposit box.
Water Villas: The 2 exclusive Water Villas built in 2005, on stilts over the azure lagoon, are the first of their kind to be built on Bandos. These two luxurious and spacious Villas are designed with utmost care in ensuring comfort and privacy for their residents. A spacious living room gives you the breathtaking ocean view, leading to the large private sundeck with sun loungers. Facilities include: Jacuzzi, four-poster king size bed, mini bar, International Direct Dial telephone, air-conditioning, beach bed with beach chair, spacious bathroom with an excellent ocean view and direct access to the lagoon, hot & cold water, hair dryer, satellite television, tea/coffee making facilities and electronic safety deposit box.
Restaurants & Bars
Bandos Island Resort offers you six different culinary experiences, ranging from A La Carte to set menus:
The Harbour: This newly built and elegantly designed restaurant offers comfortable dining in either the air conditioned interior section, or outdoors on the large decked area where you can enjoy breathtaking views of the ocean. The Harbour specialises in fish and seafood meals, home-made pastas and a selection of tender steaks char grilled to your taste.
Gallery Restaurant: The main restaurant on Bandos, the Gallery Restaurant serves a range of local and international cuisines buffet style for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Sea Breeze Cafe: The Sea Breeze Café is situated by the water's edge and is open 24 hours a day. Meals offered range from quick snacks to an A La Carte Menu and specialities include Spaghetti Bolognaise, a variety of pizzas and authentic Indian Curry.
Sand Bar: Also situated by the beach is the Sand Bar, the main bar on Bandos. The stylish designed bar is open from 0730hrs until the last satisfied customer leaves. With a wonderful atmosphere and sandy floor, this is the perfect place to sip tropical cocktails, cool beers and wines, while listening to the light music played out by the live band.
Pool Bar: Close to the sports area and swimming pool is the Pool Bar, serving a wide range of beers, wines, spirits, soft drinks and cocktails.
Sundowners Bar: Located on the east side of the island, close to the Dive School, is the Sundowners Bar, open daily between 0730hrs to 1930hrs. A favourite among divers for a quick snack and a cool drink after a dive this is a wonderful spot to relax and enjoy some stunning sunsets.
Excursions & Entertainment
Few islands in the Maldives can compare with the range of facilities and sports that Bandos has to offer. The Paradise Sports Club has an up to date gymnasium and regular aerobics classes. There are squash courts, a floodlit tennis court, indoor badminton court and beach volleyball.
The Spa has a sauna and steambath and a range of massages and beauty treatments are available. Water Sports include windsurfing, catamaran sailing, water skiing, para-sailing, banana boat riding, knee boarding and canoeing are all available. Multi lingual instructors are on hand for tuition.
Other facilities include a children's playground and creche in the centre of the island and child care facilities are available. A full range of excursions are available that include local island visits, fishing trips, dolphin watching trips, sunset cruises, and regular trips to the nearby exclusive Kuda Bandos uninhabited island for snorkelling and BBQs.
Diving
Dive Bandos is one of the longest established dive centres in the Maldives and has an excellent reputation. The superb centre offers a wide range of PADI Courses from beginner to divemaster and many speciality courses. Two boat dives a day are scheduled, one departing in the morning at around 9:00am and one in the afternoon after lunch. Up to 4 boats depart to any one of the 40 or so dive sites that lie within 45 minutes boat ride from the resort and full day excursions to long range dives are regularly organised.
Bandos House reef is easily accessed from the shore with 3 entry points across the reef well marked for snorkellers and divers. Divers regularly see black and white tipped reef shark, turtles, schools of yellow snapper and soldierfish. There is a small wreck right in front of the dive centre. For experienced divers there is a shuttle service to Bandos Rock, a part of the house reef that offers great diving. Access is unlimited so experienced, qualified divers can dive the house reef 24 hours a day. Bandos has access to some great diving including a superb manta site.
Travel Information
If you are travelling through or from the UK we can arrange flights on either award winning Emirates Airlines or Sri Lankan Airlines at very competitive fares. Emirates have a flexible schedule of departures on most days of the week from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow via Dubai. Sri Lankan airlines offer direct flights from Heathrow on certain days of the week and flights via Colombo at other times. If you would like to arrange your own flights, we can quote you a rate for your island accommodation that excludes flights.
With such flexibility in air travel you can choose to stay on your selected island for any number of days you would like. For the ultimate Maldives experience we highly recommend you combine your stay on an island with a fantastic week onboard one of our liveaboards, the Sea Queen or Sea Spirit.
Sample itinerary travelling on Emirates Airlines from London Heathrow with 14 nights on an island:
Sat Depart London Heathrow at 1345hrs for flight to Dubai, arriving 0005hrs
Sun Depart Dubai at 0325hrs for Male, arriving at 0830hrs. Transfer to resort island for 14nts
Sun Depart Male at 0955hrs for flight to Dubai, arriving 1255hrs.
Sun Depart Dubai at 1415hrs for flight to UK, arriving Heathrow at 1840hrs the same day.
Guide Price
7nts Bandos from £1053 per person plus £104 departure taxes.
Price includes return international flights from the UK on Emirates or Sri Lankan Airlines, return speedboat transfers to Bandos, 7nts accommodation in a twin/double share Standard Room with breakfast.
7nts Bandos + 7nts Liveaboard from £2040 per person plus £104 departure taxes.
Combination package includes return international flights from the UK on Emirates or Sri Lankan Airlines, return speedboat transfers to Bandos, 7nts accommodation in a twin/double share Standard Room with breakfast. For the liveaboard it includes transfers, 7nts accommodation on either Sea Queen or Sea Spirit in a twin/double share cabin, all meals and snacks, teas, coffees, soft drinks and water, all diving, and any scheduled excursions made during the trip.
Above flights and accommodation subject to availability at the time of booking and prices may change.
Many of the islands we represent frequently release special offers on stays so please contact our experienced sales team for the latest and most up to date prices and for a detailed itinerary to suit your requirements.
Tel:+ 44 (0)1284 748010
Fax: + 44 (0)1284 748011
Email us here: sales@scubascuba.com
