We stayed at The Standard – a stunningly beautiful location with the most wonderful staff. Always helpful, kind and smiling, and every one of them remarkably good at English. I have honestly never experienced hospitality like it before – wow.
The resort has a “main restaurant”, which is the buffet – this is where you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.
There is a separate children’s menu that the kids can order from at no extra charge when you book all inclusive, and also a few traditional “café dishes” for the adults that you can order – though at an extra cost, despite all inclusive.
The buffet was very good, though it was a little hard to see how the dishes fitted together. There were often lots of meat dishes and dishes in sauce, but then perhaps a lack of variety in the side dishes. The food tasted good, but it was missing a bit of a “theme”, if you can put it that way – and also some variation in the dishes themselves; it was very much the same dishes and the same flavours each time. The plate often ended up a bit of a mixed bag without much of a thread running through it.
There were 2 “stations” that took turns serving risotto, pasta, soup and Arabic-inspired dishes. It was genuinely delicious, but the queue there was long at times – and 15 minutes in the heat, which is still there in the evening, can feel like an eternity 😃
There are also 2 other à la carte restaurants that you can use for dinner. Both require a table reservation, and each is open 3 days a week, staggered so they don’t overlap. As such they are not part of the all inclusive package – which was a little misleading when we booked the stay. The way it works is that the adults each get a voucher for 50 USD, and you pay for anything you eat beyond that yourself. In itself it worked perfectly well – but personally we feel that when the package is called all inclusive, it should be all inclusive – at all the restaurants.
But back to the restaurants – the two à la carte restaurants were REALLY good. Seriously delicious food, and absolutely fantastic settings.
Guda Guda – The Standard
Guda Guda is an over-water restaurant where you sit on soft cushions on the floor under the open sky and are served the most delicious Maldivian dishes – I can’t recommend it highly enough.
The menu features plenty of fish dishes, and the “catch of the day” is fished straight out of the large aquarium inside the restaurant. It doesn’t get any fresher.
If you’d rather sit at a table, that’s perfectly possible too – though under a roof rather than the open sky.
There’s a direct view into the kitchen, so you can follow along if that interests you.
Note: their spicy curry really is spicy😉🔥
BBQ Shak – The Standard
Then there’s BBQ Shak – a restaurant right on the beach. You sit with your feet in the sand, the starry sky above you and the loveliest Maldivian music drifting from the speakers. The huge grill standing in the sand is lit, and there’s a constant, wonderful scent of barbecue and warm summer evenings in the air.
The food here was also outstanding – delicious grilled meats, a variety of sides such as salads, potatoes and so on – and, among other things, a do-it-yourself s’mores kit for the table. That was a huge hit.
At both à la carte restaurants the children can order from the children’s menu for free – if you’ve booked all inclusive.
Drinks – water and soft drinks, selected cocktails, beer and selected wines – are part of all inclusive.
Activities at The Standard
The resort also has a small “café area” – there you have to pay for it yourself if you want a sandwich, nachos or the like. You don’t get a voucher here as you do at the à la carte restaurants.
At The Standard there are plenty of opportunities to dive – the life beneath the surface is breathtaking, and you can also get your diving certificate on site.
The Standard also has a bar up by reception – with various games on the tables and a cosy outdoor area where you can enjoy the sunset and other activities such as movie nights, lounge music and the like.
Here, selected drinks are part of the all inclusive deal.
There is also a Kids Club with various daily activities – but it’s not something our children were keen on, so we didn’t look into it more closely.
Out in the water there’s a “water park” with an inflatable obstacle course – our kids loved it.
The whole island is lush with greenery and palm trees – a wonderfully authentic jungle feel. You walk to and from the restaurant either along the beach or on the soft sandy paths through the “jungle”. We loved it – it was simply wonderful that we got everywhere barefoot, with sand between our toes. I really miss our daily walks between the different parts of the resort.
You can walk the whole way round the beach in about 15 minutes, the water is crystal clear – and there’s plenty of space around you.
Despite the relatively small area, you don’t notice the other guests much when you’re out and about on the island – it’s easy to find a spot to yourself, and the island never feels crowded.
We will definitely go back to The Standard – but first we want to try a few other places in the Maldives.
We’re really looking forward to returning, though.
Travel tips for the Maldives
- The Hotel | The Standard – Maldives
- Package holiday – we saved money by using a travel agency
- Overwater or beach villa in the Maldives?
- What does a trip to the Maldives cost?
- Is the Maldives expensive?
- Checklist – worth bringing and researching before you go
- How many days in the Maldives?
- Wildlife in the Maldives