Club Gabbiano

Stinky water in the shower, mould on the walls, shower head and floorboard, dirty toilet seats (when available). The list of things not OK is endless. The only positive is the food at the restaurant. Also the island is very dirty and there is absolutely nothing to discover.

We are just back from a fantastic week in Rasdhoo where we lodged at Club Gabbiano. I really wish I could give a higher mark to this hotel because in the end we had such a good time, but there are some things that I really have to mention for the other fellow travellers. HIGHS The location is the best on the island, hands down: right on the beach. The two best rooms (601 and 701) as well as the restaurant/breakfast room on the terrace have amazing views of the bikini beach.Our room was very big with a lovely balcony with bean bags to lounge on, we used it every day, it was really worth the little extra price! Iti is very basic, way more basic than it looked in the pictures but I have no complaints at all (you also get a water boiler, plenty of instant coffee and a fridge and filtered water every day). Airco is temperamental but it worked fine for us. The beds are super comfortable, lovely soft sheets and nice pillows so sleep quality was amazing. They give you plenty of shower and beach towels, all you have to do is ask (mindful of the environment of course, but they will not skimp on giving you fresh ones at all!). The staff of the hotel was super attentive. I didn't catch any names but: The person who manages the whataspp chat: whatever we asked to organize or clarify he was always promptly answering, always kind with a solution even when we kept changing our mind, really really great service (if you need anything also for the booking or the speedboat, don't email just whatsapp!). I had no idea if WE actually met this guy at the hotel (we jokingly called him "the chatbot" :-)) but HE was great. Also the other guys at the hotel (sorry I didn't catch any names) the one organising the excursiones (which we called "the artist" because he painted all the colorful drawings around the hotel and beach restaurant and was playing the guitar in the lobby) and the guy minding the reception (called "the guy with the ponytail") were super kind and amazing to deal with. Thanks guys, you really bumped the rating up! LOWS The hotel simply does not look like the pictures: apparently the structure was built in 2019 and considering that it should have been empty for quite a long time during the pandemic, it looks like it has been hit by a hurricane. The place is really not well maintained. It looked shabby and ran down. The reception was messy and unkempt, the common areas barely kept together. Building on a tiny island is not easy (and we have been to other local islands as well so we have comparisons) but this hotel has either been built in a rush or not mended at all. It is ok for a little hotel in a local island to look simple but this was beyond it: it was not cared for. The open bathrooms are a disaster: they do not look exotic just shabby. The idea was good but the execution is not ok. Our shower didn't drain properly so the entire bathroom floor was constantly soggy and swampy. When the shower got properly clogged they came promptly to drain i

Rasdhoo island is a one hour journey from Male by speedboat (the ferry takes 3 hours). In Aug we were prepared for the weather to change but luckily we got hot and shining sun all the days that we were there. The staff is very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable and the rooms at Club Gabbiano are spacious, well maintained, clean and cool with A/C. The staff will help arrange all your day trips to Picnic island, Sand bank, Snorkeling, Diving etc and they managed to find an extra pair of flippers and snorkeling mask for our use. The bikini beach is just across the entrance which makes it very convenient and we even had a lovely barbeque one night on the beach. Their restaurant on the rooftop had the best food on the island (we tried 3 other restaurants and decided to just eat on the rooftop!). The chefs paid special attention to our needs and requests and the helpings were more than generous! The memory of our Maldivian holiday was made special by our stay and the staff at Club Gabbiano and I'm looking forward to going there again!!

The hotel is perfect, the bathroom is really different and beautiful. But the best thing is the staff. For instance, breakfast starts at 7:30 but we could have it everyday at 7:00 because we were diving very early, so thank you to Antony (service guy), and Distant (chef), they prepare our breakfast with a big smile earlier everyday. Also thank you to Bush, he was really nice and helpful with us.

Decent facilities in a nice setting. Staff is helpful and with good attitude. Probably one of the best options on the island, given that on local islands the standards are quite low. Breakfast was good and they organize excursions and transfers.

Best accommodation in Rasdhoo. Modern spacy rooms, on the second floor all with seaview. Our favourite is the Seaview room with balcony. Breakfast is buffet style with local and international choices. The breakfast is served in the restaurant with seaview terrace. On the top floor there is also a shisha bar. Upon request the hotel will arrange the speedboat transfer from and to the airport for you, including meet and greet at the arrival gate. There are many watersport options in Rasdhoo including excellent scuba dive spots. The bikini beach is right in front of the hotel.