In December 2023 we stayed for 10 nights at Joy Island Resort, a luxury all inclusive family friendly resort in The Maldives which had only just opened in September 2023. Joy Island Resort is located in North Male’ Atoll in Kassanfushi Island and is home to a luxury collection of 150 spacious suites and villas, each serving up sunrise and sunset views and beautiful Maldivian open-air bathrooms.
The shape of this beautiful island resembles a butterfly with its wide white sand beach, surrounded by a stunning turquoise lagoon and a house reef on one side of the island.
What we loved …
Speedboat transfer
From Malé-Velana International Airport whizzed us across the Indian Ocean, passing stunning islands and wildlife including dolphins and 40 minutes later the sound of traditional maldivian drums welcome you on to Joy Island Resort, a very memorable start to your time on the island.
The food
The quality and variety at ‘The Market’ is fantastic, perfect for both adults and children with an impressive variety of fresh food every morning, lunch and dinner day including seafoods, meats, asian/curries, sushi, salads, pasta, way too many foods to mention. Everything was fresh and delicious, we never once got tired of the food we were eating.
Snorkelling
Having never snorkelled in the India Ocean, we were blown away by the sheer variety and numbers of colourful tropical fish with the added bonus of reef sharks and turtles! It was like being inside an aquarium. Safe to say that snorkelling was our number one activity during our stay at Joy Island Resort.
Excursions
During our stay we booked onto two lovely excursions –
Snorkelling with turtles – a 3 hour trip which was simply unforgettable, swam with at least 10 green turtles, amazing array of coral and tropical fish, we didn’t want it to end.
Evening dolphin cruise – what’s not to love, a relaxing evening boat trip out on the Indian ocean as the sunsets, cold Prosecco (soft drinks for the kids) and watch the dolphins jump and play, beautiful.
Luxury accommodation
We stayed in a beautiful beach suite on the lagoon side of the island which was perfect for us, 2 adults and 2 boys aged 12 and 14.
As we were on the lagoon side, we enjoyed the stunning sunsets.
Quiet air conditioning in the accommodation is excellent, along with super comfortable beds, but the luxury outdoor Maldivian open-air bathroom stole the show.
Activities
We enjoyed paddle tennis, table tennis, kayaking…but mainly snorkelling!
Exploring Joy Island Resort
We loved our walks together in the early morning and evening around the island, spotting a variety of wildlife
Rainbow Bar is a lovely place to relax, enjoy cocktails, watch the sunset,
Our verdict
We had an amazing family holiday with our two boys, highly recommend Joy Island Resort in The Maldives for a luxury family holiday.
More info
Visit the Joy Island Resort website for more information – joyisland.com
