Emerald Faarufushi vs JA Manafaru vs Velassaru: Which All-Inclusive Maldives Resort Is Actually Worth It?

On Valentine’s Day 2023, a speedboat dropped us at Velassaru and someone handed us the key to a Water Villa we hadn’t booked. A bath facing the sea. Steps down into the lagoon. An upgrade worth about £1,000 across our five nights.

Of the three Maldives resorts we’ve stayed at, Velassaru came last.

That surprised us. If you’re trying to work out the best all-inclusive resort in the Maldives, you probably assume what we assumed: that it comes down to villa category and price. Pay more, get a better villa, have a better holiday.

Three resorts and 21 nights later, we don’t think that any more. What separated them was what each island gave us beyond the villa. A reef. A dive. A wine list.

We’ve filmed all three. You can watch our Emerald Faarufushi film, our JA Manafaru film and our new Velassaru film. The films show you what each stay felt like. This Been & Scene post does what they can’t: puts the three side by side, with the numbers.

Which Maldives resort would we choose? The short answer

If we could go back to only one, it’s Emerald Faarufushi. JA Manafaru runs it close, and it gave us the deepest rest of the three. Velassaru is the one we’d book only for a short stop before an early flight, and even then we’d think twice.

All three are five-star resorts. On star rating, they’re identical. Our TripWorthIt™ scores run from 71% to 90%. Of the 103 hotels we’ve scored so far, Emerald ranks second for quality, Manafaru fourth and Velassaru 26th.

Prices are what we paid at the time and will have moved. Check current rates before you book. Find them on Google Maps: Emerald Faarufushi, JA Manafaru, Niva Velassaru.

How did we score three Maldives resorts fairly?

We scored all three resorts on the same five TripWorthIt™ pillars, from 1 to 5, as a Destination. In the Maldives, the island has to supply almost the whole holiday. There’s nowhere else to go, unless you do an off-island excursion, so we weighted each score for that.

We measure value separately from quality. Instead of asking “was it cheap?”, we ask whether a resort delivered more or less than you’d normally expect at that price. That’s why the most expensive resort here can still beat its bracket.

One honest note. Our two 2023 stays were rescored retrospectively, from our notes and footage, using the current method. Emerald was scored much closer to the trip. Manafaru and Velassaru were back-to-back on the same holiday, so the comparison between those two is as fair as it gets.

We’ve also changed how TripWorthIt™ frames the question. We used to ask what kind of traveller you are. Now we ask what you need the hotel to do. Here’s why we changed our minds.

What actually separated them

Does the villa matter as much as you think?

Less than we expected. At JA Manafaru we had a Deluxe Beach Villa with a deep black-stone pool. Water ran down two waterfall walls, a constant trickle that soothed the senses. At Emerald Faarufushi it was a Beach Villa with a private pool on the southern beach.

At Velassaru we had one of the biggest villas of the three: 112 square metres over the lagoon, which we hadn’t pay for [as we’d booked a Deluxe villa on the beach]. It scored lowest of the three for Rest & Recharge. Manafaru scored 5.0, Emerald 4.9, Velassaru 4.0.

Why the Water Villa didn’t win us over is something the film shows better than we can write it.

Which Maldives resort has the best house reef for snorkelling?

Emerald, comfortably. Swim off the end of the pier and the reef drops from two feet to twenty in a few strokes. We saw black-tip sharks, nurse sharks, eagle rays and a moray eel without leaving the house reef. It was the best snorkelling we’ve had at any Maldives resort. They also have safety rings all along the reef so you can catch your breath. If, like me, you’re scared of deep water, it’s a very reassuring feature!

Manafaru runs it close. The Coral Jetty beside the Kakuni restaurant puts you straight onto the reef, and on calm mornings you can see rays and reef sharks from the surface. I found it scary though swimming off the end of the jetty, until I did a scuba dive.

Velassaru has a sandy lagoon with scattered coral, and the reef edge is a long swim out. We did find marine life there, including one fish with a grudge against Mel. The film tells that story. As we wrote in our Velassaru review: a reef would have made it a better stay. It wouldn’t have made it a bargain.

What happened at JA Manafaru that no score can measure?

This one is mine. I’m a nervous swimmer, and I have been ever since I nearly drowned as a teenager. Deep water still triggers something I can’t argue with.

At Manafaru, an instructor called Kayla took me through a Discover Scuba session: breathing at the surface first, then ten seconds under, then thirty. Within two minutes of being fully underwater, something shifted.

No TripWorthIt™ pillar measures that. But it’s the reason Manafaru’s score doesn’t tell the whole story. Watch the moment in our JA Manafaru film.

Which all-inclusive package is best in the Maldives?

All three stays were all-inclusive. The packages were nothing alike.

Emerald’s was the most generous of the three. The wine cooler in the villa was restocked every day with prosecco, red, white and rosé. The wine list ran to 75 bottles, including 35 whites and 25 reds, and the bar list had around 20 classic cocktails and gins like Hendrick’s and Tanqueray. When we asked for something that wasn’t on it, the sommeliers Bona and Ram went and found it. There was no limit on how often we could eat at the à la carte restaurants, which many resorts ration. Even the buffet at Aqua was good enough that we swapped some booked dinners for its themed nights. The croissants at breakfast were as good as any we’ve had in France, which, from us, is not a small claim.

Manafaru’s drinks package was strong: cocktails, mid-tier wines and classic spirits, with premium bottles extra. The minibar was included too, and a bottle of Taittinger was waiting when we arrived. The food was excellent but wound down by 8 or 9pm. The Maldivian baked fish in banana leaf at Ocean Grill is the dish we’d go back for.

Velassaru’s was a step down. The house selection was weaker than Manafaru’s and the wine list couldn’t compete. Even the minibar was charged extra. The beach grill, Sand, was the highlight: a tuna steak for me, a Maldivian curry with four small sides for Mel.

The Hotel Offer scores tell it plainly: Emerald 4.9, Manafaru 4.0, Velassaru 3.3.

How easy is it to get to each resort from Malé?

Velassaru is the easy one: a speedboat transfer of 20 to 25 minutes from Velana International Airport, day or night. It’s the reason we booked it. We had an early British Airways flight home and weren’t sure we could make it from Manafaru in the morning.

Manafaru is further. You can take a 50-minute Manta Air flight to Hoarafushi and a ten-minute speedboat, or a direct seaplane of 60 to 75 minutes. Seaplanes only fly between 6am and 6pm, but Manta Air can land you after dark. It’s easier to reach now than when we went, and there’s an early seaplane for morning departures. Had we known, we’d have spent all 12 nights there.

Emerald is a seaplane ride of about 40 minutes. Ours was direct on the way out. On the way back we stopped at another resort, which added about ten minutes. Whether you stop depends on who else is on board.

The Surprise

Then came the surprise. The resort we chose for its access scored lowest of the three on Location & Access: 3.4, against 4.0 and 4.2. Easy arrival is only half of that pillar. The other half is how well the hotel connects you to the setting around it. Manafaru is a much larger, greener island. Emerald’s paths and villas open straight onto the island.

Velassaru has around 200 villas, more than twice as many as either of the others. You’re close enough to Malé to hear the planes and boats, and part of its beach is hard to walk round. From the west side, the view is Thilafushi, the old “burning island”, where Malé’s rubbish was set alight in the open for nearly 30 years. The fires stopped in 2021. The landfill is still there. Choosing a Maldives resort for your flight home means choosing it for one morning of the holiday.

What was the service like at each resort?

Manafaru’s service felt personal. The general manager, Karen, met guests at the dock. Our housekeeper, Naeem, remembered how we liked the minibar. Shaad had worked there for 17 years and it showed.

Emerald matched it in a different way. Bona and Ram matched a wine to every dinner, Priyanka looked after us at Aqua and Mediterraneo, and the villa host pre-booked our dinners so we never had to think about it.

Velassaru’s Valentine’s welcome was hard to beat, and the resort medic was excellent when we needed one. Day to day, though, the service left less of an impression. Service & Ease: Emerald 4.0, Manafaru 4.0, Velassaru 3.5.

Was each Maldives resort worth the money?

The cheapest resort was the weakest value. The most expensive one beat its price.

Emerald delivered the most above its price of any Maldives resort we’ve stayed at. It ranks 11th for value out of the 103 hotels we’ve scored. Manafaru cost the most, and still gave back more than its price suggested.

Velassaru landed in the “about right” band at the £800 we paid. But we were in a villa worth about £200 a night more. Price our stay at that villa’s rate and the gap widens to −0.33, below its bracket. The upgrade made us very happy. It didn’t make Velassaru good value.

We should be honest about something. At the time, we rated Velassaru highly. Our 2023 review said everything except the snorkelling exceeded our expectations. Only side by side, with the same five questions asked of all three, did the gaps show.

So which one would we book again?

It depends on what you need the island to do for you, not on which villa you can afford.

• If the food, the wine and the reef are the holiday: Emerald Faarufushi. It’s our pick of the three.
• If you want to disappear for a week: JA Manafaru. It’s remote, quiet and built for switching off. It’s also the place I faced something I’d avoided for decades.
• If you need to be close to Malé for your last night or two: Velassaru works. Check first whether you really need to be close. We didn’t.

We went in thinking the decision was about villas and price bands. We came out asking a different question: what do we need this hotel to provide? That’s the question TripWorthIt™ now starts with. Read how TripWorthIt™ works, or score a stay of your own.

There’s a fourth Maldives resort in our scores: 17 nights at Siyam World, for two 60th birthdays and our 35th wedding anniversary. That’s a story for another post.

Browse all our Maldives reviews, and if you’re flying with British Airways, see how we used the BA Companion Voucherto get there.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best all-inclusive resort in the Maldives?

Of the resorts we’ve stayed at, Emerald Faarufushi. It scored 4.48 out of 5 on TripWorthIt™, the highest of any Maldives resort we’ve rated, and it beat its price bracket by the widest margin. The drinks package and the house reef were the difference.

Is Emerald Faarufushi better than JA Manafaru?

For us, narrowly. Emerald wins on food, wine and snorkelling. Manafaru wins on pure rest: it scored a perfect 5.0 for Rest & Recharge. If you want to switch off completely, Manafaru may suit you better.

Is Velassaru worth it?

At the price we paid, it was about right, but no more. It’s well placed for Malé airport and the welcome was lovely. It lacks a proper house reef, and its drinks package was the weakest of the three. Our full Velassaru review has the detail.

Is Velassaru the same as Niva Velassaru?

Yes. The resort was renamed Niva Velassaru in 2025 when its owner launched the Niva brand. Same island, same resort.

Is Emerald Faarufushi the same as Emerald Maldives?

No. They’re sister resorts, both in Raa Atoll. Emerald Faarufushi is on Faarufushi Island, and Emerald Maldives is on Fasmendhoo Island. We stayed at Emerald Faarufushi.

Which of the three resorts is closest to Malé airport?

Velassaru, by a long way. It’s a 20 to 25-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport, and the boats run around the clock. Emerald is about 40 minutes by seaplane. Manafaru is a domestic flight plus a speedboat, or a seaplane of 60 to 75 minutes.

Can you catch a morning flight home from JA Manafaru?

Yes. Seaplanes fly between 6am and 6pm and take 60 to 75 minutes direct. Manta Air flies from Hoarafushi, ten minutes away by speedboat, and can land after dark. We split our 2023 trip across two resorts to be safe. We wouldn’t need to now.

Which Maldives resort has the best snorkelling?

Of our three, Emerald Faarufushi. The house reef is right off the pier and drops away fast. We saw sharks, eagle rays and a moray eel there. Manafaru’s Coral Jetty is a close second.

What is a TripWorthIt™ score?

It’s our way of rating a hotel against what you need it to do. We score five pillars from 1 to 5, weight them for whether the hotel is your base or your destination, then check the result against the price. Try it yourself.