I was quite surprised by the positive reviews I read, but after staying at Ayala, I can confidently state that they are mostly paid/fake
Pros:
- Gulhi is not far from Male, quick to get to, speedboat service working fine
- Beach is near the hotel
- Sunbed/umbrellas available
- Excursions
Cons:
- booked a room for 3, turned out to be a regular room for 2 with a cot near the bed. Rooms itself is very small, so making 3 people stay there is inhumane. Cot had no mattress on it, felt like sleeping on the floor
- rooms get 'cleaned' twice a day, but they hardly replace sheets and provide fresh towels only once a week. They don't take out the used/dirty towels. Floor is not being cleaned
- no robes, no slippers. Problems with hot water, very hard to regulate the temperature and water in the shower constantly and randomly goes from hot to cold. Hot water also smells unpleasant. TV in the room is basically useless: not set up, does not connect to internet
- no variety in breakfast, always the same. Dinners differ, but overall food quality is average. Shortage of deserts and, especially, fruits, which is quite disappointing.
- waiters seem to take care only of the big families staying in, they set up tables for them in advance and no one is allowed to use that area. Should be constantly reminded to proved basic stuff like tissues. Staff may also confuse you with false promises (eg. promised to provide robes, mattress, turned out to not have those)
Wouldn't stay here the second time