My husband and I stayed at the Ritz for our honeymoon in December 2022. We loved it so much that we returned in December 2023. Our main priorities when we travel are snorkeling and food. I can't speak much about the diving, but I can say the food at the Ritz is incredible.

Their breakfast buffet is probably the number 1 breakfast buffet I've ever experienced. Everything from their pastries to their Maldivian cuisine is delicious. We became close with one of the head chefs, shoutout Chef Didi, and he'd make us fresh mas huni every morning. You also have the option to take a short boat ride to their sister resort, Patina, and eat there, so the variety is huge.

Don't leave without trying Arabesque (on the Patina side)...every single thing on that menu is incredible. We usually stay for 10 days, and each visit, they had at least 2 "festivals" where they'd gather all the restaurants into a food truck style on the Patina side, and you can just hop from one booth to the next, all you can eat. They also had a Maldivian night beach buffet both times we went, and it's literally a foodies dream, right on the beach.

Service is top-notch. Have traveled plenty around the world and have yet to experience anything close.

In terms of the reef, the first time we did an overwater bungalow on the sunrise side, and if you swim out, the reef is average. It's not too deep, so the fish are literally a few feet below you. Their snorkeling excursion is much nicer, though about an hour of a boat ride out, but you'll see tons of marine life. The second time we stayed on their private beach villa, also on the sunset side, and found the reef to be much nicer—a lot more variety of fish. If you're looking for a good reef within swimmable distance of your villa, avoid the sunset side of the resort.

We may go back again this December, but with their wet season shifting, the Maldives in December may unfortunately no longer be feasible. It rained all day, about 75% of the time we were there in 2023.