After two weeks island hopping in the Maldives between resorts, we decided it was time to finally spend a few nights at Hotel Jen Male hotel. This was actually our third time in Male but our first time leaving the Male airport and heading into the city. Most people don’t spend any time in Male but we highly suggest a night or two in a Male hotel if your schedule allows. If you’re off on a Maldives honeymoon this is the perfect hotel to get a leg up on jet lag.
When looking at Male hotels we wanted one with a rooftop pool, ocean views, onsite restaurants, centrally located, and modern. Hotel Jen Male Maldives fit our requests and it’s the best hotel in Male. Here are some of our favorite things about Hotel Jen Male.
Hotel Jen Male Maldives
Rooftop Pool
The Maldives is a Muslim country and there are no beaches in Male where you can swim in a bikini/swimsuit. There is only one beach in Male, it’s called the Male Artificial Beach, but since you can’t wear a swimsuit, a Male hotel with a pool was a must. The infinity rooftop pool at Hotel Jen Male is the highest infinity pool in the Maldives and has amazing ocean views. During the day, we mainly had the pool to ourselves. Also located on the rooftop next to the pool is Hotel Jen Male’s restaurant Azur, which serves lunch & dinner, which you can eat poolside or inside to beat the heat.
Related Artice: Ultimate Maldives Honeymoon Guide
Rooms at Hotel Jen Male
A big fluffy white bed with ocean views is what you can expect at Hotel Jen Male Maldives! We loved waking up to the sun peeking through the blinds after a good night’s rest. There are several room options at Hotel Jen Male. We stayed in a deluxe ocean view room that had everything we needed for our 3-night stay in Male.
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Onsite Restaurants at Hotel Jen Male Maldives
There are three restaurants attached to Hotel Jen Male: Azur, Lime, and Jen-on-the-go. We visited all three, and each was fantastic. Lime is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every morning, there is a huge breakfast buffet available at Lime Restaurant, which features a mix of Western and local items and live cooking stations as well.
Azur restaurant has amazing ocean views and is located on the rooftop with indoor & outdoor seating. It’s a great place to go and have a mocktail (no alcohol in Male) to watch the sunset before having dinner. If you’re a seafood lover, make sure to try the sushi appetizer at Azur, and all their mains were delicious. Azur is open 9 am-midnight where I enjoyed having lunch poolside in a bikini and as well as a nice dinner.
Jen, on the go, has quick snack items like fried chicken, desserts, ice cream, etc. Great place to grab a dish of tasty ice cream after exploring all the things to do in Male. As an ice cream expert, it gets two thumbs up. Make sure to go for the double dish! Apparently, the JFC “Jen’s Fried Chicken” is quite famous in Male, and I’d second that it was pretty darn tasty. You can also get JFC at both restaurants.
NOTE: We visited during Ramadan, Ramadan is the holy month of fasting in which that all adult Muslims observe (few exceptions ill/children/pregnant women/travelers). Ramadan occurs on the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and occurs on different dates every year. If you are traveling to a resort island, you won’t even notice; however, if you are in Male, it’s different. Basically, all restaurants in Male will be closed from sunrise to sunset or possibly the entire month. We passed several that had signs indicating they were closed for the holy month. Thankfully, Hotel Jen Male had attached restaurants that were open, and food was available 24/7. During Ramadan, Jen, on the go, which is street level, was not allowed to be open during daylight hours in order to observe Ramadan.
Fitness Center
After a week of all-inclusive Maldives resorts, I was in need of a gym. The fitness center at Hotel Jen Male had all the machines I needed to get a good cardio workout in. A bonus is that the gym is also located on the rooftop with great ocean views. All the equipment was American brands and looked brand new with built-in TV’s to keep me going for a good workout. The workout rooms at the Ellaidhoo Maldives and Cinnamon Dhonveli were lacking, glad we got a few workouts in at Hotel Jen Male.
Amenities
Hotel Jen Male has their own private speedboat from the airport. We arrived at Male International airport to a staff member with our name on a sign that whisked us over to their private speedboat that was waiting just outside. Within 3 minutes, we went from the airport to the pier located just 1 block away from Hotel Jen Male.
Free Wifi that actually works! Finally, we had some decent Wifi. Thank you, Hotel Jen, for allowing us to catch up on work and share with you all how amazing the Maldives is. Since we are island hopping in the Maldives for 6 weeks we were in need of some laundry, Hotel Jen not only offers laundry services but affordable laundry. A huge bag for a set price of $20 for wash & fold or $30 wash, fold & iron. We fit 60 items in our laundry bag so well worth the money. There is also a spa onsite but unfortunately, we didn’t have time to check it out, but if it’s like everything else at Hotel Jen Male Maldives I’m sure it’s fabulous.
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