See the full list: Hotels near Hulhumale Beach . Thanks for subscribing! These are the top nine Maldives hotels … Top 10: best resorts in the Maldives for snorkeling. One of the smallest resorts in the Maldives, Mirihi might also be the most perfect. We and our … Great rates, stunning photos and easy, secure booking. Butlers, a Guerlain spa (the only one in the Maldives) on its own island, 45 vast villas each with their own pool, four gourmet restaurants and a kids’ club with water slides. Offering something completely different in the Maldives, Kandima isn’t just for honeymooners and oligarchs. The hotel is deeply glamorous: guests dress up for dinner in its dimly lit, gently gleaming environs, and sometimes for breakfast, lunch and dive school, too. And there's a full-on Turkish bath in the spa. Guests of both get to use Drift Spa and the amazing dining options, including Edge which can only be reached by boat, and Subsix, an underwater restaurant and bar with glass walls for marine-life spotting. ‘Chill’. The 77 villas offer all the mod cons you could possibly want plus plunge pool, sundeck, wine fridge and barbecue station. Locally hand-carved wood panels and bamboo-slatted headboards are counterbalanced with rose-gold bathroom taps resembling giant pebbles. A second island is home to the cute-as-pie tented restaurant hub, serving everything from grilled seafood to freshly baked pizzas. Kanuhura Resort & Spa is a 5 star hotel located at Lhaviyani Atoll in Maldives. Places to Stay The Most Accessible Hotels in the Maldives. The design details in the overwater and beach villas are beautifully curated. But the other three will remain undeveloped, so there will always be somewhere to play castaway. Voavah is where woven seagrass met diamond-polished concrete and fell hopelessly in love. The best family hotels in the Maldives, however, do tend to be a touch on the expensive side when compared to other holiday destinations but these are after-all far-flung island resorts. Not to mention your own spa, the immaculate Ocean of Consciousness (surely missing an 'un'), and 28 staff dedicated to making your life as agreeable as possible. You've got your own dive centre and every beach toy known to man-child. Frequent pop-ups include a mixologist making Aperol cocktails at East Point, an open-air cinema on the beach - and the sudden appearance of a rack of Panama hats guests can borrow. In the Guerlain spa, reached by dhoni, even a glance upwards from the massage bed prompts a smile in appreciation of the exquisitely woven rattan ceiling. There are split level three-bedroom beachfront options, a huge pirate ship play area and a hands-on kids club that gets out and explores the marine life of the island. Little wonder then that Maldives is a honeymoon hot spot and a regular fixture on calendars of the elite and anyone looking for picture-perfect, sun-drenched things to do. The house reef is a major draw, the coral dropping to form an underwater cliff off the island’s eastern coast that is home to turtles, reef sharks and kaleidoscopic fish. The architecture is stunning, with massive expanses of glass to draw the outside in, and natural materials and organic shapes to echo the surroundings. The 50 villas are enlivened with deft decorative flourishes - the vivid blue-on-blue accents and curvaceous lines of the Beach Pool villas, in particular, display great charm and panache. The juxtaposition of smooth and rough textures, and traditional and contemporary materials, is brilliantly managed. Emma Love, Number of villas: 77Transfer time: a 30-minute seaplane from Male International Airport, Address: Drift Thelu Veliga Retreat, Thelu Veliga Island, South Ari Atoll, Maldives Book your stay. However, there are no Ritz-Carlton branded hotels in the Maldives. All the signature St Regis touches are here - the butlers, the grand staircase, the mural in the bar, the Champagne sabrage ceremony. Most striking are the underground Wine Cellar, with a degustation menu to complement tastings, and the Ithaa Undersea restaurant which does exactly what it suggests: you dine 16ft below sea level looking out on to shoals of fish. Number of villas: 45Transfer time: a 20 minute speedboat ride from Malé, Address: Gili Lankanfushi, North Malé Atoll, MaldivesBook your stay. It’s this deep-rooted, solid luxury, without the slightest hint of dictating who guests should be, what they should wear and how they should relax, that immediately aligns Joali with the frontrunners. Number of villas: 67 Transfer time: a 55-minute speedboat ride from Malé, Address: Lux* North Malé Atoll, MaldivesBook your stay. The place looks great and feels great too. Sun-bleached decking around the island leads to mini jungle paths where pretty wicker baubles dangle, red flowers burst and the resident fruit bat swings from palm to palm. Or get dolled up for dinner at Japanese restaurant Saoke. It’s all about simplicity on this tiny isle which is part of the South Malé atoll (40 minutes by speed boat from capital and main island Malé). Niyama’s also a top spot for surfing. One of the most expensive resorts in the Maldives is owned by 42-year-old Czech billionaire Jiri Smejc, who asked his villa butler at Huvafen Fushi, Maldives to find him an island. There are all sorts of sleeping options – beach pool villas, two-storey overwater villas, standalone villas cast out at sea and reached by boat, and the Private Reserve with its own spa, gym, screening room and waterslide whooshing you straight into the ocean. Then children are welcomed with genuine smiles (rather than a half-grimace), beach kit and mini bathrobes and slippers. There's also paddle-boarding and catamaran sailing, alongside the usual dive boats and house-reef snorkelling. Milaidhoo's location in Baa Atoll - a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with the world's highest concentration of manta rays - is a huge plus. What makes it so special? We review the best Marriott hotels in the Maldives. A rare thing in the Maldives, this beautiful South Malé Atoll resort is truly family-friendly. Named after Nemo’s submarine, the Nautilus private-island retreat of 26 overwater and beach houses has maxed out on relaxed luxe. Michelle Jana Chan, Number of villas: 24Transfer time: a 30-minute seaplane from Malé, Address: Soneva Jani, Medhufaru Island, Noonu Atoll, Maldives Book your stay, On one side of this island retreat - a circular hectare bisected by a sandy path lined with banana trees and bougainvillaea - is an open-air thatched bar, restaurant and water sports; on the other are the villas and a tiny but brilliant spa. (traditional Maldivian sailing boats) furnished in white and wood and with a terrace for slipping into the sea to spot rays and baby sharks. This site uses cookies to improve your experience and deliver personalised advertising. Sitting above the indigo Baa Atoll and its eddying UNESCO biosphere reserve of pale sandbars and just visible coral gardens, it’s a place where schedules are decidedly lacking and guests duck in via seaplane or yacht to zone out. ... Baros Maldives is a 5 star hotel located at North Male Atoll in Maldives. Unusually for hotels in the region, the Nautilus is independently Maldivian owned, and is designed for the next generation of smart travellers who are seeking out the latest go-with-the-flow modern boho experience. #29 Best Value of 138 Maldives Luxury Hotels “ The Banyan Tree Hotel is the perfect place to relax: Luxury Villas with private pool an Jacuzzi, perfect beach, perfect SPA, perfect accomodation, perfect … See the full list: Hotels near National Museum . The advantages of size are wonderfully apparent here. There's a mellow beach-club vibe throughout, with bicycles to nip between the two bars at opposite ends of the three-kilometre-long island: one more chilled beside the pool, and the other, livelier, with colourful reclaimed wooden tables, a reggae soundtrack, surfboards propped against the wall, and inflatable swans standing by to drift about on the sea. Maldives Accommodation: Find 89,455 traveller reviews and 170,735 candid photos for 1,275 Maldives Hotels on Tripadvisor. He then hired a hot-shot general manager, Hans Cauchi from the Corinthia in London, installed his former butler front-of-house, and brought in 500 Czech builders for six months. The signature restaurant, Ba'theli, serving Maldivian and trade-route-inspired dishes in three cleverly interlinked dhonis, is a show-stopper. First off it’s a 30-minute speed boat from the airport, so no long seaplane wait for tired tots. An overwater bungalow at a luxury Maldives resort is, for many people, the dream vacation, and there are plenty of Marriotts to spend and earn Bonvoy points at, including St. Regis. Among her favourite assignments are her regular trips to the Maldives. The beautiful Lighthouse restaurant, with over-water seats, is an Instagram favourite, but for that really special meal, board your own personal dhoni for a dinner cruise for two. Wide-brimmed straw hats off to the Four Seasons. Maldives is a tropical area, surrounded by beaches and oceans, is known for its seafood cuisine. With its Ayurvedic treatments and organic products, the Meera Spa is sublime. The original ‘no shoes, no news’ resort is a 30-minute seaplane ride from Malé and a great choice if you want to ‘get away from it all’ but actually still have plenty of things to do. Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! Of course, there's no shortage of comforts - a 100-plus cocktail menu at the bar, a cheese-and-wine tower, a sensational sushi restaurant - but the vibe is very laid-back compared to some of the Maldives' more flashy resorts. Prices for Joali, one of the best hotels in the Maldives, start at US $2753++ per night. For dining there are seven impressive restaurants, including Vilu Restaurant (Asian-Mediterranean) and Koko Grill (Japanese). One of the best luxury resorts in the Maldives, the main attractions … For Maldivophiles, here is a worthy winter-sun detour that is every bit as high-achieving as some of the beloved old-timers and big-name brands. Best Resorts in Maldives. Number of villas: 37 Transfer time: a 55-minute domestic flight from Malé to Kaadedhdhoo airport followed by a 10-minute speedboat transfer, Address: Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, Gaafu Alifu Atoll, MaldivesBook your stay. Other than this, the hotels in Maldives … from around £2439pn), this ultra luxurious getaway is where the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge vaycay. Stylish, sustainable and surrounded by some of the healthiest and most bountiful reefs in the country – a carnival of colourful corals, blizzards of tropical fish, sea turtles as big as ponies – this is one all-inclusive that no one can turn their nose up at. If city living is all about the lean-in, the Maldives is for the recline. The resort has two restaurants – a buffet option that’s a cut above most you’ll find on the islands and the a la carte Muraka, which is also the best place on the island for a sundowner. With this five-acre, seven-bedroom, profoundly private island it has raised the proverbial bar. Or you could stop in at the Ottoman Lounge (a nod to Ayada's Turkish ownership) and settle in for a coffee with a squidge of Turkish delight and a shisha pipe. Baros has everything you’d want from a Maldives holiday, with the added bonuses of the best house reef around on its doorstep and more affordable prices than other all-villa escapes. But beyond the sunset suppers and private pools, many of the top hotels across the 26 Indian Ocean atolls are wonderful for families, too. If reading the words ‘rustic chic’ make you shudder then design-led Amilla is a breath of fresh air. Snaking off the biggest is a 1.8 km jetty with 24 over-water villas, each one bigger than some hotels (the largest can fit a family of 10). There's an inspiring young dive team - all of whom appear to speak half a dozen languages and hold higher degrees in easy-going charm - to help you into your mask and fins. At the smart overwater spa, Balinese therapists perform signature massages that start with the hum of a Tibetan singing bowl and end with warm coconut oil being poured onto your third eye. It's impossible to miss home, but just in case, there's a red telephone box by reception for free old-school-style phone calls. Other accolades: Park Hyatt Maldives Hadahaa also features in my top 10 lists of the best luxury hotels for amazing award redemptions, the world’s most remote luxury hotels. All are gorgeous, kitted out in a back-to-nature style, with thatched roofs, recycled teak bed frames, bespoke rocking chairs and catamaran nets strung above the water (a coral regeneration programme is helping to nurse the rather pale house reef back to life following the 2016 worldwide bleaching event). This is our definitive guide to the Maldives hotels that are really worth travelling for. The island is surrounded by four miles of one of the Maldives' best house reefs, home to turtles, fish and riotously colourful coral. Menus are modern and moreish – chia bowls and kombucha for breakfast, charcoal-grilled lunches by the pool, Japanese-Peruvian for dinner – and the spa will keep you looking and feeling your very best. And nowhere more so than in the spa, where it's all too easy to hole up in one of the thatched, nest-like pods for hours on end. Here are the best resorts in the Maldives: Cheval Blanc Randheli. SK, Number of villas: 90Transfer time: a 40-minute seaplane from Malé, Address: Hurawalhi Island Resort, Huruvalhi, Maldives Book your stay. Its accents of bright pink (cushions, inflatable flamingos), a variety of budget-friendly rooms (from around £177pn, incredibly low for the Maldives), 10 restaurants (including a deli so you can picnic on the beach), Kandiland kids’ club, DJs and the longest pool in the region make this a fun, affordable option for families and groups of friends. It has a 5.0 overall guest rating based on 390 reviews. Discreet touches - table-tops in a mosaic of petrified wood; transparent panels in the floor to allow fish-spotting - perk up the unpretentious design. It's what the Four Seasons does.) Something to keep in mind when planning a holiday in the Maldives is that the remoteness once guaranteed by these faraway atolls can no longer be taken for granted. Understated, refined and properly spoiling. Renowned Istanbul-based design studio Autoban (behind London’s Duck + Rice, the extraordinary airport in Baku and numerous hotels in their hometown such as the House Hotels and the Witt Suites) were commissioned to come up with something fresh and different at Joali. One of the smallest resorts in the Maldives, Mirihi might also be the most perfect. The Maldives might appear, at first glance, like a destination for couples. Since it opened, a cookery school has been added and its overwater villas now have pools, but the beach pool villas are still the best: thrillingly big and impressive, they have wardrobes and shoe space to match. Images by Joali. The resort’s food scene is spectacular, with five restaurants including Kaashi and Rum Baan nestled into the treetops, and Hashi, a Japanese overwater restaurant run by former Nobu chef Namuraj Tamang. Lee Cobaj, Cobaj is a travel writer born in Glasgow and raised in Hong Kong. Hurawalhi is surrounded by no fewer than 50 outstanding dive sites, including one of the most reliable manta-ray hotspots in the archipelago, where you can marvel at the spectacle of these creatures lining up to be fussed over by lesser marine life. Waterborne adventures are impromptu, too, with watches and iPhones swapped out for snorkels and paddleboards at any time. A snorkelling, diving or sailing expedition, especially in the company of the resident marine biologist, is likely to be as instructive as it is beautiful - the sort of experience that could alter a person's entire attitude towards the oceans. Hip, glam, grown-up and fun, it’s all dazzling white architecture, funky furniture and cool pool to hang around. Go stand-up paddleboarding at sunrise or take the yacht out for the day. What could be more lovely than a stay at Raffles? It’s an expensive destination, but prices drop for the rainy season (May to November), which really just means sporadic showers and higher humidity. Number of villas: 62 beach, 50 overwaterTransfer time: A 55-minute flight from Malé to Kaadedhdhoo, then 45 minutes by speedboat, Address: Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll Maguhdhuvaa Island, Maldives Book your stay. Nearby Hanifaru Bay is to ray fanciers what La Scala is to opera buffs. Some design elements are a little retro: suede-effect giant-weave cushions; patchwork carpets; the hanging chair and three massive vases you have to dodge to get to the bath. The kitchen is yours to use, but the chef is brilliant and will prepare anything you want (stories include a specific variety of apple being flown in at a guest's request), such as baked red snapper in aromatic herbs, and banana fritters with sweet crêpes in caramel. Surely he'd approve of Vommuli. By Lee Cobaj. This hideaway, above all, is incredibly fun. Number of villas: 150Transfer time: 30 minutes by seaplane from Malé, Address: Rangali Island Alifu Dhaalu Atoll, 20077, MaldivesBook your stay, Four Seasons Maldives Private Island at Voavah, Baa Atoll, The 23 best restaurants in Paris right now, 23 travel films that will make you feel like you're on holiday, The 23 best spas in the world for weight loss. Number of villas: 26Transfer time: a 30-minute seaplane from Malé, Address: The Nautilus, Thiladhoo, Baa atoll 20066, MaldivesBook your stay. A small bar, restaurant and the region’s best spa complete this small but perfect resort. View Full Profile. Among other treasures, it contains a 1775 Madeira. Offering the perfect combination of exclusivity and comfort, Heritance Aarah is all about exclusive luxury with a touch of Maldives' traditions. Four courses contrived for maximum soporific effect (passion-fruit-and-green-tea soup - who knew?) In fact, with evocative sunsets, dazzling waters and sparkling golden sands in such ample supply, you’ll find it a wrench to leave. There's even a riff on the classic Bloody Mary, served in a seashell and renamed the Island Mary. Arrival by seaplane from Malé sets the tone; and from white-tented spa to swim-up pool bar, this resort encapsulates 'jet-set glamour'. 15 Jan 2021. Number of villas: 103Transfer time: 30 minutes by seaplane from Malé, Read our full review of Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, Address: Baa Atoll, MaldivesBook your stay. But from breakfast on the terrace - molten-centred brownies, celestial with a cappuccino - to the doll-sized mouthfuls on the tasting menu at Le 1947 restaurant, named after Cheval Blanc's most famous vintage, every element confirms this as the most sensational new resort in the Maldives. You've got the splendours of the Baa Atoll lapping at your shores and your own yacht on which to explore it. An early riser can practise hatha yoga with Rasmika Sahan before a snorkelling trip nearby (although the house reef is a treat too, with angelfish and baby blacktip sharks). The resort is also big on action, with diving, kite-surfing and SeaBobs (which zoom underwater like dolphins), and scheduled DJ's spinning tracks in the evening. The ludicrously pretty and impossibly slick Coco Privé Kuda Hithi is only available for private hire. It's also set up to provide a restorative 14- or 21-day panchakarma cleanse, which takes pounds off like nothing else. Number of villas: 72 overwater, 25 beachTransfer time: 35 minutes from Malé by seaplane, then 15 minutes by boat, Address: Laamu Atoll 15090, Maldives Book your stay. There are underwater scooters to take for a ride, contemporary treehouses to stay in (along with the usual beach villas) and room service is included so you can dine in private at any hour you choose. What makes it so special? Super-smart, with its stone baths designed for two, often with a royal in residence (never seen but identifiable by uniformed bodyguards sitting outside the villa), this is an immense and hugely successful hotel, with 12 private beaches. Popular hotels close to National Museum include JEN Maldives Male by Shangri-La, Skai Lodge, and Airport Beach Hotel. From simple island life to a sprawling luxury playground—these fifteen have one thing in common: they are all the very best luxury resorts in the Maldives. A wine-and-cheese station for a glass of rouge and a sliver of brie while sitting on a bench fashioned from a fishing boat. See the full list: Hotels near Hulhumale Beach . The staff football games make for a compelling spectator sport and the buffet restaurant is buzzy with friendly waiters and lively cooking stations. Situated in the remote Baa Atoll (a 40-minute seaplane flight from Malé) it’s in a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, which means it’s a particularly great spot for marine life too (including whale sharks and manta rays). The resort occupies a languid, picture-perfect stretch of sand – Veligandu means 'sandbank' in Maldivian – and has a nice community feel, which is something of a rarity. A Space Age vibe pervades the interiors too, with modular ceiling lamps that resemble chemistry diagrams and translucent bathroom surfaces lit from below. This understated, elegant resort has a loyal following. Not one but two islands are on offer at this chic resort. Milaidhoo gives classic Maldivian island style a refreshing contemporary twist. State-of-the-art boys' toys (not even glossy rivals Cheval Blanc or One&Only Reethi Rah have a Seabob or semi-submarine); a spa with expert therapists, an ocean-view sauna, snow room and snooze pod; a nine-hole golf course; tennis and squash courts; an extraordinary three-storey wine tower with a 6,000-bottle, £970,000 inventory (including a 1978 Romanée-Conti for £36,000); and Aragu, an overwater, open-kitchen restaurant and Champagne lounge with a Sri Lankan chef. Here he's used the same large-scale, cathedral-roofed template for the beach villas, and the detailing is superb. Resorts too close to the capital, Malé, may have views across to its high-rise skyline; others may have a neighbouring hotel within earshot or clear sight. Lunch could be catch of the day – smoked tuna, say, grilled with lemon oil. A bedtime story and glass of warm milk, though surely unnecessary by this point, could no doubt also be arranged. 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