Best Resorts in the Maldives

TRANSIT:

Hulhule Island Resort

Atoll: Male Atoll (Hulhumale Airport)

Accommodation:136 hotel rooms

Pools: 1 seafront pool

Food & Drink: 3 eateries + rooftop bar

Airport Transfers:

• Free Courtesy Bus

The only resort on the airport island is perfect for awkward flight times; manta-ray day trips and Malé city tours depart from the jetty, with reef fish visible off the hotel’s small beach.

BUDGET:

Centara Ras Fushi Resort & Spa

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation:140 over-water and beach villas

Pools: 1 lagoon-front pool

Food & Drink: 4 restaurants + 2 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (15–20 min) – Approx $180 USD pp return 

An adults-only, “no shoes, no news” hideaway whose Thai, Italian, Arabic and buffet venues cluster around the central pool; expect reef sharks, turtles and eagle rays on half-day dhoni trips to Shark Point, Kuda Haa and other famed dive sites just 20 minutes away.

Amaya Kuda Rah Resort

Atoll: South Ari Atoll

Accommodation: 51 over-water and beach villas

Pools:1 infinity pool

Food & Drink: 3 restaurants + bar

Airport Transfers:

• Seaplane (25 min) – $450 USD pp return

• Domestic flight (30 min) + speedboat (20 min) – about $350 USD pp return

A pocket-sized island minutes from Kuda Rah Thila and Maamigili Whale-Shark Zone; its barefoot-chic beach and over-water villas make a romantic base between manta snorkels, nurse-shark dives and sunset cocktails at Glow bar.

Adaaran Select Hudhuran Fushi

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation: 192 beach & over water villas

Pools: 1 ocean-view pool

Food & Drink: 5 restaurants + 4 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (30 min) – Approx $180 USD pp return

Surf-centric (the private “Lohis” break is legendary) yet family-friendly, with a huge sports field and reef teeming with black-tip reef sharks and turtles; dolphin-watch cruises depart daily.

Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation:176 beach & over water villas.

Pools: 3 freshwater pools

Food & Drink: 7 restaurants + 2 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (10–15 min) – Approx $130 USD pp return

Just 15 minutes from the airport but cocooned by palms, it mixes kids’ zones with an adults-only pool and over-water spa; manta or shark snorkels at Lankan Manta Point and Giraavaru Cave fill easy half-days.

Grand Park Kodhipparu

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation:120 beach & over water villas (65 with private pools)

Pools:1 infinity pool

Food & Drink: 3 restaurants + 2 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (20 min) – Approx $140 USD pp return

A design-led “barefoot luxe” isle with hammocks over turquoise shallows; rays and baby reef sharks patrol the house reef, while Rasfari manta cleaning station sits one speedboat hop away.

Fihalhohi Island Resort

Atoll: South Malé Atoll

Accommodation:150 beach and over water villas

Pools: No pool

Food & Drink: 2 simple restaurants + 3 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (45 min) – Approx $170 USD pp return

Old-school Maldives at budget prices: palm-shaded bungalows, nightly live music and a house reef famous for hawksbill turtles; snorkel safaris often spot nurse sharks on nearby sandbanks.

Meeru Island Resort & Spa

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation: 282 over water and beach villas

Pools: 2 pools

Food & Drink: 6 restaurants and 6 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (55 min) – Approx $155 USD pp return

The third-largest resort in the country spreads activities across family and adults-only zones, including a 9-hole pitch-and-putt; manta and dolphin cruises run year-round, with reef sharks and stingrays off the jetty at dusk.

MID-RANGE:

Soneva Jani

Atoll: Noonu Atoll

Accommodation: 51 over-water villas + 7 island villas (all with private pools)

Pools: 8 restaurants

Food & Drink: 7 restaurants and 3 bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared seaplane (40 min) – Approx $1,300 USD pp return

• Private seaplane (14-seat) – Approx $6,800 USD one-way

“No shoes, no news” slow-life concept. Slide from your villa into a vast lagoon, stargaze under a retractable roof, then kayak with spinner dolphins and turtles through the protected reef of Edu Faru.

Taj Exotica Resort & Spa

Atoll: South Malé Atoll

Accommodation: 64 over water and beach villas

Pools: 1 infinity pool

Food & Drink: 2 signature restaurants + bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (15 min) – Approx $100 USD pp return

Set on Emboodhu Finolhu’s huge natural lagoon, it pairs Indian-inspired Jiva Spa rituals with sunset dolphin cruises and turtle-rich snorkels on the island’s drop-off.

Hard Rock Hotel & SAii Lagoon (CROSSROADS)

Atoll: Emboodhoo Lagoon, South Malé Atoll

Accommodation: 178 rock-themed rooms + 198 laid-back SAii rooms

Pools: 1 giant infinity pool at each resort

Food & Drink: 12+ dining venues across the marina.

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (15 min) – Approx $178 USD pp return

Music memorabilia meets beach-club energy; rays glide under the over-water stage, while sharks and shipwreck dives lie ten minutes offshore.

Milaidhoo Island

Atoll: Baa Atoll (UNESCO Biosphere)

Accommodation: 50 over water and beach villas

Pools: 1 infinity pool

Food & Drink: 3 fine-dining restaurants + bars

Airport Transfers:

• Seaplane (35 min) – Approx $628 USD pp return

A boutique “story-teller” resort that celebrates Maldivian culture—dine aboard a traditional dhoni at Ba’theli, then snorkel with manta rays and whale sharks in Hanifaru Bay (Jun–Oct).

LUXURY:

Huvafen Fushi

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation:46 over water and beach villas (all with pools)

Pools: 2 swimming pools

Food & Drink: 5 restaurants + bars

Airport Transfers:

• Shared speedboat (30 min) – Approx $370 USD pp return

Home to the world’s first underwater spa and an adult-only vibe; night-time bioluminescent snorkels reveal shimmering plankton alongside reef sharks and octopus.

One & Only Reethi Rah

Atoll: North Malé Atoll

Accommodation:128 over water and beach villas (many with pools)

Pools: 3 swimming pools

Food & Drink: 6 restaurants + bars

Airport Transfers: Shared luxury yacht (45 min) – Approx $1,140 USD pp return

A “rock-star” private-island icon boasting 12 beaches, art studio and PADI Gold Palm dive centre; expect marble rays, reef sharks and turtles on bespoke snorkel safaris.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi

Atoll: South Malé Atoll

Accommodation:119 over water and beach villas (each with pool)

Pools: 5 swimming pools

Food & Drink: 11 restaurants

Airport Transfers:

• Shared yacht (45 min) – Approx $900 USD pp return

Spanning three linked islands—including a rentable private-island—the resort delivers champagne-yacht transfers, treetop dining and reef excursions for eagle rays, turtles and pink-whip rays.