Maldives
Hotels in Maldives
In the decades since the islands became a tourist destination, dozens of resorts and hotels in the Maldives have popped up, with many offering all-inclusive stays where room, board and scheduled activities are factored into the cost of staying. What’s more, some resorts practically control their own islands, and it’s not unusual for visitors to spend all their time on resort grounds, kept apart from local laws forbidding alcohol and the consumption of pork. However, if you’re more interested in a bit of independence, consider booking a Maldives hotel room in one of the many above water bungalows that dot the islands, which sit on stilts above the islands’ crystalline waters. Or if you’re looking for hotels in Maldives that have more of a homey and budget-friendly feel, consider booking a Maldives hotel room in the many guesthouses and inns on atolls like Vaavu and Addu, where costs are significantly lower than those at the resorts and afford self-starting guests the opportunity to set their own schedules.
The design-savvy W hotels group has expanded to the South Seas with a private-island resort in the Maldives. The traditional structures were built with modern materials—tented Teflon fiber ceilings that resemble soaring white sails at the Away Spa replace thatch and wood.
Drawing A-list visitors like George Clooney and Kate Moss, the Huvafen Fushi resort is situated on its own lagoon in the North Malé Atoll.
Located on a private coral island in the North Malé Atoll, the Four Seasons Resort at Kuda Huraa has 96 bungalows and suites, some built on the white-sand beach and some on stilts over the water.
Globe-trotters prefer this chilled-out, toes-in-the-sand retreat, where the focus is on organic cuisine, yoga and meditation, and Asian-inspired spa rituals.
The Setting: Overlook the Indian Ocean from the ultra-private two-person, 104-degree hot tub outside of Conrad Maldives’ Beach Villa on Rangalifinolhu Island.
A string of 110 overwater suites and beach villas on a 10-acre private island that’s part of the South Male Atoll.
Room to Book: Luxurious outdoor bathing areas come standard in the Beachfront villas; book the sunset-facing rooms for romantic evenings.
Banyan Tree's aesthetic is the Indian Ocean's version of safari style: elaborate tents, a jungle setting, and its own wildlife-filled reef just offshore. Created by Dharmali Kusumadi, one of the group’s head designers, it’s by far the most cosseting tented property available today.
On a sandy outcropping near a coral reef, Shangri-La has built this resort, with 16 tree-house villas and 60 timber bungalows that hover over the aquamarine water.
This luxury resort on the uninhabited island of Kunfunadhoo in the Baa Atoll encourages its guests to spend their entire vacations barefoot. Surrounded by dense tropical foliage, each of the 65 villas has beach access, and some also have private saltwater pools.
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