Travelnews

Of the 112 five-star resorts in our Maldives database, 52 have a 'from' rate on file. The cheapest are Kandima Maldives (from USD 165 a night, seaplane 40 min), Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives (from USD 200, speedboat 40 min) and Brennia Kottefaru (from USD 209, seaplane 40 min), for two adults before taxes.

A new 162-room five-star hotel, Manhattan Grand Hotel, opened in Hulhumalé on 7 November 2026, about 10 minutes from Velana International Airport. It adds a pool-and-spa option for travellers who need a night near the airport.

Brazilian surfer Caio Ibelli won the 2026 Four Seasons Maldives Surfing Champions Trophy at Sultans, the reef break next to Kuda Huraa. Guests watched the finals from the resort's yachts, and the same surf school coaches beginners all year.

92 resorts in our Maldives database suit families and have a kids' club. The lowest rates are at Kandima Maldives (from USD 165 a night, seaplane 40 min), Niva Kurumba Maldives (from USD 188, speedboat 10 min) and Centara Mirage Lagoon Maldives (from USD 200, speedboat 40 min).

Loire Valley winemaker Pascal Jolivet will present four of his wines at a five-course pairing dinner at Milaidhoo Maldives in Baa Atoll on 4 December.

SO/ Maldives in South Malé Atoll has marked its third anniversary with a new set of SO/ Signature Experiences, from silent discos to floating pickleball, and a 'Your Villa, Your Way' stay with private speedboat transfers and in-villa dining.

Former WTA doubles player Cornelia Lister, captain of Sweden's national junior padel team, is at ananea Madivaru in North Ari Atoll from 7 to 14 November 2026, leading two afternoons of padel that are free for in-house guests.

44 of the 188 resorts in our database have a house reef our profiles rate pristine, exceptional or outstanding. The lowest-priced are Reethi Faru Resort (from USD 151), Brennia Kottefaru (from USD 209) and Ayada Maldives (from USD 220). The closest to Malé is Niva Velassaru Maldives, 25 minutes by speedboat.

Bandos Maldives will run a Candy Land-themed festive programme from 20 December 2026 to 7 January 2027, with gala dinners, Santa on the beach, a busy kids' club schedule and New Year fireworks.

Coco Bodu Hithi in North Malé Atoll has been named Best Commitment to Sustainability at the Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence 2027, its third award from the guide in three years.

We rate 35 Maldives resorts as honeymoon picks that also have overwater villas. Under USD 500 a night, start with Reethi Faru Resort (from USD 184), Veligandu Maldives Resort Island (from USD 357) and Cocoon Maldives (from USD 405). At the top end, Cheval Blanc Randheli starts at USD 1,806.

149 of the 188 resorts in our database offer all inclusive. By lowest room rate, the best value are Medhufushi Island Resort (from USD 88 a night), Canareef Resort Maldives (from USD 100) and Reethi Faru Resort (from USD 151). At most of them, all inclusive is added on top of that room rate.

Our database lists 23 adults-only resorts in the Maldives. The lowest rates are at Centara Ras Fushi Resort (from USD 175 a night, speedboat 15 min), The Residence Maldives at Falhumaafushi (from USD 329) and Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa Maldives (from USD 358). 18 of the 23 offer all-inclusive plans.

66 of the 188 resorts in our database are reached by speedboat from Velana Airport, so no seaplane is needed. 32 are 30 minutes or less away, and the quickest are dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives (7 min), Bandos Maldives (10 min) and Niva Kurumba Maldives (10 min). Nearly all are in North and South Malé atolls.

28 resorts in our Maldives database have an overwater villa from under USD 500 a night for two adults, before taxes. The cheapest are Reethi Faru Resort (from USD 184, seaplane 45 min), Centara Ras Fushi Resort (from USD 248, speedboat 15 min) and Summer Island Maldives (from USD 250, speedboat 45 min).

Serenity Spa at Milaidhoo Maldives won Best Hotel Spa at the 2027 Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence, presented in London on 2 November 2026.

LIME Wellbeing at Niva Kuramathi has four men's treatment packages from 1 to 30 November 2026, plus free group fitness and yoga sessions on 19 November.

Avani+ Fares Maldives runs a four-day football camp for children aged 5 to 13 with former Liverpool FC defender Martin Kelly from 15 to 18 November 2026, at USD 399 per child.

The piano duo QUEENZ OF PIANO will give three shows at Reethi Faru Resort, on 29 December 2026, New Year's Eve and 2 January 2027.

Kandooma Maldives runs its Pirates' Festive Adventure from 22 December 2026 to 7 January 2027, with kids' club activities, a Christmas Eve gala dinner, Bodu Beru night and ocean trips.

Book a Sun Siyam resort between 1 and 30 November 2026 for discounts of up to 50% and seaplane deals on stays until 31 October 2027.

Six Senses Laamu has added 17 overwater villas in four new categories, each with its own 18 m² pool, including the resort's first family water villa. Stays start on 6 December 2026.

The Maldives has launched Visit Maldives Year 2027, 'Celebrate the Sunny Side', a year-long national programme of resort celebrations, local island festivals, cultural and food events, wellness and ocean adventures.

For International Men's Day, Milaidhoo Maldives is running Gentlemen & Cocktails at its Compass Pool Bar: a bartender-led workshop, then a timed contest judged by partners, with the winning drink on the menu for a week.

Angsana Velavaru in Dhaalu Atoll has set out its festive programme: a tree lighting, sunset carols and a visit from Santa, Christmas and New Year dinners and brunches, Bodu Beru drumming, and manta and turtle trips.

Former two-Michelin-starred chef Tristan Brandt is back at Sirru Fen Fushi this festive season, with a four-hands dinner on 29 December 2026 and a signature dinner on 2 January 2027 at Azure.

From 5 to 8 November 2026, SAii Lagoon Maldives at CROSSROADS hosts a professional women's padel tournament that anyone can watch, with paid masterclasses and private coaching open to the public.

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Wang Chi-Lin will stay at W Maldives from 1 to 3 December 2026 and run a free one-hour badminton coaching session for resort guests.

NH Collection Maldives Reethi Resort in Baa Atoll runs a Cuban-themed festive season, 'Havana Nights', from 21 December 2026 to 7 January 2027, including a sunken-rum dive on 29 December and fireworks on New Year's Eve.

Adults-only You & Me Maldives runs a 16-day festive programme from 22 December 2026 to 6 January 2027. The highlight is 'Krug Beneath the Waves', a five-course Krug-paired dinner at its underwater restaurant H2O on 28 December.

Joy Island in North Malé Atoll runs its 'Joyful Horizons' festive programme from 22 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, with a beach gala and fireworks on New Year's Eve and plenty for families.

Cocoon Maldives in Lhaviyani Atoll is marking its 10th anniversary over the festive season, with a programme running from 22 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 and an anniversary beach dinner on 26 December.

From 1 November 2026, guests at ananea Madivaru Maldives get an Island Concierge: one familiar person who greets them, helps plan their days and says goodbye, without the formality of a butler.

Grand Park Kodhipparu Maldives collected nine prizes at the 2026 World Luxury Awards. Its overwater spa and its FireDOOR restaurant were both named Global Winners.

S7 Airlines now flies between Novosibirsk and Malé on Mondays and Fridays, so travellers from Siberia no longer need to change planes in Moscow. The first flight landed on 30 October 2026.

From 25 to 27 November 2026, mixologist Virender Singh of RED Bar, New Delhi, takes over a different bar each evening at JW Marriott Maldives Kaafu Atoll Island Resort.

Kandooma Maldives in South Malé Atoll has added a pickleball court. It is open from 6am to 6pm, equipment is free to borrow, and each villa gets one complimentary hour on court per day.

COMO's two Maldives resorts have festive programmes running through December into January 2027, from a White Soirée and a Gatsby gala on New Year's Eve to visiting healers, plus festive rates with savings of up to 25%.

Centara Grand Lagoon, Centara Mirage Lagoon, Machchafushi and Centara Ras Fushi each have their own Diwali programme between 7 and 9 November 2026.

Both OZEN resorts in South Malé Atoll are marking Diwali with festive Indian thali dinners on 8 and 9 November 2026, included in their all-inclusive plans.

Soneva Fushi in Baa Atoll has won Excellence in Sustainable Childcare at the Luxury Childcare Association Awards 2026, for the nature-based activities at its kids' club, The Den.

The overwater spa at The Standard in Raa Atoll now has a guided contrast therapy circuit, three-day wellness journeys and an adults-only swim-up tonic bar for spa guests.

Sun Siyam Vilu Reef in Dhaalu Atoll marks its 28th anniversary from 28 to 30 October 2026 with DJs, a visiting Italian chef and wellness sessions, and opens YAYA Beach Club and Tuscany.

The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort hosts tennis residencies with Donna Vekić (29 October–1 November), Paula Badosa (13–14 November) and Daniil Medvedev (26–27 November 2026).

South Africa's Glenelly Estate brings six wine evenings to RAAYA by Atmosphere (4–6 December) and VARU by Atmosphere (8–10 December 2026), free for guests on the resorts' all-inclusive plans with a reservation.

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands moved up from one to Two MICHELIN Keys in 2026, and The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort made Tatler Best Asia Pacific's Best 100 Hotels.

Heritance Aarah in Raa Atoll has won gold for Leading All-Inclusive Hotel/Resort at the South Asian Travel Awards 2026, for its Premium All-Inclusive offering.

Chef Aree of The House by Ginger, a Michelin-recognised restaurant in Chiang Mai's Old City, cooks Thai menus at Heritance Aarah in Raa Atoll from 4 to 6 November 2026.

Chef Mos of Ginger Farm Kitchen, a Michelin-recognised restaurant from Chiang Mai, cooks northern Thai food at Adaaran Select Meedhupparu in Raa Atoll on 8 and 9 November 2026.

Gili Lankanfushi's executive chef, Harinath Govindaraj, has marked 20 years at the resort with Plant to Plate, a book of more than 60 vegan recipes from the island.

Of the 188 resorts we work with, 115 can be reached by seaplane, 78 by speedboat and 46 by domestic flight (usually plus a speedboat). Speedboats serve the islands closest to Malé; seaplanes fly in daylight only.

Our 188 resorts are spread over 20 atolls. The most resorts are in North Malé Atoll (41), South Malé Atoll (22), Raa Atoll (19) and South Ari Atoll (19).

Most resorts sell several meal plans. In our collection, 149 resorts offer all inclusive, 114 full board, 117 half board and 132 bed & breakfast.

170 of our 188 resorts offer overwater villas. Across all villa types we list, the median overwater villa is about 140 m² and the median beach villa about 150 m².

The Maldives is warm all year. The drier northeast monsoon runs roughly from December to April; the wetter southwest monsoon from about May to November, when rates are often lower.

40% off our standard rate on every villa type at Pullman Maldives Maamutaa in Gaafu Alifu Atoll. No minimum stay.

20% off the resort price at Emerald Maldives Resort & Spa in Raa Atoll, on every villa type.