Luxury Holidays in the Maldives

One & Only Reethi Rah is, for many of our clients, the pinnacle of what a Maldives holiday can be. Sitting on one of the largest private islands in the archipelago — with twelve beaches, no less — it's the kind of place that manages to feel genuinely spacious and intimate at the same time. The villas are extraordinary: some are tucked into lush tropical gardens right on the sand, others are perched over the lagoon with their own private pools and those views you come home and struggle to describe properly.

The food is a real highlight — six restaurants covering everything from Japanese tapas at Tapasake to wood-fired Italian at Rabarbaro — and the One & Only Spa is one of the finest we've come across anywhere. It's about a 60-minute luxury yacht transfer from Malé, which feels fitting. You arrive properly.

Six Senses Laamu is the only resort in the entire Laamu Atoll — which tells you something straight away. Remote, beautiful, and genuinely unlike anything else in the Maldives, it has a "no shoes, no news" philosophy that sounds like a cliché until you're actually there and realise you haven't checked your phone in three days. The villas are incredible — glass-bottomed bathtubs over the lagoon, hammocks, private decks — and the dining is inventive and genuinely delicious: Leaf sits above an organic garden on a treetop platform, Longitude floats over the ocean, and Sip Sip rises from the pool with 48 flavours of home-made ice cream (yes, really).

Six Senses is also doing serious work on marine conservation here — it's the founding home of the Maldives Underwater Initiative — so if you care about where you spend your money, this one sits comfortably at the top of the list.

If you've been curious about all-inclusive in the Maldives but worried it might feel a bit package-holiday, Constance Moofushi is the one that'll change your mind. Set on the western edge of the South Ari Atoll — one of the best diving locations in the world — it's a small, beautiful island where the house reef is genuinely spectacular and the laid-back barefoot vibe feels completely natural. Premium spirits, wine, cocktails, all meals, non-motorised water sports: it's all included, and it's done with real style.

The Alizée Beach Grill is a lovely spot for dinner as the sun goes down, and the resident marine biologists run brilliant reef talks for guests. It's also just a 25-minute seaplane hop from Malé, which means you're on the island before the excitement has had time to wear off.

Heritance Aarah quietly does something rather remarkable: it manages to feel both properly indulgent and properly relaxed, which isn't as easy to pull off as it sounds. The world's first overwater marine observatory sits at its heart, giving guests unprecedented access to the reef system below — part indulgence, part education, and genuinely thrilling whether you're eight or eighty. With seven restaurants (including street food from Tokyo and Bangkok, a superb seafood restaurant, and a brilliant pizza shack), five bars, and a full premium all-inclusive package, it's one of the most complete resorts we recommend.

The 150 butler-serviced villas are beautifully designed, the spa is excellent, and the kids' club offers marine education programmes that even children who claim they don't like learning absolutely love. It's won a Condé Nast Traveller Best Resort award, and having seen what it offers, that comes as no surprise whatsoever.

If you're travelling as a couple or with children and you want a Maldives holiday where nobody — not you, not the kids — is bored for a single moment, Siyam World is the answer. It's the Maldives turned up. The largest floating water park in the country. More than 20 dining venues. Electric go-karts, a horse ranch (yes, the Maldives' only one), pool parties, football camps with professional coaches, and evening entertainment that actually keeps older kids genuinely engaged.

The villas are brilliant — multi-bedroom beach residences and overwater options, many with private pools and water slides. The 24-hour all-inclusive means food and drinks are sorted around the clock, and the kids' club keeps younger ones brilliantly happy while you actually manage to sit down with a cocktail. It's not the quietest or most secluded resort on this list — that's rather the point — and it does it all extraordinarily well.

Adaaran Select Meedhupparu is a great-value all-inclusive option that punches well above its weight. Sitting in the Raa Atoll about 45 minutes by seaplane from Malé, it's a properly generous resort — 231 villas, five dining outlets, a spa, and a house reef that wraps almost entirely around the island. For clients who want the full Maldives experience without the eye-watering price tag of the ultra-luxury end of the market, this is a genuinely strong choice.

The water villas are a step above (sold as Adaaran Meedhupparu Prestige Water Villas and rated extremely highly by guests), and the all-inclusive package here covers meals, drinks, and a solid programme of activities and entertainment. It's also a lovely choice for families, with dedicated beach family villas and a kids' club. Honest, warm, and great fun.