Review of the best hotels in the Maldives – where to stay in 2025

The Maldives is an archipelago of over 1000 coral islands scattered across the Indian Ocean. White sand formed by crushed coral, azure water and rich underwater life make these islands a true paradise for travellers.

The review presents the most beautiful beaches in the Maldives, which mesmerise with pristine nature and offer ideal conditions for a holiday. Whether you’re looking for a secluded retreat, a snorkelling spot or family-friendly comfort, there’s something for everyone.

Top 15 most beautiful beaches in the Maldives

The variety of beaches is amazing: from deserted corners to elite resort areas with developed infrastructure. Among the best:

1. Cocoa Island Beach is a narrow sand spit with crystal clear water and coral reefs.
2. Baros Beach is an impeccable combination of privacy, premium service and natural beauty.
3. Lily Beach – snow-white sand, comfortable sun loungers, easy access to the water.
4. Hulhumale Beach is a public beach overlooking the ocean, accessible without staying in the resorts.
5. Dhigurah Beach is one of the few places where you can see whale sharks and go diving.
6. Nalaguraidhoo Beach is a beach at Sun Island Resort with coconut palms and calm waters.
7. Maafushi Beach – democratic atmosphere, cafes, bars, lots of water activities.
8. Fihalhohi Island Beach is a picturesque beach with lush vegetation and ideal snorkelling conditions.
9. Thoddoo Beach is a spacious beach surrounded by tropical papaya and watermelon plantations.
10. Ukulhas Beach is an example of an eco-friendly holiday destination with crystal clear waters.
11. Hanifaru Bay Beach is a nature reserve known for the seasonal migrations of giant mantas.
12. Kuramathi Beach is a long sand spit going far into the ocean.
13. Vabbinfaru Beach is a beach with a secluded atmosphere, first class villas and impeccable service.
14. Banyan Tree Beach is part of a nature reserve surrounded by mangrove forests and wild birds.
15. Mudhdhoo Beach is a famous beach with bioluminescent plankton creating a glowing sea effect.

These Maldives holiday beaches combine crystal clear water, manicured grounds and extraordinary nature. Each has a distinctive atmosphere, whether it’s the serenity of a private island or the dynamism of an active public beach.

Turquoise Dreams: beaches with white sand and perfect ocean

The most beautiful beaches in the Maldives are famous for their dazzling white sand, made up of crushed coral and shells, making it unusually soft.

Among the best spots:

1. Fulhadhoo Beach is one of the most secluded beaches, surrounded by palm groves.
2. Veligandu Island Beach is a beach with smooth sand and a calm lagoon.
3. Cocoa Island Beach is an exotic coastline perfect for photo shoots.

Shallow lagoons create comfortable swimming conditions and the water is so clear that visibility reaches 30 metres.

Snorkelling lagoons: beaches with the best underwater views

The best beaches in the Maldives for snorkelling offer incredible underwater scenery:

1. Biyadhoo Beach is a famous reef beach where stingrays and sea turtles can be found.
2. Reethi Beach – coral gardens and colourful fish near the shoreline.
3. Kuredu Beach is one of the few places where you can see reef sharks.

The depth here is shallow and the current is low, making snorkelling safe even for beginners.

Ideal beaches for family holidays

Travellers with children appreciate the Maldives’ family-friendly beaches for their safety, gentle entry into the water and well-developed infrastructure. Best family beaches:

1. Cocoa Island Beach – Hotels with children’s playgrounds and animation.
2. Baros Beach – comfortable seating areas, restaurants with children’s menus.
3. Lily Beach is shallow water, perfect for little ones.

There are no sudden depth changes here and the water stays warm all year round.

How to get to the beaches of the Maldives

The archipelago is made up of 26 atolls, and the most beautiful beaches in the Maldives can be reached in different ways depending on the remoteness of the island:

• seaplanes are the fastest transfer option. Flights take place during the daytime and round-trip flights cost between $200 and $800 depending on the distance. Airlines such as Trans Maldivian Airways offer routes to remote islands, providing stunning views of azure lagoons and coral reefs;
• speedboats are the best way to get to the nearest resorts. The price depends on the distance: a transfer to the islands located within 30-50 kilometres from Velana Airport (Male’) costs $50-$150. The journey time varies from 20 minutes to 2 hours;
• ferries are the most affordable but less convenient mode of transport. State ferries connect the capitals of the local islands to Male’, but their timetables are limited. The fare is $3-$10, but it takes longer to get there – up to 5 hours depending on the direction;
• Private transfers – hotels often organise individual transfers by boat or small aircraft. This option is convenient if flexibility in schedule and comfort are required.

For travelling to remote corners, it is better to pre-book a transfer through your hotel or airline, especially in high season.

Where to stay: hotels on Maldivian beaches

Luxury beachfront resorts offer unrivalled comfort, scenic views and ocean access:

1. Soneva Fushi – secluded villas amidst tropical greenery, world-class spa, restaurant under the stars.
2. Gili Lankanfushi is an eco-hotel with bungalows on the water, personalised service and private beach areas.
3. Anantara Dhigu is a resort for romantic holidays with beach villas and the option to dine on a secluded sand spit.
4. Vakkaru Maldives is a luxury hotel with white-sand beaches, lagoons and gastronomic restaurants.
5. The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort is a combination of contemporary design and natural exoticism with panoramic ocean views.

Each resort offers access to first-class service, snorkelling, diving and exclusive spa treatments.

Conclusion

Maldives is not just a popular tourist destination, but a real paradise for lovers of beach holidays. The most beautiful beaches in the Maldives impress with white sand, warm ocean and perfect temperature. Here every moment is filled with a feeling of bliss that stays in the memory forever.

The Maldives are synonymous with luxurious and expensive vacations, but the reason for such high prices lies not only in glamour. So why are the Maldives so expensive? Imagine an archipelago of 1196 islands scattered across the equator, like building blocks on the floor. Each villa, each resort is located far apart from each other, making their logistics extremely complex and costly. Without a centralized system, even a simple delivery of a banana to one of the islands turns into a real special operation involving boats, seaplanes, and significant time and costs.

Vacation in the Maldives: Where Does the Price Come From

Every toothbrush, every concrete slab for a villa—all arrive by ocean or air. The islands do not produce anything on a mass scale. Importation literally shapes the price from the first breath at Velana Airport. A container from Sri Lanka or Dubai increases the cost of any item by 2–4 times.

The pricing in the Maldives always starts with logistics. It’s no coincidence that a bottle of mineral water in a hotel costs $10: delivery, storage, cooling, and the markup of a premium brand—all included.

Why Are the Maldives So Expensive: Lack of Rivers and Lakes

There are no rivers and lakes in the Maldives. Only the ocean. Freshwater is the result of round-the-clock desalination. Desalination plants run on diesel generators consuming thousands of liters of fuel monthly. Electricity doesn’t come from the socket but from a long journey: diesel arrives on a barge, then powers the generators, which in turn power the air conditioners, refrigerators, Wi-Fi, and even pool heating.

While other resorts calculate travel budgets in euros, Maldivian resorts convert every kilowatt and liter into dollars. Hence, the final cost of a Maldives vacation: electricity + water + logistics = expensive.

Island Resorts: Luxury with Delivery

Here, every hotel is a separate island. This format creates exclusivity but also increases costs: staff, building materials, equipment, products, service. Any malfunction requires a helicopter, boats, or drones—there is no subway or delivery trucks here.

What luxury vacation in the Maldives includes:

1. Villas with private overwater pools.
2. Personal butler in Dior shorts.
3. Breakfasts overlooking the lagoon with oysters.
4. Spa treatments with cosmetics produced in a Zurich laboratory.
5. Private cinemas under the stars.

Such luxury vacations are not just expensive—they represent technology, engineering, transportation, infrastructure, and time.

Nature Worth Its Weight in Gold

Maldivian reefs and biodiversity are fragile resources requiring protection. Erosion caused by rising sea levels takes centimeters off the islands’ shores every year. Resorts invest millions in stabilizing coastlines, installing breakwaters, and creating artificial beaches. This doesn’t bring dividends but adds zeros to the room price.

Yet, tourism in the Maldives depends on the beauty of the water, underwater world, lagoon transparency, and harmony with nature. Spoiling the view with plastic pipes or gray structures is an unacceptable luxury. That’s why every element is built here to blend with the landscape, manually and in compliance with strict standards.

When Luxury Is Not Just Show, But Necessity

Premium service in the Maldives starts with the approach to the island. At the airport, a staff member greets you, escorts you to a private terminal, then a seaplane with the hotel’s logo. In 45 minutes—landing on water, a colorful welcome drink, a personal butler, 200 square meters of private space, and complete autonomy.

The cost of vacation here doesn’t just include experiences—you can’t put a price on them. But every dollar there reflects investments, not just show.

What Else Makes the Maldives So Expensive?

Every villa on the islands is designed considering resistance to humidity, salt, wind, and potential floods. They use treated wood, stainless steel reinforcement, glass panels with UV protection. Even the palm leaf roofs are treated with special anti-mold compounds. Architecture becomes not just aesthetics but an engineering challenge with an increased budget.

This approach reflects not luxury for luxury’s sake but the necessity to extend the buildings’ service life in an aggressive environment. Hence, the cost increase, especially on islands with high humidity levels and seasonal floods.

Pros and Cons of Vacationing in the Maldives

The elite archipelago offers not just a vacation but a format of secluded island living with control over every moment. However, such isolation requires compromises and expenses.

Pros:

1. Exclusivity: 1 hotel—1 island.
2. Nature: 26 atolls, 1196 islands, over 200 fish species on the reefs.
3. Service: up to 5 staff per guest.
4. Safety: closed area, full control.
5. Weather: stable year-round.

Cons:

1. Price: from $5000 for 7 days in a modest hotel.
2. Complex logistics: flights with layovers, transfer by seaplane.
3. Lack of urban entertainment: all entertainment is within the hotel grounds.
4. Dependency on supplies: import disruptions can affect menus and services.
5. Coastal erosion and climate risks.

The balance of pros and cons depends directly on the vacationer’s preferences: some seek civilization, others seek tranquility. The Maldives create conditions where silence is valued far above the noise of a metropolis.

Is It Worth Flying When “Expensive” Is a Filter, Not a Con?

Traveling to the Maldives is not just an expensive vacation. It’s an investment in a unique experience that requires effort, technology, and care for nature. Here, you are not just a hotel guest but a part of a fragile ecosystem.

The answer to whether it’s worth flying to the Maldives is not in the price. It manifests in those unique moments when at sunset, a shark silently glides beneath the glass floor of your villa, and in your glass—a perfectly chilled Chardonnay, brought here from thousands of kilometers away. These are the priceless experiences for which such a journey is made.