Maldives at Christmas and New Year: festive dinners and supplements

Q: Are Christmas and New Year dinners compulsory in the Maldives?

At many resorts, yes. Both are compulsory at You & Me20, Lily Beach13 and Reethi Faru10, and at Reethi Rah23 brunches come with them. Soneva Fushi26 sets a compulsory supplement on each night. The Conrad16 charges a compulsory supplement that includes the gala, on 31 December only. Kandima1 puts both in the rate of its Festive Offer.

Q: How much is a New Year’s Eve dinner in the Maldives?

Per adult on these 8, from nothing extra at Kandima1 on its Festive Offer to a compulsory supplement of $2,300 at Soneva Fushi26. In between come $95 at Kandolhu7 on Bed & Breakfast, $250 at Reethi Faru10, $345 at Lily Beach13, $600 at You & Me20, $1,093.95 at the Conrad16, a supplement that includes the gala, and $1,515 at Reethi Rah23.

Q: Which resort would you choose to pay less?

For New Year, Reethi Faru: $627 a night12 for 2 on 31 December, with the dinner at $250 per adult10. Kandima1 puts both dinners in its Festive Offer rate, but that night costs $8516 and it asks for 5 nights. For Christmas alone, leaving by 26 December, I would look at Kandima: $562 on the 24th and $238 on the 25th, against $627 at Reethi Faru on both. Check that it is the offer’s rate.

Q: Can I check out on 31 December?

Not on the festive offers at Kandima1, Eri29, Nova31 and The Nautilus30. On one Six Senses Kanuhura32 offer you cannot leave on the 30th either. Check the terms of your own rate.

Q: Do children pay for the festive dinners?

Usually about half. Soneva Fushi26 asks $865 and $1,150 from 7 to 11.9, Reethi Rah23 $408 and $758 under 12, and Lily Beach13 $135 and $175 from 6 to 11. At Kandima1 the dinners are in the rate for children too on the Festive Offer, and Booking.com5’s price leaves the children’s supplements out.

To pay less at New Year I would book Reethi Faru: compulsory dinners at $250 per adult, and the lowest night on sale among these 8 on the 31st. Soneva Fushi’s supplements cost 2 adults $8,060 on top of the villa.

Chosen your hotel? Everything you need to go

Updated 31 October 202612 min readHow we write the guide

8 resorts, from dinners in the rate to $4,030 in supplements per adult

Lowest first, by what the dinners and supplements of 24 and 31 December add per adult.

The beach villas from the air, between the greenery and the white sand

Kandima Maldives

For families and friends who want the dinners settled in the rate, with 10 restaurants and bars² on a long island.

The trade-off

The dinners are confirmed in the rate of the Festive Offer, and the reef is a 5-minute boat ride³ from the beach.

Why choose it

On the Festive Offer¹, for stays from 24 December 2026 to 10 January 2027, the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve gala dinners are in the rate for adults and children. Booking.com⁵ leaves the children’s gala supplements out of its price, so families should book the Festive Offer or ask for the amount. You stay at least 5 nights from 26 December to 7 January, and you cannot check out on 31 December. A night for 2 costs $562⁶ on 24 December and $851 from 26 December to 7 January; check that it is the Festive Offer rate. Getting there adds $675 per adult return by seaplane, or $414 by domestic flight and speedboat⁴.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

Two people snorkelling in Kandolhu’s clear lagoon, the island behind

Kandolhu Maldives

For couples who want a reef from the beach⁸ on a small island, and a dinner charge they will barely notice.

The trade-off

The dinner is cheap and the nights are not: more than $2,000 for 2, and children start at 8⁸.

Why choose it

In the 2026 festive brochure⁷, the Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve gala dinners cost $95 per person on Bed & Breakfast and are included on À La Carte Dining and Ultimate Inclusions. All other restaurants are closed on both nights, so I would count the $95. A night for 2 costs $2,794⁹ on 24 December, $2,163 on 28 December and $2,810 on 31 December.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

Tables and cocktails by the sea at sunset

Reethi Faru Resort

For couples and families who want the lowest festive night on sale here, with a buffet on the big nights, and this is the one I would book for New Year.

The trade-off

Children pay from age 2, and you should ask whether tax is inside the $250¹⁰.

Why choose it

Booking.com’s fine print¹⁰ makes both dinners mandatory on 24 and 31 December 2026: $250 per adult and $125 per child from 2 to 11, each night. The resort’s festive offer¹¹ calls them gala buffet dinners. A night for 2 costs $271¹² on 23 December and $627 on 24, 28 and 31 December.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

Lily Maa’s long, lit buffet, over a sand floor.

Lily Beach Resort & Spa

For couples and families who want everything on one plan, Champagne included.

The trade-off

You can only stay on the Platinum Plan¹⁴, and the dinners are charged on top of it.

Why choose it

Booking.com¹³ lists mandatory charges for 2026: $265 per adult and $135 per child from 6 to 11 on 24 December, $345 and $175 on 31 December. Under-6s eat free. Ask whether tax is included. A night for 2 costs $1,018¹⁵ on 23 December, $2,155 from 26 to 31 December and on 2 January, and $1,668 from 3 to 7 January. For 24 and 25 December and 1 January, ask the resort.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

The Conrad’s 2 islands from the air, in South Ari Atoll’s turquoise lagoon

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

For couples and families who want Ithaa¹⁷, the undersea restaurant, and only 1 festive night to pay for.

The trade-off

Only 31 December is charged, but the supplement is $1,093.95 per adult, and the festive nights have no price online.

Why choose it

A compulsory supplement¹⁶ applies to stays on 31 December 2026: $1,093.95 per adult, taxes included, half that from 6 to 11 and nothing up to 5. It includes the gala dinner, at the Atoll Buffet Restaurant¹⁸. A night for 2 costs $1,047¹⁹ on 20 December and $2,602 on 8 January; for the nights between, ask the resort. The seaplane, $700 net per adult¹⁶, comes on top.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

You & Me Maldives

For couples and friends aged 16 and above who want a water villa, every meal on one plan and no children at dinner.

The trade-off

Both nights are charged, so 2 adults pay $2,200 for the 2 dinners, and from 27 December to 7 January there is no price online.

Why choose it

Supplements are compulsory²⁰ for stays passing over each date: $500 per adult on 24 December 2026 and $600 on 31 December, taxes and service included. The island takes guests of 16 and above²¹, so there is no child price. A night for 2 costs $1,722²² on 24 December and $1,070 on 26 December.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

3 guests cycling along a sandy path under the palms

One&Only Reethi Rah

For couples and families who want a big green island reached by boat, and who will sit down at every festive table.

The trade-off

This is the longest list of charges here, paid at the resort, and you need to ask about a minimum stay.

Why choose it

The booking terms²³ make the festive meals mandatory and payable at the resort: $815 per adult and $408 per child under 12 on 24 December 2026, then $1,515 and $758 on 31 December. Brunch adds $570 and $285 on 25 December and again on 1 January 2027. The Orthodox Christmas gala adds $1,030 and $515 on 6 January, and another brunch follows on the 7th. Under-4s are free, drinks are extra, and the figures carry 10% service and 16% GST. So 24 December to 1 January costs $3,470 per adult, and staying to 7 January $5,070. Last season the minimum stay was 10 nights, so ask about this one. On 7 January a night for 2 costs $9,009²⁵; from 6 December to 6 January, ask the resort. The shared boat costs $1,260 per adult return²⁴.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

The sandbank out at sea, a boat moored beside it

Soneva Fushi

For families who want a barefoot island, bicycles and a villa on the sand, and who have already made peace with the bill.

The trade-off

These are the dearest 2 supplements here, and the seaplane²⁷ adds $1,300 per adult and $650 per child return in 2026.

Why choose it

Compulsory supplements²⁶ come on top of the villa: $1,730 per adult and $865 per child on Christmas Eve, then $2,300 and $1,150 on New Year’s Eve, taxes and service included. Children are 7 to 11.9, and younger ones pay nothing. So 2 adults pay $8,060 for both, and 2 adults with 2 children $12,090. They sit among the meal plans, so I take them for the festive dinners, but ask. A night for 2 costs $3,067²⁸ on 20 December; from 21 December to 11 January, ask the resort.

Book direct Read Lumina’s hotel guide

Dinners and supplements are per person for the 2026-27 season. Night prices are for 2 adults, so ask which villa and meal plan they cover. Prices from Google Hotels, 26 October 2026.

What decides the festive bill

The dinner is one line of it. 4 things change the sum from one island to the next.

The rate you book. Kandima¹, Eri²⁹ and The Nautilus³⁰ put both dinners in the rate of their festive offers. Kandolhu⁷ charges $95 on Bed & Breakfast and nothing on its 2 larger plans. At Reethi Rah²³ you pay at the resort.
The nights you sleep on the island. The charge follows the night: You & Me²⁰ bills stays passing over the 24th and the 31st, and the Conrad¹⁶ bills only the 31st. Reethi Rah²³ keeps going, with brunches at $570 per adult and a gala on 6 January at $1,030.
The rules on dates. The Nautilus³⁰ asks 7 nights from 23 December to 10 January on its festive offer, Nova³¹ 7 nights from 26 December to 7 January, and Kandima¹ and Eri²⁹ 5 nights from 26 December to 7 January. All 4 stop you leaving on 31 December. Six Senses Kanuhura³² asks 5 nights between 22 and 31 December on one offer and closes check-out on the 30th and 31st.
Who counts as a child. Under-6s pay nothing at Lily Beach¹³ and the Conrad¹⁶, under-7s at Soneva Fushi²⁶ and under-4s at Reethi Rah²³. Reethi Faru¹⁰ charges from age 2.

What the dinners do to the bill

2 checks to make before you pay for the villa.

Put the night and the dinner side by side. On 31 December Reethi Faru¹² costs $627 and its dinner adds $500. Kandima⁶ costs $851, with the dinner in the rate if that is the Festive Offer price. So that one night is dearer at Reethi Faru, but from 26 December its nights run about $200 below Kandima’s, which covers the $500 in 3 nights, and Kandima asks for 5. The Conrad¹⁶’s supplement adds $2,187.90 to a night with no price online. Ask each resort for a whole stay over the holidays, and for any minimum stay. At Kandima⁶ a night costs $238 on 23 December, $562 on the 24th and $238 on the 25th, so ask whether the night you are quoted already holds the dinner.

Then the tax. Soneva Fushi²⁶, You & Me²⁰ and the Conrad¹⁶ include theirs. Reethi Rah²³ includes 10% service and 16% GST, while its villa rates on the same page carry 17%, which is the rate MIRA publishes³³. At Reethi Faru¹⁰, Lily Beach¹³ and Kandolhu⁷, ask: if 10% service and 17% GST came on top, $250 would become about $322.

Read the detailed stay guide

Questions before you book the holidays

Compulsory dinners, children, check-out on the 31st and what a night’s price holds.

Are Christmas and New Year dinners compulsory in the Maldives?

At many resorts, yes. Both are compulsory at You & Me²⁰, Lily Beach¹³ and Reethi Faru¹⁰, and at Reethi Rah²³ brunches come with them. Soneva Fushi²⁶ sets a compulsory supplement on each night. The Conrad¹⁶ charges a compulsory supplement that includes the gala, on 31 December only. Kandima¹ puts both in the rate of its Festive Offer.

How much is a New Year’s Eve dinner in the Maldives?

Per adult on these 8, from nothing extra at Kandima¹ on its Festive Offer to a compulsory supplement of $2,300 at Soneva Fushi²⁶. In between come $95 at Kandolhu⁷ on Bed & Breakfast, $250 at Reethi Faru¹⁰, $345 at Lily Beach¹³, $600 at You & Me²⁰, $1,093.95 at the Conrad¹⁶, a supplement that includes the gala, and $1,515 at Reethi Rah²³.

Which resort would you choose to pay less?

For New Year, Reethi Faru: $627 a night¹² for 2 on 31 December, with the dinner at $250 per adult¹⁰. Kandima¹ puts both dinners in its Festive Offer rate, but that night costs $851⁶ and it asks for 5 nights. For Christmas alone, leaving by 26 December, I would look at Kandima: $562 on the 24th and $238 on the 25th, against $627 at Reethi Faru on both. Check that it is the offer’s rate.

Can I skip the dinner if I do not want it?

Where it is compulsory, plan on paying. The charge follows the night: You & Me²⁰ bills stays passing over the date, and the Conrad¹⁶ bills stays on 31 December. Some resorts also close check-out on the 31st on their festive offers.

Can I check out on 31 December?

Not on the festive offers at Kandima¹, Eri²⁹, Nova³¹ and The Nautilus³⁰. On one Six Senses Kanuhura³² offer you cannot leave on the 30th either. Check the terms of your own rate.

Do children pay for the festive dinners?

Usually about half. Soneva Fushi²⁶ asks $865 and $1,150 from 7 to 11.9, Reethi Rah²³ $408 and $758 under 12, and Lily Beach¹³ $135 and $175 from 6 to 11. At Kandima¹ the dinners are in the rate for children too on the Festive Offer, and Booking.com⁵’s price leaves the children’s supplements out.

Is the dinner in the price I see on Google?

It may not be, and you cannot tell from the price. Reethi Rah²³ asks you to pay at the resort, and the Conrad¹⁶ calls its charge a supplement. Ask the resort, and get the answer in writing with your booking.

An independent Lumina selection. Hotels do not pay to appear, and Lumina takes no booking commission.