Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, in Baa Atoll: 80 villas, each with a pool, SEA restaurant under the sea and a reef all round the island.
A week here, month by monthKihavah suits couples and families who want time for its overwater spa and guided stargazing, with Google’s lowest seller showing a night for 2 from $1,609. For a brief escape, weigh up the 35-minute seaplane flight against a resort closer to the airport.
Official siteDoes it suit you?
5 pairs of hotels, and the guide tells you whether this one suits you.
For 2, I would ask for a water villa, from 267 m² with a pool and a glass-bottomed bath. The Beach Pool Villa offers 258 m² and was renovated in July 2025.
Read on 12 October 2026, Google showed each night from 10 to 16 November at $1,609 for 2 adults. The dearest nights shown reached $5,661 on 21–23 March, 4 April and 6 April 2027.
The return seaplane is $850 per adult, taxes included; from 11 January 2027 to 10 January 2028 it is $900. Excess baggage costs $5.80 per kg, payable at the airport.
Anantara Kihavah opened in 2011 (The Resorts Collection) on a private island in Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, near Hanifaru Bay; its 80 villas and residences all have pools (official site). It reopened in November 2020 with new villas and a redesigned spa (Luxury Travel Advisor), and the Beach Pool Villas were renovated in July 2025 (Beach Pool Villa).
Villas start at 258 m² on the beach and 267 over the water; the residences reach 2,000 m² for 8 adults and 6 children (villas, residences). Every villa has a host on call at any hour (villas).
SEA, below the waterline, serves European cooking and caviar, beside a glass wine cellar the resort calls the world’s first underwater one; it closes on Fridays and dinner is adults-only except on Mondays and Thursdays (SEA). Above it are FIRE, SPICE and SKY, the bar with the Maldives’ first overwater observatory and the country’s most powerful telescope (SKY).
The reef rings the island and is reached from the beach or from the steps of the water villas (official site); its Yellow Wall drops to 25 metres (the reef). On Google it scores 4.9 out of 5 from 692 reviews (Google).
Lumina Guide 2027
Gives more than the other hotels of its place and price range.
Anantara Kihavah is built on 2 rare things: SEA, a restaurant below sea level, and a reef that rings the whole island, in Baa Atoll; all 80 villas have a pool.
How Lumi are awardedGuests (exceptional)
500 reviews read: the location pleases more than 9 guests in 10 who mention it, the staff and service more than 9 in 10.
Critics
Ours
We found villas from 258 m², each with a host on call at any hour, an overwater spa with 6 treatment rooms and 2 saunas, and SKY, the rooftop bar where an astronomer talks you through the sky at the telescope.
What we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
Baa Atoll, 35 minutes by seaplane; Hanifaru 20 minutes by speedboat.
A polished branded resort since 2011, with a reef all round.
80 pool villas and residences, from 258 to 2,000 m²; glass-bottomed tubs.
SEA under the sea, FIRE, SPICE, Manzaru, Plates and SKY for drinks.
An overwater spa with warm and cold pools, 2 saunas, multi-day programmes.
From $1,609 a night for 2 on Google; seaplane $850 per adult.
A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.
Here: the reef rings the whole island and you reach it from the beach or the villa steps; the Yellow Wall, covered in yellow soft corals, drops to 25 metres.
132 of the 139 guests who write about the reef are pleased. 17 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeWhat do Anantara Kihavah’s guests say? They write it in their reviews, even those who only came for a drink or dinner: we read every one and tell the 5 things that matter, from the location to the bill.
Nearly every guest who mentions it is happy with it. Guests write about the reef a short swim from the beach, with its turtles, mantas and reef sharks, and about the sunsets.
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. The villas are praised for their space, the private pool and, at the water villas, the wide deck over the sea.
Nearly every guest who mentions it is happy with it. The villa host, on call at every hour, is thanked by name in a great many reviews for arranging activities, dinners and bookings.
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Breakfast is at Plates, on the beach, part buffet and part à la carte; guests also tell of the one booked at SEA, under the sea, watching rays and sharks drift past.
5 in 10 guests who mention the price find it fair. Rates include breakfast, or breakfast and dinner; SEA, the restaurant under the sea that many guests remember as the high point of their stay, is charged separately.
On the room it comes ahead of the 4 other hotels it is compared with in the Maldives.
On staff and service it comes ahead of the 4 other hotels it is compared with in the Maldives.
On the bill it comes ahead of the 4 other hotels it is compared with in the Maldives.
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 9.1 | 188 | 96% |
| Room | 8.7 | 157 | 94% |
| Staff and service | 9.2 | 371 | 95% |
| Breakfast | 7.9 | 42 | 88% |
| Price | – | 41 | 49% |
The scores come from 500 Google reviews with text, left from 21 May 2017 to 2 October 2026. The other hotels are the ones weighed for a stay in the Maldives: for each we read its latest 500 Google reviews with text, or all of them where there are fewer, as of 5 October 2026. The score is the average of what they say, from 0 if they speak of it very badly to 10 if they speak of it very well. Where only a few mention something, the score stays close to the guide’s average: a handful of voices does not make a reputation.
The hotels we weigh it against in the Maldives:
Price: for two on the night of 2 November 2026, from $1,609 (seen on Google Hotels on 12 October 2026).
Google showed nights for 2 from $1,609 through the November–December window, against $5,094–$5,661 from 20 March to 6 April 2027. I would look first at November: for 16 November 2026, the resort’s own site had shown $1,530 against Google’s calendar figure of $1,606, read on 4 October 2026.
| Period | Dollars a night |
|---|---|
| 13 October to 19 December 2026 | 1,609–2,032 |
| 20 Dec 2026–10 Jan 2027 | 3,080–5,281 |
| 11 January to 19 March 2027 | 3,080–3,264 |
| 20 March to 6 April 2027 | 5,094–5,661 |
| 7 April to 10 May 2027 | 2,885–3,274 |
| 11 May to 7 September 2027 | 2,160–3,833 |
Lowest seller on Google for one night searched alone for 2 adults, read 12 October 2026; no room or meal plan named. No price for 30 December 2026–1 January 2027 or February 2027; the calendar stops on 7 September 2027. Booked as 7 nights from 16 November 2026, the lowest seller Google listed that day asked $1,530 a night; the resort’s own listing, $1,530.
Kandolhu is in North Ari Atoll, with Maaya Thila nearby. Milaidhoo is in Baa Atoll, with Hanifaru 15 minutes away.
| Hotel | A night, from | Return transfer per adult |
|---|---|---|
| Anantara Kihavah | $1,609 | $850, taxes included |
| Kandolhu | $1,664 | $482 included* |
| Milaidhoo | $1,750 | $670 until 10 Jan 2027 |
Lowest single-night price for 2 adults in 16–22 November 2026, read on Google on 12 October for Kihavah and Kandolhu and 13 October for Milaidhoo. Transfers shown per adult return; Kandolhu’s fare is included in its Booking.com price.
Dinner among the fish, the sky through a telescope, treatments above the lagoon, a wall of yellow coral and the bay of the manta rays.
The underwater restaurant serves European cooking and caviar, at lunch from noon to 2pm and at dinner from 7pm; beside it, a cellar of more than 450 bottles (SEA, cellar). It closes on Fridays, and dinner is adults-only except on Mondays and Thursdays.
The rooftop bar, open from noon to midnight, holds the Maldives’ first overwater observatory: an astronomer, the Sky Guru, walks guests through constellations and planets at the telescope (SKY).
6 treatment rooms above the lagoon, warm and cold plunge pools, a Finnish sauna, an infrared sauna and a steam room, from 10am to 8pm; programmes of 3, 5 or 7 days (spa).
The reef rings the island; the Yellow Wall, covered in yellow soft coral, drops to 25 metres, though most of its life is near the surface (the reef). Masks and fins are free (activities), and the Coral Adoption Programme lets you plant a fragment in the nursery.
Hanifaru Bay, 20 minutes by speedboat, holds the world’s largest gathering of manta rays (activities): the season runs from May to November for the resort (official site), June to November in one of its offers (Best of Maldives).
The Thiththi Boli Kids’ Club takes ages 4 to 12, from 10am to 6pm; older children have a 9-metre climbing wall from age 8, a Muay Thai ring, tennis and padel (family, activities).
Offer rates exclude taxes, service and green tax: in the Maldives tourism GST is 17% and applies to the service charge too, and the green tax is $12 per person per day. Source: anantara.com
The resort publishes no all-inclusive plan: rates come with breakfast, or with breakfast and dinner. Source: anantara.com
Spa treatments are charged, and the website does not publish their prices. Source: anantara.com
Offer rates exclude taxes, service and green tax (offer): in the Maldives tourism GST is 17% and applies to the service charge too (MIRA), and the green tax is $12 per person per day (MIRA).
Seaplanes fly from 6am to 4pm: if you land in Malé after 3.30pm you take a domestic flight to Dharavandhoo and a 30-minute speedboat, day or night. The transfer costs $850 per adult return, $900 from 11 January 2027, taxes included (getting here).
SEA is charged on top even on half board. 3 Google reviews, between April 2022 and August 2026, describe the limits of half board: in 2, a supplement on many dishes; in one, that it applies in 2 of the 5 restaurants (Google). On 24 and 31 December the gala dinners are compulsory (Stay Longer).
The resort writes that the 2015 and 2016 El Niño events cost the Maldives most of its shallow coral (the reef).
In the villa still and sparkling water are included (official site).
On the Stay Longer Special, from 4 nights, children up to 11 stay free in their parents’ room and eat free from the kids’ menus, except on 24 and 31 December (Stay Longer); an extra bed costs $524 a night on Booking.com (Booking.com).
By seaplane from Malé, 35 minutes, or by domestic flight and speedboat.
| Seaplane | 35 minutes from Malé airport (official site): $850 per adult return and $425 from 2 to 11, taxes included; from 11 January 2027 $900 and $450 (getting here). |
|---|---|
| Hours | Seaplanes fly from 6am to 4pm, weather permitting; if you land in Malé after 3.30pm you take the domestic flight (getting here). |
| Domestic flight | 25 minutes to Dharavandhoo (Booking.com), then a 30-minute speedboat, day or night (getting here). |
| Charter and luggage | A private seaplane for up to 12 costs $8,400 each way, a VIP charter for 5 $9,450; 35 kg of luggage per person, $5.80 per extra kilo (getting here). |
Sources read on 4 and 5 October 2026.
The resort, the manta bay, Dharavandhoo’s domestic airport and Malé. Tap a place for details.
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Start at the live cooking stations, then take something from the à la carte breakfast menu.
The Thiththi Boli Kids’ Club opens at 10am for children aged 4 to 12.
At the spa, move between the warm and cold plunge pools and the Finnish sauna.
Make time for the Nala Orchid Garden before the evening’s dinner.
Dinner begins with Peruvian and Japanese teppanyaki at FIRE.
Platform scores and what guests write about the reef, SEA, the service and the prices.
Scores read on 4 October 2026
From the resort’s Google listing, May to September 2026: the reef, SEA, half board, the water villa and the coral.
GoogleA couple in September 2026 booked 3 trips and struck lucky on all of them: turtles, mantas, nurse sharks; the house reef is among the best they have snorkelled, and they went back daily. Dinner at SEA, they write, is worth the money.
GoogleA family on their eighth Maldives trip, after JOALI and the Ritz-Carlton, calls Kihavah the most beautiful island and the best reef; on half board, though, many seafood dishes carried a supplement.
GoogleA guest in a water villa praises the villa, breakfast and bicycles; he faults beach loungers reserved for beach-villa guests, slow restaurant service and half board valid at 2 of the 5 restaurants.
GoogleA guest gives the water villa and SEA 10 and the snorkelling 9, but found the resort full: yoga had to be booked 2 days ahead.
GoogleMarking a milestone birthday, a couple wanted a living reef: under their water villa the coral was dead, and the private dive took them back to the same reef. 3 stars.
Sources read on 4 and 5 October 2026.
On the Google Hotels calendar, read on 12 October 2026 for 2 adults, a night cost $1,609 on 16 November 2026, the lowest, and $5,232 on 29 December; $3,080 on 14 January and $5,661 on 21 March 2027, $2,160 on 11 May and $2,160 on 28 July. From 30 December to 1 January and through February 2027 Google showed no price; a calendar night does not name the villa.
For 16 November the resort’s own site asked $1,530 a night for the Beach Pool Villa. Taxes, service and green tax are included: for 3 nights the site showed a total of $4,591 on Google, $1,080 of it tax (Google Hotels). Add the seaplane at $850 per adult (getting here).
Rates come with breakfast or with breakfast and dinner (Stay Longer); the Best of Maldives offer adds dinner at a choice of 3 restaurants (Best of Maldives). The resort publishes no all-inclusive plan, and SEA is charged on top.
By seaplane from Malé, 35 minutes, $850 per adult return with taxes, $900 from 11 January 2027; seaplanes fly from 6am to 4pm. If you arrive after 3.30pm you take a domestic flight to Dharavandhoo and a 30-minute speedboat, day or night (getting here).
Yes, all round the island, reached from the beach or the steps of the water villas (official site); the Yellow Wall drops to 25 metres, and a 2022–2023 study counted 300 fish species and over 130 corals on it (the reef, sustainability). Masks and fins are free (activities).
SEA serves contemporary European cooking and caviar at lunch, noon to 2pm, and at dinner from 7pm; breakfast is on request from 8.30 to 10.30am. It closes on Fridays, and dinner is adults-only except on Mondays and Thursdays (SEA). Beside it lies the underwater cellar, with more than 450 bottles from some 2 dozen countries (cellar).
As 2, a water villa, from 267 m² with a pool and a glass-bottomed tub, or a Beach Pool Villa of 258 m², renovated in 2025 (villas). As a family, the One Bedroom Family, on the beach or over the water, for 2 adults and 3 children, or the Two Bedroom Family Beach Pool Villa, 412 m² (villas). On 16 November the resort’s site asked $1,753 a night for the Over Water Pool Villa.
Yes. The Thiththi Boli Kids’ Club is open 10am to 6pm for ages 4 to 12; babysitters care for babies from 3 months, day or night; every restaurant has children’s dishes and portions (family). On the Stay Longer Special, from 4 nights, children up to 11 stay and eat free (Stay Longer); marine biology courses start at 8 (the reef).
Treatments are paid and the site publishes no prices; the multi-day programmes include spa access, group yoga and a treatment a day (spa). No day pass for visitors is published.
It stands over the water, with 6 treatment rooms, warm and cold plunge pools, a Finnish sauna, an infrared sauna and a steam room; Ayurveda, shirodhara and Bastien Gonzalez’s manicures. It is open 10am to 8pm (spa).
SEA underwater; FIRE, Peruvian and Japanese teppanyaki, and SPICE, Asian, both from 6.30 to 10pm; Manzaru, Mediterranean, by the pool; Plates for breakfast; SKY for drinks (dining). Private dinners cost from $365 a person, the Stranded in Paradise barbecue $1,890 a couple (private dining menu).
Yes, in season: Hanifaru Bay is 20 minutes by speedboat (activities). The resort gives the season as May to November (official site), one offer as June to November, with a dolphin cruise instead in the other months (Best of Maldives).
The resort publishes no seasonal closure. For Hanifaru’s manta rays the season runs from May to November (official site); Google’s calendar, read on 4 October 2026, showed no prices for February 2027 or after 23 August, and the resort gives no reason (Google Hotels).
On 24 and 31 December the gala dinners are compulsory, and the Stay Longer offer’s free children’s meals do not apply those nights (Stay Longer). On Google a night cost $5,232 on 29 December, and from 30 December to 1 January there was no price (Google Hotels).
Yes: the May 2025 weddings brochure lists 4 packages, from $4,988 to $18,899, plus service and tax (weddings brochure). For a honeymoon, from 4 nights, there is Time for Romance and Wonder (offer).
Check-in at 2pm and check-out at noon; late check-out can only be confirmed on the day (official site).
Scores are high: 4.9 out of 5 on Google from 692 reviews, 4.9 on Tripadvisor from 2,811 and 9.6 on Booking.com from 66, read on 4 October 2026. The praise goes to the staff and villa hosts, the reef and SEA. Half board leaves a supplement on a number of dishes and does not apply in every restaurant (Google, Tripadvisor).
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This guide is written with Lumina, the marketing system for hotels.
