Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives, in North Malé Atoll: the island of the Pasta Point wave, 20 minutes by speedboat, with beach and water bungalows.
A week here, month by monthDhonveli suits families sharing an island with surfers, with dining tied to the room category and the lowest Google seller prices from $398 for one night taken alone for 2 adults from May 2027. For surfing booked independently of Atoll Travel’s package, I would choose another base.
Official siteDoes it suit you?
5 pairs of hotels, and the guide tells you whether this one suits you.
I would ask for the 95 m² Over Water Suite: a glass floor panel, a hammock over the water and a private deck bring the lagoon into the room.
Read on 12 October 2026, the nights of 8–14 June 2027 ran from $398 to $402 for one night taken alone; the dearest nights shown, 30 July–1 August, were $3,451 each.
The shared speedboat adds $180 per adult aged 12 or over, return, under the fare valid until 31 December 2026; check the transfer conditions attached to your booking.
Dalchini’s Indian à la carte menu is charged on every meal plan: Butter Chicken is $33, including 10% service and 17% goods and services tax, if you want a change from the buffet.
The resort fills Kanuhuraa, in North Malé Atoll, 20 minutes by speedboat from the airport by the site’s count and 25 by Atoll Travel’s (official site, Atoll Travel). It opened in 1981, the Ministry of Tourism records, and was still Tari Village when, in 1991, Atoll Adventures set up the first land-based surf tour in the Maldives here (Ministry of Tourism, Atoll Travel).
There are 7 room types: on the island the 59 m² Superior Room Ocean View, the 55 m² split-level Duplex Garden Bungalow, 59 m² Beach Bungalows with open-air bathrooms, the 95 m² Junior Beach Suite with a jacuzzi and the 170 m² Beach Suite with Pool; over the water the 63 m² Water Bungalows, some facing the wave, and 95 m² Over Water Suites with a glass floor panel (rooms).
Where you eat depends on the room: Koimala is the main buffet, Dalchini serves its buffet to Water Bungalow and Atoll Travel guests, Rehendhi to Over Water Suite and Beach Suite with Pool guests, from 7.30 to 10am, 12.30 to 2.30pm and 7.30 to 9.30pm (Koimala, Dalchini, Rehendhi). Tex Mex, open 10am to 10pm, and Dalchini’s Indian à la carte are charged on every meal plan (Tex Mex). Tex Mex’s afternoon snack is listed in the all-inclusive offer for stays from 1 November 2026; the à la carte menu remains charged.
On Google the resort scores 4.8 out of 5 from 4,436 reviews, on Tripadvisor 4.7 from 9,321 and on Booking.com 9.2 from 733, read on 5 October 2026; the 293 Google reviews of the last 6 months average 4.88. Guests praise the staff, the food, the bay and the surf; seaplanes pass over the island, and breakwaters line part of the shore (Google).
Lumina Guide 2027
Dhonveli is Pasta Point’s island: a left-hander 1 minute from the rooms, kept for no more than 30 surfers, and a bay for snorkelling, 20 minutes by speedboat from Malé airport.
How we choose the hotelsWhat we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
20 minutes by speedboat and Pasta Point on the island; seaplanes overhead and breakwaters along part of the shore.
An easy-going island of surfers and families, with a bar over the wave and live music in the evening.
7 types from 55 to 170 m²; 63 m² Water Bungalows, some facing the wave, and 95 m² Over Water Suites with a glass floor panel.
3 buffets assigned by room type; Tex Mex and the Indian à la carte are paid extra.
Chavana Spa, 2 pools, yoga and a gym from 5.30am; the site does not say how many treatment rooms the spa has.
From $393 to $915 a night for 2, taxes included, in the stays read on Google; the speedboat extra.
A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.
Here: 20 minutes by speedboat from Malé airport.
Stated by cinnamonhotels.com. 20 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeHere: Balinese massages and sea-inspired rituals at Chavana Spa; yoga, free, is at 6.30am and 4.30pm, and the gym opens at 5.30am.
101 of the 105 guests who write about the spa are pleased. 28 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeHere: at the buffet pasta and noodles are cooked to order in front of you, beside Sri Lankan and Indian dishes; for vegetarians the chefs cook a separate dish.
1,128 of the 1,178 guests who write about the food are pleased. 30 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeWhat do Dhonveli’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 of the Pasta Point wave, the bay where they snorkel among fish, rays and young blacktip reef sharks, and the short speedboat ride from the airport.
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests write mostly of the Water Bungalows and Over Water Suites: the space, the cleanliness and the deck over the lagoon, where they watch fish and sharks.
Nearly every guest who mentions it is happy with it. Waiters, chefs and housekeepers are thanked by name in many reviews, and with them the people who look after the beach and those behind the bar.
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests write of the buffet’s variety, from curries to tropical fruit, of dishes cooked to order and of waiters who remember their habits.
6 in 10 guests who mention the price find it fair. They list what the money bought: an Over Water Suite, the dolphin cruise, the short speedboat ride from Malé.
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 8.9 | 226 | 95% |
| Room | 8.3 | 180 | 91% |
| Staff and service | 9.1 | 478 | 95% |
| Breakfast | 7.6 | 30 | 87% |
| Price | – | 46 | 57% |
The scores come from 500 Google reviews with text, left from 27 September 2025 to 5 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 13 June 2027, from $398 (seen on Google Hotels on 12 October 2026).
For 2 adults, the lowest Google seller prices for one night taken alone run from $398 in June 2027 to $3,451 on 30 July–1 August. I would start with 8–14 June, then price the whole stay: booked together, 7 nights from 16 November 2026 were listed at $508 a night by both the lowest seller and the resort’s own listing.
| Period | Dollars a night |
|---|---|
| 13 October to 17 December 2026 | 368–728 |
| 18 December 2026 to 15 April 2027 | 508–816 |
| 16 April to 24 July 2027 | 398–425 |
| 26 July to 1 August 2027 | 402–3,451 |
| 2 August to 7 September 2027 | 402–406 |
Lowest seller prices on Google for 2 adults, one night taken alone, read on 12 October 2026; room and meal plan unspecified. The calendar ends on 7 September 2027; 25 July has no price. Separate nights: 24 December 2026 at $1,317; 31 December at $1,592. On 5 October 2026 the 3-night stay from 7 June 2027 was $405 a night with the lowest seller and $406 in the resort’s own listing. Booked as 7 nights from 16 November 2026, the lowest seller Google listed on 12 October asked $508 a night; the resort’s own listing, $508.
Dhonveli for Atoll Travel’s surf package; Adaaran Select Hudhuranfushi for a surf break and a channel reef. Bandos suits a holiday centred on a reef off the beach and a short speedboat journey.
| Hotel | A night, from |
|---|---|
| Dhonveli | $420 |
| Hudhuranfushi | $441 |
| Bandos | $317 |
Lowest seller price for one night taken alone during 16–22 November 2026, searched for 2 adults on Google; all 3 read on 12 October 2026.
The wave off the island, the bar on the reef where you watch it, restaurants assigned by room, the reef in the bay, the children’s playground and the spa.
A left-hander that Atoll Travel describes as the most consistent in the area, 1 minute’s walk from the rooms; Sultans, Honky’s and Jailbreak are under 10 minutes away by boat, and the boats leave from 5.30am (Atoll Travel). The main season runs from March to October, with swells of 4 to 8 feet (Atoll Travel, official site).
The terrace on the reef in front of Pasta Point, for a cocktail while you watch the surfers; the site opens it from 8am (Raalhu Bar). A guest in August 2026, on a third stay, loves watching the surfers from the deck while her husband is out on the wave (Google).
3 buffets, each for its own guests: Koimala, the main one, Dalchini for Water Bungalow and Atoll Travel guests, Rehendhi for the suites (Koimala, Dalchini, Rehendhi). The lobster dinner on the beach costs $245 a couple (lagoon dinner).
A small natural bay ringed by reef, where you swim and snorkel from the beach: a guest in September 2026 saw young blacktip reef sharks a few feet from the shore and a manta (Google). The resort also runs turtle snorkelling and dolphin trips, the latter at $180 a couple (experiences, dolphins).
The pirate-themed playground, next to the ping-pong tables; the site mentions no kids’ club (experiences). There are 2 pools, open from 7am to 10pm (wellness); a guest in August 2026 describes children’s baking sessions at the Sunset Bar (Google).
The 2026 menu lists a 60-minute Balinese massage at $135 and 90 minutes at $170, including service and tax. Yoga is free at 6.30am and 4.30pm, a guest reported in May 2026; the gym opens from 5.30am to 10.30pm. Sources: wellness · Google.
Atoll Travel’s surf package starts at US$3,718 a week per surfer sharing a room, with the speedboat, the room and full board; the resort’s all-inclusive does not apply to surf bookings. Source: atolltravel.com
Tex Mex and Dalchini’s Indian à la carte are charged on every plan, all-inclusive included. Source: cinnamonhotels.com
Pasta Point and the boats to the other breaks are for Atoll Adventures clients only: the package is booked only through Atoll Travel or its agents, never through the resort or Booking.com, and anyone travelling with a surfer must be on it too (Atoll Travel). The resort’s offers do not apply to surf bookings (winter offer).
The island is close to the airport and under the path of Malé’s seaplanes: between May 2025 and May 2026, 4 reviews describe them passing overhead: 2 say they are no bother, one notices them mostly between 3pm and 5pm, and one, in May 2026, counts them as often as every 2 minutes at busy times (Google).
Part of the island is protected by breakwaters and the sand does not run all the way round (Google).
Your buffet depends on your room: Rehendhi is only for Over Water Suites and Beach Suites with Pool, Dalchini for Water Bungalows and Atoll Travel guests (Rehendhi, Dalchini).
The shared speedboat costs $180 per adult and $90 per child aged 2 to 11, return; flight details must reach the resort 3 days ahead (Booking.com). Between October 2025 and May 2026, 3 Google reviews describe a wait of up to an hour at the airport before the speedboat leaves; 4 others, between April and September 2026, hardly any.
At low tide the reef in the bay is shallow and reef shoes help against coral and sea urchins, 5 reviews say between September 2025 and July 2026 (Google).
Between October 2025 and October 2026, 4 Google reviews describe an air conditioner out of order in the room; 2 add that it was repaired or replaced within a day.
By speedboat from Malé’s airport: 20 minutes to the resort, 25 by Atoll Travel’s count.
| Speedboat | Shared, $180 per adult from 12 and $90 per child aged 2 to 11, return, until 31 December 2026 (Booking.com). |
|---|---|
| Private | $450 per adult and $225 per child, return, until 31 December 2026 (Booking.com). |
| Offers | For stays from 1 November 2026 to 31 January 2027 booked by 15 October: a free return for 2 from 7 nights, one way under 7, if both transfers are booked through the resort (winter offer). |
| In Malé | At the Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts desk, number E3; flight details must reach the resort at least 3 days ahead (Booking.com). |
| Surfers | Atoll Travel’s package includes the speedboat, and staff help with boards on arrival (Atoll Travel). |
Sources read on 4 and 5 October 2026.
The resort, in North Malé Atoll, and Malé’s airport, 20 minutes by speedboat. Tap a place for details.
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The resort’s pools open at 7am, leaving time for a swim before breakfast.
At Koimala, start with the buffet and its live cooking stations beside the ocean.
Stop at Beach Bar between beach activities; it serves drinks until 6pm.
Raiyvilla Bar gathers people for cocktails and the sunset over the ocean.
For Overwater Suite and Beach Suite guests, Rehendhi opens for dinner with indoor tables or a place under the stars.
Platform scores and what guests write about the surf, the reef, the rooms and the seaplanes.
Scores read on 5 October 2026
From the resort’s Google listing, May to September 2026: Pasta Point, the guides in the water, the bay and the reef, the seaplanes and the rooms.
GoogleA family in August 2026, on a third stay, come because the husband surfs Pasta Point: they recommend the Atoll Adventures package, the boats to Sultans and Jailbreak and the Raalhu Bar deck for watching the surfers.
GoogleA surfer in August 2026, 2 weeks on the island, describes guides who steer you past the rocks on the way out, bring you back in and signal from the deck when you are out of position.
GoogleA family in an Over Water Suite saw young blacktip reef sharks a few feet from the shore, a manta while snorkelling and the artificial reef blocks where new coral is growing.
GoogleA guest, 7 nights in a Beach Bungalow, writes that seaplanes cross the island as often as every 2 minutes and that only the first 2 bungalows open onto the sand; the rest face a broken wall.
GoogleA surfer in April 2026 praises the waves and the Atoll Adventures team, but found dark water in the toilet and a smell of drains in 2 rooms, and writes that surfers no longer have a dining room of their own.
On Google Hotels, read on 5 October 2026 for 2 adults and 3-night stays, the resort’s own site asked $508 a night from 16 November 2026, $557 from 7 December, $915 from 11 January 2027, $667 from 8 March and $406 from 7 June. The cheapest seller asked $461 from 16 November, $393 from 7 December, $666 from 11 January, $575 from 8 March and $405 from 7 June.
Calendar figures are for one night taken alone. For 7 nights booked together from 16 November 2026, Google listed the lowest seller and the resort’s own listing at $508 a night, read on 12 October 2026. The calendar on the same card showed $468 on 16 November, $418 on 7 December and $402 a night from May to August 2027; among the dates read, the dearest nights were 24 December 2026, at $989, and 31 December, at $1,362. The figures include taxes and fees: for the stay from 16 November the resort’s own booking link counts $396 of the $1,523 as 10% service, 17% GST and green tax. The speedboat is not included: Booking.com’s rate valid until 31 December 2026 is $180 per adult return (Booking.com); Atoll Travel’s surf package starts at US$3,718 a week per surfer sharing a room (Atoll Travel).
No: Pasta Point and the boats to the other breaks are for Atoll Adventures clients only, and the package is booked only through Atoll Travel or its accredited agents, never through the resort or Booking.com (Atoll Travel). There are 30 surfers on the island at most; the package covers the speedboat, the room, full board, unlimited boats to Sultans, Honky’s and Jailbreak, yoga and Wi-Fi, from US$3,718 a week per surfer sharing a room (Atoll Travel).
Anyone travelling with a surfer must be on the package too, and the resort’s offers do not apply to surf bookings (Atoll Travel, winter offer). Atoll Travel’s calendar, read on 5 October 2026, showed November and December 2026 and most of 2027 open, with weeks for families from 25 September to 2 October 2027, for surfers over 60 from 9 to 16 October and for women from 23 to 30 October (Atoll Travel).
On Booking.com the room comes with breakfast, half board, full board or all-inclusive (Booking.com). For stays from 1 November 2026 the resort’s all-inclusive covers breakfast, lunch and dinner, an afternoon snack at Tex Mex or the Sunset Bar, unlimited selected drinks with and without alcohol, a minibar restocked daily, snorkelling gear, non-motorised water sports and 2 resort evenings (all-inclusive).
Your buffet depends on your room: Koimala is the main one, Dalchini serves Water Bungalow and Atoll Travel guests, Rehendhi the suites; Tex Mex and Dalchini’s Indian à la carte are charged on every plan (Dalchini, Tex Mex). The all-inclusive does not apply to surf bookings, which come with the package’s full board (all-inclusive, Atoll Travel). The exception is the Tex Mex afternoon snack listed in the all-inclusive offer from 1 November 2026.
By speedboat from Malé’s airport: 20 minutes by the resort’s count, 25 by Atoll Travel’s; guests in 2026 quote 15 to 35 minutes (official site, Atoll Travel, Google). The shared speedboat costs $180 per adult from 12 and $90 per child aged 2 to 11, return, until 31 December 2026; a private return transfer $450 per adult and $225 per child (Booking.com).
The site’s winter offer, to be booked by 15 October 2026 for a stay between 1 November 2026 and 31 January 2027, gave the return transfer free for 2 from 7 nights, one way under 7, with both legs booked through the resort (winter offer). On Booking.com, rates valid until 31 October 2027 give 50% off the speedboat for 1 to 6 nights and a free transfer for 2 from 7 nights (Booking.com).
Yes: a small natural bay ringed by reef, where you swim and snorkel from the beach; a guest in September 2026 saw young blacktip reef sharks a few feet from the shore and a manta (Google). At low tide the reef is shallow and reef shoes help against coral and sea urchins, 5 reviews say between September 2025 and July 2026 (Google).
The resort runs a coral propagation project and works with the Olive Ridley Project on turtles (sustainability); divers go out by dhoni to 25 sites, with PADI courses (experiences).
For the surf, a 63 m² Water Bungalow, some of which face the wave, or the 55 m² Duplex Garden Bungalow, the surfers’ most common choice according to Atoll Travel (rooms, Atoll Travel). As a couple, the 95 m² Over Water Suite with its glass floor panel, which comes with Rehendhi (Rehendhi). As a family, the 170 m² 2-level Beach Suite with Pool. The 59 m² Beach Bungalows have open-air bathrooms, but a guest in May 2026 writes that only the first 2 open straight onto the sand (Google).
Children of all ages are welcome: a cot is free up to 2, there are no extra beds and from 13 the adult rate applies (Booking.com). The site mentions no kids’ club, only the Lil’ Pirates Bay playground beside the ping-pong tables (experiences). Water Bungalows and Over Water Suites take 3 adults and an infant at most (rooms). For children absent from the 2-adult quote, Booking.com lists an additional $12 nightly green tax; the adult tax is already included in the rate read, and the festive clause lists a further $125 and $150 per child for Christmas and New Year without specifying the year (Booking.com).
Chavana Spa’s official 2026 menu lists a 60-minute Balinese massage at US$135, 90 minutes at US$170, and the 2-hour-25-minute Journey of the Senses at US$245. Prices include 10% service and 17% TGST; the sources read publish neither treatment-room counts nor spa opening hours (spa menu).
Treatments are paid: guests booking on the site choose 2 benefits, a 30-minute treatment among them, and Booking.com’s rates give 10% off the spa and restaurants (offer, Booking.com). The sources read publish no spa-only access policy for outside guests.
3 buffets and an à la carte restaurant: Koimala, the main buffet; Dalchini, the buffet for Water Bungalow and Atoll Travel guests, with a paid Indian à la carte menu; Rehendhi, for the Over Water Suites and Beach Suites with Pool; Tex Mex, à la carte from 10am to 10pm (Koimala, Dalchini, Rehendhi, Tex Mex).
There are 3 bars: the Raalhu Bar over Pasta Point, the Raiyvilla Bar for sunset, open from 8am to midnight, and the Beach Bar from 10am to 6pm (Raalhu Bar, Raiyvilla Bar, Beach Bar). Menu prices include the 10% service charge and 17% GST (Dalchini).
The site publishes no festive programme. Booking.com lists a supplement for children, $125 at Christmas and $150 at New Year, paid at the resort; the clause gives no year of application (Booking.com). On Google’s calendar the night of 24 December 2026 cost $1,317 and that of 31 December 2026 $1,592, against $512 on 25 December 2026 (Google Hotels).
The resort has 2 outdoor pools, open daily from 7am to 10pm (wellness). The page gives no dimensions, temperature or heating information. The 170 m² split-level Beach Suite with Pool has its own private pool (rooms).
The official resort pages read on 5 October 2026 publish no ceremony package, event capacity or event price (resort site, experiences). Booking.com lists a bottle of red wine and a fruit platter per stay for guests booking honeymoon packages (Booking.com).
Check-in from 2pm, check-out by noon (Booking.com). Wi-Fi is free (Google Hotels); in 2026 reviews some guests find it good across the island and others slow (Google).
Atoll Travel sells the surf all year, with the main season from March to October (Atoll Travel). On Google’s calendar, read on 12 October 2026, among the dates read from November 2026 to August 2027, the cheapest nights fell from May to August 2027, at $402, and the dearest between Christmas and Epiphany, up to $1,592 on 31 December (Google Hotels). The resort publishes no seasonal closure; the partial calendar does not establish every day’s opening, and unpriced dates do not prove a closure.
On Google it scores 4.8 out of 5 from 4,436 reviews, on Tripadvisor 4.7 from 9,321 and on Booking.com 9.2 from 733, read on 5 October 2026; the 293 Google reviews of the last 6 months average 4.88. Guests praise the staff, the food, the bay and the surf; seaplanes pass over the island, and breakwaters line part of the shore (Google, Tripadvisor).
Arrival is by speedboat from Malé airport. Send flight details to the resort at least 3 days ahead and go to the Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts counter E3 on arrival.
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This guide is written with Lumina, the marketing system for hotels.
