COMO Cocoa Island, in the Maldives’ South Malé Atoll: 33 dhoni-shaped villas over the water, 40 minutes by speedboat.
A week here, month by monthCocoa Island suits couples who make time for COMO Shambhala’s hydrotherapy pool, with the lowest seller on Google showing a night for 2 from $1,031 in November. If a garden outside your room is essential, I would choose accommodation on land.
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 the Dhoni Water Villa: 75 m² arranged over 2 levels, with a separate living area and a private terrace furnished with loungers and a dining table.
The 12 October 2026 reading shows each night from 13 to 19 November 2026 at $1,031. The highest nights shown are 4 and 5 April 2027, at $2,312 each.
Allow $350 per adult for the return speedboat. Private dining prices carry a 10% service charge and government taxes; these experiences also carry a supplement for guests on half or full board.
Reserve the complimentary house-reef snorkel at least a day ahead: the hour includes equipment and a marine biologist’s briefing and guidance in the water, and depends on weather and currents.
A resort has operated on Makunufushi since 1981 (Ministry of Tourism register); COMO renovated it in 2019 and reopened it on 9 January 2020 (Hotel Designs). Its 33 villas and suites all stand over the water, in the curved shape of dhoni fishing boats, along a wooden boardwalk (villas). The speedboat from the airport takes 40 minutes (official site).
The heart of it is COMO Shambhala: 4 massage pavilions, 3 for couples, a 2-storey building with the yoga pavilion upstairs and the gym below, a Pilates studio with reformer and cadillac, and a jet hydrotherapy pool, one of the few in the Maldives (COMO Shambhala). From November 2026 to May 2027, 3 practitioners visit: Japanese healing, an osteopath and a rebalancing programme (COMO Shambhala).
You eat at Ufaa, the restaurant between the pool and the beach, with Indian and Mediterranean cooking and the healthy dishes of COMO Shambhala Kitchen; Faru Bar sits by the pool (dining). The house reef is explored free with a guide, and at night with UV torches (house-reef snorkel, UV night snorkel). Since 2013 the resort has laid 245 coral frames (sustainability).
Guests give it 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 296 reviews, read on 5 October 2026: they praise the staff, the food, the spa and the calm, and many return. One guest in October 2025 notes islands with buildings under construction and big ships on the horizon (Google).
Lumina Guide 2027
COMO Cocoa Island is a small island of just 33 dhoni-shaped villas over the water, with the reef below the terrace and the COMO Shambhala spa, 40 minutes by speedboat and with no seaplane.
How we choose the hotelsWhat we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
South Malé, 40 minutes by speedboat; inhabited islands and ships on the horizon.
A small, quiet island, dhoni-shaped villas, very personal service.
All over the water, from 75 to 590 m²; a pool only in the larger villas.
Ufaa and COMO Shambhala Kitchen, sandbank dinners, yakiniku in the villa.
COMO Shambhala, hydrotherapy pool, Pilates, daily yoga, visiting practitioners.
From $1,031 a night, a $350 speedboat, a supplement for private dinners.
A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.
Here: the whole island has one restaurant and one bar; in a July 2022 review a couple wrote that there is no loud music and there are no parties.
50 of the 50 guests who write about the quiet are pleased. 14 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeHere: 33 villas in all, every one over the water with its own terrace on the lagoon.
33 villas, from comohotels.com. 15 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeHere: COMO Shambhala, hydrotherapy pool, Pilates, daily yoga, visiting practitioners.
34 of the 34 guests who write about the spa are pleased. 28 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeHere: Ufaa and COMO Shambhala Kitchen, sandbank dinners, yakiniku in the villa.
From the hotel’s restaurant pages. 30 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badgeWhat do Cocoa Island’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.
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. A small island in South Malé Atoll, 40 minutes by speedboat from the airport: guests write of the sandbank you can walk out to and of the house reef, with its sharks, rays and turtles.
Nearly every guest who mentions it is happy with it. All 33 villas stand over the water, shaped like dhonis, the Maldivian boats: guests write of the deck over the lagoon and of the sea you step into straight from the villa.
Nearly every guest who mentions it is happy with it. Guests thank by name the waiters at Ufaa, the yoga teacher and the marine biologist who takes them out on the reef.
Breakfast is at Ufaa, from 7 to 10.30am: guests write that you order à la carte, with plenty to choose from and the healthy COMO Shambhala dishes.
The stay includes daily yoga, the hydrotherapy pool and guided snorkelling on the house reef; the speedboat, $350 return per adult, comes on top, as do service and taxes on the menus.
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 8.9 | 80 | 94% |
| Room | 8.4 | 42 | 95% |
| Staff and service | 9.2 | 100 | 98% |
| Breakfast | 8.1 | 7 | 100% |
| Price | – | 8 | 88% |
The scores come from 158 Google reviews with text, left from 22 June 2014 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 $1,031 (seen on Google Hotels on 12 October 2026).
November has long runs at $1,031 a night for 2, while 20 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 shows $1,824–$2,266 on nights with a price. I would compare the November dates before choosing the festive period.
| Period | Dollars a night |
|---|---|
| 13 October to 19 December 2026 | 1,031–1,598 |
| 20 December 2026 to 5 January 2027 | 1,824–2,266 |
| 6 January to 17 March 2027 | 1,326–2,051 |
| 18 March to 12 August 2027 | 1,544–2,312 |
Lowest seller price on Google Hotels for one night searched alone for 2 adults, read 12 October 2026; no room or meal plan is named. The calendar ends on 12 August 2027; dates without a price are omitted from the ranges. Booked as 7 nights from 16 November 2026, the lowest seller Google listed that day asked $1,024 a night.
Consider the Conrad for a stay spread across 2 islands linked by a bridge. Consider COMO Maalifushi for an island explored by bicycle among the palms, with arrival by seaplane.
| Hotel | A night, from |
|---|---|
| Cocoa Island | $1,031 |
| Conrad Maldives | $1,047 |
| COMO Maalifushi | $961 |
Lowest seller price on Google for a single night for 2 adults within 16–22 November 2026, read 12 October 2026.
The hydrotherapy pool, cooking between the pool and the beach, the reef below the villas, dinners out at sea and the bar at sunset.
The treatment rooms look over the lagoon and the greenery, and the hydrotherapy pool massages with high-pressure jets, one of the few in the Maldives (COMO Shambhala). There is also a steam room and open-air yoga pavilions (COMO Shambhala).
The restaurant between the pool and the beach: Indian and Mediterranean cooking, local produce and sustainably caught fish, and COMO Shambhala Kitchen with its tandoor (Ufaa, dining). Breakfast runs from 7 to 10.30am (Ufaa).
The guided house-reef snorkel is free, with gear and a guide (house-reef snorkel); turtles, jacks, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, rays and octopus live on it (diving menu). At night UV torches light up the fluorescent coral (UV night snorkel).
On the sandbank east of the island a 3-course picnic is laid with prosecco, served by your butler (dining); the sunrise breakfast costs $328 a couple, dinner $688 (private dining).
A poolside bar with direct beach access: cocktails and mocktails, wines, cigars and light snacks (dining). A guest in February 2026 calls it the best bar of the 15 islands he has visited (Google).
The Pilates studio has a reformer, cadillac, ladder barrel and combo chair; yoga is held in the open pavilion upstairs, and on the sandbank there is barefoot walking meditation (COMO Shambhala).
All 33 villas stand over the water: there are no beach villas (villas). With small children you need to watch them on terraces open to the lagoon.
The return speedboat costs $350 an adult and $175 from 2 to 11; under-2s travel free, according to Booking.com (Booking.com). Until 15 November 2026 arrivals use the south jetty while the north jetty is under works (official site).
No all-inclusive: there is breakfast, half board and full board; private dinners carry a surcharge even for board guests (private dining). Menu prices exclude the 10% service charge and taxes.
Since September 2013 the resort has laid 245 coral frames over patches of rubble (sustainability).
There is no kids’ club with set hours: there is Young Marine Explorers, 90 minutes with the marine biologist at $40 a child (activities). With some offers under-12s stay and eat free (COMO Advance Booking).
The whole island can be booked, for up to 72 guests, for weddings and celebrations (official site).
By speedboat from Velana airport, 40 minutes.
| Speedboat | 40 minutes from the international airport (official site). |
|---|---|
| Price | $350 an adult return, $175 from 2 to 11, free under 2, according to Booking.com (Booking.com). |
| Jetty | From 1 August to 15 November 2026 arrivals and departures use the south jetty while the north jetty is under works (official site). |
| COMO Maalifushi | COMO’s other resort in the Maldives is COMO Maalifushi (official site). |
Sources read on 5 October 2026.
The resort and Velana airport, 40 minutes apart by speedboat. Tap a place for details.
Loading map…
Recommended for you
Take breakfast at Ufaa; the kitchen serves it until 10.30am.
The Turtle Expedition starts with a 20-minute boat ride to reefs where green turtles are often spotted; sightings remain a matter of luck.
At Faru Bar, order a cocktail or mocktail by the pool, with the beach close at hand.
Dinner at Ufaa brings Indian and Mediterranean cooking, with an emphasis on locally caught seafood.
On the UV Night Snorkel, special torches and mask lenses reveal the corals’ fluorescent colours; previous snorkelling experience is required.
Platform scores and what guests write about the staff, the food, the spa and the reef.
Scores read on 5 October 2026
From the resort’s Google listing, October 2025 to October 2026: returns, a honeymoon, the spa and the horizon.
GoogleA guest in February 2026, on a fourth visit, took boats out for dolphins, sharks, rays and turtles, but notes there is no shortage of marine life on the reefs round the island.
GoogleA guest in April 2026, back for a second time, describes a staff member who remembered details from the stay a year earlier, and a reef that keeps improving.
GoogleItalian newlyweds in October 2026, on honeymoon with their young son, describe the chef who looked after them all stay, with à la carte dishes.
GoogleA guest in July 2026 ranks the COMO Shambhala massage among the best they have had, alongside the sandbank and the short trip from Malé.
GoogleA Polish guest in October 2025 gives 5 stars, with one flaw: the view of islands with buildings going up and big ships at anchor.
Sources read on 5 October 2026.
On the Google Hotels calendar, read on 5 October 2026 for 2 adults, a night cost $1,272 on 16 November and 7 December 2026, $2,129 on 24 December, $2,187 on 26 December, $1,544 on 11 January and 8 February 2027, $1,647 on 12 April and $1,826 on 10 June and 11 August. Google names no villa.
For 16–19 November 2026 Agoda offered the Dhoni Water Villa at $1,279, the Dhoni Loft at $1,424 and the Loft Water Villa at $1,472 a night (Google Hotels). The price includes service, taxes and green tax: at the same price, Bluepillow’s link carries $911.38 of them for the 3 nights. The speedboat comes on top (offers).
No: offers come with breakfast, half board or full board, such as Ultimate Savings and COMO Advance Booking, at up to 25% off (offers); Book with COMO, booked on the resort’s site, adds a $150 credit to spend on the island (Book with COMO). Private dinners carry a surcharge even with board (private dining).
By speedboat, 40 minutes (official site): $350 an adult return, $175 from 2 to 11, free under 2, according to Booking.com (Booking.com).
Yes: the guided house-reef snorkel is free, with gear and a guide (house-reef snorkel), and turtles, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, rays and octopus live on it (diving menu). At night there is a UV snorkel (UV night snorkel). Green turtles are also sought by boat, 20 minutes out, at $75 an adult (turtle expedition).
It takes children of all ages, but every villa is over the water and there is no kids’ club with set hours (villas). There is Young Marine Explorers, 90 minutes with the marine biologist at $40 a child (activities); with COMO Advance Booking up to 2 under-12s stay free in their parents’ villa, except in the 2- and 3-bedroom villas (COMO Advance Booking).
As a couple, a Dhoni Water Villa, 75 m² on 2 levels (Dhoni Water Villa), or the One-Bedroom Water Villa with Pool, 125 m² with a 4.8 by 2.8 m pool and a butler (One-Bedroom Water Villa with Pool). As a family, the Dhoni Loft, 110 m² with its mezzanine bedroom (Dhoni Loft Water Villa).
COMO Shambhala has 4 massage pavilions, 3 for couples, a hydrotherapy pool, a steam room, a Pilates studio, a gym and the yoga pavilion, and opens from 9am to 9pm (COMO Shambhala). Daily yoga, the hydrotherapy pool, the steam room and the gym are included (official site); treatments are paid: a 60-minute massage costs $180, plus 10% service and taxes (spa menu). No day pass for outside guests is published.
There is a main pool beside Ufaa, the restaurant between the pool and the beach (dining), and COMO Shambhala’s jet hydrotherapy pool (COMO Shambhala). Not every villa has a pool: the pool villas, the COMO Sunrise and the COMO Sunset do; most of the others have direct access to the lagoon (villas).
On the island of Makunufushi, in South Malé Atoll, 40 minutes by speedboat from Malé airport (getting here). The island is small and quiet, with one restaurant and one bar (dining); other islands show on the horizon, and a guest in October 2025 notes buildings going up and big ships at anchor (Google).
Yes: the sandbank picnic costs $388 a couple, dinner $688, the barbecue $788; a tented beach dinner $298; 8 oysters and a bottle of Champagne on the jetty $200 a couple, plus 10% service and tax (sandbank, private dining).
The resort offers the whole island for weddings and celebrations, for up to 72 guests, with meals, snorkelling and transfers included (official site, offers). Prices are not published.
On 25 December 2026 there is Christmas dinner at Ufaa with live music, at $195 a person; on 31 December the White Soirée, with dinner from 7 to 11pm and a band from 9pm (festive). The sources read do not say the dinners are compulsory.
The resort is open all year. On the Google Hotels calendar the lowest nights were in November and early December 2026, at $1,272; from June to August 2027 they rose to $1,826.
The resort advertises high-speed Wi-Fi in every villa (villas).
4.7 out of 5 on Google from 296 reviews and 4.9 on Tripadvisor from 2,021, read on 5 October 2026. They praise the staff, the food, the spa and the calm; other islands show on the horizon (Google, Tripadvisor).
The resort team meets guests in the arrivals hall at Malé International Airport and assists them; the island is reached by speedboat in 40 minutes.
A small North Ari island with a house reef nearly every guest praises, reached from the beach: you come to be in the water.
The Maldives’ first resort, from 1972, 10 minutes by boat from the airport: 7 restaurants, the reef from the beach and a kids’ club every day.
2 islands, 134 villas, the kids’ club, a surf wave off the beach and a restaurant under the sea.
The 1972 resort 10 to 15 minutes by speedboat: 220 rooms, a reef off the beach, the oldest dive centre in the Maldives and a hyperbaric chamber, from $340 a night.
A big, green island 15 minutes by speedboat from the airport: 7 restaurants and bars, water villas and a spa on an islet reached by a bridge.
An adults-only island almost entirely over the water: villas with a slide or a pool, 5 restaurants on the all-inclusive plan and H2O, the restaurant under the sea.
A family resort 20 minutes by speedboat from Malé: beach and overwater villas, the Roxity and Teen Spirit clubs, a pool with a waterslide and the restaurants of 3 islands on the meal plans.
A new family resort 30 to 45 minutes by speedboat from Malé: slides, a lazy river, a kids’ club and a bridge to Centara Grand Lagoon.
A small island 45 minutes by speedboat from Malé, with an all-inclusive plan and the reef off the beach; room blocks from 1996 and no pool.
A resort opened in 2025, 30 to 40 minutes by speedboat from Malé: 142 villas with a pool or a Jacuzzi, 5 venues on the island and family-minded Mirage across the bridge.
Pasta Point’s island, 20 minutes by speedboat: the wave for 30 surfers, water and beach bungalows, 3 buffets, from $393 a night.
150 villas furnished by the Italian brand LAGO, all inclusive only, 30 minutes by seaplane from Malé, with a free kids’ club for ages 3 to 12.
This guide is written with Lumina, the marketing system for hotels.
