Swimming beside manta rays or whale sharks, with someone who knows where they are.
Three Lumi · Eclipse
The black edition of Three Lumi: no weak side on any of the 5 things that matter.
1 hotel of 335.
Three Lumi
Exceptional: guests, critics and we all say so.
3 hotels of 335.
Two Lumi
Exceptional: two of our three readings say so.
25 hotels of 335.
One Lume
Gives more than the other hotels of its place and price range.
82 hotels of 335.
A spa worth the trip
Held by a hotel in the guide’s top tenth for what guests write about the spa, when at least 30 of them mention it, or by a hotel whose spa has, in our reading of its official pages, one of the highest readings in the guide.
28 hotels of 335 hold it.
A story inside
Held by a hotel whose character has, in our reading, one of the highest readings in the guide, and whose history begins before 1950.
31 hotels of 335 hold it.
A table worth the trip
Held by a hotel in the guide’s top tenth for what guests write about the food, when at least 30 of them mention it, or by a hotel whose table has, in our reading, one of the highest readings in the guide.
30 hotels of 335 hold it.
Adults only
Held by a hotel that states a minimum age of 12 or more for its guests.
8 hotels of 335 hold it.
Children’s kingdom
Held by a hotel whose club takes children aged 4 or younger, and where at least 30 guests write about children and nearly all of them write well of it.
8 hotels of 335 hold it.
Doing nothing, very well
Held by a hotel in the guide’s top tenth for what guests write about the beach and the lagoon: at least 30 of them must mention it.
18 hotels of 335 hold it.
Far away, in no time
Held by a resort in the Maldives on an island of its own, 20 minutes or less from the airport.
20 hotels of 335 hold it.
Gentle giants
Held by a resort for which a source says where and when manta rays or whale sharks are met: a named site, a season or the time it takes to reach them.
16 hotels of 335 hold it.
Honeymoon
Held by a hotel in the guide’s top tenth for how many of the reviews that say who was travelling are honeymoons: at least 50 reviews must say so.
19 hotels of 335 hold it.
Just for us
Held by a hotel with 40 rooms or villas at most.
15 hotels of 335 hold it.
Reef at the door
Held by a resort whose reef you can swim to from the beach and which, among such resorts, is in the top 15% for what guests write about it: at least 30 of them must mention it.
17 hotels of 335 hold it.
The bill feels right
Held by a hotel where at least 30 guests write about the price and at least 6 in 10 find it fair.
19 hotels of 335 hold it.
The city at the door
Held by a city hotel in the top third of the guide’s city hotels for what guests write about its location: at least 30 of them must mention it.
17 hotels of 335 hold it.
They read your mind
Held by a hotel in the guide’s top 8% for what guests write about the staff and the service: at least 30 of them must mention it.
18 hotels of 335 hold it.
True quiet
Held by a hotel in the guide’s top tenth for what guests write about the quiet: at least 30 of them must mention it.
14 hotels of 335 hold it.
Up for breakfast
Held by a hotel in the top sixth for breakfast, among the guide’s hotels where at least 30 guests write about it.
15 hotels of 335 hold it.
Location, room, staff and breakfast: how happy the guests were, read in their Google reviews.
Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives
13 villas with a pool, a gym and a treatment room on an island at the western edge of the Maldives, with meals included
The first of the guide. Here: manta rays in the lagoon, 2 minutes by boat, from May to October: up to 50 at a time, the Manta Encounter promises. Stated by soneva.com.
Noonu Atoll, Maldives
Water villas of more than 500 m², each with a pool, a slide into the lagoon and an opening roof over the bed; the reef is a boat ride away.
Here: manta rays from May to October. Stated by soneva.com.
What guests love most: the location, 83 in 100 happy.
Location: Maldives water villa
Discover Soneva JaniNoonu Atoll, Maldives
A 20-hectare island with 47 villas, all with a pool, a golf academy, a snow room and the Maldives’ largest private wine cellar.
Here: manta rays in season on the house reef and at dive sites about 20 minutes away; the resort works with the Manta Trust. Stated by velaaprivateisland.com.
What guests love most: the staff and service, 95 in 100 happy.
Baa Atoll, Maldives
The first Soneva, since 1995: more than 60 villas in the jungle and 8 over the water, The Den for children of 4 to 17 and a reef you can swim to from the beach.
Here: manta rays and whale sharks at Hanifaru Bay, from May to October. Stated by soneva.com.
What guests love most: the staff and service, 99 in 100 happy.
Location: Maldives resort for families
Discover Soneva FushiLaamu Atoll, Maldives
The only resort in Laamu Atoll: turtles in the seagrass, manta rays all year, 8 surf breaks and a marine biology centre, 65 minutes by seaplane from Malé.
Here: manta rays all year at Hithadhoo Corner, 10 to 15 minutes by boat; in 2025 the resort’s biologists logged 579 sightings. Stated by sixsenses.com.
What guests love most: breakfast, 100 in 100 happy.
Location: Maldives surf resort
Discover Six Senses LaamuNorth Malé Atoll, Maldives
A 44-hectare island with 12 beaches, 45 minutes by boat from Malé: beach and water villas, TAPASAKE, a Forbes 5-star spa and works on the west side until December 2026.
Here: 3 manta sites a few minutes by boat from the island; Manta Point is 30 minutes to the south. Stated by oneandonlyresorts.com.
What guests love most: the location, 92 in 100 happy.
Gaafu Alifu Atoll, Maldives
The former Raffles Meradhoo: 38 pool villas on 2 islands in the far south, 2 house reefs with turtles and a butler for every villa.
Here: manta rays from August to November. Stated by islandii.com.
What guests love most: the staff and service, 100 in 100 happy.
South Ari Atoll, Maldives
193 villas on an island almost 2 km long, 8 restaurants, the kids’ club and whale sharks 20 minutes away by boat in every month of the year.
Here: manta rays and whale sharks at South Ari, all year round. Stated by luxresorts.com.
What guests love most: breakfast, 92 in 100 happy.
Baa Atoll, Maldives
50 pool villas on an island you can walk round in 20 minutes: the house reef, Ba’theli on its boat and Hanifaru’s manta rays 15 minutes away.
Here: manta rays at Hanifaru Bay, 15 minutes by boat, from May to November. Stated by milaidhoo.com.
What guests love most: breakfast, 100 in 100 happy.
North Malé Atoll, Maldives
90 pool villas designed by Marcio Kogan, a 1,500 m² spa, James Turrell’s Skyspace and 10 or so restaurants, 45 minutes by speedboat from Malé.
Here: manta rays all year on both sides of North Malé Atoll, with the resort’s marine biologists; for South Ari’s whale sharks you leave by private seaplane. Stated by linaratravel.com.
What guests love most: the room, 93 in 100 happy.
South Malé Atoll, Maldives
A lagoon for 2, Baan Huraa above the water and a garden spa
Here: manta rays at Sandune reef, 1 km inside Lhofushi Kandu, from July to September. Stated by anantara.com.
What guests love most: the location, 97 in 100 happy.
Food and drink: Anantara Veli all inclusive
Discover Anantara Veli Maldives ResortBaa Atoll, Maldives
For travellers who want space, a private pool and facilities for a family or group, with mobility adaptations in 3 specified villa categories.
Here: manta rays at Hanifaru Bay, 15 minutes by boat, from June to November. Stated by amilla.com.
What guests love most: the location, 94 in 100 happy.
Raa Atoll, Maldives
Every villa with a pool, between beach and lagoon
Here: manta rays at Hanifaru Bay, from May to November. Stated by intourist.ru.
What guests love most: breakfast, 94 in 100 happy.
North Malé Atoll, Maldives
Ritz-Carlton Maldives suits couples and families who want a contemporary villa, a private pool and days divided between the spa and restaurants. Budget for meals, treatments and the speedboat when the chosen rate excludes them; reef snorkelling also involves guided boat trips.
Here: manta rays at Manta Point, 15 to 20 minutes by speedboat, from May to October. Stated by theglossarymagazine.com.
What guests love most: breakfast, 95 in 100 happy.
Spas and pools: Ritz-Carlton Maldives spa
Explore Ritz-Carlton MaldivesBaa Atoll, Maldives
The Nautilus Maldives suits guests seeking a spacious house, a butler and meals that follow their own rhythm on a small Baa island. Privacy comes at a substantial cost, and transfers, spa and experiences need separate reading from the house rate.
Here: manta rays and whale sharks at Hanifaru Bay, 30 minutes by boat, from May to November. Stated by thenautilusmaldives.com.
What guests love most: the staff and service, 87 in 100 happy.
South Malé Atoll, Maldives
110 villas on the beach and over the water, 30 minutes by speedboat from Malé, with a kids’ club and the restaurants of 3 islands
Here: manta rays and whale sharks from August to December. Stated by anantara.com.
What guests love most: the location, 91 in 100 happy.
No hotel matches the search.
This guide is written with Lumina, the marketing system for hotels.
