Kashiveli
Breakfast from 7.30 to 10.30am with your feet in the sand; from 7.30pm the restaurant turns into a night market: Asia, a Moroccan souk, a Brazilian churrascaria, an Indian tandoor (Kashiveli). The name means “coral sands” in Dhivehi.
Gili Lankanfushi
Gili Lankanfushi, in North Malé Atoll: 45 villas and residences, all over the water, 20 to 30 minutes by speedboat from the airport.
Gili suits couples who want a host on call around the clock and an open-air living room above the lagoon. If a beach villa is central to the holiday, I would look elsewhere.
Official siteWould you go?
Keep it among your hotels and see it on the budget globe, month by month.Like a regular
West-facing for the sunset
For sunset views I would ask for a Gili Lagoon Villa: 210 m², facing west, with a private rooftop terrace. The water hammock gives you another place to spend the afternoon above the lagoon.
The return boat fare
The shared speedboat return fare is $302.44 per adult, with taxes and service charge added, for travel from 14 September 2026. For children aged 2–11, the return fare is $151.22 per child, also before taxes and service charge.
Book the cocktail contest
At sunset, Battle of the Bartenders lets guests choose their favourite cocktail after each bartender makes 2 drinks. Reserve a place in advance for the daily competition.
What Gili Lankanfushi is
Gili Lankanfushi opened in 2000 as Soneva Gili; in 2012 the island passed to Singapore’s Hotel Properties Limited, and in 2015 Tripadvisor voted it the best hotel in the world (official site). After a year of works it reopened on 1 December 2019 (resort release). Its 45 villas and residences all stand on the Lankanfushi lagoon, in North Malé Atoll, built of teak, palm wood and bamboo (official site).
The entry villa is the Villa Suite, 210 m² on 2 floors with a rooftop terrace; the residences, from 250 m², sit at the end of the jetties or alone in the lagoon, and the Crusoe Residences are reached only by boat (FAQ). The Private Reserve, 1,700 m² with a slide, a spa and a cinema, is in the resort’s words the largest stand-alone overwater villa in the world (The Private Reserve). Every guest has a Mr. or Ms. Friday, on call at any hour (official site).
Breakfast at Kashiveli is taken with your feet in the sand; at night dinner travels from a Bangkok street market to a Marrakech souk and a New Delhi tandoor (Kashiveli). By The Sea is Japanese, with teppanyaki (By The Sea); the organic garden gives the chef more than a hundred plant-based recipes (garden). Sunrise yoga and the Meera Spa’s steam room and sauna are included in the site’s rates (Best Flexible Rate).
The house reef drops to 15 metres, with small sharks, turtles and rays (snorkelling); the 2024 bleaching hit part of it (resort blog). Some guests write of planes in the early morning and Hulhumalé on the horizon (Tripadvisor). The staff are praised above all: 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 359 reviews, read on 4 October 2026 (Google).
One Lume
Lumina Guide 2027
Gives more than the other hotels of its place and price range.
Gili Lankanfushi is an island of 45 villas, all over the water, half an hour by speedboat from Malé airport: you arrive without a seaplane, go barefoot and have your own Mr. Friday.
How Lumi are awardedGuests (exceptional)
233 reviews read: breakfast pleases almost every guest who mentions it, the room more than 9 in 10.
Ours
The villas are of teak, palm wood and bamboo, the smallest 210 m² on 2 floors with a rooftop terrace; breakfast at Kashiveli is taken with your feet in the sand, and sunrise yoga, sauna and steam room are in the rate.
Our reading, point by point
What we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
Location
North Malé Atoll, 20 to 30 minutes by speedboat; Hulhumalé and the planes close by.
Character
A barefoot island since 2000, timber-and-thatch villas, a Mr. Friday for every guest.
Rooms
45 villas and residences over the water, from 210 to 1,700 m²; a pool in only some.
Food and social life
Kashiveli’s themed nights, Japanese By The Sea, the garden and the cellar.
Wellness
Meera Spa over the water; sauna, steam room and sunrise yoga included.
The stay as a whole
From $1,858 a night for 2 with breakfast, service and taxes included; half board free from 5 nights.
What makes it rare
A badge is an experience travellers look for, that is really here and that few hotels in the guide have.
A table worth the trip
Here: Kashiveli’s themed nights, Japanese By The Sea, the garden and the cellar.
110 of the 115 guests who write about the food are pleased. 30 hotels of 335 hold it.
Every hotel with this badge
The 5 things that matter, as guests tell them
What do Gili Lankanfushi’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.
Location
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests write of the lagoon beneath the villas and of the quick arrival: half an hour by speedboat from the airport, with no seaplane.
Room
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Large, rustic villas of wood and thatch, all over the water; the Villa Suite, the entry category, has 210 m² on 2 floors with a rooftop terrace.
Staff and service
9 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Every guest has a Mr. or Ms. Friday, on call at any hour, and dozens of reviews thank them by name.
Breakfast
Every guest who mentions it is happy with it. Breakfast is at Kashiveli, with your feet in the sand: guests write about the wide choice, and the website’s rate includes it.
Price
6 in 10 guests who mention the price find it fair. The website’s rate includes breakfast; lunch, drinks and activities are charged separately, and half board adds dinner.
The numbers, and how we count them
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 8.7 | 85 | 89% |
| Room | 8.6 | 67 | 94% |
| Staff and service | 9.1 | 160 | 94% |
| Breakfast | 8.7 | 24 | 100% |
| Price | – | 28 | 61% |
The scores come from 233 Google reviews with text, left from 12 March 2015 to 4 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:
- Soneva Jani
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives
- One&Only Reethi Rah
- The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands
- Cheval Blanc Randheli
Price: for two on the night of 16 November 2026, from $1,858 (seen on Google Hotels on 4 October 2026).
Kashiveli and By The Sea, the garden, Meera Spa, the reef with the biologists and the surf
Themed dinners on the beach, a garden that yields a hundred recipes, treatments above the lagoon, the reef with marine biologists and 3 breaks 5 minutes away by boat.
By The Sea
The Japanese restaurant, between jungle and sea: sushi, sashimi, teppanyaki and a long sake list, at dinner from 7 to 10.30pm (By The Sea). For drinks there is the Overwater Bar, on stilts above the lagoon, and an underground wine cellar (FAQ).
The garden
Rocket, basil, fennel, pomegranates and bananas grown without pesticides or chemical fertilisers; chef Hari has drawn more than a hundred plant-based recipes from it, and you can dine among the beds (garden).
Meera Spa
6 treatment rooms above the lagoon, Ayurveda in a pavilion in the jungle, a steam room and a sauna (spa menu). The house massage cost $175 for 60 minutes on the 2024 menu, plus service and GST.
The reef and the biologists
The resort’s marine biologists take guests out over the house reef by day and by night, and by boat to the turtles of Makunudhoo or the nurse sharks of Gamarugiri, 35 minutes away (snorkelling). Since 2012 they have grown coral on ropes and replanted it on the reef (Gili Veshi).
The surf
With Tropicsurf: 3 breaks 5 minutes away by dhoni and many more within 20; lagoon lessons for all ages and the Dream Programme, 3 hours, from age 10 (surfing). The surf season runs from April to October (resort release).
Good to know before you book
Rates are in US dollars per villa per night, plus service and taxes: 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: gili-lankanfushi.com
The resort is about 20 km from the airport: some guests write of planes and seaplanes in earshot, above all early in the morning, and of Hulhumalé and Malé’s buildings on the horizon. Source: 233 Google reviews read, 12 March 2015 to 4 October 2026
Rates are in US dollars per villa per night, plus service and taxes (official site): 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). Breakfast at Kashiveli is included.
The resort is about 20 km from the airport (FAQ): some guests write of planes and seaplanes in earshot, above all early in the morning, and of Hulhumalé and Malé’s buildings on the horizon (Tripadvisor, Google).
The 2024 global bleaching hit the house reef too, where the resort’s biologists are following its recovery (resort blog).
Guests staying on the night of 31 December pay the compulsory gala dinner: $700 per adult, half for children, plus service and taxes (Booking.com).
Booking on the site takes a 20% non-refundable deposit at confirmation; the balance is charged 30 days before arrival, and cancelling within 30 days costs the whole stay (official site).
The resort keeps a “no news, no shoes” rule (official site): shoes stay off for the whole holiday. You get around the island by bamboo bicycle, one per guest (Villa Suite).
Villas, residences and The Private Reserve, all over the water
Getting here
By speedboat from Malé airport, about 20 km away: no seaplane.
| Shared speedboat | $302.44 per adult return, $151.22 from 2 to 11, plus service and taxes (Booking.com, rates from 14 September 2026). Booked on the site it costs half from 4 nights and nothing from 6 (official site). |
|---|---|
| Private | Private speedboat $772.20 per person each way; private yacht $1,287 per person each way, plus service and taxes (Booking.com). |
| Time | 30 minutes in the resort’s FAQ (FAQ), 20 in one of its releases (resort release); guests write 15 to 20 minutes (Google). |
| On arrival | Staff meet you at the airport and walk you to the speedboat (FAQ); the flight details are needed 72 hours ahead (official site). |
Sources read on 4 and 5 October 2026.
From Lankanfushi to Malé
The resort, the airport and the capital, some 20 km apart by speedboat. Tap a place for details.
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Recommended for you
A day at Gili Lankanfushi
7.30am
Breakfast with sandy feet
At Kashiveli, start with tropical fruit and Maldivian breakfast dishes at an outdoor table.
Late morning
Cook in the garden
Take a private vegan cooking class in the Organic Garden, among the fruit and vegetable beds.
12.30pm
Lunch above the lagoon
At the Overwater Bar, lunch brings fresh fish with local spices and vegetables from the garden.
The afternoon
Read the reef together
Join a guided snorkel with a marine biologist to identify the life on the house reef and learn about the coral projects.
7pm
Watch the teppanyaki cooks
At By The Sea, watch meat, seafood and vegetables cook at the teppanyaki dinner.
Gili Lankanfushi reviews
Platform scores and what guests write about the staff, the reef, the food and the prices.
Scores read on 4 October 2026
Guest voices
From the resort’s Google listing, January to October 2026: the spa, the reef, New Year, lunch and the planes in the morning.
GoogleThe sea beneath your face
A guest in October 2026 remembers the spa, where you watch the sea through glass from the treatment bed, menus printed with her name and the barefoot life.
Google · October 2026Read the review
GoogleThe reef 2 minutes away
A German couple write that the house reef, 2 minutes away by small boat, surprised them with how much there was to see, and that sharks and rays showed up daily even from the beach.
Google · March 2026Read the review
GoogleNew Year
A guest on a second visit, staying over New Year, describes outstanding food and a pool villa that helped when the wind blew on the other side of the island.
Google · January 2026Read the review
GoogleLunch on top
A honeymooning couple found breakfasts and dinners superb but the paid lunches very dear: a pizza, a juice and a beer came to €60.
Google · April 2026Read the review
GooglePlanes in the morning
A German guest gives 5 stars but warns that the air traffic is clearly audible, above all early in the morning, even from a quiet villa.
Google · March 2026Read the review
Questions before you go
Sources read on 4 and 5 October 2026.
How much is a night at Gili Lankanfushi?
On Google Hotels, read on 4 October 2026 for 2 adults and 3 nights, from 16 November 2026 the resort’s own site asked $1,858 a night for the Villa Suite with breakfast and the cheapest seller $1,737; from 7 December $1,858 on the site and $1,754 the lowest; from 11 January 2027 $2,696 on the site and $2,317 the lowest; from 8 March $2,696 on the site and $2,147 the lowest. Google showed no nightly calendar for the resort.
These prices include service and taxes: for 3 nights from 16 November the site showed a total of $5,575 on Google, $1,299 of it taxes and service (Google Hotels). On the Best Flexible Rate half board is free from 5 nights, except from 27 December 2026 to 4 January 2027 (Best Flexible Rate); booked 30 days ahead, Gili Early Bird takes off 25% (offers).
Is breakfast included? Is there an all-inclusive plan?
Breakfast at Kashiveli is included in the site’s rates; half board adds dinner and is free from 5 nights on the Best Flexible Rate (Best Flexible Rate). Full board exists too, but the resort publishes no all-inclusive plan; guests on half or full board get $100 each to spend on private dinners (private dining).
How do you get to Gili Lankanfushi?
By speedboat from Malé airport, about 20 km: 30 minutes for the resort (FAQ), 15 to 20 for guests (Google). The shared speedboat costs $302.44 per adult return, plus service and taxes (Booking.com); booked on the site it costs half from 4 nights and nothing from 6 (official site). There is no seaplane.
Does Gili Lankanfushi have a house reef?
Yes: the house reef runs out to a 15-metre drop-off, with small sharks, turtles and rays, and the resort’s marine biologists guide it by day and by night (snorkelling). A couple in March 2026 reached it in 2 minutes by small boat (Google). The 2024 bleaching hit part of it (resort blog); beneath the villas the lagoon is shallow, with a coral bottom.
Which villa should you book?
As a couple, the Villa Suite, 210 m², or the Villa Suite with Pool, 264 m² with a 19 m² pool; for sunsets, one of the 5 west-facing Gili Lagoon Villas; for solitude, a Crusoe Residence, reached by boat (FAQ). As a family, the Two-Bedroom Villa with Pool, 385 m² facing sunrise. On 8 March 2027 the site asked $3,576 a night for the Villa Suite with Pool, and on 16 November 2026 $4,714 for the Two-Bedroom (Google Hotels).
Do the villas have pools?
Only some: the Villa Suite with Pool (19 m²), the Residence with Pool (24 m²), the Two-Bedroom Villa with Pool (32 m²) and The Private Reserve (villas). Everyone can use the infinity pool on the beach, facing the ocean (FAQ); every villa has steps down into the lagoon.
Is the resort good for children?
Children of all ages are welcome (Booking.com). On the Gili Family Time offer, from 4 nights, up to 2 children under 12 stay, eat on half board and travel free; the green tax of $12 a day still applies from 2 to 11 (Gili Family Time). Lagoon surfing is for all ages, the dolphin cruise from 4 (surfing, excursions); the spa advises against children under 10 (spa menu).
Is the spa included? Can non-residents use it?
The Meera Spa’s steam room and sauna are included in the site’s rates (Best Flexible Rate); treatments are paid: the house massage cost $175 for 60 minutes and $215 for 90 on the 2024 menu, plus 27.6% service and GST (spa menu). No day pass for visitors is published.
What is Meera Spa like?
It sits on a secluded bay, with its treatment rooms over the water (Meera Spa): 6 of them, with 180-degree lagoon views, plus a steam room, a sauna and the Yoga Champa; Ayurveda, shirodhara included, takes place in a pavilion in the jungle (spa menu). Sunrise yoga is free every day (wellbeing).
What restaurants are there?
Kashiveli, on the beach, for breakfast and themed dinners; By The Sea, Japanese, with teppanyaki; the Overwater Bar; the underground wine cellar (FAQ). Private dinners are priced: a beach barbecue $275 per person, lobster $395, vegan $250, the blindfolded Dining for the Senses $250, plus service and taxes (private dining). The kitchen cooks vegan and allergy-free when told in advance (FAQ).
Can you surf and dive?
Yes. Tropicsurf takes guests to the breaks of North Malé Atoll, 3 of them 5 minutes away by dhoni (surfing). The Ocean Paradise PADI dive centre goes to Banana Reef, HP, Rainbow Reef, Okobe Thila, Maagiri and Manta Point (diving); manta rays are seen from June to November (resort blog).
Is Gili Lankanfushi open all year? When is the best time to go?
The resort publishes no seasonal closure, and its offers apply to stays all year round, up to 20 December 2027 (Best Flexible Rate, official site). For the resort the sunniest months, with the clearest water, run from November to April; from May to November downpours come, but it is the season for manta rays and whale sharks (FAQ).
What happens at Christmas and New Year?
On the night of 31 December the gala dinner is compulsory: $700 per adult, half for children, plus service and taxes (Booking.com). Gili Family Time does not apply from 22 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 (Gili Family Time), nor free half board from 27 December to 4 January (Best Flexible Rate).
Is it a honeymoon resort? Can you get married there?
In 2026 it won Best Honeymoon Resort at the UK Weddings & Honeymoons Awards (resort release). The Gili Romance Story package, from 4 nights, includes breakfast and dinner at Kashiveli, a couples’ massage, in-villa yoga and a night under the stars (Gili Romance Story). For weddings, in 2017 the resort offered the Secret Wedding Experience from $13,489 for 4 nights for 2, before taxes (resort release); it publishes no price today.
Is Gili Lankanfushi the former Soneva Gili?
Yes: it opened in 2000 as Soneva Gili, and in 2012 the island passed to Hotel Properties Limited, which named it Gili Lankanfushi (official site). The Ministry of Tourism register dates the first resort on the island to 1980 (Ministry of Tourism).
What are the check-in and check-out times?
Google’s listing gives check-in at 2pm and check-out at noon (Google Hotels).
What do guests say?
Scores are high: 4.8 out of 5 on Google from 359 reviews, 4.9 on Tripadvisor from 5,144, 9.6 on Booking.com from 86, read on 4 October 2026. The praise goes to the staff and the Mr. Fridays, the food and the villas; planes and boats are within earshot, Malé and Hulhumalé are on the horizon, and lunches and drinks are charged on top (Google, Tripadvisor).
Do I need a car at Gili Lankanfushi?
Arrange the island transfer with the resort: its team meets guests at the airport and escorts them to the speedboat. For getting around the island, the Villa Suite includes a bamboo bicycle for every guest.
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