Six Senses Kanuhura, in the Maldives’ Lhaviyani Atoll: 85 villas and a beach all the way round the island, 2 deserted islets close by and 40 minutes by seaplane from Malé.
A week here, month by monthKanuhura suits families with children of any age and couples who want full days on a long beach: $1,498 a night for 2 adults, the lowest price any seller showed on Google, from 2 to 8 November 2026. Anyone landing in Malé after 3.30pm is not guaranteed a same-day seaplane, which flies by day only.
Official siteDoes it suit you?
5 pairs of hotels, and the guide tells you whether this one suits you.
I would ask for a Beach Retreat With Pool: 170 m² with a 48 m² pool and a loft, one of 12 retreats facing the island’s sunset views. Villas are allocated by availability, but the resort is glad to hear a preference.
In the calendar read on 12 October 2026 the lowest run is 2 to 8 November: 7 nights at $1,498. The dearest night shown is 1 January 2027 at $3,402; 27 to 31 December 2026 have no price.
The seaplane is extra: $695 per adult and $419 per child up to 11, return, tax included. Diving is priced with ++: the dive list adds a 10% service charge and 17% GST.
From October to November or April to May guests are invited to watch the hatching, and the Experiences Team tells them the hour; from October to December manta rays are frequently sighted at Fushifaru Thila, 10 minutes by speedboat.
The island opened as One&Only Kanuhura in 2000 (Robb Report) and, after a complete renovation, reopened as Six Senses Kanuhura on 5 September 2023, with 12 new Beach Retreats, the 3-bedroom Beach Reserve and The Point on the northern tip (Six Senses release). It holds a MICHELIN Guide Key (MICHELIN). The villa count depends on the source: 85 on the official site, 91 in the reopening release, 80 in the MICHELIN Guide, all read on 5 October 2026 (accommodation, release, MICHELIN).
Villas run from the 87 m² Beach Villa, with no pool, to the 415 m² Three Bedroom Beach Villa Suite; the Water Villas over the lagoon have 115 m² and a 16 m² pool, the Beach Retreats 170 m² and a 48 m² pool on the sunset side (accommodation). Children of every age are welcome, and those of 5 and under eat free from the children’s menu (useful information, Booking.com).
The resort uses 2 more islands: Jehunuhura, 7 minutes by boat, home to the Drift restaurant, and Masleggihuraa, left wild for picnics (resort journal). From the beach you wade into a shallow lagoon of sand and seagrass, and Roomer Travel and LuxAtolls say the reef is reached only by boat (Roomer Travel, LuxAtolls), while the resort’s home page speaks of a house reef (official site). Turtle Airport, the busiest snorkelling site, is 15 minutes away (Turtle Safari).
It has 4.7 out of 5 on Google from 328 reviews and 4.9 on Tripadvisor from 394, with Travelers’ Choice 2026 (Google Hotels, Tripadvisor). Guests praise the staff and the GEM, the Guest Experience Maker each guest is given (services); the seaplane flies by day only, and a same-day transfer is guaranteed if you land in Malé by 3.30pm (Booking.com).
Lumina Guide 2027
Kanuhura has a beach that runs right round the island and 2 deserted islets a few minutes away by boat, one for a barefoot lunch at Drift and one for picnics; Six Senses reopened it in 2023.
Distinctions
What we found reading the hotel’s own pages, one thing at a time.
Lhaviyani Atoll, 40 minutes by seaplane; 2 deserted islands close by; the reef by boat.
A 2000 icon remade by Six Senses in 2023, barefoot and by bicycle.
14 villa categories, 87 to 415 m², pools of 15 to 67 m².
7 venues, from The Point to Drift; breakfast is the buffet at The Market, on the beach from 7.30 to 10.30am.
8 rooms, a hot and cold circuit, biohacking; free yoga and meditation.
From $1,498 a night for 2 on Google, taxes included; the seaplane and service on extras on top.
What do Kanuhura’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 soft white-sand beach that runs round the island, the clear water and the greenery.
Guests describe comfortable, spacious villas and, in those over the water, the pool, the outdoor shower and the shallow lagoon you step into from the villa.
8 in 10 guests who mention it are happy with it. Guests write about the GEM, the Guest Experience Maker who looks after each guest, the marine biologist who leads the snorkelling and the housekeepers, often thanked by name.
Breakfast is the buffet at The Market, on the beach from 7.30 to 10.30am, with fresh juices and smoothies and pancakes shaped like sea creatures for the children.
Free of charge are the children’s club for ages 3 to 11, snorkelling trips with the marine biologist, yoga and meditation.
| What | Score out of 10 | Guests who mention it | Happy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location | 9.0 | 27 | 96% |
| Room | 7.5 | 16 | 81% |
| Staff and service | 8.4 | 45 | 84% |
| Breakfast | 6.5 | 9 | 56% |
| Price | – | 7 | 29% |
The scores come from 54 Google reviews with text, left from 21 November 2023 to 23 September 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 $1,498 (seen on Google Hotels on 12 October 2026).
A night for 2 adults reads $1,497 to $2,064 until 21 December 2026, then $1,864 to $2,141 from 7 January to 10 April 2027 and $2,815 to $3,304 from 11 April to 8 June, where the calendar stops; 22 December to 6 January runs from $3,087 to $3,402. I would take 2 to 8 November 2026: 7 nights at $1,498, in the months the resort lists for manta rays and turtle hatching.
| Period | Dollars a night |
|---|---|
| 13 Oct. to 21 Dec. 2026 | 1,497–2,064 |
| 22 Dec. 2026 to 6 Jan. 2027 | 3,087–3,402 |
| 7 Jan. to 10 Apr. 2027 | 1,864–2,141 |
| 11 Apr. to 8 June 2027 | 2,815–3,304 |
The lowest price any seller showed on Google Hotels for one night searched alone, for 2 adults, read 12 October 2026; no room or meal plan is specified. The calendar stops on 8 June 2027; 27 to 31 December 2026 have no price. Booked as 7 nights from 16 November 2026, the lowest seller Google listed that day asked $1,191 a night.
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas suits a stay in Baa Atoll, with Hanifaru 20 minutes away by speedboat. Jumeirah Maldives Olhahali Island suits an arrival by speedboat, 55 minutes from Malé, in North Malé Atoll.
| Hotel | A night, from | Seaplane from Malé |
|---|---|---|
| Kanuhura | $1,498 | 40 minutes |
| Anantara Kihavah | $1,609 | 35 minutes |
| Jumeirah Olhahali | $1,352 | 15 minutes |
Lowest single-night seller price in the week of 16–22 November 2026, for 2 adults, read on Google on 12 October 2026; no room or meal plan is specified. Seaplane times are those each hotel’s guide page gives.
Tapas at the tip of the island, lunch on an islet, turtles 15 minutes away by boat, the spa, 2 clubs for the children and a deserted island to yourselves.
On the island’s northern tip, The Point serves Spanish-inspired tapas, lunch from noon to 4pm and dinner from 7 to 10.30pm (The Point); beside it is the 393 m² infinity pool; the island’s other big pool, a free-form one, measures 472 m² (facilities).
Jehunuhura is 7 minutes by boat: Drift serves lunch there from noon to 3pm, grilled reef fish and curries in the shade of the palms (Drift). Guests in a Beach Retreat get one lunch here on the house, drinks excluded (Beach Retreat Perks).
The Turtle Safari takes you 15 minutes by boat to Turtle Airport, among green and hawksbill turtles, blacktip reef sharks and eagle rays; it lasts 2 hours and costs $115 a person plus tax and service (Turtle Safari). In 2025, 610 turtles hatched on the resort’s beaches (sustainability).
8 treatment rooms, one a couple’s suite, separate hot and cold circuits for men and women and a Biohacking Recovery Lounge for jet lag; open from 9am to 9pm (spa). A 60-minute deep-tissue massage costs $185 (treatments).
The children’s club, for ages 3 to 11, is free; the Island Hideout is the teenagers’ games room, and babysitting is charged (families). Children can try scuba from 8 with the PADI Bubblemaker, $150 plus tax and service (diving).
Masleggihuraa, 10 minutes by boat, is yours for the day, with a hamper packed by the chefs, dessert and a bottle of wine: $250 or $300 a person, plus tax and service (Castaway Picnic).
Experiences and dives are priced «++»: the dive list adds 10% service and 17% GST, and the Maldives green tax is $12 per person per day. Source: sixsenses.com
Experiences and dives are priced «++»: the dive list adds 10% service and 17% GST (diving), and the Maldives green tax is $12 per person per day (MIRA). The seaplane, $695 per adult return, is extra and already includes tax (getting there).
From the beach you swim in a shallow lagoon of sand and seagrass; Roomer Travel and LuxAtolls say the reef needs a boat (Roomer Travel, LuxAtolls). Snorkelling trips with the marine biologist are free (The Telegraph, August 2025), and 2 reviews, in December 2025 and February 2026, describe snorkelling straight from the water villa (Google).
In February 2026 a Tripadvisor review speaks of sand midges at the restaurants and in June 2026 a Google review of mosquitoes in the wet season (Tripadvisor, Google). The resort fogs the island and hands out repellent (Tripadvisor).
The seaplane flies by day only: a same-day transfer is guaranteed if you land in Malé by 3.30pm (Booking.com).
In peak season the minimum stay is 5 nights in one-bedroom villas and 7 in the multi-bedroom ones (Festive offer); there are no departures on 30 and 31 December 2026 (Beach Retreat Perks). The gala dinner is compulsory: $450 per adult on Christmas Eve and $550 on New Year’s Eve, service and GST included, according to the MICHELIN Guide (MICHELIN).
Breakfast is served in one place, the buffet at The Market, on the beach from 7.30 to 10.30am (The Market); the other restaurants open for lunch or dinner.
40 minutes by seaplane from Malé, by day; on request a domestic flight and a speedboat.
| Seaplane | 40 minutes from Malé; the resort’s team waits at counter C9 in arrivals and takes you to the Six Senses lounge at the terminal; it flies by day only and may stop at other resorts (getting there, services). The MICHELIN Guide says 35 minutes (MICHELIN). |
|---|---|
| Domestic flight | On request, a 30-minute flight to Lhaviyani Atoll, then 15 minutes by speedboat (destination). |
| Price | $695 per adult and $419 per child up to 11, return, tax included (getting there); the same figures on Booking.com, where infants under 2 fly free (Booking.com). The MICHELIN Guide gives $720 per adult (MICHELIN). |
| Times and luggage | A same-day transfer is guaranteed if you land in Malé by 3.30pm and fly out after 9.30am according to Booking.com, after 9am according to the MICHELIN Guide (Booking.com, MICHELIN); 25 kg in the hold and 5 kg in the cabin (getting there). |
| Before you fly | The Maldives traveller declaration is due within 96 hours of the flight: the accommodation page says to pick Six Senses Kanuhura, the travel page names Six Senses Laamu, the group’s other resort (accommodation, getting there). |
Read on 5 October 2026.
The resort, the picnic island, the manta site, Madivaru airport and Malé. Tap a place for details.
Loading map…
Recommended for you
The Market serves breakfast from 7.30am to 10.30am, on the beach.
The Turtle Safari goes 15 minutes by boat to Turtle Airport, the resort’s most popular snorkelling and diving site, and lasts 2 hours.
Drift, on the shores of Jehunuhura, serves a light lunch under the coconut trees from 12 noon to 3pm.
Six Senses Spa is open daily from 9am to 9pm.
The Point serves modern Spanish tapas with sunset views, with dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm.
Scoops is open from 12 noon to 10pm, with a complimentary Six Senses ice cream or a freshly squeezed juice.
Platform scores and what guests write about the staff, the lagoon, children, food and the arrival.
Scores read on 5 October 2026
Google328 reviews4.7/5
Tripadvisor394 reviews · Travelers’ Choice 20264.9/5
Booking.com31 reviews9.6/10From the resort’s Google listing, March to September 2026: the turtles, the lagoon under the villas, children, the island before and after Six Senses and a honeymoon.
GoogleFlown in on Singapore Airlines and met at the airport by the resort’s team, the stay ran from a boat trip to a far island, with grilled octopus and lobster for lunch, to the Turtle Safari with the snorkelling guide.
GoogleA couple in a water villa: shallow, calm water round the villas, fish as in an aquarium, and the GEM who booked the spa while the suitcase, held up by the airline, failed to arrive.
GoogleA parent with children: the staff made everything easier, but the restaurants, the Spanish one above all, disappointed, and the breakfast buffet was short on choice. 4 stars.
GoogleA guest who knew Kanuhura before Six Senses finds it as exceptional as ever; the one flaw is the seaweed, more and more of it on the beach. 4 stars.
Google4 nights in a water villa with a pool: the cake and photo shoot promised by email had to be chased, and in bad weather the seaplane circled several times before passengers were swapped by speedboat. 2 stars.
Read on 5 October 2026.
On the Google Hotels calendar, read on 12 October 2026 for 2 adults, taxes included, a night cost $1,691 on 16 November 2026, $1,498 on 5 December, the lowest on the calendar, and $3,087 on 24 December; $2,141 on 11 January 2027, $1,864 on 10 February, $1,864 on 5 April, the highest, and $2,815 on 10 May. From 27 to 31 December and from June 2027 Google showed no price.
For a stay from 16 to 19 November the cheapest seller on the card was Booking.com at $1,167 a night: $3,502 for the 3 nights, $757 of it tax; Hotels.com asked $1,671 for the Beach Villa With Pool, $2,081 for the Water Villa With Pool and $3,306 for the Beach Retreat (Google Hotels). Add the seaplane, $695 per adult (getting there); on the Stay Longer offer, from 1 October to 21 December 2026, villas are 30% off from 3 nights with half board included (offer).
No all-inclusive is published: the choice is breakfast, half board or full board. According to the MICHELIN Guide, half board costs $155 a person a day and covers a 3-course dinner at The Market, Bottega, Sip & Sand or The Point; full board, $220, adds lunch at The Point or Sip & Sand. Drinks are extra, and children aged 6 to 11 pay half (MICHELIN). From 3 nights the Stay Longer offer includes half board for 2 (offer).
By seaplane from Malé, 40 minutes, by day only: $695 per adult and $419 per child up to 11, return, tax included (getting there). On request there is a 30-minute domestic flight to Lhaviyani with 15 minutes by speedboat (destination). A same-day transfer is guaranteed if you land in Malé by 3.30pm (Booking.com); the MICHELIN Guide gives $720 and 35 minutes (MICHELIN).
Yes: the resort’s home page, read on 15 October 2026, describes a house reef that protects the lagoon at the villas’ feet; it does not publish how far from the beach the reef lies.
The busiest site, Turtle Airport, is 15 minutes by boat (Turtle Safari); snorkelling with the marine biologist is free (The Telegraph), and baby sharks, rays and fish cruise the lagoon off the beach (Tripadvisor). A guest in February 2026 snorkelled from the water villa (Google).
Yes: Grow With Six Senses is free for children aged 3 to 11, the Island Hideout is the teenagers’ club, and babysitting is bookable for a fee (families). Children of 5 and under eat free from the children’s menu, those aged 6 to 11 get 50% off the adult menu, and from 12 they need an adult booking (useful information). Cots are free, and so are extra beds up to 11 (Booking.com).
The resort recommends the beach villas to families with young children (useful information); the lagoon is shallow and calm (offers).
For 2, the Beach Villa With Pool, 101 m² with a 15 m² pool, or the Water Villa With Pool, 115 m² over the lagoon with a 16 m² pool; for more space on the sunset side, the Beach Retreat, 170 m² with a 48 m² pool (accommodation). For 6 there are the Three Bedroom Beach Villa Suite, 415 m², and the Three Bedroom Beach Reserve, 320 m² with a 67 m² pool (Beach Villa Suite, Beach Reserve).
Anyone after quiet should avoid the water villas near the arrival jetty, where the seaplanes can be heard; the planting round the Beach Retreats is still growing in, writes Roomer Travel (Roomer Travel).
8 rooms, a couple’s suite and a VIP suite among them, the Alchemy Bar, a Biohacking Recovery Lounge and hot and cold circuits for men and women; open from 9am to 9pm (spa). Treatments are charged: a 60-minute deep-tissue massage costs $185 (treatments). Yoga, meditation and singing bowls are among the free daily activities (Condé Nast Traveler). The spa menu advises a parent to stay in the room for under-14s (spa menu); no day pass for visitors is published.
The list of facilities says 4 restaurants and 2 bars (services); the dining page describes 7: The Market, breakfast and dinner; Bottega, Italian, at dinner; Sip & Sand, a grill at lunch and Japanese at night; The Point, tapas; Drift on Jehunuhura, at lunch; Sunset Point; and Scoops, with its free ice cream (dining). Google counts 6 (Google Hotels). In-villa dining is available too (dining).
Experiences and dives priced «++» exclude 10% service and 17% GST (diving); the green tax is $12 per person per day (MIRA). The seaplane already includes tax (getting there), and so does half board at $155, according to the MICHELIN Guide (MICHELIN).
Manta rays are often seen from October to December at Fushifaru Thila, 10 minutes by speedboat (when to visit); Luxury Travel Advisor says September and October (Luxury Travel Advisor). Turtles live on the reef all year, and the Turtle Safari to Turtle Airport costs $115 a person plus tax and service (Turtle Safari).
The site gives 2 nesting calendars: August to September or February to March on the seasons page (when to visit), March to September, with hatching from April to December, on the hatching page, where watching is free (hatching). In 2025, 610 turtles hatched (sustainability).
Stay Longer: from 3 nights, 30% off from 1 October to 21 December 2026, half board and 25% off the shared seaplane, booking by 17 December (Stay Longer). Family Time: over the same dates up to 2 children aged 11 and under stay and eat free from the children’s menu (Family Time). Family & Friends Escape: up to 40% off multi-bedroom villas and the Retreats (Escape). Festive: 25% off when booked by 31 October 2026 for stays from 22 December to 6 January 2027 (Festive).
The resort announces gala dinners and beach parties from 22 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, with a minimum stay of 5 nights in one-bedroom villas and 7 in the multi-bedroom ones (Festive). According to the MICHELIN Guide the gala dinner is compulsory: $450 per adult and $225 per child aged 6 to 11 on Christmas Eve, $550 and $275 on New Year’s Eve, service and GST included (MICHELIN). There are no departures on 30 and 31 December, and Google showed no price for those nights (Beach Retreat Perks, Google Hotels).
Yes: the resort holds ceremonies on Kanuhura’s beach at sunset or on Jehunuhura for exclusive use, with a private dinner under the stars; prices and guest numbers are not published, and quotes come through the page’s enquiry form (weddings).
The resort publishes no seasonal closure; the Beach Retreat offer’s terms ask for a 5-night minimum stay between 22 and 31 December 2026 and allow no check-out on the 30th or 31st (Beach Retreat offer). High season runs from November to April, but turtles, sharks and corals are there all year; October to December is manta season (when to visit). On Google’s calendar the cheapest night was $1,498, in November and December 2026, and the dearest, up to $1,864, fell in the first half of April 2027 (Google Hotels).
Check-in from 2pm, check-out by noon; staying until 6pm costs 50% of a night (useful information). Wi-Fi is among every villa’s amenities (accommodation). There is a medical clinic on the island (Angelfish).
4.7 out of 5 on Google from 328 reviews, 4.9 on Tripadvisor from 394 and 9.6 on Booking.com from 31, read on 5 October 2026 (Google Hotels, Tripadvisor, Booking.com). The praise goes to the staff, the GEM, the beach and the marine life. Reviews from 2026 also mention seagrass in the lagoon, mosquitoes and sand midges, and a breakfast buffet that some call a feast and others find short on choice (Google); the seaplane flies by day only.
Kanuhura is reached by seaplane, 40 minutes from Malé, or on request by a 30-minute domestic flight and 15 minutes by speedboat. On the island you get about by bicycle: every guest finds one with their name on it.
67 pool villas with rooftop terraces, 55 minutes by speedboat from Malé: Kayto’s Nikkei cooking, a kids’ club and works under way until the end of 2026.
The JW Marriott opened in 2025, 15 minutes by speedboat from Malé: 80 pool villas, 7 outlets and a BABOR spa, from $1,318 a night.
An island 2.8 km long where meals, wine and cocktails are included: 162 villas, Just Veg over the water and snorkelling by boat twice a day.
A 4-star all-inclusive 25 minutes by speedboat from Malé, with the Lohis break on the island, a channel reef and 192 villas.
96 villas all with a pool, 25 minutes by speedboat from Malé, a kids’ club, surfing and a spa on its own island.
468 pool villas and residences, a 24-hour all-inclusive, a water park and horses, from $993 a night all in.
A big, green island at the bottom of the Maldives, just below the equator: 271 beach bungalows, dolphins and diving, at a price rare for the country.
3 islands joined by bridges, 45 minutes by speedboat: 369 villas, over 24 venues, 8 pools and a kids’ club until 10pm, from $417 a night.
33 dhoni-shaped villas over the water, COMO Shambhala spa with its hydrotherapy pool and the reef below the terraces.
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.
This guide is written with Lumina, the marketing system for hotels.
