The Maldives spans roughly 1,200 islands and nearly every price point a resort can have — a $38-a-night local-island guesthouse and a $4,000-a-night private-island villa exist within a couple of hours’ speedboat ride of each other. To find the best resorts in the Maldives for your trip, start here. We’ve built detailed guides to honeymoon resorts, all-inclusive picks, dive resorts, overwater villas, family resorts, budget guesthouses, and more. This page pulls the single strongest pick from each category, so you can find the best hotels in the Maldives for your kind of trip fast, then click through for the full comparison.
Best Resorts in the Maldives at a Glance
| Category | Pick | Atoll | Guest Rating | Price/Night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall / highest rated | Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa | Raa | 9.9 (212 reviews) | $770–800 (all-inclusive) |
| Best value for the rating | Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa | Lhaviyani | 9.7 (50 reviews) | $300–350 |
| Best ultra-luxury splurge | Gili Lankanfushi Maldives | North Malé | 9.6 (85 reviews) | From $2,300 |
| Best for honeymooners | Constance Halaveli | North Ari | 9.8 (162 reviews) | From $900 |
| Best all-inclusive | OZEN LIFE MAADHOO | South Malé | 9.1 (160 reviews) | $1,200–1,300 |
| Best for diving | Six Senses Laamu | Laamu | 9.8 (31 reviews) | $2,000–2,500 |
| Best entry-level overwater villa | Jawakara Islands Maldives | Lhaviyani | 9.5 (232 reviews) | $280–300 |
| Best for families | Villa Nautica Paradise Island Resort | North Malé (Lankanfinolhu) | 9.0 (2,748 reviews) | $490–520 |
| Closest to the airport | Niva Kurumba Maldives | North Malé | 9.1 (1,323 reviews) | $200–230 |
| Best budget resort | Summer Island Maldives | North Malé | 9.2 (1,283 reviews) | $190–220 (half board) |
Nightly prices fluctuate by season, villa category, and booking date, and at most of these resorts they do not include the airport transfer. A return seaplane can add several hundred dollars per person, so each pick below says how you get there. See each linked guide for the full comparison and more alternatives.
Best Overall: Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa
Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa in Raa Atoll carries one of the highest guest ratings of any resort across our Maldives coverage, a 9.9 from 212 reviews. It sells on an all-inclusive plan at $770–800 a night, a tier most “highest-rated” resorts don’t reach without a four-figure rate. The resort is about 45 minutes from Velana airport by seaplane, or a 40-minute domestic flight plus a 5-minute speedboat, and it runs a kids’ club, so it suits families as well as couples. It’s covered in our honeymoon resorts guide alongside nine other well-reviewed picks across different price points.
Best Value: Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa
Le Meridien Maldives Resort & Spa in Lhaviyani Atoll punches well above its $300–350 a night price point. It is on Thilamaafushi, about 35 minutes from Velana by seaplane (longer when the flight stops at other resorts first). Guests rate it 9.7/10 from 50 reviews, on par with resorts charging three to four times as much. See our overwater villa resorts guide for more entry-tier options, including Jawakara Islands Maldives for an even lower starting price. Jawakara is also in Lhaviyani: 35 to 40 minutes by seaplane, or about 75 minutes by domestic flight and speedboat.
Best Ultra-Luxury Splurge: Gili Lankanfushi Maldives
Gili Lankanfushi Maldives is a private-island resort of overwater villas in North Malé Atoll, about 30 minutes by speedboat from the airport, so there is no seaplane to book. Villas start around $2,300 a night, and it has the highest score among the ultra-luxury resorts in our guide with a meaningful number of reviews. Our most expensive resorts guide covers ten properties at this tier. Guests rate it 9.6/10 from 85 reviews.
Best for Honeymooners: Constance Halaveli
Constance Halaveli sits on its own island, Halaveli, in North Ari Atoll, a 25-minute seaplane ride from Malé. All 86 villas are over the water or on the beach, and each has its own private plunge pool, which makes it work for a honeymoon at a price well below the ultra-luxury tier, from about $900 a night. Our Maldives honeymoon resorts guide covers ten more, including adults-only all-inclusive picks from $380 a night. Guests rate it 9.8/10 from 162 reviews.
Best All-Inclusive: OZEN LIFE MAADHOO
OZEN LIFE MAADHOO in South Malé Atoll tops our own all-inclusive resorts guide. It offers a year-round pool, a private beach, free transfers, and a dine-around plan across its restaurants for $1,200–1,300 a night. The transfer is about 45 minutes by speedboat. Guests rate it 9.1/10 from 160 reviews. For a more accessible all-inclusive, Adaaran Select Meedhupparu in Raa Atoll runs $370–400 a night on a premium all-inclusive plan.
Best for Diving: Six Senses Laamu
Six Senses Laamu, at 9.8, is one of the highest-rated resorts across our Maldives coverage. It sits in one of the least-dived atolls open to resort guests, with an on-site marine biology team and manta and shark encounters considerably less crowded than the central atolls. Getting there takes either a seaplane of about 65 minutes or a domestic flight of about 50 minutes to Kadhdhoo followed by the resort’s speedboat, and the resort arranges the transfer for you. Our Maldives dive resorts guide covers nine more properties from $280 a night up. Guests rate it 9.8/10 from 31 reviews.
Best for Families: Villa Nautica Paradise Island Resort
Villa Nautica Paradise Island Resort on Lankanfinolhu in North Malé Atoll is one of the most-reviewed resorts in the Maldives for a reason. It has run a genuinely family-oriented operation for years, with deluxe pool villas and a full-board plan that simplifies mealtimes with kids, at $490–520 a night. The speedboat from the airport takes 20 minutes, and kids have the Wavy Navy Kids’ Club. Guests rate it 9.0/10 from 2,748 reviews. Budget-conscious families should look at Summer Island Maldives instead, at $190–220 a night half board. Our Maldives family resorts guide covers both and more.
Closest to the Airport: Niva Kurumba Maldives
Niva Kurumba Maldives in North Malé Atoll is one of the closest resorts to the airport by any measure. Transfers run 24 hours a day and take less than 10 minutes, and it is one of the longest-running resorts in the country, at $200–230 a night. Our resorts near Malé Airport guide covers more options for short stopovers or late arrivals. Guests rate it 9.1/10 from 1,323 reviews.
Best Budget Pick: Summer Island Maldives
Summer Island Maldives in North Malé Atoll is the budget-friendly way to stay on a resort island, at $190–220 a night on half board. With more than a thousand reviews behind its score, it is also one of the most-reviewed resorts in our coverage. Guests rate it 9.2/10 from 1,283 reviews. Getting there takes 45 minutes by speedboat or 15 minutes by seaplane. Standard rooms and bungalows sleep two adults and one child and the Water Villas take no children, so a family of four needs two rooms or the Summer House, which sleeps four adults and two children.
Beyond Resorts: Local-Island Guesthouses
For travelers willing to trade a private resort island for a local-island guesthouse, Keveli Guesthouse on Himmafushi carries one of the highest guest ratings of any budget guesthouse in our coverage, 9.8/10 from 42 reviews, at $54–58 a night. Bahaaru Villa Surf and Stay, also on Himmafushi, is one of the cheapest well-reviewed options at $38–42 a night and is about a 10-minute walk from the Jailbreaks surf break. Himmafushi is about 20 minutes from the airport by speedboat. Our Maldives budget guesthouses guide covers Guraidhoo, Thoddoo, and Himmafushi in full, plus what a guesthouse trip actually costs beyond the room.
Best resorts in Maldives: how to choose between categories
The best resorts in Maldives differ mostly in transfer time, island size, and what the rate includes. A speedboat resort near Malé saves time and money, which makes these some of the best hotels in Maldives for short trips. A seaplane resort in Baa, Raa, or Noonu Atoll buys more privacy and, often, better reefs. All-inclusive plans simplify budgeting but vary in what they bundle. Before comparing nightly rates, compare transfers and inclusions, because a lower rate with an expensive seaplane transfer can cost more overall.
Among the picks on this page, Niva Kurumba, Villa Nautica, Gili Lankanfushi, Summer Island, and OZEN LIFE MAADHOO are reached by speedboat; Constance Halaveli, Le Meridien, Jawakara, and Emerald Faarufushi by seaplane; and Six Senses Laamu by seaplane or by domestic flight plus speedboat. Seaplanes fly only in daylight, so if your international flight lands in the evening, a seaplane resort means a night near Malé first.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best resorts in Maldives overall?
Among the resorts covered across our guides, Emerald Faarufushi Resort & Spa (Raa Atoll) carries one of the highest guest ratings we’ve found, 9.9/10, on an all-inclusive plan well below the ultra-luxury price bracket. Six Senses Laamu (9.8) is the standout pick if diving and remoteness matter more than price.
Do I need to fly by seaplane to reach a good Maldives resort?
No. Several well-reviewed resorts, including Niva Kurumba Maldives and others in North and South Malé Atoll, are a 10–30 minute speedboat ride from the airport, no seaplane required.
Is a Maldives resort trip only for honeymooners?
No. The Maldives has a genuine, well-reviewed family-resort tier (see Villa Nautica Paradise Island Resort and Summer Island Maldives) as well as dedicated dive resorts and budget local-island guesthouses from under $40 a night.
What are the best hotels in Maldives for a budget?
A local-island guesthouse is the cheapest way to visit, not a resort island. Options on Himmafushi, Guraidhoo, and Thoddoo, such as Keveli Guesthouse and Bahaaru Villa Surf and Stay, run roughly $38–58 a night for the room, with a realistic total daily budget (meals and one activity included) around $40–70 per person on top of that.
Is “all-inclusive” at a Maldives resort actually everything included?
It varies by property and tier. Our all-inclusive resorts guide found real differences in whether transfers, premium drinks, and specialty dining are bundled in or sold separately, even among resorts that market themselves identically.
