Kandolhu Maldives is the smallest resort island I have ever been to in the Maldives. The island is measuring just 200 meters by 150 meters, and surrounded by an incredibly abundant house reef. At Kandolhu, there are only 30 villas in 5 different styles of housing for both over water and beach house accommodations. This island is located 70 kilometers south west of Male in the North Ari Atoll; it takes approximately 25 mins by seaplane followed by a short speedboat ride to get to the island.

Accommodations + Service
Despite having only 30 villas in total at Kandolhu, this island still provides a range of accommodation choices, there are 6 Jacuzzi Beach Villas, 5 Pool Villas, 8 Duplex Pool Villas, 4 Ocean Villas and 8 Ocean Pool Villas. I was able to stay at both Duplex Pool Villa and Ocean Pool Vila on my last trip, and I really had a wonderful time. Kandolhu was recently remodeled so all the villas are new and has a contemporary look and feel. I was most attracted by the bathroom design of the Ocean Pool Villas (as seen below); I love the color palette, the high ceiling, and open concept of the room. 

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Natural Beauty + Activities
North Ari Atoll has always been one of my favorite atolls in the Maldives, mostly because of the abundance of marine life and beautiful corals. There are multiple snorkeling channels that goes around the house reef, and you will often spot many sharks, and turtles around the island. In addition, Kandolhu offers many excursions to visit nearby sandbank, uninhabited island, and chasing after manta rays and sea turtles. There are also a good range of water sports activities that will keep the guests busy. I visited the uninhabited island twice because there were hundreds of sea birds on that island and it happened to be hatching season! There were many bird nests all around the island and it was just magical. 

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Restaurants
There are a total of 5 dining options each day including in-villa dining. 

  • The Market, serves partial buffet and a la carte breakfast, international lunch and dinner.
  • Olive, on the upper flower of the market, offers a panoramic view of the ocean, serves Italian and Mediterranean for dinner.
  • Sea Grill, opens for dinner only and serves fresh seafood and meat from the grill
  • Banzai, requires early reservations, serves Japanese cuisine from sushi to teppanyaki