Kudadoo, Cheval Blanc, Como Maalifushi… if the names make you relax, just wait until you get there
1. Kudadoo, the jet-setter all-inclusive
Kudadoo didn’t just raise the luxury bar – it launched it into the stratosphere with an all-inclusive offering that includes everything from round-the-clock champagne to superb scuba diving and unlimited spa treatments.
Why it’s special
Positioned on a perfect pancake of white sand and designed by New York-based Japanese architect Yuji Yamazaki, Kudadoo exudes understated elegance. The 15 overwater villas have calming ryokan vibes, with vast woody open-plan living rooms and four-poster beds teamed with a rambling split-level deck, an infinity pool, loungers and ladders into the Indian Ocean.
But what marks this resort out isn’t just the tasteful aesthetic, the location in Lhaviyani Atoll (which teems with marine life, having been relatively unscathed by the 2016 coral bleaching event) or its impressive sustainability credentials (Kudadoo is entirely solar-powered). It’s the fact that you can have anything you want, any time you want.
That means food prepared by French chef Antoine Lievaux, fine wines and premium spirits in the minibar (Patron tequila, Hibiki whisky, Nolet’s Gin), personal training, yoga, deep-sea fishing, jet skis and dancing on fountains of water. Spa treatments are included too – from breathing exercises in the Maldives’ first Himalayan salt chamber to rituals involving Tibetan singing bowls.
Guests of Kudadoo can also use all the facilities at nearby sister resort Hurawalhi, including dining in its 5.8 Undersea restaurant. Butlers deliver one wonderful surprise after another (all bills taken care of) – return from a hard day’s jet-skiing to find a flower-filled warm bath, or learn you have been booked for a pre-departure facial so you can leave looking your best.
Read more about this holiday, including how to book it
2. Como Maalifushi, all-action retreat
This is where the truly rich and famous head to switch off and chill out – and it’s also the ideal Maldives resort for solo travellers.
Why it’s special
The only resort on untouched Thaa Atoll, this is where Donna Karan, Hugh Grant and Elle Macpherson come to escape the big bad world, but Como Maalifushi is the kind of place where every guest is welcomed like a superstar. The 65 villas are voluminous, voguish spaces, set in gardens on the beach or over water, with cool creamy interiors, mind-reading butlers and lush bathrooms stocked with gorgeous Como Shambhala amenities – perfect for spending your time curled up with a pile of books or just staring at the ridiculously blue sea.
There is plenty to keep active types busy too, from complimentary yoga, Pilates and meditation classes, to surfing lessons, gliding around the island on a stand-up paddleboard or throwing yourself into an anti-ageing wellness retreat.
Thila restaurant, with its ocean soundtrack, delectable cocktails and sociable vibes – plus live music and Maldivian dancing some nights – is the place to hang out in the evening and mix with other guests.
Read more about this holiday, including how to book it
3. Cheval Blanc Randheli: French chic in the Indian Ocean
This is the ultimate tropical island dream – a dazzling hotel with superb facilities in one of the world’s most beautiful spots.
Why it’s special
Start with the Cheval Blanc Randheli private seaplane, which scoops you up when you land at Malé and flies you the 40 minutes to the unspoilt, turquoise-fringed Noonu Atoll. The plane comes in liveried yellow and taupe with leather seats and barefoot pilots, and drops you, with little more than a splash, to where a butler is waiting to greet you and settle you in.
Here, that means unpacking your suitcase, making your dinner reservations, checking that your personalised bike is ready outside your villa door and your favourite drinks are in your fridge. Your villa (aim for a beach villa), designed by Jean-Michel Gathy, has soaring cathedral ceilings under which is a free-standing bath tub (with bespoke Island Chic bath bombs courtesy of Dior’s “nose” François Demachy) and “his and hers” dressing rooms. Twenty-six steps from your bed take you through the sand to your private black granite pool. Paradise found.