2025
RESORT OF THE YEAR
The crown jewel. Velaa is more than a resort — it is the Maldives’ most complete expression of luxury. From its private golf academy and personal submarine to its world-class wine cellar and flawless service, Velaa offers the ultimate island experience. Nothing else compares.
2025
BEST LIFESTYLE RESORT
Lux* South Ari Atoll
A resort that thrums with life. With eight restaurants, five bars, live music, surprise pop-ups, and playful touches like hidden “messages in a bottle” and beachside ice-cream carts, LUX* South Ari transforms island luxury into a celebration. Paradise with personality.
2025
Best Over-Water Villas
SONEVA JANI
A fantasy come to life. Soneva Jani’s vast villas — complete with slides into the sea, retractable starlight roofs, and indulgent private pools — have redefined the global image of over-water living. Few places in the world feel so effortlessly magical.
2025
Sustainability AWARD
SONEVA FUSHI
The original barefoot luxury pioneer and still the leader in eco-innovation. From waste-to-wealth initiatives and large-scale solar projects to marine conservation programmes, Soneva Fushi proves that true indulgence can be profoundly responsible.
2025
best FAMILY HIDEAWAY
best FAMILY HIDEAWAY
four seasons landaa GIRAAVARU
Where luxury meets discovery. Families find more than just calm waters and spacious villas: here there’s a Marine Discovery Centre, turtle rehabilitation projects, and enriching activities that spark wonder in children and adults alike.
2025
best honeymoon experience
best honeymoon experience
GILI LANKANFUSHI
Romance is woven into every detail at Gili Lankanfushi. With just 45 villas suspended over a turquoise lagoon, the resort feels intimate and personal. Each couple is paired with a dedicated “Mr/Ms Friday” to quietly anticipate every need, while the barefoot-luxury ethos — no shoes, no pretence — creates a rare sense of ease.
2025
UNIQUE DINING EXPERIENCE
AWARD
UNIQUE DINING EXPERIENCE
AWARD
HURAWALHI
Dinner becomes theatre at 5.8, the world’s largest all-glass underwater restaurant. As reef fish drift past the panoramic windows, a multi-course tasting menu unfolds in a setting unlike any other on earth.
2025
best WELLNESS & SPA RETREAT
best WELLNESS & SPA RETREAT
six senses laamu
More than a spa, this is a sanctuary. Open-air treatment nests, yoga over the water, Ayurveda programmes, and a holistic approach to wellbeing make Six Senses Laamu the Maldives’ most soulful retreat for body and spirit.
2025
best DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
best DESIGN & ARCHITECTURE
PATINA MALDIVES
A triumph of modernist architecture, Patina Maldives is the Maldives at its most sculptural and serene. Designed by Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan, its villas and public spaces are studies in minimalist elegance.
2025
best ULTRA PRIVATE ISLAND
best ULTRA PRIVATE ISLAND
como cocoa island
Privacy distilled to perfection. With just 33 villas set over a gin-clear lagoon, Cocoa Island offers rare seclusion and tranquillity. Intimate and understated, it whispers luxury rather than shouts it.
2025
best for diving & marine life
best for diving & marine life
baros maldives
For those who dream of the reef. Baros is home to one of the Maldives’ most celebrated house reefs, just a short swim from shore. A kaleidoscope of corals and marine life makes it paradise for snorkelers and divers alike.
