the Best Maldives Resorts for Families

By Katie Lockhart, with Christian Barker

COUPLES LEAVING FOOTPRINTS in powdery white sand is a Maldives advert from yesteryear. Today, the low-lying beaches across this Indian Ocean nation most likely bear a set of child-sized imprints, too. This iconic honeymoon destination is now more family-friendly than ever, with resorts going way beyond kid’s menus and tiny towels to welcome their younger clientele. In the latest generation of children’s offerings, you can expect features like 24/7 all-you-can-eat ice cream, towering waterslides, ocean adventures with marine biologists, and spa treatments specifically curated for kids. 

Of course, the Maldives is still just as much a playground for adults as it always was, with some smart evolutions to keep those former honeymooners coming back with their kids in tow. We dare say it’s one of the top family destinations on the planet. Need convincing? Take a look at the next-level kids’ extras you’ll find scattered across the archipelago. 

Amilla Maldives

One of the country’s most beautiful natural islands, Amilla overflows with towering palm trees and mangroves inhabited by indigenous birds. It’s common to see kids racing bikes around the island or stopping into Chill’d Café for a complimentary island-made ice cream. 

Children younger than 12 typically spend the day in the island’s kids’ club, The Sultan’s Village. Decked out with an open-air playground and splash area, its wide variety of activities has little ones engaged from morning to evening. They can sign up for classes in Dhivehi (the Maldivian language), photography lessons, or tennis training. Creative kids can make palm-leaf origami, picture frames, dreamcatchers and pirate puppets. Weekly highlights at the club include a talent show, scavenger hunt and disco party. If pampered wellness is more your child’s pace, the Mini Spa menu includes a just-for-kids body scrub, massage, mani-pedi and yoga. 

amilla.com; from US$1,860 per night. —KL

Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort

Dhigu is the family-forward option of Anantara’s cluster of Maldives resorts in South Malé Atoll, easily accessible by 30-minute speedboat ride from the airport, so you don’t need to take a seaplane. Youngsters can zip off to the Dhoni Club, a retro-fitted Maldivian boat with a craft area, library, games system, and more. Its weekly activities, designed for four- to 11-year-olds, include outdoor activities like tug-of-war, water-balloon challenges and coral planting. At Aquafanatics, families can book snorkel sessions with the marine biologist or, for something on the wild side, arrange a swim with turtles, manta rays, nurse sharks and even whale sharks. 

For downtime, parents can hop over to Anantara Veli, the adults-only island, and enjoy lunch or dinner while the kids hang back with a babysitter—or go to the spa. Dhigu’s overwater wellness centre caters to kids, with clever treatments like their Chocolate Fudge Facial, starring Hershey’s and coconut milk, and their Little Feet massage with local cold-compress coconut oil. 

anantara.com; from US$645 per night. —KL

Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort 

Little foodies will go nuts over the Maldives’ first kids-only restaurant. Petit Bistro has pint-sized furniture and tables, where youngsters enjoy dishes like prawn cocktail, penne pasta and chocolate fondue—without their parents. Part of the resort’s Avani Kids club, they also teach guests how to make their own healthy-ish snacks there, like frozen chocolate bananas. Other educational offerings at the resort include a marine biology presentation and a first-aid class. 

Don’t worry, there are heaps of just-for-fun activities too, like art classes, mini golf and trivia games. For your older set, the Teen Club has a foosball table, pool table, board games and multiple gaming systems. That’s when they’re not out kitesurfing the lagoon or whizzing around on the resort’s brand-new jet skis. After dark, the whole family can sit back with mocktails and cocktails, and watch Maldivian drumming and fire shows in the sand. 

avanihotels.com; from US$480 per night. —KL

Finolhu Maldives Resort

‘Play’ is a word you hear often at Finolhu, whether referring to the playful design of its enormous multi-bedroom villas or the elevated dishes playing on classics at Japanese restaurant Kanusan. There’s also a lot of play at the Oceaneers Club, where children can monkey around on a jungle gym or enjoy hours of splash time, with mini-slides and a toddlers’ pool. The kids’ club calendar includes tree-planting sessions, mocktail-making classes, and various ocean outings, like snorkelling with the marine biologist and submersing in the semi-submarine. 

A weekly teen calendar of events features ‘splash jam’ basketball in the pool, beach bocce, bracelet- weaving workshops and sunset fishing. Older kids will love the dedicated art studio (so popular that it’s expanding this fall), where they can paint on canvas, t-shirts or coconuts, with their feet in the sand. Pottery-making, resin-art and graffiti classes also get the creative juices flowing. 

finolhu.com; from US$494 per night. —KL

Four Seasons Kuda Huraa

Parents of younger or sensitive children who find seaplane travel off-putting—not to mention parents who find the cost of seaplane travel off-putting—will want to consider resorts situated close to Malé that can be reached by boat. One of the best among these is Four Seasons Kuda Huraa, in North Malé Atoll, a 25-minute boat ride from Malé airport. 

The main draw for children here is a quality kids’ club, offering activities such as island gardening, turtle monitoring, coral-reef building, kids’ yoga, and cooking classes. The resort also features a shallow, 30-metre-long children’s pool, an educational marine biology centre, and all-ages shark- feeding sessions, among other attractions. Add to that polished culinary offerings, tasteful interior design, and the Four Seasons’ renowned family- friendly service, and Kuda Huraa promises a top-tier family holiday—albeit at rates where you’d expect nothing less. 

fourseasons.com; from US$1,020 per night. —CB

JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa

At Shaviyani Atoll, colourful corals and breeding turtles welcome travellers of all ages. At the JW Marriott there, the littlest guests get the additional perks of a welcome bag of island treats, toys to play with, and a mini-tent setup in their perfect-for-families Duplex Beach Pool Villa. 

FAMiLY by JW Little Griffins Kids Club is one of the largest of its kind of resorts in the Maldives. Its shipwreck theme is designed to awaken an adventurous spirit in each little visitor, with a 12.8-metre pirate ship and a sprawling swimming pool surrounded by mini-cabanas. Inside the club, the sea-meets- jungle theme leads kids through different rooms, including a tactile play area, a reading room, a dress-up area, and a nap room. But perhaps most exciting are the 100 different kids’ activities on rotation, including beach yoga, kite flying and cupcake making. All that, and kids under 12 eat for free from specially designed menus for mini-connoisseurs. 

marriott.com; from US$825 per night. —KL

LUX* South Ari Atoll

LUX* South Ari Atoll has been a Maldivian go-to for families since it opened in 2011. While adults are greeted off the seaplane with juice and iced tea, kids are treated to a homemade ice-cream pop. The offerings at kids’ club Play rest on five pillars: Eat Well, Move, Care, Feel and Create. Time spent here includes yoga, nature tours, face painting and scavenger hunts, while an Ice Cream Lab experience allows sugar fiends to blend their own ice-cream flavours. 

Dessert carries over into the spa with the LUX* Me Spa youth menu. Little ones can try a marshmallow, popcorn or chocolate body wrap with a tutti-frutti foot scrub. Children must bring an adult, so why not treat yourself to the resort’s signature massage, where a therapist works your pressure points with young green coconuts? 

luxresorts.com; from US$340 per night. —KL

Raffles Maldives Meradhoo Resort

One of the first things you’ll notice about this Raffles, located in Gaafu Alifu Atoll, is that design deviates from the monochromatic, post-colonial aesthetic template of its mothership property in Singapore. But not to worry: the blue-and-white Hamptons-style look of the resort is more in keeping with its island setting, and certainly more fun. 

The Beach Residences here are perfect for groups, giving parents and kids fully separate yet adjacent sleeping areas—a blessing for both parties, and an ideal solution for those with children aged 12 and above. These spaces are set around a private plunge pool and outdoor entertaining area, just steps from the water. Each residence is allocated an exclusive butler, who’ll not only serve all the children’s on-land needs, but also personally take them snorkelling, guiding them around the resort’s remarkably healthy house reef—leaving parents free to do their parent things. For kids who want more in-depth ocean exploration, educational sessions at sea are led by marine biologist Giulia Pellizzato. 

raffles.com; from US$1,420 per night including breakfast for two. —CB

Six Senses Laamu

This resort’s storybook Robinson Crusoe aesthetic makes it a firm family favourite. Their Grow With Six Senses initiative invites children to join a junior marine biology program and a new PADI Mermaid course during their stay, and learn about manta rays and turtle rehabilitation. The spa’s junior menu is also designed to teach little ones, with wellness options they can enjoy with mom and dad, including a Fun Facial and a Foot Mapping reflexology massage. 

At The Den, aka the kids’ club, there’s fun stuff galore, including card games, board games and team games in the sand. There’s a dedicated arts- and-crafts room for making jewellery and crafting jellyfish from recycled materials. Rambunctious ones can release energy with jungle-gym play, beachside football and island treasure hunts. Afterward, recharge with a complimentary ice cream, made on-site at the Ice & Chocolate Studio. 

sixsenses.com; from US$880 per night. —KL

Soneva Fushi

Soneva sets the bar high when it comes to kids’ clubs. Their kids-only space, also called The Den, will have you dragging your children out screaming and crying just to have lunch with you. A private paradise for kids, this huge two-story villa has a dedicated Lego room, a music room filled with instruments, a dress-up and makeup room, and a cinema. A wooden pirate-ship playground, two pools and waterslides are the cherries on top. 

Luckily for older guests, Soneva Jani doesn’t leave childhood wonder at The Den—you can find it all throughout the resort. There’s a 24/7 ice-cream room and a separate chocolate room, alongside a charcuterie and cheese room. And waterslides aren’t reserved for the kids’ club, either. The resort’s eight palatial Water Reserves each come with their own slide, and at the overwater restaurant, Out of the Blue, kids and adults can take turns sliding into the blue between sushi courses. 

soneva.com; from US$1,700 per night. —KL

Soneva Jani

The presence of a water slide at a resort tends to be a major selling point for kids of all ages. Upping the ante, every one of Soneva Jani’s villas boasts a slide that extends from its second story into the crystal-clear shallows below. 

The big sister of Soneva Fushi naturally boasts a bigger version of The Den: Asia’s largest kids’ club, at 1,500 square metres. This phone-free zone offers jewellery making, arts and crafts, musical jam sessions, movies, loads of Legos, and a dress-up closet. There’s also a pirate-ship play zone, with the addition of a zip-line, a skate ramp and (of course) a water slide. Upstairs, you’ll find a space specifically designed for teens called The Hangout, featuring a fully equipped band room, pool and ping-pong tables, foosball, pinball machines, and at night, a bar serving mocktails while a DJ spins tunes. 

Additionally, three nights a week, Cinema Paradiso restaurant shows kids’ movies on a big screen, with the sound piped to individual headphones, so parents can enjoy their meals in peace. Last but not least, there are coral conservation activities that ocean-loving kids will find enjoyable and illuminating. 

soneva.com; from US$3,650 per night. —CB

Vakkaru Maldives 

Thatched roofs and brilliant-blue waters welcome families to this secluded Baa Atoll resort. Perfect for toddlers and teens, Vakkaru’s activities run the gamut. Kids younger than 12 can start the day with a morning stretch or a jump on the trampoline at Parrotfish Club. There are also games like Maldivian dodgeball, and activities like ship making, henna tattooing and cookie baking. Children under three need an adult present, but there are babysitting services for when you want parental downtime. 

Any older kids in the family will gravitate towards the Art Studio and Coconut Club. Outfitted with pool tables, foosball, air hockey and table tennis, it’s a great place to hang out with other teens. They also have daily activities like darts tournaments, beach volleyball and soccer games with the staff. Before lunch, there’s a variety of activities on offer, like tie-dye classes and mandala art sessions. For dinner, take the family for teppanyaki at Angaru, a new garden-side outlet where kids are guaranteed to love the fiery, flying-food kitchen show. 

vakkarumaldives.com; from US$1,025 per night. —KL

Velaa Private Island Maldives

Originally envisioned as a personal getaway for the owner and his family, Velaa Private Island is now one of the Maldives’ most glamorous family-friendly resorts. Younger kids can roam freely at the newly renovated LHA Velaa Kids Club, where a climbing wall, indoor play area, library and craft table fill the space. But it’s the waterpark where your happy campers will really go wild: inspired by the owner’s daughter, it’s the largest in the Maldives. There’s also a schedule of activities to keep little’uns busy, with thin mugoali (Maldivian baseball), neon disco, pizza- making classes and island-wide treasure hunts. 

Teenagers aren’t left out at Velaa. In fact, the island caters to them with an extensive range of water toys: Flyboards, hoverboards, e-foil surfboards, a new tandem Jetovator, and more. On land, the resort’s massive climbing wall, covered tennis court, and José María Olazábal-designed golf course will keep them entertained for hours. 

velaaprivateisland.com; from US$2,500 per night. —KL

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Lede and hero image by Four Seasons.