An exclusive resort on a private Maldivian island with panoramic ocean views, spacious villas and endless opportunities to enjoy paradise.
Visiting the Maldives is an escape to an island paradise like no other. The Maldives is a collection of 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean and it’s an escape from reality. There are beautiful beaches, luxury accommodations and stunning scenery looking out onto the ocean, all seemingly in the middle of nowhere. With nothing blocking your view, the sunsets here are incredible and the people are so friendly too. It’s one of my favorite spots in the world to visit.
If I could have a home in the Maldives, I would be very happy in one of the residences at the Intercontinental (and no they aren’t for sale). On its own private island, the Intercontinental Maldives has 81 villas where you can wake up to the sound of ocean waves, be surrounded by beautiful design and decor, be looked after by one of the kindest and coolest teams and have enough space to feel like you have the entire island to yourself. It’s barefoot luxury with manicured beaches, swim up bars and a very special initiative to protect the wildlife.
Getting There
To get to the island the Intercontinental Maldives is on, it’s a longer journey northwest of the main international airport here. We had to take a seaplane ride from the airport, which was about 35 minutes. Then, a very short speedboat ride to the actual property. The hotel has all the seaplanes land a short distance away to minimize plane noise while you’re on the island – that’s very much appreciated!
My favorite part about arriving at a hotel in the Maldives is the welcome you receive and the Intercontinental was no different. Team members gathered at the dock to greet our family as we arrived for our stay and it made us feel special. It’s a wonderful way to start the trip here.
First Impressions of The Intercontinental Maldives
The hotel identifies its style as discrete luxury and boho chic, which I completely agree with. There are so many design details throughout the property and villas that are specially curated by artists who are local to the Maldives or from nearby countries. This gives a special feeling of the local culture and sets a relaxing and comfortable vibe from the start.
The Intercontinental Maldives says, this is where time stops and beautiful stories unfold and it’s the perfect place to do that. From the moment we arrived, we were swept up into island life with the soft, white-sand beaches, palm trees and endless opportunities for fun adventures together here – both as a couple and with our two kids. The hotel is located in Raa Atoll and a very short boat ride away from the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. It’s a protected sanctuary teeming with a rich array of marine life, most notably manta rays.
The hotel caters to adults and kids, which was perfect for us as Chris and I brought our two kids, Axel (3.5) and Zave (1) along with us. There’s a fantastic kids club with playgrounds and toys (a paradise for little ones!) complete with a waterslide and fun things to do specifically for children. What’s great is that the kids area is contained, so you don’t feel overwhelmed with kids running around.
For adults, there is a private adults-only area called “The Retreat” which has a beautiful pool and is super relaxing. The sense of privacy is a focus here, which makes the getaway to the Intercontinental feel even more relaxing. There were many guests here, but we only ever saw people during “happy hour” and meal times. It was so quiet and peaceful, sometimes I thought we had the island to ourselves!
Club Membership Benefits
Everyone who stays here is considered a “Club Member” and so you get special perks throughout the stay. My favorite perk was the complimentary cocktails every evening 😊 The piña coladas are FANTASTIC! I usually stay away from them at resorts because they’re typically too sweet and made with too much sugary stuff. Not here though, they were delicious. The bartenders are amazing and know how to make a drink.
Other perks include a daily gourmet breakfast at one of the resort’s two restaurants, afternoon tea served from 3-5 p.m. daily and fresh water or soft drinks at “The Retreat” or “The Pool Bar” daily. The sun is so hot here that staying hydrated is important and there’s nothing like sitting with a cold drink and enjoying the view.
Our Villa
There are 81 different places to stay at the property including either beach, lagoon or overwater villas. There are one-bedroom and two-bedroom options and various sizes depending on how many people you’re traveling with. Each is designed with a vibrant and comfortable interior design inspired by “Mussafir” – an Arabic word meaning wanderlust and a colorful gypsy-like lifestyle.
We had a one-bedroom family beach pool villa and it was the perfect size for our family of four. When we walked into our villa, I immediately noticed the spectacular, private infinity pool and then just beyond that, the beach. To my left was a living room with a rollaway bed and crib set up for the kids, a bathroom and a small dining area with a butler’s pantry for putting together snacks. To my right was the master suite with a massive room, closet, bathroom and my favorite luxury detail – an outdoor shower.
The villa was large at 2,260 square feet. It included luxury bath amenities, twice-daily housekeeping service and beach essentials like towels and snorkeling equipment. What captivated me about our villa was all the artisan details inside like the large floor cushions, layered rugs and ceramics throughout. Everything expertly came together to create this welcoming feeling as soon as we stepped in.
The larger residences are stunning and definitely someplace I would love to book for us and our extended family. They are very spacious with full kitchens and would be a perfect escape for parents, kids, grandparents and friends.
“What captivated me about our villa was all the artisan details inside like the large floor cushions, layered rugs and ceramics throughout. Everything expertly came together to create this welcoming feeling”
Dining Options at Intercontinental
There are six restaurants and bars to choose from at the Intercontinental Maldives and each one is special with passionate chefs behind the menus. Our favorite restaurant was the Fish Market. It was right on the water with a big boat on the corner that our oldest was convinced was a pirate ship 😊 It has amazing fresh Maldivian seafood with flavors from South East Asia. It was absolutely delicious. Make sure to try the green curry and pork belly stir fry – you won’t be disappointed!
“There are six restaurants and bars to choose from at the Intercontinental Maldives and each one is special with passionate chefs behind the menus. ”
The Lighthouse is another special restaurant we went to with both kids and is an actual lighthouse on the beach! The food has a Mediterranean influence and was fantastic – don’t overlook the beet ravioli appetizer. The setting is just magical – we sat inside the Lighthouse, overlooking the ocean. You can also choose to dine on top of the Lighthouse for a 360-degree view of the ocean or ask for a candle-lit table on the beach.
For breakfast and lunch, we went to the all-day dining venue Café Umi. It has a relaxed feel to it and yummy food. They serve all the traditional breakfast favorites like pancakes, waffles, fruit and yogurt along with pastries and cooked-to-order dishes. We even had breakfast on a floating tray in the pool – the kids thought that was amazing!
For lunch one day, Axel had the chance to serve us pizza at The Collective. What a fun experience for him – he even got a bit of flour on his nose like a real chef 😊 The chef helping him was so patient and kind and the pizza turned out great in the wood-fired oven.
Private Dinner with a View
One of the most memorable experiences we had was a romantic private dinner on the beach, just the two of us. We booked a babysitter to watch the kids and enjoyed the escape as a couple. Since we were traveling with our kids, we really wanted some alone time. We booked a special experience called Dining by Design and had the chance to enjoy eating under the stars with the sand at our feet.
This experience is truly worth it and one you will always remember. The Intercontinental team sets up an area on the beach to your specifications and you get to pick the setting and the menu. We wanted to eat on the beach with an Italian menu and it just didn’t disappoint. We were on the beach with the lighthouse in the background sitting on the sand with couches and pillows set up for us. There were torches and candles and we got to look out onto the ocean and watch the sunset. It was such a quiet and romantic setting and gave us some time together to savor this beautiful place.
Traveling with Kids to the Maldives
While most people think of the Maldives as a honeymoon or couples spot, this is truly a special place for kids. We got to see the island paradise through our children’s eyes, especially Axel, our 3.5-year-old. He brought magic to experiences like swimming in the pool and ocean, exploring the island together, spotting animals in the water and meeting friends in the kids’ club.
We brought formula and diapers with us, but you can arrange to have the items there before your arrival and waiting in the villa. Our room was full of an array of child amenities as well, which was so helpful in settling in. We had brand-new Johnson and Johnson products for the kids like body wash, shampoo, powder, oil and more. This was great, since packing all those items can be difficult.
Our oldest, Axel, was living his best life when it came to food. He’s a little connoisseur in the making! Every restaurant we went to with him had a kids’ menu and the chefs were always willing to make whatever he wanted. There was also lots of ice cream available … a kids’ paradise, right? 😊
Babysitters are available at the hotel and you should give them as much notice as possible for days and times you need. The babysitter we had here was so kind. We left the boys at the kids club while she watched them. When we came back, they were sound asleep lounging on the comfy bean bag chairs.
The Kids Club
This kids club, known as the Planet Trekkers Program, is one of the nicest areas for children we’ve ever seen. Through games, arts, crafts and mini-expeditions, the staff here help teach children about the beauty of the island and the wonders in the ocean around it.
The kids club here is suited for all ages with baby toys to keep our youngest busy as well as activities for our toddler – including an indoor rope climbing wall he loved. The outdoors is just as impressive with a splash pool, waterslide and pirate ship climbing structure. There are so many fun areas for the kids to climb and just be kids and the team members here were amazing.
“The kids club here is suited for all ages with baby toys to keep our youngest busy as well as activities for our toddler – including an indoor rope climbing wall he loved. ”
Sustainability Efforts
The Intercontinental Maldives is located in such a remarkable part of the world and we really admired their dedication to preserving it. Because the resort is so close to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the team here values sustainability in all that they do and work to minimize their carbon footprint.
There are more than 1,500 solar panels on the administration building that currently accounts for eight percent of all the power the resort needs. The hotel also creates their own compost from organic waste on the island and is working to introduce a glass-crushing system to recycle glass used here. There is also an ultrafiltration and reticulation plant to recycle used water so it can be used again for things like irrigation lines or the cold water lines for the air conditioning systems.
Manta Ray Research
The Intercontinental Maldives Resort works with one of the world’s leading manta ray research organizations, the Manta Trust. The area around the hotel is home to a huge population of manta rays including a newly discovered feeding ground for young manta rays. Researchers from the Manta Trust are based at the resort to study these animals and conservation efforts to help the species.
While here, I was able to meet with Jessica who is the resident manta ray researcher and marine biologist working with the Manta Trust. These are such magical creatures, it was incredible to learn more about them from an expert.
The hotel does offer the chance to swim with manta rays to see the creature’s intelligence and curiosity firsthand. While we didn’t get the chance to swim with them this time, we definitely will when we come back someday!
Image courtesy of Intercontinental Maldives
Fun Activities and Excursions
We loved that our entire family was provided with bikes right when we arrived. This was a great way to get around the island. Axel, our 3.5-year-old had so much fun, even trying to ride his bike with training wheels through the sand every day.
There is a large lagoon surrounding the resort with great snorkeling spots full of fish, dolphins and turtles. Manta rays are also abundant in this area and they are beautiful creatures to swim alongside.
There are also so many great water activities to do here like parasailing, jet skiing, sailing on a catamaran or taking a kayak out on the lagoon. All non-motorized water sports are complimentary with your stay here.
Award-winning Spa
This AVI Spa is beautiful and it’s easy to see why it won “Luxury Island Resort Spa” at the World Luxury Spa Awards in 2020. Each of the six treatment villas of the spa is private and overtop of the Indian Ocean. It’s incredibly serene and peaceful. The villas here are full of natural light – it’s no surprise to see why the spa is named Avi which means “sunshine” in the language used on the island.
Chris and I both had massages, followed by a bath overlooking the water. The massages were so relaxing and the bath soak filled with floral and herbal extracts left us both feeling rejuvenated.
Final Thoughts
The Intercontinental Maldives will always be a spot I remember for the staff members' kindness towards our kids and the gorgeous villas with design elements I really want at home. The entire experience here was calm and relaxing. Pair that with great food, an amazing area for our boys to play and some incredible experiences we can’t get anywhere else, it was hard to leave! I can’t wait to return again.
“The Intercontinental Maldives will always be a spot I remember for the staff members’ kindness towards our kids and the gorgeous villas with design elements I really want at home. ”
