Milaidhoo Island Resort, Maldives

Milaidhoo Island is a luxury resort concept from Universal Resorts, one of the best established hoteliers in the Maldives. Given the extensive pedigree derived from ever-popular islands such as Baros & Kurumba, pre-opening expectations were high. We’re delighted to say that Milaidhoo hit the ground running, living up to and in some aspects exceeding the hype, and hasn't looked back. In our view it hits the perfect balance between the traditional Maldivian desert island experience and state-of-the-art luxury.

We absolutely love the spacious, airy villas, especially those on the island, which flow and curve from inside to out. Huge, double-aspect folding doors peel back to merge the bedroom, deck, loungers and generous pool into a single space. If you travel to the Maldives to 'fly-and-flop' there are few better spots to idle the hours away.


A few paces beyond the pool lies the gorgeous white sandy beach, and a short paddle from the shoreline takes you to the island's house reef. Snorkelling the drop off is easy, thanks to a clear and navigable channel, and while there is some evidence of coral bleaching (nowhere seems unblemished), we found a plethora of colourful marine life on display.

For a resort with only 50 villas the dining choices are impressive. Ba'theli, the signature over water restaurant, beautifully crafted in the mien of the vintage trading boats from which it derives its name, offers gourmet tasting menus from the Maldives and Asia, with plenty of fine-dining twists. The Shoreline Grill (choose the intimate cabanas on the beach) is a must for exquisite seafood dishes, as well as a very entertaining Teppanyaki chef's table. The main restaurant, Ocean, is more bistro-style in the evening, while breakfasts were an absolute delight. With in-villa dining also on offer, even at full resort occupancy, none of the outlets really feels busy. Wherever we ate, we always seemed to end up somehow in the Compass Bar, sampling one of charismatic head barman Sajeed's cocktail creations with sand between our toes, watching sunsets over the main pool. Bliss.

Depending on your appetite or tastes, the Gourmet Plan is definitely worth considering. Prices on the island are very much '5 Star', so we found the all inclusive, dine around option good value. You can eat anywhere (the only restriction is Ba'theli once every 4 days, which is perfectly fine), and the included drinks and wine list are substantial. We rarely felt the urge to go 'off-piste' into the premium wine list.

Service is at a very high standard, our butler often seemed to telepathically appear near us around the resort, just when we thought of something to ask or arrange.

Unanimously positive feedback from guests supports our own view that this is a truly outstanding luxury Maldives resort. Milaidhoo is an authentic gem: brilliance without the bling. The only drawback is that its success since opening means that prices have risen steeply after the first season of operation, so keep your eye on our newsletter for any special offers!