Finolhu has long been on our list as a must-visit thanks to its pristine location on the longest sandbank in the Maldives and the incredible style brought to life when Seaside Collection took over the resort. We were delighted to find out the property did not disappoint – from a flawless arrival to the seemingly-endless entertainment, we had an incredible time and can’t wait to tell you everything you need to know before you book.

Location: 5/5

Finolhu is located in Baa Atoll and is just a short 35-minute flight from Malé by seaplane. Baa Atoll is known for being, arguably, the most marine-rich area of the Maldives thanks to a number of environmental protection practices and laws that have allowed the atoll to flourish. It’s also home to Hanifaru Bay, which is the one of the largest Manta cleaning stations in the world, making this a fantastic place to witness these gentle giants between May and November.

Finolhu sits on the largest sandbank in the Maldives that creates a stunning U-shape with a crystal clear, blue lagoon in the center. Finolhu is a natural island so the foliage is truly incredible. Lush vegetation covers virtually everything and provides an immense amount of privacy for the beach villas and the separation between staff areas and guest areas.

The island feels spacious, large and is easy to explore. It’s almost an entire mile to walk from the end of the water jetty to the Beach House on the other side before you even get to the sandbar so if you enjoy long walks on the beach, this is a perfect hotel for you.

Lobby & Check in experience: 5/5

The check in experience starts upon landing at Velana International airport when you are greeted by hotel staff with the Finolhu sign. They whisk you away to the seaplane check in counter and you are transferred by private car to the seaplane terminal.

Many luxury resorts do have private lounges and Finolhu may have the most impressive one we have seen yet. The lounge is a beautiful first impression of the style of the property, with beautiful pops of color, lots of comfortable seating options and fresh food flown in daily from the resort.

Most lounges have some snacks like muffins, but Finolhu takes it a step further with fresh, healthy options like salads and superfoods as well as yogurt, fresh croissants and more. They also have fresh detox water, juices and great coffee. The staff in the lounge were incredible and have a tremendous amount of knowledge about the brand and the property which makes it feel like they are truly part of the team at Finolhu versus just an airport representative. While we waited, we were introduced to the Finolhu mobile app so we could check out all the activities and facilities on property that we had to look forward to.

We had a short wait of about 30 minutes before we headed to board our 35-minute flight to Finolhu. The seaplane landed right at the jetty and we were greeted by the General Manager and hotel staff who provided us with cold towels and fresh coconut water. We also were introduced to our Ruhu (butler) who took us on a short tour before taking us to the room for an in-room check in.

Rooms: 5/5

Finolhu has 125 rooms, with the majority being overwater villas and 79 of the 125 have private pools. We were booked in an Ocean Pool Villa which features 1,900 square feet of luxurious living space. The bedroom features two closets, a small desk (or as we like to call “a charging station”), a super-sized king bed that faces the view as well as an oversized sofa built into the nook with a window to the view. The bathroom is equally as spacious with a free-standing tub, double vanity and an indoor and outdoor waterfall shower.

The bathroom is fully enclosed and air-conditioned which is somewhat of a rarity in the Maldives. Both the bedroom and bathroom have direct access to the spacious patio that features yet another shower, a large covered seating area with an oversized daybed and two rocking chairs, two chaise loungers for the sun and a spacious pool. There is direct access to the lagoon via steps that lead to a ladder.

All the villas feature full minibars with wine fridges. Guests on the Premium All Inclusive plan have access to a variety of the alcohol and snacks and the minibar is chargeable for all other meal plans. Water, tea and coffee is always complimentary.

The bathrooms are equipped with ample toiletries and amenities such as dental kits, shaving kits and more.

The layout of the water villas with and without pools is the exact same, with the main difference being the pool. The non-pool villas face the lagoon side (sunrise side) whereas the Ocean Pool Villas all face sunset.

The two bedroom villas are beautiful and feature two nearly identical bedrooms and a large living space, making it a great option for couples traveling together.

The beach villas have a slightly different layout, where the bedroom sits at the front of the villa and the bathrooms are all completely outside (but covered) and sit at the back of the villa. There is a fan in the bathroom, which is great as it helps with air circulation and bugs.

There are a few villas called “Private Pool Villa” which is a beach pool villa but it sits on the sunset side of the island instead of the lagoon and has easy access to the house reef. These villas are priced slightly lower because they face an island not owned by Finolhu that has some abandoned boats on it. The villas are completely private and the foliage is very grown in so if you are looking for a budget-friendly beach villa with a pool, this is a great option if you would like to snorkel and have full privacy around your pool.

Overall, there is seemingly no bad room or location at Finolhu and it just comes down to your budget and what you would like for your vacation. We loved our Ocean Pool Villa thanks to the incredible sunset views and easy access to the house reef. Spending our afternoons lounging on the chaise loungers or under the pergola listening to music on the Marshall speaker was the perfect way to end the day.

Service: 4.5/5

From arrival through departure, the service across the board from everyone we met was excellent. The dining staff across the board were exceptional, going above and beyond every day, remembering our preferences and making a point to remember our names. One day, Max overheated after a morning of running around the island taking a lot of videos and the dining staff were so concerned about him that they kept bringing cold towels and even found a refrigerated Evian water spray so he could cool down. The gestures were so kind and appreciated.

The island does not have bicycles but they have a very efficient buggy service that runs 24/7 around the island. You can contact your Ruhu and they send a buggy typically within 5 minutes or you can flag them down as they come and go. We constantly saw buggies and never had an issue getting one. One evening, we met the night buggy driver after the bar who took us back to the villa and Max mentioned he was going to morning yoga at 6:50am and he said he would be there waiting for him. As promised, he was outside the villa on time the next morning.

The only area that we felt was disappointing was housekeeping as their level of service and attention to detail simply did not align with the rest of the service across the property. While they did clean the room while we were out and we never saw them, they didn’t do anything particularly impressive or even basic 5 star like putting the slippers by the bed or water on the nightstand. At a resort that feels so personal and bespoke, we were hoping to see more personalization on the housekeeping front and do hope in the future with some training and up-skilling that they will be able to bring the housekeeping service up to match the rest of the property.

Dining: 5/5

Finolhu has an impressive food & beverage program with 3 specialty a la carte dining options and the main restaurant. There are also a few meal plans to select from which I will detail below.

Beach Kitchen is the main restaurant on property located next to the pool. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Breakfast is a buffet with seemingly endless options like Maldivian cuisine, indian specialties and western specialties. They have multiple live cooking stations and also a variety of healthy options like superfood bowls, acai bowls and more. It’s almost overwhelming how much choice there was and it made for a great experience every morning to try something new. Lunch is semi-buffet where you can select from a variety of appetizers, salads and desserts and you can order you main as a la carte. They had a great selection of options including sandwiches, burgers, fish, lamb, steaks, noodles and more.

At dinner they have a variety of theme nights, including a Maldivian night that was absolutely incredible. They resort brings in local artisans to showcase the lacquer process and sell goods as well as local cooks to prepare a lot of the Maldivian cuisine they serve. During dinner there is also a Bodu Beru show as well as a fire show which made for an incredible evening.

Crab Shack is a beautiful venue located on the end of the sandbank and is accessible by traditional dhoni. They are typically open for lunch and dinner several days a week and we were able to attend their weekly White Party at Crab Shack. The White party precedes a beautiful sunset dinner with live entertainment by the resident DJ as well as yet another Fire Show. This is true toes-in-the-sand dining and the food was phenomenal.

Kanusan is their award-winning Japanese outlet that sits overwater and features a wide variety of sushi and Japanese dishes. We ended up having our favorite waiter order for us and pick his favorites and everything was delicious. From the Nigiri to the Miso Cod, we enjoyed every bite. The venue itself is stunning and almost every table is on the edge of the patio allowing you to look at the sharks swimming by in the break underneath.

Milklab is the cafe open every day from 10-6 except for Thursdays. This cafe is available once per day on the Premium All Inclusive plan and features smoothies, coffees, icecream, snacks and pastries. They have delicious beverages and even some protein shakes if you’re looking to grab something after the gym.

Arabian Grill is their last a la carte outlet that we unfortunately did not get to try but we did hear it is excellent as well. The Beach Club is the main bar and features evening entertainment and delicious cocktails. The bar manager there is always willing to prepare specialty cocktails or experiment with your favorite flavors if you are open to it. I loved their signature cocktails while we watched the evening shows and the DJ every night.

Overall, the food and beverages did absolutely not disappoint. I do recommend booking the Premium All Inclusive plan if possible because it is the most comprehensive plan and covers all your food and alcohol across every outlet. They do have meals plans for breakfast only, half board, full board and a standard all inclusive plan but the prices are high enough on the menus to make the Premium upgrade worth the jump.

Facilities: 5/5

Finolhu has been known over the years as having some of the most lively and interesting entertainment in the Maldives and we were extremely curious to find out if that was true or not. We were absolutely mind blown at the number of activities and experiences available on property. There is an extensive activities list every single day for adults, teens and for kids. There is a solid mix of complimentary activities or paid experiences in their art center as well as excursions and more. Every evening there are multiple entertainment options from fire shows to DJ sets to acrobatics. It’s extremely impressive to see the range of options.

They also have impressive facilities across the board. The fitness center is large, spacious and well equipped with new technogym cardio equipment, ample weights, two boxing bags and plenty of equipment such as a cable machine, squat rack and more. They do also offer a variety of yoga and meditation classes every day as well as more HiiT style classes.

The spa is stunning, set behind the gym and offers a range of treatments including facials, salon services and body treatments. It has a men and women’s facility with steam, sauna and a plunge pool available complimentary without a spa treatment available as well.

The watersports center offers complimentary paddle boarding and kayaking as well as paid experiences like jetskis, sailing and e-foiling. The watersports center is located on a small, quiet beach that has a fun trampoline playground located just off the beach. In the same area there is also a coral garden they have been developing that is frequented by turtles.

The Dive Center is located on the arrival jetty and is run by Dive Butler which is a very high end company in the Maldives (also at Ritz/Patina). Dive prices are not cheap, but the equipment and service is excellent. We had the chance to do a Dolphin experience with the dive center and it was excellent – they serve prosecco or juice and we spent an hour just 5 minutes from the hotel finding dozens of dolphins from 9am-10am. The boat is beautiful and we enjoyed sitting on the bean bags on the roof and looking out at the beautiful lagoon.

The pool and main beach area is the central point of the property and is also where all the restaurants (except Crab Shack) are located. The pool is spacious and has ample seating around it. There is bar service at the pool and beach as well. The Beach Bar and pool is the central evening entertainment area as well and a very lively, social spot on property.

They have a kids club and teen center (which we have never seen before in the Maldives). Both the kids club and the teen center features their own activities. The teen center has a drive simulator, playstation, foosball, DJ lessons and more. There’s even a cafe that teens have access to for free while they hang out there.

Next to the teen center is a multi-court, paddle court and tennis court as well as an air conditioned Golf Studio with a simulator. You can book lessons or private time in the Golf Studio through your Ruhu – it’s a great rainy day activity.

They also have a small shop with luxury goods near the lobby.

There are truly limitless options at Finolhu – if you are afraid of getting island fever, this is definitely a property that will keep you as busy or as bored as you’d like.

Style: 5/5

Finolhu underwent a massive renovation back in 2020 that turned it from an ok-property in the Maldives to a premier, luxury, design-focused experience. The kaleidoscope of colors, fabrics and art bring out a fun, sophisticated beach-chic vibe that we absolutely fell in love with. The property feels almost brand new 5 years later thanks to their in-house seamstresses who constantly are fixing, making and adjusting the furnishings around the property. Every space is thoroughly considered, from the spacious daybeds to the supersized king beds to the comfortable lounge furniture at the bars and restaurants. Every space has its own, unique feeling while still maintaining the consistent, colorful energy throughout. Every detail, no matter how small, feels thoughtfully considered. Colors can often come off as kitchy, but somehow Finolhu strikes a delicate balance between fun, yet elegant and sophisticated.

Overall: 4.9/5

Overall, this property easily slid into our top three in the Maldives. From the almost flawless service, to the comfortable, homey feeling of the spacious rooms, Finolhu is an incredible option for travelers looking for a fun, high-end experience in the Maldives. Whether you’re looking for unique dining experiences or an activity-filled day, this is a fantastic choice in the Maldives. If you’re looking to book Finolhu or any other resort around the world, be sure to email us for exclusive rates and perks at team@voyagerguru.com.