About this hotel
General information
Ayada Maldives occupies a large, naturally formed island in the far south of the Maldives, with no neighbouring resorts or passing boats in view. Dense tropical greenery, palms, winding paths and long white beaches cover the island, and the villas are generously spaced: some tucked into gardens, others reaching out over the lagoon along quiet jetties. Almost every villa has its own pool, and guests are looked after by a personal butler.
The resort pairs Maldivian style with Turkish touches: a café modelled on a traditional Turkish coffee house, a hammam in the spa and a Turkish and Middle Eastern night at the main restaurant. At the heart of the island lies the Secret Garden, an organic plot with hydroponic beds, banana trees and an orchid house, while drinking water is purified on site and bottled in glass. A coral nursery runs around the reef, and guests can adopt a coral of their own. There is a resort clinic with medical staff on the island.
Location
The resort sits on Magudhuva island in Gaafu Dhaalu Atoll, in the deep south of the country. At Velana International Airport in Malé a resort representative meets guests and escorts them to the domestic lounge; from there it is a flight of about 55 minutes to the local airport in Huvadhoo Atoll, then 25–50 minutes by speedboat. All domestic transfers are arranged by the resort.
Spa
AySpa spans 3,500 m² finished in terrazzo, marble and timber. It has a private Turkish hammam with a marble massage plinth, a Vichy shower room and eight spacious treatment villas, some with hydrotherapy baths, each with a steam shower, a private bathroom, an outdoor courtyard with a sunken bath and a waterfall shower. Afterwards guests can linger in the relaxation area with heated and cold plunge pools and separate steam rooms and saunas for women and men; there are also manicure and pedicure salons and a hair salon.
Sports & leisure
The island is large enough to keep both water and land days full.
- Dive Kingdom, a PADI 5 Star dive centre: discovery dives with an instructor, certification courses and guided dives to the atoll's remote reefs
- Surfing: the reef breaks Two Ways, Love Charms, Tiger Stripes, Five Islands and Blue Bowls lie a short boat ride away; the surf team picks the spot by forecast and ability, with soft-tops, shortboards, mid-lengths and longboards to rent; the cleanest head-high days come from February to mid-June and September to mid-November, while mid-November to mid-February is gentler and suits beginners
- Guided house-reef snorkelling, an island safari to two reefs, glass-bottom boat trips, spinner-dolphin spotting, sunset fishing from a traditional wooden dhoni, picnics on a deserted island or a sandbank, sunset cruises and visits to nearby inhabited islands
- Water sports: e-foiling, parasailing, a jet car, jet skis, wakeboarding, tube rides, kayaks and paddleboards
- The AyClub sports centre: a gym, a floodlit tennis court, football and volleyball pitches, a yoga studio, a games hall with PlayStation, table tennis, billiards, table football and darts, and three jogging tracks of 900, 1,200 and 1,600 m
- Sunrise yoga on the beach and sunset sessions at the Zero Degree pagoda, reformer Pilates, tai chi, interval training, meditation and sound healing, plus private sessions
- Evening programme: bodu beru drumming (traditional Maldivian music and dance), DJ nights and open-air films; every day at 18:00 a fish feeding off the beach draws reef sharks into the shallows
For children
Zuzuu Kids Club is open daily from 09:00 to 18:00 for children aged four and over; younger children are cared for by a nanny. The club has its own pool, a nanny room, a stage and a playground with a climbing frame. Activities include cooking classes, T-shirt painting, face painting, discovering the plants, animals and marine life of the Maldives, and children's yoga. Babysitting is available on request.
Restaurants & bars
Eight restaurants and bars share the island; all serve vegetarian and vegan dishes, and part of the produce comes from the resort's own garden and farms on a nearby island.
- Magu — the main restaurant on the beach, set around a reflecting pool: breakfast and buffet dinners with a different theme each night, from Italian and Maldivian to Turkish and Middle Eastern, Latin and Asian
- Ocean Breeze — overwater restaurant and bar with modern European cooking: grilled seafood, home-made pasta and steaks, for lunch and dinner
- Zero Degree — poolside restaurant and bar with an international menu, tables in the water, under thatch or in cabanas; live music, DJs and in-pool films in the evening
- Sea Salt — a barbecue of grilled meat and seafood on Zero Degree beach on selected evenings
- Mizu — teppanyaki, with fish, meat and vegetables cooked on a hot iron plate in front of guests, plus a selection of sake and wine; booking required
- Kai — Far Eastern dinners amid tropical greenery: sushi, sashimi and dishes from China, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam
- Ile de Joie — a tiny overwater wine bar over the lagoon with the resort's cellar, cheeses, cognacs, whiskies and cigars
- Ottoman Lounge — a Turkish café with low seating, a sand floor and hundreds of lanterns: coffee and tea in silver service, afternoon tea and shisha in the evening
Private dinners can be set on the beach, in a pagoda, on a sandbank or on the villa deck, and in-villa dining runs around the clock. Stays are offered with breakfast, half board, full board or one of two all-inclusive plans, Crystal and Diamond.
Swimming
White sandy beaches with clear, shallow water ring the island; the beaches are cleaned several times a day and supervised throughout, which makes them easy for children. The house reef around the island is home to turtles, rays and reef sharks, and the overwater villas have steps straight into the lagoon. The main Zero Degree pool is lit with LEDs at night like a starry sky, and almost every villa has a private infinity or plunge pool.
Rooms
Eleven villa and suite types are set in the tropical garden, on the beach, on the shore with decks over the lagoon and over the water; all but the Garden Villa have a private pool.
Villas have air conditioning, a bathtub, indoor and outdoor showers, a Harman Kardon surround sound system, a Nespresso machine, tea-making facilities, bathroom amenities and complimentary Wi-Fi.
Ayada Royal Ocean Suite with Pool
A split-level suite at the very end of the jetty: bedrooms on both floors, a living room, glass floor panels in the bedroom and living room, a large deck with a pool and hammock and an upper terrace with a 180° ocean view. Bathtub, indoor and outdoor showers and direct lagoon access.
Sunset Family Ocean Suite with Pool
A west-facing overwater suite for families with older children: two bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, the master with a bathroom with tub, the second with a glass floor panel and shower room. A huge deck with a pool, dining table, loungers, daybed, three hammocks and steps into the ocean.
Sunset Ocean Suite with Pool
An overwater suite facing the sunset, with a bedroom and en-suite bathroom, a living room with a glass floor panel, a second bathroom and a pantry. A large deck with a pool, loungers, three hammocks and direct lagoon access.
Sunset Family Lagoon Suite with Pool
A family suite on the shore with its deck over the lagoon: a king-size bed and two single beds, a sitting area and a bathroom opening onto a garden. The deck has a plunge pool, swing sofa, hammock and steps into the lagoon.
Beach Family Suite with Pool
A Beach Suite connected to a Beach Villa: two bedrooms with canopy beds, two bathrooms with tubs and outdoor showers, two verandas and two gardens with plunge pools. Direct beach access.
Sunset Lagoon Suite with Pool
A shoreline suite that combines a tropical garden with a lagoon view: a spacious bedroom and living area and a bathroom open to the garden. The deck over the water has a plunge pool, swing sofa, hammock and lagoon access.
Ocean Villa with Pool
A one-bedroom villa over the lagoon with a deck and plunge pool, hammocks over the water, a bathtub and outdoor shower, steps into the lagoon and an open horizon.
Sunset Beach Suite with Pool
A beachfront suite on the side of the island with the best sunsets: a large bedroom and living space, a wide veranda, a secluded garden with a private pool, and a bathtub with indoor and outdoor showers. Direct beach access.
Beach Suite with Pool
A suite on the white-sand beach with a large bedroom and sitting area, a veranda with sunbeds and a plunge pool in a private garden. The bathroom has a tub and a back courtyard with an outdoor shower.
Beach Villa with Pool
A one-bedroom beachfront villa with a private garden and a generous plunge pool, a large veranda, a bathtub and an outdoor shower in the back courtyard.
Garden Villa
A one-bedroom villa set in tropical greenery a few steps from all the resort facilities, with a garden veranda and a spacious bathroom with a large tub and outdoor shower. No private pool.
Photos are for illustrative purposes only. Actual room layout, furnishings, décor, views and amenities may differ from those shown and may vary between rooms of the same category. Hotel and room descriptions are based on information provided by the property and are believed to be accurate at the time of publication, but are not guaranteed. The hotel may renovate or change its rooms, facilities, restaurants and services at any time without notice. The final details of your stay are confirmed at the time of booking. See our Terms of Use.