About this hotel
General information
Nika Island Resort & Spa occupies Kudafolhudhoo, an island in North Ari Atoll and one of the first in the atoll to take in guests. Before that, people from the neighbouring islands came here to tend fruit trees and repair their dhonis, the traditional Maldivian fishing boats. The resort still keeps to the spirit of the old Maldives: sand underfoot everywhere, no dress code, and night lighting kept to a minimum so the Milky Way stays visible and the turtles that nest on its beaches are left undisturbed.
The villas are built from coral blocks in curving forms modelled on the nautilus shell, under timber roofs thatched with leaves from the island's old palms; the finishing was done by hand by craftsmen who once built dhonis, and the rooms hold antiques and local art. A former lime kiln now houses an underground museum of Maldivian culture. The resort's own Nika Green Path programme covers an aquaponic vegetable garden, composting, glass instead of plastic bottles and coral planting. Stays are offered on bed and breakfast, half board, full board or all-inclusive.
Location
Kudafolhudhoo lies in the north of Ari Atoll, about 25 minutes by seaplane from Velana International Airport in Malé. The seaplane platform is linked to the island, so guests step straight onto the resort.
Spa
Lotus Spa sits over a lagoon planted with water plants and is made up of eight separate cottages, each named after a well-known corner of Venice. The menu covers Thai and Ayurvedic massage and beauty treatments. The Blue Zone Longevity programme adds evidence-based supplements, dishes from the resort's own garden, fresh juices and herbal teas, and a guided meditation trail with seven stations around the island.
Sports & leisure
Most of what happens here is centred on the ocean.
- Diving: Nika Diving Center, with multilingual instructors, visits thilas (submerged pinnacles) and drift-diving reefs with sharks, eagle rays and mantas; PADI courses run from a first try-dive to Divermaster, with Enriched Air (nitrox) and the Bubblemaker programme for children from 8
- Snorkelling: the reef can be reached by swimming from the beach, and it comes closest to the shore on the south side of the island; night snorkelling is also offered
- Water sports: windsurfing and catamaran lessons (from 12), stand-up paddleboards, kayaks, waterskiing, wakeboarding and banana-boat rides
- Boat trips: Turtle Bay, manta and whale shark outings, dolphin spotting, a desert island, a monsoon-shaped sandbank and visits to local islands
- Fishing: deep-sea, sunset and live-bait trips; catch-and-release is the rule on the reef
- On land: a gym, yoga, aqua aerobics, bocce, and guided tours of the underground museum, the Nika Green Path and the island's trees
- Ceremonies: weddings and vow renewals on a villa's private beach, on the sandbank, on a desert island or underwater on the reef
Restaurants & bars
The island has one main restaurant, a bar and a coffee shop, with vegetables and salad leaves from the resort's own garden.
- Marco Polo — the open-air main restaurant, largely Italian and Mediterranean, alternating buffets with à la carte menus and holding Maldivian, Asian and Italian buffet nights through the week; the cellar keeps more than 100 wines
- Acqua Alta — a sunset bar for cocktails, mocktails and home-pressed detox juices, also hosting cultural evenings and dance performances
- Coffee Shop — open all day, with a small library of books in several languages
- Private dining — candlelit seafood dinners on a villa's own beach or on a desert island a few minutes away by boat, and barbecues on the sandbank
Swimming
A pool with a timber deck and loungers sits in the Lotus Spa garden among the cottages over the water-plant lagoon, though the lagoon and the reef are the main draw. The beach villas and the Sultan Suite each have a private beach off their garden, set up with wooden parasols, loungers, a Jacuzzi and an outdoor shower. On the north side a wide lagoon leads out to the reef within swimming distance; on the south side the reef runs closest to the shore. Guests in the water villas, Garden Rooms and the Faro Studio use two shared beaches with loungers, parasols and showers — one where the water villa jetty begins, the other in front of the Coffee Shop on the west side.
Rooms
There are 44 rooms and villas of nine types: Garden Rooms, beach villas and the Sultan Suite in the gardens, Water Villas and Family Water Villas over the lagoon, and the two-level Faro Studio above the coffee shop. The beach villas are built of coral along traditional Maldivian lines and screened from each other by dense planting.
Every room has air conditioning and a ceiling fan, a minibar with soft drinks, alcohol and snacks, satellite TV, free Wi-Fi, a safe, a kettle for tea and coffee, a hairdryer, bathrobes and beach towels.
Beach Villa
A coral villa on the north side facing the wide lagoon, with a double bedroom, living room, bathroom, and a garden with a Jacuzzi gazebo opening onto a private beach from which the reef is a swim away. Sleeps three adults and a child or two adults and two children.
Family Beach Villa
A spacious villa on the north side by the lagoon: a master bedroom with a four-poster bed, a large living room, a bathroom with a Maldivian open-air shower, a second bedroom with its own bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, plus a garden with a Jacuzzi gazebo, a hammock and a private beach. Sleeps five adults or four adults and two children.
Deluxe Beach Villa
Set in dense greenery on the south side, where the reef is closest to the shore, with a double bedroom, living room, bathroom with a Maldivian outdoor shower, a wine cooler, and a garden with a Jacuzzi gazebo leading to a private beach. Sleeps three adults and a child or two adults and two children.
Family Deluxe Beach Villa
A south-side villa close to the reef, with a master bedroom, living room, bathroom with an outdoor shower, a second bedroom with its own bathroom and wardrobe, a wine cooler, and a garden with a Jacuzzi gazebo and private beach. Sleeps five adults or four adults and two children.
Water Villa
Over the north-side lagoon facing the reef, on three levels: a deck at water level for swimming, a timber terrace with loungers and a rooftop sun deck, with a double bedroom, living room and bathroom. Sleeps three.
Family Water Villa
A three-level villa over the lagoon with direct sea access, a lounger terrace and a rooftop sun deck; two double bedrooms and the living room all look out over the reef, with one bathroom. Sleeps five.
Sultan Suite
The island's largest villa, on the east side with its biggest private beach: the main unit has a master bedroom, a generous living room and bathroom, while a separate annexe with its own entrance holds a second bedroom with bathroom, outdoor shower, library and wardrobe, linked by an internal door; a wine cooler, a Jacuzzi gazebo and a hammock complete it. Sleeps five adults or four adults and two children.
Garden Room
A free-standing room in the greenery along the main path at the heart of the island, with a queen-size double bed, bathroom and an adjoining living area that takes an extra bed; no private beach, with the shared beaches nearby. Sleeps three.
Faro Studio
An open-plan studio on two levels above the Coffee Shop on the west side: a double bedroom with a living area, a mezzanine with two single beds, a bathroom and a private sea-view terrace facing the sunset; no private beach. Sleeps four.
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.