About this hotel
General information
Royal Island occupies Horubadhoo, an island in Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The island is small — roughly 800 m long and 220 m wide — with villas lining its entire shore and a dense tropical jungle in the interior, where the spa is tucked away. The mood is low-key and personal, and the resort is pitched at couples, friends and families alike.
All 152 villas stand on the beach; there are no over-water villas. Interiors are finished in warm merbau wood and the architecture draws on traditional Maldivian building. The resort presents itself as all-inclusive, and its own booking engine sells stays on full board or on a premium all-inclusive plan. The island has two restaurants and three bars, Araamu Spa with its Ayurvedic menu, a dive centre, a pool with a children’s pool, a kids’ club and a clinic with a resident doctor around the clock.
Location
Horubadhoo lies in Baa Atoll, about 25 minutes by boat from Hanifaru Bay, famous for its gatherings of manta rays. From Velana International Airport in Malé the journey is a 20-minute domestic flight followed by a 10-minute speedboat ride, and a resort representative meets guests at the airport.
Spa
Araamu Spa is hidden in a tropical garden deep in the island’s interior; its name is a Dhivehi word of Sanskrit origin for a state of complete relaxation. The menu combines classic face and body treatments, beauty care and Ayurvedic therapies. The signature Back to Roots ritual opens with a smudging ceremony using leaves gathered on the island, followed by sand and coconut milk poultices, a bamboo massage and a herbal bath. Other treatments include Exotic Cocoon, with a coffee and coconut scrub and a coconut yoghurt wrap, the Voyager deep-tissue massage with stretching, and Ayurvedic shirodhara, in which warm herbal oil is poured in a steady stream onto the forehead.
Sports & leisure
Most of the action is on and under the water, though there is plenty on land too.
- Diving with diveOceanus: PADI courses from Discover Scuba Diving up to Divemaster, plus freediving courses; nearby sites include thilas (submerged pinnacles), channels and coral gardens, and Kakani reef near Hanifaru Bay is one of the places to meet mantas and whale sharks
- Snorkelling at Hanifaru Bay from June to November, when mantas and whale sharks gather there; from December to May manta trips head to Raa Atoll instead
- Water sports with Qadventure: windsurfing with lessons, canoes, stand-up paddleboards, Seabob underwater scooters, water skiing, kneeboarding and wakeboarding, towed tubes, parasailing, the Jetblade jetpack, jet skis and 1–3-hour jet ski tours, and boat trips to coral gardens and local villages
- Excursions with QAdventure: sunset cocktail cruises on a dhoni (a traditional Maldivian boat), moonlight cruises, stargazing, dolphin trips at sundown, reef and turtle snorkelling, sandbank picnics, visits to a neighbouring inhabited island, and big-game, sunset and shoreline fishing
- On land: floodlit tennis courts for evening play, futsal, badminton, table tennis, basketball, volleyball and a fitness centre open seven days a week from early till late
For children
Starfish Kids Club is aimed at younger children: a cosy indoor playroom with soft mats and a daily programme of coconut-leaf weaving, shell craft, origami, hand printing, collages, face painting, story time, games and nature discovery. Older children go on short island walks with the team and build sandcastles on the beach. There is a children’s pool beside the main pool, and the dive centre runs the Bubblemaker course as a first taste of scuba for youngsters.
Restaurants & bars
The island has two restaurants, three bars and a choice of private dining set-ups.
- Maakanaa — the main beachside restaurant, serving buffets at breakfast, lunch and dinner: international cooking and the kitchen’s own take on South Asian dishes, made with produce from nearby islands and the markets of Malé
- Raabondhi — a seafood restaurant in a coconut grove on the quieter south shore: tuna, Maldivian lobster cooked whole on the coal-fired grill, grilled meats, from light lunches to candlelit dinners
- Boli Bar — a 24-hour beach bar with cabana-style seating, fresh coffee, coconut cocktails, a pool table and live music on the deck in the evenings
- Pool Bar — a swim-up bar under a palm-thatched roof with submerged seating: beer, fresh juices, coconut water, wine and cocktails
- Fun Pub — the late-night bar, opening at 9 pm, with live bands and DJs, billiards and karaoke
- Private dining: candlelit dinners on the beach, dinner at a table dug into the sand, a floating breakfast in the villa’s own pool, a seafood lunch out in the lagoon and private beach barbecues
Swimming
A white sand beach runs right round the island, and every villa opens straight onto the lagoon. At the heart of the resort is a freshwater pool with a separate children’s pool and a swim-up bar. Beach towels are provided in the villas at no charge.
Rooms
The 152 villas in five categories line the whole shore of the island, all on the beach: from one-bedroom Beach Villas to two pool residences at the eastern and western tips. There are no over-water villas.
Every villa has air conditioning, free Wi-Fi, satellite TV, a direct-dial phone, a safe, a minibar, a hairdryer, tea and coffee, an open-air shower, 24-hour room service and twice-daily housekeeping (daily in the Two-bedroom Family Beach Villa).
Two-bedroom Beach Pool Residence
One of the resort’s two largest villas, at the far eastern or western tip of the island: two bedrooms, a private pool and whirlpool, a terrace opening onto the lagoon with wide ocean views, and a personal butler. Sleeps four adults and two children.
Two-bedroom Family Beach Villa
A two-bedroom villa shaded by tropical greenery, steps from the beach and a short walk from the main restaurants and bars, with a terrace leading straight onto deep white sand. Sleeps four adults and two children.
Beach Pool Villa
A beach villa with its own pool and sun deck, indoor and outdoor seating areas, an open-air shower and a private stretch of beach. Sleeps two adults and one child.
Sunset Beach Villa
A one-bedroom beach villa on the western shore facing the sunset, with a terrace, an open-air shower set in fragrant greenery and the lagoon a few steps away. Sleeps two adults and one child.
Beach Villa
A one-bedroom villa in traditional Maldivian style between the tropical greenery and the lagoon, with a sea-view terrace, indoor and outdoor seating, an open-air shower and a private patch of beach. Sleeps two adults and one child.
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.