30+ MALDIVES FAMILY FRIENDLY RESORTS - Compared by a Mom (Includes Table & Research Notes)

Updated March 6, 2025

My family (me, my husband, and boys ages almost-3, 6, 9) just returned from an amazing 10-day family trip to the Maldives – and we already want to go back. We had an amazing time at our resort. The hours (and hours) I spent researching paid off – it was a magical visit! We decided to try another island for our next trip, so I got back to digging.

There’s a lot of info about resorts in the Maldives – but not in one place! Just like before our first trip, I found myself spending so much time on individual Maldives resort websites, review websites, and general Maldives websites trying to piece together which island resorts would work well for our family.

I’ve put together my notes below and included some tips for booking Maldives family trips. I’ve done the work… so you don’t have to.

I realize that your perfect Maldives family trip may look different from ours. So, to give you a heads up, the requirements for our family trip to the Maldives are:

12-14 nights – with the long travel time with kids and the incredible time we had on our last trip, we decided we want to stay longer this time
price – yes, the Maldives is expensive; we’re staying mid-high range, but not ultra-luxury
location – not near Malé, we want to be remote and not see planes, lots of boats, lights at night, etc.
kid-friendly resort – my boys want to meet other kids; I don’t want to feel like we have to ‘hush’ our kids on a quiet, honeymooner’s island
good house reef and snorkeling – snorkeling was one of our favorite activities in the Maldives
kids club – for ages 4 and up
activities for older kids – recreation center, beach soccer, kid-friendly water sports, etc
4-5*, not too fancy
all-inclusive
variety of excursions and activities (like snorkeling, local island, dolphin cruise)
fitness center – for my husband
mid-sized island – don’t want to be able to walk around it in 5 minutes, but want to feel comfortable letting our older boys wander around the island freely
beach villa, preferably with private pool (but not a must)

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Table of Contents

Map of Maldives Family-Friendly Resorts

Heads Up: These are my notes – they’re not complete write-ups for each resort. But, if you’re like me and feeling overwhelmed by so many choices – these options can help you get started – especially if you have similar requirements.

Tips for Booking Your Family Resort in the Maldives

Island in the Maldives seen from a seaplane. There are other islands in the background, some mostly under water. — Our view of Maldives islands from the seaplane

Wooden floors, ceilings, furniture and toys in the open space kids club at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi resort in the Maldives. — Our view of Maldives islands from the seaplane

Download the resort app – You can see the actual calendar of activities, look at restaurant menus, see the activities and excursions being offered. Super helpful!
Read reviews, and especially the bad reviews – I learn a ton from reviews on sites like Booking.com and TripAdvisor.com, and I like to look at the good and the bad (you can usually sort by positive or negative reviews). Also, sometimes a resort has had a management change and had a ton of negative reviews in the past (or vice versa), so look at recent reviews.
Look at Google Maps – You can learn so much from looking at the island on satellite view. For example, is the resort island close to a local island, or close to Male? You can check out the color of the water and see the reefs.
Beach – Is there beach all the way around the island or just in a few places? It’s nice to have options.
Book the right size island – Make sure there are enough activities for kids; I like an island that’s at least ~20-30 min to walk around; not too big or you lose the intimate tropical island feel
Double-check important details with the resort – For example, I noted different ages listed for kids club minimum ages for some resorts on review websites. If it’s really important that your 3-year-old can spend time at the kids club, double-check before booking!

Maldives Resorts for a Family Vacation

Good To Know: I haven’t included any of the extra fancy resorts on this list because I knew they were way over our budget. So, if you’re looking at resorts like Soneva Fushi, Six Senses Laamu, the Four Seasons or Joali, you won’t find them on this list. I also haven’t included local islands, as we’re looking for the resort island experience.

Maldives resorts I researched for our family trip (in alphabetical order, see comparison table below):

Atmosphere Kanifushi
Amilla Maldives
Anantara Dhigu
Ayada Maldives
Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa
Cora Cora Maldives
Dhigali Maldives
Dusit Thani
Emerald Faarufushi (read my review of our stay and join my free Emerald Faarufushi FB group)
Emerald Maldives
Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives
Fushifaru
Hard Rock Hotel
Heritance Aarah
SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma
Kandima Maldives
Kuramathi
Kurumba
Lily Beach Resort & Spa
LUX South Ari Atoll
Niyama Private Islands
Meeru Maldives
Reethi Faru
Sirru Fen Fushi (Fairmont Maldives)
Siyam World
Sun Siyam Iru Fushi (read my review of our stay)
Sun Siyam Olhuveli
Vakkaru Maldives
VARU by Atmosphere
Velassaru Maldives

Heads Up: Scroll to see all columns in the table by using the scroll bar at the very bottom of the table.

Resort	Kids Club	Family Accommodation	Transport	Atoll	Kids Activities	House Reef	All-Inclusive	Size of Island	Notes	Official Site
Atmosphere Kanifushi	4+; indoor/outdoor; looks focused on smaller kids	water and 1-2br beach villas (with or w/o pool)	35-min seaplane	Lhaviyani	Yes, all ages	Yes, but 1km from the island	Yes	Good; 1 hr to walk around	dreamy; over budget;	Website
Amilla Maldives	4+	Yes, including 2br beach pool villas, lagoon pool villas, and treetop villas	35-min seaplane or 20-min domestic flight + 10-min speedboat	Baa	Yes, lots of variety, all ages	Yes	Yes	Good; 1.7km around island	Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) member; over budget	Website
Anantara Dhigu	4+	water villas and 1-2br beach villas (with or w/o pool)	30-min speedboat	South Malé	Yes, looks great; trampoline park, pirate cruise, water activities, marine biology adventures (6-11yrs)	No, but can access house reef 5 min away at sister island	Yes	Too small for us?	marketed as family resort; tons of kids activities	Website
Ayada Maldives	4+	1-2br water and beach villas (with or w/o pool)	~1hr domestic flight + ~speedboat	Gaafu Dhaalu	Yes, including educational programs; all ages	Yes, fantastic snorkeling	Yes	Good	long transfer from Malé; can’t walk all the way around island on beach; will look at if transport options improve (too long after int’l flight w/kids)	Website
Centara Grand Island Resort & Spa	4+	1br beach villas and 1-2br water villas (with or w/o pool)	25-min seaplane or 20-30 min domestic flight + 10-min speedboat	South Ari	Yes	Yes, excellent	Yes	Too small for us	Thai brand; over budget; bad website	Website
Cora Cora Maldives	3+	1-2br water and beach villas (with or w/o pool)	45-min seaplane or 30-min domestic flight + 20-min speedboat	Raa	Yes, different activities by age group, looks excellent	Yes	Yes	Good	too modern looking?	Website
Dhigali Maldives	4+	1-br water and beach villas (with or w/out pool); not family-specific	45-min seaplane or 1hr 10-min domestic flight + speedboat combo	Raa	Yes, something for all ages	Yes, excellent	Yes	Good	dreamy; over budget	Website
Dusit Thani	3+	1-3br beach villas and 1-2br water villas;(with or w/out pool); not family-specific	35-min seaplane or 25-min domestic flight + 10 min speedboat	Baa	Yes, something for all ages	Yes, excellent	Yes	Good, maybe a little small	Thai brand	Website
Emerald Faarufushi	3+	2br beach villas with pool + other non-family-specific options for beach and water	45-min seaplane or 40-min domestic flight + 5-min speedboat	Raa	Yes, all ages	Yes, excellent	Yes	Good, maybe a little small, 1.2km around island	Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) member; Italian brand; newer than original Emerald and smaller; green but palm trees look young; bikes	Website
Emerald Maldives	3+; huge outdoor play area for little kids with splash pad, trampoline, and water park; indoor too	2br beach villas with pool + other non-family-specific options for beach and water	40-min seaplane or 30-min domestic flight + 15-min speedboat	Raa	Yes	Yes	Yes	Good	some sections of really thin beach?; Italian brand;LHW member; lots of coral on beach?	Website
Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives	4+	1-2br beach and water villas (with or w/out pool); nothing family-specific; beach bubble tent	30-min seaplane or 20-min domestic flight + 25-min speedboat	Baa	Yes	Yes	Yes	Too small for us?	long sandbar; confirmed kids club age by email	Website
Fushifaru	4+; seems geared toward younger kids	1-2br beach and water villas (with or w/out pool); nothing family-specific	35-min seaplane or 25-min domestic flight + 15-min speedboat	Lhaviyani	Yes	Yes	Yes	Too small for us?	Too quiet, more for older kids or adults?	Website
Hard Rock Hotel	3+	1-2br water villas (with or w/out pool); 1-br beach villas with pool; 2-br family suite w/out pool	20-min speedboat	South Malé	Yes; separate teen program	No	Yes	Good	too close to Malé; read mixed reviews on service; unique decor, fun for older kids; unique activities; multi-island concept w/The Marina and SAii Lagoon Maldives	Website
Heritance Aarah	2+; seems focused on younger kids	1-2br beach villas (with or w/o pool); water villas also available	40-min seaplane or 20-min domestic flight + 45-min speedboat	Raa	Yes	Yes	Yes	Too small for us?	has local island museum; email correspondence excellent; read about amazing clear water; consistently hear good things	Website
SAii Lagoon Maldives, Curio Collection by Hilton	4+	2-br beach villa (with or w/o pool); other water and beach options (non-family)	15-min speedboat	Malé	Yes; two clubs, one for older kids/teens	No	Yes	Too small for us	too close to Malé; next to Hard Rock Hotel’s island; multi-island concept w/The Marina and Hard Rock Hotel; over our budget	Website
Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma	4+	2-3br beach villa (with or w/o pool) or 2br water villa; other non-family-specific options	30-min speedboat	South Malé	Yes	No, but can take boat to nearby reef	Yes	Good	too close to Malé; 4*	Website
Kandima Maldives	4+	1br beach or water villas (with or w/o pool); also family sky suite fits up to 8	45-min seaplane or 30-min domestic flight + 20-min speedboat	Dhaalu	Yes; many activities	Yes	Yes	Good	can’t walk beach all the way around island; mixed reviews; family-focused	Website
Kuramathi	3+; looks great for little kids – pool, splash pad, etc	1-2br options, on beach or water, including 2-story villas (with or w/o pool)	20-min seaplane or 75-90-min speedboat	Rasdhoo	Yes; soccer pitch; many activities	Yes	Yes	Good, long sandbar	close to Rasdoo local island (blocks view for accommodations on that side?); not far from Malé; Ari Atoll; 4*; large island; read needs to be renovated?	Website
Kurumba	4+	2br/2-story family beach villa with pool; other options (example, 2-br residence fits 8)	10-min speedboat	North Malé	Yes	Yes	Yes	Too small for us?	too close to Malé; doesn’t look possible to walk around island; first resort in Maldives	Website
Lily Beach Resort & Spa	3+	Family-specific 2br beach villas; also other beach, water, and lagoon villas (with or w/o pool)	25-min seaplane or 25-min domestic flight + 35-min speedboat	South Ari	Yes; semi-submersible boat	Yes	Yes	Good		Website
LUX South Ari Atoll	3+	1-2br beach and water villas and pavilions (with or w/o pool); pavilions can have connecting rooms	30-min seaplane or 20-min domestic flight + 10 min speedboat	South Ari	Yes, enough activities for all kids	Yes, but only reached by 5-10 min boat; not known for great snorkeling but good atoll for whale sharks	Yes	Good	chain with other successful hotels in places like Mauritius; 5*; lots of seasonal offers; have to add seaplane to final rate (not included); nice aesthetic; saw on LastMinute.com last year (excellent deal); amazing airport lounge	Website
Niyama Private Islands	3+; great outdoor area with trampoline, splash park, rock climbing	1br beach or water villas (with or w/o pool); 2nd br is living room; larger pavilions offered on beach or water	45-min seaplane or 35-min domestic flight + 7-min speedboat	Dhaalu	Yes, big focus on kids	Yes	No	Good	looks fabulous; bicycles; kids club advertised as 1+ but you have to be with child or pay babysitting fee for 1-2 year olds; surfing available	Website
Meeru Maldives	3+	1-2br beach and garden villas; no kids under 18 in water villas	55-min speedboat	North Malé	Yes	Yes, but only reached by 5-min boat	Yes	Good		Website
Reethi Faru	No	1-2br garden, beach, and water villas; with or w/o pool	45-min seaplane or 20-min domestic flight + 45-min seaplane	Raa	No kid-specific, but plenty of things to do	Yes, excellent	Yes	Good		Website
Sirru Fen Fushi (Fairmont Maldives)	4+	1-3br villas; jungle, beach, and water villas; some are tented; with or w/out pool	55-min seaplane or 55-min domestic flight + 55-min speedboat	Raa	Yes; lots of sustainability activities for kids	Yes, excellent	Yes	Good	options on LastMinute.com; feels like big brand; read east side of island exposed and deep	Website
Siyam World	4+	1-3br villas; beach and water; with and w/out pool or water slide (water villa)	40-min seaplane or 30-min domestic flight + 15-min speedboat	Noonu	Yes, so many activities; ocean water park; kids will never be bored	Yes	Yes	Too big for us?	water slides from water villas; does it have the intimate, small-island feel?; saw some great deals throughout year; too big to let kids run free; love the Sun Siyam brand	Website
Sun Siyam Iru Fushi	3+; focused on younger kids	1-2br beach and water villas (with or w/o pool)	45-min seaplane or 35-min domestic flight + 15-min speedboat	Noonu	Yes, for all ages; rec center	Yes, small Nemo reef	Yes	Perfect	read my review of our family’s stay at Sun Siyam Iru Fushi	Website
Sun Siyam Olhuveli	4+	1-2br beach and water villas (with or w/o pool)	45-min speedboat	South Malé	Yes	Yes	Yes	Good	too close to Malé?; love the Sun Siyam brand	Website
Vakkaru Maldives	3+; up to pre-teens	1-2br beach villas with pool; 1br water villa with sliding door to kids beds; also larger residences	30-min seaplane or 20-min domestic flight + 30-min speedboat	Baa	Yes	Yes, excellent; also blue hole	Yes	Good	gorgeous; way over budget	Website
VARU by Atmosphere	4+	1-2br beach or water villas (with or w/out pool); larger suites also available	40-min speedboat	Malé	Yes	No	Yes	Good	next to One&Only Reethirah	Website
Velassaru Maldives	No	1-2br beach or water villas (with or w/out pool)	25-min speedboat	Kaafu	No kid-specific activities but things like ice cream cart, snorkeling excursions, etc.	No	Yes	Too small for us	too close to Malé	Website

Note: Some resorts have stated age minimums for kids to stay in an overwater villa. When so, I’ve listed it. Just because I haven’t listed a minimum age, doesn’t mean the resort doesn’t have one – it just means it’s not advertised, so you’ll need to ask. And, some resorts may allow younger kids, but you’ll need to sign a liability waiver.

Good To Know: Don’t automatically cross one of these resorts off your list because noted it was over budget for us. It may not be for you, there may be special offers at the time of your travel, and the resort may be on third party discounted sites like LastMinute.com, Booking.com, or Agoda.com.

Our Short List for Our Next Maldives Family Vacation

Three boys and father play in the shallow water of the Indian Ocean in the Maldives. — We loved

Boys in a swimming pool in the Maldives with palm trees in the background. — We loved

After researching, these are the resorts that I’m most drawn to for our next family trip, based on the requirements I mentioned above. I’ve also included a couple of concerns/notes if I have any.

LUX South Ari Atoll – doesn’t have great snorkeling from beach
Ayada – long transfer to island from Malé (this is where we’re heading next)
Sun Siyam Iru Fushi – absolutely loved it but would like to try another island
Siyam World – looks like a ton of fun for the boys but don’t want a big, busy island
Emerald Faarufushi – can’t tell if it’s too small and quiet (we ended up going here on our second visit)
Niyama Private Islands
Anantara Dhigu – close to Malé
NH Havodda – snorkeling looks amazing, but it’s got the long domestic transfer