Whole Family Paradise At Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives

With its bone-white beaches, romantic over-water villas and colourful marine life, it’s no surprise that the Maldives is one of the world’s most popular destinations for couples. But Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives lets the whole family enjoy an indulgent Indian Ocean getaway.

Review: Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives

STAY

Half an hour’s seaplane ride from capital Malé, Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives – or just Finolhu, as it’s more commonly known – looks exactly like the Maldives of your holiday dreams. Waving staff in brightly coloured shirts wave a welcome as the seaplane glides to a wooden boardwalk. A talcum-powder soft beach curves into the distance, and beyond a jungle-thick cluster of palm trees lies thatched wooden villas built on stilts over a glittering Indian Ocean.

Finolhu is situated in the Baa Atoll, one of 26 natural atolls in the Indian Ocean that has a unique marine habitat for around 1,200 different reef species and has been designated an UNESCO biosphere reserve. It’s not surprising everyone from the Beckhams to Leonardo DiCaprio have visited, while Cara Delevingne took over the entire island with her friends in 2016.

Yet while the beautiful setting may be a given, Finolhu doesn’t just rely on its surroundings to dazzle. Unlike many other Maldivian resorts – which can be a little (whisper it) boring beyond the beach – Finolhu is packed with things to do. There’s an impressive sea-facing gym with a climbing wall and reformer Pilates machine, a tennis and padel court, a VR golf studio, a watersports centre with kayaks and paddleboards and even an art studio.

Ocean Pool Villa

Unusually, even children won’t be bored. There’s a kids club for those under 12, a brilliantly fun inflatable water course just off shore, giant outdoor chess sets and a brand-new teen club (constructed with sustainable bamboo) complete with consoles, a movie lounge and a music studio with a stage, instruments and DJ equipment.

In 2023, Finolhu was awarded the prestigious Travelife Gold Certification to recognise its commitment to sustainability and community support, and it shows. There are biodegradable straws and bath products in refillable glass bottles, while drinking water across the resort comes from an osmosis plant which converts seawater into drinking water. Staff regularly participate in beach clean ups on Finolhu and local islands, and a resident marine biologist also runs an extensive coral reef regeneration project, planting new coral and leading snorkel sessions to observe its progress.

Finolhu’s 125 villas include Beach Villas that lead straight onto the sand and two-bedroom Rock Star Ocean Pool Villas, which have an eight-metre long infinity swimming pool, private bar and enormous living area. I stayed with my daughter in a chic Ocean Pool Villa, decorated in breezy shades of soft turquoise and crisp white, with a large wooden deck with rocking chairs and loungers, a free-standing bath overlooking the sea and not one but two outdoor showers. Outside, we enjoyed a private freshwater pool and a ladder straight into the ocean for direct access to the house reef.

EAT

Tucked between white sand and the hotel’s main pool, the open-sided Beach Kitchen is at the heart of Finolhu. Open all day, it has one of the most comprehensive breakfast buffets I’ve ever seen, including a breakfast wellbeing station laden with fruit, seeds and nuts inviting guests to build their own acai bowls. Themed buffets are held each evening, often featuring performances from local musicians and serving up everything from street food to Italian dishes and Maldivian specialities, where the banana curry is a revelation.

Elsewhere, there’s the drop-by Milk LAB serving protein shakes, fresh juices and delicious frozen custard heaped with toppings from salted caramel crunch to spiced pineapple compote. Middle Eastern dishes and mezze are on the menu at Arabian Grill (be sure to order the soft-fried cauliflower in Arabic spices).

Arabian Grill

A fresh catch arrives daily from local fishermen from nearby Hithadoo Island; make the most of it at Kanusan, which offers fresh sushi and sashimi in a restaurant on stilts over the ocean.

Finolhu can also arrange special meals, from an extravagant lobster lunch on the water’s edge to a floating breakfast on a heart-shaped tray in your private pool. Just don’t miss the Crab Shack, a laid-back restaurant at the very end of the island’s one kilometre sandbank. Stroll barefoot under the stars to get there or hop on a traditional wooden dhoni boot to dine on ceviche, poke bowls and seafood platters as a DJ plays from decks in a converted VW camper van.

DO

Of course, you don’t need to do anything at all: there are plush loungers-for-two on the beach, Taittinger on tap and a large main pool with a swim-up bar. Plus a spa with individual treatment huts tucked away amongst the trees.

But if you do fancy something a little more active, there’s plenty to do each day at Finolhu, including beach yoga, meditation and boot camp classes. For teens, there are dedicated and innovative sessions that might even tempt them off their phones, including photography lessons, silent discos and windsurfing courses. My daughter tried her hand at making sushi, which turned out so well we ate it for lunch afterwards.

Options for an extra charge include dolphin spotting cruises, sunset fishing trips, wine tasting, jet skiing and excursions to other local islands. My daughter and I try an aerial yoga class with possibly the world’s most patient teacher, sign up for a ‘sip and paint’ art session (where I discover I’m much better at sipping than painting) and snorkel with colourful clownfish and serene turtles on a boat trip with the delightfully cheery marine biologist Ivana.

Oceaneers Club

Once the sun goes down, there are music acts, fire shows, beach movie screenings and a weekly white party with circus performers, a DJ and themed cocktails for those who, understandably, don’t want days at Finolhu to end…

THE FINAL WORD

Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives has all you’d expect from a tropical paradise, but it’s the extras that keep devoted guests returning, from the evening entertainment to the thoughtful programme for hard-to-please teens. For anyone who has dismissed the Maldives as a glamorous fly and flop, this is the island to change your mind.

BOOK IT

Lagoon villas start from £400 per night, including breakfast. Book at finolhu.com

Return flights from Heathrow to Male emit 2966.1kg of CO2e. ecollectivecarbon.com