The only resort in Faafu Atoll: a leafy island with a house reef of reef sharks and rays, seven marked entry points and low prices.
Filitheyo is the only resort in Faafu Atoll, on a 21-hectare island of jungle and white sand about 120 km south of Malé. Getting there takes a 35-minute seaplane flight and a 10-minute dhoni ride. It's run by AAA Hotels & Resorts, which also runs Medhufushi and Hondaafushi.
There are 118 villas. Most are the 80 semi-detached Superior Villas on the beachfront; there are also 15 detached Deluxe Villas with a bathtub, 16 Water Villas on stilts over the house reef with a jacuzzi, a swing chair and steps into the water, and seven Family Villas for up to six. Every villa has a four-poster king bed or twin beds and a sundeck with a daybed.
Diving is the draw. The house reef has seven marked entry points, reef sharks, rays and turtles, and is open for unguided dives from 6am to 8pm; Filitheyo Dive Center also takes dhonis to more than 40 sites, where meeting another dive boat is rare. Meals are buffets at the Main Restaurant, the Sunset Restaurant at the tip of the island serves à la carte beside an infinity-edge pool with a swim-up bar, and the Main Bar has a sandy floor between the beach and a Japanese-style pond. There's also a spa in the jungle, a gym, a library, kayaks and paddleboards, and trips to look for mantas, dolphins and, in season, whale sharks.
Wi-Fi costs extra, and currents can be strong: the resort warns against snorkelling or swimming off the east side of the island. Water sports are non-motorised: kayaks and paddleboards.
Semi-detached on the beachfront, with a four-poster king bed or twin beds, a private sundeck with a daybed and a semi-open-air bathroom with an outdoor shower; up to three adults, or two adults and a child. Interconnecting villas can be requested.
Four-poster king or twin beds
Detached, on the beachfront in a tropical garden facing the lagoon, with a four-poster king bed or twin beds, a private sundeck with a daybed and a semi-open-air bathroom with an outdoor shower and a bathtub; up to three adults, or two adults and a child.
Four-poster king or twin beds
On stilts over the house reef, with a four-poster king bed or twin beds, a large bathroom with a jacuzzi, and a sundeck with a daybed, an 'udoli' swing chair and private steps into the water; up to three adults, or two adults and a child.
Four-poster king or twin beds
The same resort and the same villa, booked through people who live here.
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Buffets from around the world for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with chefs at live cooking stations
International à la carte, wines, cocktails and juices, 11am to 9.30pm, with a swim-up bar in the infinity-edge pool
Spirits, wine and beer from 9am until the last guest leaves
Private dinners for two on the sand, 7 to 9pm, by reservation
Balinese and international treatments in six spa suites, aimed at couples
Morning and afternoon boat dives for easy and advanced groups at more than 40 sites, regular night dives, and unguided house-reef diving from 6am to 8pm
Kayaks and stand-up paddleboards in the lagoon
Manta and seasonal whale shark snorkelling trips, dolphin and sunset cruises on a dhoni, island hopping and fishing
An air-conditioned gym, beach volleyball, table tennis, billiards and a library
The shape comes from OpenStreetMap, simplified: a guide to the layout, not a survey. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A 35-minute seaplane flight from Malé, about 120 km away, then a 10-minute ride by dhoni, the traditional Maldivian boat. There's no other way in.
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