An all-inclusive five-star island in the far south-west of South Ari, next to the marine protected area where whale sharks are seen all year, with 100 beach and water villas.
Meliá Whale Lagoon sits on Bodufinolhu, in the far south-west of South Ari Atoll, 30 minutes from Malé by seaplane. It opened in 2023 as Barceló Whale Lagoon and became a Meliá in January 2026. Next door is the South Ari Marine Protected Area, the one place in the Maldives where whale sharks are seen all year, and the dive team scouts for them by drone before the boats go out. Stays have been all inclusive since November 2024.
The 100 villas come in three kinds, each beach and water villa facing the sunrise or the sunset. The Beach Villas (78 m²) open onto the sand, with terrace swings, indoor and outdoor showers and a bathtub. The Water Villas (85 m²) have a terrace with sun loungers and stairs straight down into the lagoon. The seven Sunset Suite Villas (114 m²) on the beach add a terrace of 58 m² with a private pool.
Sea Salt is the main restaurant, with buffets and an open kitchen for every meal, and Aqua serves Mediterranean-style seafood in the evening, indoors, outdoors or in two palm-covered palapas. Breeze is the bar and snack spot by the main pool, and Magical is a beach club by the Lagoon Pool, with a DJ or live music in the evening. There are two infinity pools, a spa with a sauna and steam room, a gym, and the Koamas PADI 5-Star dive centre.
This profile comes from travel agencies, because the resort's own website couldn't be checked. It changed from Barceló to Meliá in January 2026, so some agencies still use the old name, and the price is only an agency figure. Whale sharks are a boat trip away rather than off the beach, though turtles and young reef sharks are seen on the house reef.
A villa on the beach, facing the sunrise or the sunset, with a terrace with sun loungers and a swing, direct beach access, a bathtub and indoor and outdoor showers. Two guests.
King bed
An overwater villa, facing the sunrise or the sunset, with a 27 m² terrace with sun loungers, stairs down into the lagoon, a bathtub and indoor and outdoor showers. Two guests.
King bed
One of seven beach suites facing the sunset, with a 58 m² terrace holding a private pool and a swing, direct beach access, a rain shower and a bathtub. Two guests.
King bed
The same resort and the same villa, booked through people who live here.
Request a free quoteThe main restaurant: international and Maldivian buffets with an open kitchen and themes that change daily, for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Mediterranean-style seafood and local fish, à la carte; dinner 7–10pm
Cocktails, light bites and snacks, with morning and afternoon tea; 10am–10pm
A beach club with cocktails and healthy bites, and a DJ or live duo in the evening; 10am–11pm
Breakfasts and candlelit dinners set up on the beach
Balinese-inspired treatments in six rooms, including couples cabins with an outdoor Jacuzzi, plus a sauna, steam room and beauty area; yoga and Pilates
A PADI 5-Star centre with whale shark and manta trips into the marine protected area, freediving courses and a training pool
The shape comes from OpenStreetMap, simplified: a guide to the layout, not a survey. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A 30-minute seaplane flight from Malé.
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