A good-value, all-beach island in Baa Atoll, half an hour from the airport by plane and boat, with Hanifaru Bay 25 minutes away.
Royal Island is on Horubadhoo in Baa Atoll's UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and belongs to Villa Resorts. It's reached by a 20-minute domestic flight to Dharavandhoo and a 10-minute speedboat ride, and Hanifaru Bay, where manta rays and whale sharks gather from June to November, is 25 minutes away by boat.
Every villa is on the beach, ringing the island in front of a stretch of inland jungle. Beach Villas (57 m²) have a sea-view terrace, an open-air shower and their own patch of sand, Sunset Beach Villas face the evening sun, and Beach Pool Villas (115 to 125 m²) add a private pool. For families there are two-bedroom beach villas that sleep six, and two-bedroom Beach Pool Residences at either end of the island come with a butler.
Maakanaa is the beachside buffet restaurant, from breakfast to dinner, and Raabondhi, on the quieter south side, grills seafood and Maldivian lobster over coals. Boli Bar has live music and a pool table, there's a swim-up pool bar, and Fun Pub runs karaoke and DJs from 9pm. Araamu Spa sits in the island's inner jungle with classic and Ayurvedic treatments, diveOceanus runs the dive centre, and Starfish Kids Club looks after younger children.
Rates include full board at least, which makes the low price go further. The resort's site points to snorkelling by boat and canoe around nearby reefs rather than a house reef. Most villas have no pool, and the entry Beach Villas are 57 m².
Backed by greenery a few steps from the lagoon, with indoor and outdoor seating, an open-air shower and your own patch of beach.
King bed
A Beach Villa on the sunset side, with ocean views from a private terrace and an open-air shower in the greenery.
King bed
On the shoreline with a private pool, sea views from the terrace and open-air showers.
King bed
Two bedrooms shaded by greenery, a short walk from the restaurants, with a terrace onto the beach; sleeps six.
The largest villas, at the far east and west ends of the island, with a private pool, lagoon access and a butler.
The same resort and the same villa, booked through people who live here.
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Buffets from breakfast to dinner, with South Asian dishes and produce from nearby islands
Seafood and grilled meat, with whole Maldivian lobster from the coal grill
Beach bar with cabana seating, coffee, cocktails, a pool table and live music
Swim-up bar under a palm-thatched roof
Late bar from 9pm with billiards, karaoke, live bands and DJs
Classic body and face treatments and Ayurvedic therapies
Courses from beginner to PADI Divemaster, and dives to sites near Hanifaru Bay
Crafts, nature discovery, story time and indoor play for younger children
The shape comes from OpenStreetMap, simplified: a guide to the layout, not a survey. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A 20-minute domestic flight from Velana International Airport to Dharavandhoo, then a 10-minute speedboat ride.
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