Three Recently Updated Family-Friendly Resorts in Maldives

OBLU NATURE Helengeli

The Maldives iconic diving and snorkeling paradise, OBLU NATURE Helengeli by SENTIDO reopened last year with an enticing, all-new vibrant look with stunning water villas, beach villas enhanced with private pools, and a speciality restaurant – Raga Route.

Guests can now choose from 153 villas and suites within 8 categories. Perched over aquamarine waters, the newly added Water Villas with Pool and Water Suite with Pool feature attractive décor, a spacious outdoor deck with pool, comfy seating areas, and a constant shimmer of the ocean. Beachfront villas and suites have also been refreshed.

Designed for families, the 2-Bedroom Family Villas with Pool and 2-Bedroom Beach Suite with Pool are the perfect holiday homes with direct beach access. These suites include a spacious master bedroom, kids’ room with twin beds and a private pool, ensuring plenty of space for everyone.

Returning guests will be delighted to find Helen’s Bar & Pool reimagined into a ‘bohemian chic’ hang out spot with a larger family pool, overwater hammocks, and a dance floor with DJ station. Speciality dining options are expanded too with Just Grill restaurant featuring refreshed interiors and the addition of Pizzas and Mediterranean delicacies to the existing menu of meat and seafood grills.

The 4-star resort also enriches the holiday experience with the addition of an Overwater Gymand a Kids Club & Nature Center. Imagined as an interactive learning space, the kids club invites young guests to learn about the local flora and fauna. ELE|NA THE SPA has also been refurbished with a new treatment room and a range of holistic therapies inspired by natural elements.

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Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

In early 2022 the iconic Maldives twin-island resort, Conrad Rangali Island unveiled grand relaunch following multi-million dollar renovation, debuting reimagined spacious water villas, reinvigorated culinary venues, an expansive new spa, and brand new Teens Club and enhanced Kids Club. .

As part of its Grand Relaunch the 50 refreshed overwater villas on the Rangali Island side of the resort have been revitalized to include stylish new interiors, combining integrated indoor-outdoor living spaces with uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean and direct access to a private sun deck. The best options among these for families are the 2 Bedroom Grand Water villa with Pool and Two Bedroom Rangali Ocean Pavilion with Pool, which can accommodate up to six guests.

The 7,190-square-foot Three-Bedroom Beach Suite with Pool has direct ocean access and a private pool. This three-bedroom villa is complemented by a main living room, dining area and a fully equipped kitchenette. Bedrooms are inter-connected featuring a sundeck and two infinity pools with direct access to a private white sandy beach. Located on the livelier Rangali-Finolhu Island, the Beach Suite offers three bathrooms with double vanity complete with indoor and outdoor rain shower and sunlit women’s vanity corner.

The new Conrad Maldives Over-water Spa preserves the overall look and feel of the celebrated spa while offering refreshed reception and treatment areas alongside brand new indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces. As a result of the renovations, the passage between the resort and the spa will seamlessly transition guests through a portal into an open-air cocoon of wellness and elevated consciousness for a truly alchemizing experience. In collaboration with ISUN, Conrad Maldives' Over-water Spa has created an exclusive treatment offering comprised of 17 rituals inspired by the unique setting, bringing guests to a higher state of consciousness and wellbeing through connection with the natural environment. In addition to the spa, a brand new and fully equipped gym is available at the adults only island.

The hotel's dining options have been thoughtfully enhanced to consider guest experience above all else. The renovated dining venues include Atoll Market, an all-day dining buffet restaurant featuring live cooking stations, Rangali Bar, a relaxed social hub offering lunch, dinner or cocktails, and Vilu Restaurant at Rangali Island, an open-air restaurant located on the edge of the lagoon.

Now offering expanded and refreshed facilities for guests across all generations, the hotel's upgrades include the unveiling of a brand new Furaavaru Club (Teens Club) and Majaa Explorer's Hub (Kids Club). Located on the lively, family-centric Rangali-Finolhu Island, the new spaces occupy an expansive complex offering engaging experiences for adolescents and children.

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Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas

Set within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas unveiled a collection of the largest private pool residences in the world with the completed renovation of the resort’s two-bedroom overwater pool residences, two years ago. The crown jewel in this collection is the Four-Bedroom Beach Pool Residence —one of the final touches of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar renovation—is the perfect accommodation for large families or multiple families traveling together, as it offers space and privacy, as well as access to all the amenities and services of the luxury island resort.

What can you expect? Combining the three-bedroom residence with an extra beach pool villa, guests can luxuriate in the expansive amount of space found throughout. Interconnected and complete with two infinity pools, this Maldives private beach residence is perfect for extended families or groups of friends of up to 12. With direct access to a private beach, revel in lush, lounge and sundeck spaces, high-tech comforts, and a Villa Host on call. Infusing tropical resort spa vibe, your beach villa residence comes complete with its very own spa treatment room. Enjoy a barbecue prepped in the pantry, grilled under the stars, and served in your indoor dining area or out in the palm-fringed sala.

In 2023, Anantara Kihavah took this reputation to an entirely new level with the completion of a multi-million-dollar refurbishment of their Overwater Pool Villas, solidifying its place as one of the most opulent destinations in the Maldives. For the ultimate in intimate family escapes, retreat to the dreamiest One Bedroom Family Over Water Pool Villa, where precious shared moments await in your secluded hideaway perched over a turquoise lagoon. With direct access to the lagoon from your refreshed villa, explore the marvels of the enchanting reef, where vibrant marine life awaits.

Other things of the recent upgrades include FIRE teppanyaki restaurant, underwater-aged wine tasting and the Maldives’ first ever immersive dining under water at SEA Restaurant, and it’s a highly recommended. Recently, the resort announced the highly anticipated reopening of its signature overwater teppanyaki restaurant, Fire. Following an extensive transformation, Fire emerges with an elevated aesthetic, an expanded seating capacity, and a tantalising new menu based on Japanese and Peruvian cuisines. Voted as the world’s best underwater wine cellar and restaurant, Anantara Kihavah has launched a new underwater-aged wine tasting experience, and now taking epicurean adventure to a whole new level — six metres beneath the sea. This exciting new 3D sensory dining event in the Maldive hosts a strictly limited number of diners beneath the pristine waters of the Indian Ocean to the resort’s award-winning SEA Underwater Restaurant, where they will be immersed in an enchanting marine world as they are treated to a memorable feast for the senses with an enthralling 'Message in a Bottle' themed dining. Each restaurant at the resort features child-friendly options and portions.

One experience for the whole family is the Spice Spoons private cooking class. Guests will learn to create locally inspired dishes with fresh ingredients. The lunch menu can be catered to your dietary needs and can include sodas or alcoholic drinks. Guests will be able to take home the recipes and the aprons they use in the kitchen.

Children can also enjoy a series of well-being-focused activities and action at Thiththi Boli Kids' Club that foster connection with nature, promote focus and self-awareness, and encourage better sleep. Creativity is stoked through different themes. Teenagers can chill out in the island's recreation area or join family games with life-sized chess, badminton, volleyball and Jenga to choose from, or experience once-in-a-lifetime encounters with a variety of marine creatures on house reef while learning about their life and habitat with the resident Marine Biologist.

If you’re looking to get off the island, popular option include renting a private yacht to spend days cruising on the Indian Ocean whilst evenings light up with exclusive private dining. Enjoy a private snorkelling experience with your loved ones.

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Six Senses Kanuhura

Iconic Maldives resort Six Senses Kanuhurareimagined with bold design and multi-bedroom retreats on an incredible natural island, Kanuhura reopened with an enhanced look in 2023. Home to one of the largest and most fine natural beaches in the Maldives, the resort encompasses another two white-sand private islands, one for intimate desert island dining and the other for the ultimate castaway escape. What stays has been enhanced, from the Drift and Bottega dining outlets to the organic gardens, where a microgreens nursery mingles with the beauty of wild orchids. The 91 beachfront and overwater villas include 12 new Beach Retreats. These offer one to three bedrooms and private pools just steps from the ocean, spot on for families or larger groups.

The Grow With Six Senses kids’ club and the Island Hideout, designed for teenagers to spend time with new friends, complete the holistic approach to family travel. Crafted experiences can be tailored to suit small and large families alike, including family picnics on a deserted island, PADI Mermaid courses or private cinema screenings, along with various classes and sessions that can be enjoyed as a group, such as cooking classes, catamaran sailing classes, and paper making sessions at the Earth Lab.

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