The resort offers three styles of accommodation: the two-bedroom beach pool residence, the beach villa, and the garden villa. The two-bedroom beach pool residences are 246 square meters and can accommodate up to four guests. With two bathrooms, a Jacuzzi, and a private pool, the rooms also face directly to the beachfront. The beach villas are 57 square meters and are feature private terraces that overlook the waves and sand. The villas accommodate up to three guests and have open-air showers. The garden villas are nestled in tropical gardens and accommodate up to two guests. At 34 square meters, the villas also have private terraces and open-air showers. All accommodations have air-conditioning, wi-fi, phone, flat-screen TV, tea, coffee, and a hairdryer.
There are several restaurants and bars on the resort that offer traditional dishes of the Maldives and dishes from across the globe. Guests can also visit the resort’s spa that offers anything from full-body massages to facials. Out of the water, guests can fish, island-hop, play volleyball, and more.
The PADI-certified resort has two-tank boat dives from 8 a.m. to noon each day as well as single dives at 2 p.m. Full-day trips, private manta snorkeling, night snorkeling, and night dives can be arranged. Before guests can begin their boat dives, they must participate in an orientation dive at the house reef if they have not had a logged dive in three months or have less than 30 logged dives.
The Maldivian waters are crystal clear with white sandy seabed and are home to a myriad of colorful aquatic life. These waters are known for their endless dive experiences, specifically the manta rays from May to December. Specific dive sites include Horubadhoo Thila, which is located just five minutes from the resort. It is 12 to 16 meters deep, and the reef is populated with soft corals, anemones, and sea fans. Marine life includes nudibranchs, fusilier, tuna, and jackfish. Occasional sights also include grey reef sharks, stingrays, and eagle rays. Madi Thila is west of the resort and consists of a sandy seabed and two big coral formations. This is where stingrays and eagle rays feed, and nurse sharks, frogfish, stonefish, and the occasional barracuda roam. A popular choice amongst advanced divers is Dhonfanu Thila where there is a strong current, and critters include Napoleon fish, eagle rays, jackfish, tuna, grey reef sharks as well as moray eels, scorpionfishes, and groupers at the top reef.
Narrative text and photos courtesy of Royal Island Resort - Villa Hotels Maldives.