Featuring 20 overwater villas in addition to 140 island rooms and suites, the Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort is one of the larger hotels in the Maldives. The water villas are large, even by Maldives standards, and are loaded with personal and business amenities that you'd expect from a 4-star Holiday Inn property.
There is a full diving center and trips can be arranged, but there is no house reef here and water villas are in shallow water so this isn't among the best diving resorts in the area, but it's otherwise loaded with features and activities and overall gets very high marks from past guests.
The Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort is located in South Malé Atoll, about 35 kilometers south of Malé International Airport in the Maldives.
20 Overwater Villas
140 Island rooms and suites
*Speedboat return transfer from Malé Airport: US$229 per adult
Kandooma Spa offers a wide range of Asia-inspired therapies and has been designed as a place of rejuvenation in an unspoilt environment, consisting of five single treatment rooms and two deluxe treatment villas and a relaxation area with lounge chairs.
To reach the Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort you’ll need to fly to the main Malé International Airport in the Maldives. From there you’ll be met by hotel staff who will put you on a private speedboat for the 40-minute ride to the small island where the resort lies.
Reviews of the Holiday Inn Kandooma Resort are generally very positive, with most past guests pointing to a very good experience overall. The staff and the food get very high marks for being even better than expected. The range of facilities and the nightlife also gets positive notices from many.
Some guests do point out that the overwater villas are in relatively shallow water so snorkeling below them is impossible, at least during low tide. A few other guests point out small maintenance issues, though with a large and busy resort like this you are bound to have some guests who experience problems, and even the majority of them say they’d come back. Many guests mention that the in-room wi-fi either didn’t work or didn’t work well, so that could be an issue for some. Overall, this seems like a good resort choice.
