Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives

Our stay at Finolhu Beach Resort in the Baa Atoll was simply breathtaking. From the moment we stepped off the seaplane, we were enveloped in a world of pure luxury and tranquility. This stunning island, larger than some of its neighbors, offers the perfect blend of relaxation and adventure. We spent our days lounging in our luxurious overwater villa, complete with a private plunge pool and breathtaking ocean views, and strolling along the pristine, kilometer-long sandbank, feeling like the only two people in the world. The dining experiences were exceptional, from the fresh seafood at the Beach Kitchen to the innovative cuisine at Kanusan. Every meal was a culinary journey, featuring the highest quality ingredients and creative presentations. And the staff? Incredibly warm, attentive, and genuinely dedicated to making our stay unforgettable. They anticipated our every need and greeted us with smiles every day. The highlight of our trip was the unforgettable White Party at Crab Shack – a magical evening of sunset cocktails, dancing under the stars, and pure bliss. We danced the night away to live music & the DJ's infectious beats. We can't wait to return to this slice of heaven! Read less

Luxury and magical, Finohlu exceeded my expectations. Rooms - We stayed in the overwater villa, which comes with blackout curtains, a beautiful and spacious bedroom and bathroom with all the amenities and butler service. Our butler- Aflaah was quick to respond to all our needs. There was no request he did not attend to, and it made our stay that much better. Food - The resort has a few restaurants. We opted for half board. The buffet at the main restaurant is beautifully designed with plenty of options and fantastic food. We visited kanusan and the crab shack, and both restaurants did not disappoint. Resort - the resort has a futsal court, a kids area, a pool, a bar, a tennis court, a gym, a spa, a salon, watersports, and a dive center. My husband and I went on 1 dive, and it was excellent. They also provide free snorkelling gear as well a few watersport equipment (non motorised) for free such a padel board. The resort is also something complimentary each day - a meet or greet with free cocktails and canapés or beachside cocktails and entertainment during the evenings. Service - the staff here are very courteous and lovely. The manager comes to greet you the minute you arrive and gives you a brief of the place before transferring you to your butler who takes care of all your needs. Transport - requires a sea plane to get here from the Male airport. Cost - Well worth the luxury and service. I would easily come here again. Read less

Top notch resort! After visiting over 8 Maldivian islands over the last 10 years, Finolhu turns out to be one of the very best. It scores highly in all areas with good food and wine to excellent service and location. We loved the island with plenty of clean sand and crystal clear calm water for swimming. Villas were to our liking as they were fresh spacious and vibrant in designs. We spent 10 days on the island for our 10th anniversary and throughly enjoyed the entertainment from circus skills to beach parties and a memorable wine tasting with the head sommelier. We often get asked which was our favourite island and would be happy to say Finolhu is in our top 3. The island has a little bit of everything helping you relax with the beautiful spa to yoga sessions on the beach. The island’s long sand bank is also excellent for running and the strava named green autobahn cocoons you with lush green foliage. Well done to the staff for a genuinely warm and friendly welcome making our anniversary so memorable. Read less

Firstly, for anyone researching where to stay in the Maldives - just pick Finolhu. After hours & hours of research, we did and it surpassed every expectation in every sense. When talking to other guests who have stayed in other well known luxury resorts, they all commented how Finolhu was the best one by far. If you want detail read below, if you want the summary - book it!! You won't regret it. We travel on average around 5-10 times a year globally between work trips and holidays, we have stayed in a lot of luxury hotels and Finolhu hands down is the best one we have ever experienced. This is down to a few factors: 1. Service - This is luxury, personalized service from the minute you jump in the transfer to the seaplane lounge where there's a beautiful cafe with a terrace, a delicious spread of food & drink and even showers with all you need to refresh after a long flight. When you land, Finolhu have a large, stable jetty connected to the island, which as we dropped off other passengers to other resorts en route we realized isn't always the norm! Some are small pontoons in the middle of the ocean....small bit scary! You are greeted by a team of waving staff who welcome you with a fresh coconut and there you meet your butler, or Rohoo, who takes you on a brief tour of the resort while you luggage is being delivered into your villa. Throughout our stay our Rohoo was Raaish. Words can't describe how thoughtful and attentive Raaish was during our stay, nothing was a problem, he is a calm, smiling presence throughout your day and we miss him! Endless buggy rides around the place anytime of day or night, organizing excursions and spa appointments, letting us know in advance if restaurants are getting busy so we book in before missing a slot, letting us know every morning if there's something special on activity wise and what time is best to be there - the list goes on! His service took our stay to the next level and we will be back because of this. We were also very impressed with the room service, with the room being attended to twice a day for towels and bedding if you so desired, mini bar restocked and the nighttime turn down was a lovely touch - it kept our villa shining throughout our stay never mind the sand and sea water we were bringing in! There wasn't one moment of the entire 7 days where we had to look for someone for our next drink, they were always keeping an eye out on our water levels and how empty the beers/cocktails were There's also around 2 staff members per guest so this is why the service is so efficient and seamless Special mentions to: Alfaah who helped us very late at night when we had an injured member of the party and made sure we were in at the island doctor when we needed to be Ayya who proudly manages The Arabian Grill, he's so knowledgeable & passionate about his restaurant and turned our package into a culinary & wine pairing experience for the night! 2. Food - We didn't realize Finolhu was owned by a German company, but after we knew, the food influences made sense. Most of the wine is good quality European wines that they ship into the island and the consistent buffet items at breakfast/ lunch & dinner will be familiar to Europeans with cold cuts & cheeses / Continental breakfast spreads, full English fry up items, eggs and pancakes made to order and even cottage pie one lunch! On top of the European flair, there's a real celebration of Maldivian food with so many beautiful local dishes to try every day, it was always varied and themed each evening from Street Food Night to Indian to Latino night etc It's also all top grade cuts of beef steak which you can get cooked to order, fresh fish options grilled to order and so many beautiful desserts - the pastry chefs on site go all out on the variety and decoration it's almost a shame to eat them! If you are debating what package to purchase, go premium all inclusive. This means you have access to Milk Lab which is incredibly handy if you have had a lie in after a late night and missed breakfast - fab coffees and croissants and Toasties and smoothies and ice creams situated right on the watersports beach and they bring everything out to your sun lounger if you so desire. You will also have the option of going to Kanusan, Crab Shack and The Arabian Grill as many times as you want on the premium all inclusive which works out incredibly well price wise as opposed to paying on site. Three beautiful restaurants with very high quality food - but Crab Shack is very very special. Crab Shack is located on the end of the sandbank either a 20min walk from the main resort or a 2min speedboat ride and it was our favourite spot on the whole island. Not only is the food fresh and delicious but the bar is great and nothing beats watching the sun go down sitting on the beach with chill music, pure heaven! One thing we were discussing with other guests is the surcharge policy. Other resorts tend to have a lot of items on a menu that incur a surcharge even if you are on a package - Finolhu had very few, there's expected ones for a full live lobster or a king crab but you can get crab and lobster and steak on the menu with no surcharges, we didn't feel like we missed out on any dishes by not ordering the more premium surcharge options, there was so much good quality choice we didn't feel the need. 3. Activities & Social - When doing our research for this trip we wanted something high end but also social, we like to meet others and do activities and excursions and Finolhu is the perfect mix of a luxury experience with a great communal attitude where you can either keep to yourself or get involved with the daily activities and we met some great guests at the bar in the evenings that we now consider friends. The bar goes on late til 1am and they are flexible with that time, letting you finish your drinks without rushing. In terms of activities it's jam packed, their new Art Club allows you to throw pottery, do a sip and paint event, learn resin skills. Their tennis and padel courts are pristine and have everything you need to play there. The watersports centre is fantastic, we made use of the kayaks and boards in the mornings and then did the dolphin jet ski excursion with a guide who takes you out to play alongside a dolphin pod and then onto a small island to see all the crabs and rays. The dive center also has some incredible guides, we did the Dolphin & Turtle excursion where we snorkeled with three beautiful turtles on the coral reef and then caught up with a pod of over 100 playful dolphins which was so magical to see them in the wild enjoying surfing the boats wake and somersaulting away. On your first day, pick up snorkeling gear and head out from your villa or on the house reef, you don't have to go far to see bright, tropical fish swimming about the coral. There's life jackets at the top of your wardrobe if you need them which is a lovely touch. Your Rohoo will also let a lifeguard know if you plan to snorkel from your villa so everyone is safe, a simple WhatsApp to them to let them know you are going out. There is also some sort of performance most nights that's musical or performing based like circus skills or a live band or fire dancing. 4. Ambiance/ Aesthetics Finolhu's aesthetics are all about colour & craft, with handmade artwork in the rooms and handmade ceramic chandeliers, beautiful quality timber joinery wardrobes and bar areas with loads of space and hangers, extra large bathrooms with three showers in total to choose from and the bed is giant - we were surprised at the size of our villa in real life, and the external terrace is so well provisioned with a very comfy day bed, rocking chairs, dining table and chairs, sun loungers and parasols. We had a pool villa which was very special, the pool villas have views of the ocean as opposed to the lagoon so we spent mornings enjoying a coffee watching the dolphins from the terrace that we will never forget. The spa is also very well thought out with a stunning relaxation room that has its own private courtyard and path to the beach. Each treatment room is it's own self contained small house hidden in the foliage - it's a really special experience to have a treatment here. Build wise around the resort we were so impressed with the use of traditional Balinese / Indonesian bamboo structures, a long process to build with bent bamboo but it looks incredible tucked into the islands planting compared to a more modern/rendered structure - the attention to detail as you walk around the island, the views you have and the walkways created are so picturesque and well considered it makes for a really special, cohesive experience no matter where you are on the resort. 5. Wildlife One of the main reasons we gravitated towards Finolhu was their passion for the surrounding sea life and wild life. Seeing so many dolphins in their natural habitat was the highlight for us, on excursions and just watching them from our terrace. On top of that, the turtles and fish when snorkeling don't even bat an eyelid at you and you can watch them go about their business, all staff are very good at briefing you about keeping your distance and respecting the creatures in their natural habitat. They are also making a conscious conservation effort at Finolhu between caring for the coral reef and being in the edge of the biosphere, protecting rays and sharks which you can see when it's the right season for them. On the island there's so many different crabs, they are entertaining to watch, herons that calmly sit on the sands waiting for the right fish, giant Indian fruit bats that you see in the day and the night - they are so impressive, small lizards, small sharks and spotted eagle rays you can view from the villas boardwalk or watch from the bar in Kansuan - it's just teeming and we loved being in the middle of it all. Jet skiing alongside flying fish and dolphins will always be the best bit, its a must do, just check with the guide the best days and times as the dolphins moods change with the weather and time of day we learnt. Read less