JA Manafaru sits in Haa Alifu Atoll, in the Upper North Province, about as far from Malé as a Maldivian resort gets. That remoteness is the product. The lagoon and coral gardens circle the entire island, and the dive centre counts 33 sites within reach.
Eighty-four villas and residences on an island of banyans and jungle. Every villa has a private pool.
Getting there
Four routes, and the right one depends on your inbound flight.
| Route | Time |
|---|---|
| Seaplane direct from Velana to the resort jetty | 70 minutes |
| Domestic flight to Hoarafushi, then speedboat | 55 min + 10 min |
| Domestic flight to Hanimaadhoo, then speedboat | 50 min + 40 min |
| Land at Hanimaadhoo on an international flight, then speedboat | 40 minutes |
That last one is worth knowing about. Hanimaadhoo takes international flights, so you can reach the island without transiting Malé at all. If your routing allows it, it is the shortest door-to-door option by some margin.
Return transfers for two are included in the rate, by domestic flight and speedboat, airport to island and back. You also get the VIP lounge at Malé: Moonimaa for domestic transfers, Coral for seaplane.
What the rate includes
More than most packages. Several of these are normally extras that add up quickly across a week.
- Accommodation for two guests per villa
- Return transfers for two, airport to island and back
- VIP lounge access at Malé
- Service charge at 10% and GST at 17%
- Green tax at USD 12 per person per night
- 24-hour Thakuru butler service
- A private pool with every villa
- Wi-Fi in the villas and throughout the island
- Kids' club, the Cool Zone with billiards and PlayStation, and the games arcade
- Fitness club, yoga classes, and the tennis, futsal and badminton courts
- A dedicated bicycle
- Snorkelling equipment and non-motorised watersports
- Theme nights and the weekly entertainment programme for adults and children
Kids', vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and low-carb menus are available in every restaurant.
Service charge, GST and green tax being inside the rate matters more than it sounds. On a Maldives holiday those three routinely add a fifth to a quoted price, and they are the most common reason a bill at check-out is larger than expected.
The meal plan
Half board on a dine-around basis: breakfast and dinner at whichever restaurant is operating, rather than one fixed venue.
Dinner is three courses, meaning a starter, a main and a dessert per paying guest, or the weekly theme night buffet. JA branded water, tea and coffee are included at mealtimes. Anything else you drink is charged as you go.
One caveat the resort states plainly: in quieter months some restaurants close, so the dine-around choice narrows. Ask us which venues are operating on your dates before you book.
Lunch, the spa, The Cellar, the Kuri treehouse and in-villa dining all sit outside the plan.
Book before 30 September 2026
- Free upgrade to seaplane transfers, on stays of four nights or more
- Fifteen minutes of jet skiing once during the stay, on four nights or more
- Up to two children under 12 stay, eat, play and travel free
- A floating breakfast, once per stay
- Movie nights in the theatre and access to the games arcade
The seaplane upgrade is the one to notice. It lands at the resort's own jetty and removes the speedboat leg altogether, which on the Hanimaadhoo routing saves you forty minutes at sea in each direction.
Honeymoons
On production of a marriage certificate: champagne and a fruit platter on arrival, a honeymoon cake, one romantic turndown, and a floating breakfast during the stay. The floating breakfast is overwater villas only.
The villas
Eighty-four in total, and the split matters. Forty-seven are water villas at 135 m², twenty-two are beach villas at 200 m², and twelve are deluxe beach villas at 400 m² with a family pool set in a walled garden and a waterfall.
The beach villas are larger than the water villas here, which is the reverse of most resorts. If floor space matters more to you than waking up over the lagoon, that is an easy decision.
Three residences sit above all of them, including a three-bedroom at 5,800 m² that the resort describes as the largest in the country, with its own beach bar, spa pavilion, sauna and steam room.
Diving and the house reef
The house reef runs the whole way round the island and you enter from your own villa or the beach. Snorkel gear is included for the stay.
The PADI centre works 33 named sites, among them Vagaaru Garden for mantas and Farukolhu Kandu for nurse sharks. Manta diving and snorkelling are seasonal. If diving is the reason you are going, this is one of the stronger arguments for accepting the journey north.
For families
The Cool Zone kids' club, a teens arcade, tennis, futsal, beach volleyball, a cinema and a nature trail. Beach and water villas take two adults, one child and one infant; the deluxe beach villas take two children.
Until 30 September 2026 two children under 12 stay, eat, play and travel free, which on a family of four is the single largest saving on this page.
Who this isn't for
Short trips. The journey is long, and both the seaplane upgrade and the jet ski need four nights or more, so three nights costs you the best inclusions as well as the time. Five is the sensible minimum.
Anyone expecting every meal covered. This is half board. Lunch is charged, as is the spa and anything at The Cellar, Kuri or in your villa.
Anyone who wants a lively island. Eighty-four villas, jungle, banyans and a nature trail. It is quiet, and that is the reason to come.
Location
Manafaru Island, Haa Alifu Atoll, Maldives
For current rates, villa availability and transfer costs, message our Maldives specialists on WhatsApp or send us an enquiry. We reply within 24 hours.