COMO Maalifushi Review: Space, Stillness and Surf on Thaa Atoll's Only Resort

Visited by 360 Degree World in January 2017 · Updated October 2026

COMO Maalifushi is the only resort in Thaa Atoll, about an hour south of Malé by seaplane, and every villa has its own pool. It is quiet, spacious and alone in its atoll, with surf a short boat ride away in season. The compromise is the journey: the seaplane is the only way in, and it flies in daylight only.

What stood out on the visit

The 360 Degree World team visited COMO Maalifushi in Thaa Atoll in mid-January 2017 and found it quiet elegance. The water villas were massive, with plenty of room to breathe and spend slow afternoons splashing in the private pool.

The food was genuinely out of this world, fresh and inventive across every meal.

The only snag was the seaplane transfer, a long trek down south. The team came away seeing it as best for anyone craving vast personal space, serious culinary craft, and stillness over quick, chaotic travel.

What the island is like

An atoll is a ring of coral reef with islands scattered around it. Thaa Atoll lies in the south of the Maldives, well away from the busy atolls around Malé, and COMO Maalifushi was the first and only resort to open there. With no other resort in the atoll, there is no neighbouring island to hop across to for a change of scene.

The resort is COMO's largest private island property in the Maldives. The villas, designed by Koichiro Ikebuchi, are set along the beach and out over the lagoon, the shallow, sheltered water between the beach and the outer reef.

The mood is calm, though from around April to October the surf season brings a livelier crowd.

Arriving

There is one way in. From Velana International Airport in Malé, a seaplane takes about 60 minutes, and the flight may stop at another resort on the way. It lands at a seaplane platform, and a five-minute ride on the resort's speedboat brings guests to the island.

Seaplanes in the Maldives fly in daylight only, and the last flights leave in the afternoon. If an international flight lands too late, the night is spent near Malé and the seaplane goes the next morning; the resort suggests COMO Cocoa Island, its sister resort, as one option. Check your landing time against the current cut-off on the COMO Maalifushi page before you book flights.

The return leg follows the same daylight rule, so a late-night flight home means a long day near the airport. Baggage on the seaplane is limited to 25 kg checked and 5 kg hand luggage per person.

The villas

Every category has its own pool, and each one-bedroom option takes up to four guests.

On the beach, the Beach Suite, about 101 square metres, sits in a private garden with a terrace pool and direct beach access. The Beach Villa, about 116 square metres, faces the sunset on the west side of the island, also with direct beach access.

Over the water, the Water Suite is about 107 square metres. The Water Villa, about 120 square metres, has a pool over six metres long, a sundeck with a cabana, a sunken bathtub, an outdoor shower and direct access to the ocean. Those on the coral garden sit closest to the house reef.

For families and groups there are two-bedroom Beach Suites, Beach Villas and the Beach House, which has a large pool and a private lawn, all sleeping six. Above them come the Maalifushi Beach Villa, the Maalifushi Water Villa on its own jetty, the overwater COMO Villa, the largest on the island, and the four-bedroom COMO Residence for up to twelve.

Housekeeping comes twice a day with a nightly turndown.

Eating and drinking

Madi is the all-day restaurant, on the beach. The cooking draws on regional seafood, fruit and vegetables with light Asian and Mediterranean touches, and there are beach barbecues and three themed nights a week, from Indian classics to seafood feasts. Madi also serves the COMO Shambhala Kitchen menu, a plant-led style of cooking that uses a tandoor.

Tai is the Japanese restaurant over the lagoon, open for lunch and dinner, with sushi and sashimi made from local seafood. The resort pitches it as the place for sunset cocktails.

Thila is the open-air bar, with a floor of sand. It serves pool and beach guests from the full Madi menu, and its games room is open to everyone.

Private dining covers the villa deck, a candlelit table on the beach or a meal on a sandbank, a strip of bare sand that appears in the lagoon. There is also a floating breakfast served in the villa pool. Children's menus are available.

The spa, sport and children

COMO Shambhala Retreat is the spa, with eight treatment rooms over the water facing the ocean. Alongside them sit a Finnish sauna, a steam room, a Jacuzzi, a plunge pool and a relaxation lounge. COMO Shambhala is COMO's wellness brand, and its plant-led menu also appears at Madi.

There is a fully equipped gym, an open-air yoga pavilion with daily classes, and a padel court that opened in 2024.

Play by COMO is the children's club, built around creative, child-led play, with treasure hunts, drumming sessions, a family zipline and marine biology outings. Babysitting is available.

Kayaks, paddleboards and catamaran sailing cover the non-motorised water sports, and snorkel gear is provided.

The water

A house reef is the coral reef you can swim to from the resort itself. At COMO Maalifushi the island sits on a wide lagoon, so the way in is from the jetty steps or the walkway into the coral garden, a sheltered, shallow area ringed by water villas, rather than off the sand. Snorkelling stays inside the marker buoys.

The marine life is the strength. Blacktip reef sharks and the two resident hawksbill turtles are close to a certainty, and guests also report eagle rays, Napoleon wrasse and big schooling fish. The coral itself has not recovered well. A marine biologist gives a weekly talk and leads guided snorkels from the house jetty.

Further out, boat trips run to outer reefs for turtles, and there is a whale shark night snorkel. Thaa has more than 30 charted dive sites, and the resort runs PADI courses and freediving.

Surf is the other draw. The resort works with Tropicsurf, whose guide is based on the island from April to October. Farms, the nearest break in Thaa Atoll, is about 25 minutes by speedboat and suits both beginners and experienced surfers. April, May and October bring lighter winds for learners; June to September brings bigger swell and stronger winds for advanced surfers, with trips to Machine in Laamu and Kasabu in Dhaalu.

The surf season falls in the wetter southwest monsoon, roughly May to November, so expect some rain on a mid-year stay.

Where the compromises are

The journey is the first. The seaplane is the only route and runs in daylight only, so a late international arrival costs a night near Malé, and a late departure costs most of a day.

The second is the reef. The fish, sharks and turtles are reliable, but the coral is not in good shape, and snorkelling is confined to the area inside the buoys.

The third is isolation. With no other island nearby, every meal and outing happens on or from COMO Maalifushi, which suits a long, quiet stay more than a restless one.

Who will love it, and who won't

COMO Maalifushi suits couples and families who want space, a private pool, serious cooking and stillness, and surfers who want a resident Tropicsurf guide and breaks reached by speedboat. Wellness travellers will find the COMO Shambhala approach throughout. It suits short trips, travellers on late international flights and keen coral snorkellers considerably less well.

Common questions

How do you get to COMO Maalifushi?

By seaplane from Velana International Airport in Malé, about 60 minutes, followed by a short speedboat ride from the seaplane platform. The flight may stop at another resort. Seaplanes fly in daylight only, so check your landing time against the current cut-off before booking international flights.

Does COMO Maalifushi have a good house reef?

The marine life is good. Blacktip sharks and two resident hawksbill turtles are close to a certainty, with eagle rays and schooling fish also reported. The coral has not recovered well, and you enter from the jetty steps into a sheltered coral garden, with snorkelling kept inside marker buoys.

Can you surf at COMO Maalifushi?

Yes. Tropicsurf has a guide based on the island from April to October. Farms, about 25 minutes by speedboat, suits beginners and experienced surfers, and advanced surfers can travel to breaks in Laamu and Dhaalu. Lighter winds come in April, May and October; bigger swell from June to September.

Is COMO Maalifushi good for families?

Yes. Play by COMO runs treasure hunts, drumming, a family zipline and marine biology outings, babysitting is available and there are children's menus. Two-bedroom villas on the beach sleep six, and the four-bedroom COMO Residence takes up to twelve guests, so larger families can stay together.

What restaurants does COMO Maalifushi have?

Madi, the all-day restaurant on the beach, with barbecues and three themed nights a week; Tai, the Japanese restaurant over the lagoon for sushi and sashimi at lunch and dinner; and Thila, the sand-floored open-air bar serving pool and beach guests. Private dinners on the beach or a sandbank are also offered.