Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru Review: Mantas, Marine Biologists and a Modest Reef

Updated October 2026

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru is a large, family-friendly island in Baa Atoll, 35 to 40 minutes from Malé by seaplane, with a team of resident marine biologists and manta rays within reach in season. The compromise is the reef: the snorkelling off the beach is modest, and the best of the marine life is reached by boat.

What stands out

Three things set the resort apart.

The first is the marine science. The Marine Discovery Centre is led by resident marine biologists, and guests can join its turtle, coral and manta work.

The second is the mantas. The resort's Manta-on-Call service alerts guests when manta rays are spotted nearby in season and takes them out by speedboat to snorkel with them.

The third is the range. Big villas, four pools, a kids' club and a serious wellbeing centre suit families and multi-generation groups.

What the island is like

An atoll is a ring of coral reef with islands scattered around it. Baa Atoll lies north-west of Malé and is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, protected for its reefs and marine life.

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru has 103 villas, lush tropical gardens and a kilometre of white sand at Blu Beach. Its sister resort is Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa in North Malé Atoll.

An on-site garden grows herbs and produce for the kitchens. This is a big resort rather than an intimate one, and in school holidays there are plenty of children about.

Arriving

The way in is by seaplane from Velana International Airport in Malé, in 35 to 40 minutes. Four Seasons staff escort arriving guests to the seaplane terminal, where the resort's lounge, The Island Café, covers the wait. Transfers fly on the resort's own small seaplanes or on Trans Maldivian Airways.

Seaplanes in the Maldives fly in daylight only, so there is no same-day transfer for an evening landing. For guests arriving by international flight in the evening, the resort offers a Night Arrival arrangement: a night at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa, then the seaplane across to Baa Atoll the next day. On the way home, the last seaplane leaves the island in the afternoon. Check your landing time against the resort's current seaplane schedule before you book flights.

The villas

Every villa in the main categories has its own pool, and the choice is between the beach, the oceanfront and the water.

The Premier Oceanfront Bungalow with Pool is the entry point: 77 square metres inside and 91 outside, with a 12-metre pool, set in foliage-filled gardens on the north side of the island. A protective sea wall here keeps the lagoon calm for swimming year-round. A lagoon is the shallow, sheltered water between the island and the outer reef. The Family Oceanfront Bungalow is 99 square metres inside and takes up to five.

The Water Villas with Pool were redesigned in 2019, with an upper-level lounge, a 12-metre pool extending into the lagoon and steps down into the sea. They are 90 square metres inside with 183 square metres outside, and come as Sunrise, Sunset or Partial Sea View. The family versions are 112 square metres inside.

On the sand, the Beach Villa with Pool is 137 square metres inside with 260 square metres outside, and the Family Beach Villa is 164 square metres inside. Above these sit two- and three-bedroom villas and water suites, and the Four-Bedroom Landaa Estate, reimagined in 2025, with 80 metres of private beach.

Eating and drinking

There are four restaurants and four bars.

Blu Beach Club is the all-day Italian, with poolside cabanas, Neapolitan pizza and a dinner menu by the Michelin-distinguished chef Nino Di Costanzo. Al Barakat sits over the water and cooks the food of the Levant, with recipes developed with Aline Kamakian's restaurant Mayrig in Beirut, and a mezze evening every Thursday.

Café Landaa serves Asian and regional dishes in three thatched pavilions beside reflecting ponds, with a teppanyaki counter in a water garden. Fuego Grill does steak and seafood at dinner, on the beach with tables set in the sand.

For drinks, Seabar sits over the water with tapas, Blu Bar is on the beach, the Shisha Bar sits on Al Barakat's lower level over the lagoon, and the Poolside Bar serves drinks throughout the day. Special evenings include dinner in the treetops and on a sandbank, a small bare island of sand in the lagoon.

Vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free and Ayurvedic menus are available on request.

The spa, sport and children

AyurMa is the wellbeing centre, built on four pillars: Ayurveda, yoga therapy, wellness and what the resort calls planetary wellbeing. Guests can start with a complimentary AyurMa consultation, and the team includes Ayurvedic physicians skilled in Panchakarma. Ayurvedic massage, anti-gravity yoga and jungle yoga are all on offer.

There are four pools: an Olympic-size main infinity pool, a seawater pool, the Blu Pool and a shallow children's pool in the kids' club area. Add a fitness centre, an enclosed padel court and a water sports centre at the western end of Blu Beach with kayaks, catamaran sailing and windsurfing gear.

The Kuda Velaa kids' club, whose name means "Little Turtle", runs supervised programmes for children. Teenagers have their own lounge, young guests can try the Trainee Marine Biologist experience, and first-time divers can start with a PADI Bubblemaker session. Babysitting can be arranged.

The water

A house reef is the coral reef you can swim to from the resort itself. At Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru it is modest. Much of what lives near the shore has grown up around the resort's own coral regeneration frames, which have pulled in real fish life. The sunrise side is shallow, about stomach-deep, good for children and not much else, and visibility drops when the wind picks up. The better snorkelling trips go out by boat.

The Marine Discovery Centre is the heart of the island. Its 15 marine biologists run a government-licensed turtle rehabilitation centre, coral frame building with Reefscapers that guests can sponsor, an ornamental fish-breeding programme and marine-life talks five evenings a week. The Maldivian Manta Ray Project, the founding project of the Manta Trust, has worked here for about two decades.

Manta season in Baa Atoll runs roughly May to November. Hanifaru Bay, a protected bay in the atoll where mantas gather to feed in large numbers, is reached by speedboat. Only snorkelling is allowed there during the season, not diving. Sightings depend on conditions, so nobody can promise them.

The PADI dive centre runs two-tank morning dives and single afternoon dives to reefs, thilas and wrecks across the atoll. Above the water there are dolphin trips, a visit to the local island of Kihaadhoo, and sunset fishing on a dhoni, a traditional Maldivian wooden boat.

Where the compromises are

The reef is the first. Snorkellers who want a rich reef a few strokes from their villa will be disappointed; the marine highlights here are on boat trips.

The second is size. With 103 villas, four restaurants and busy school holidays, this is a lively resort, not a quiet hideaway.

The third is arrival. With only the seaplane, a late international landing means the first night is spent elsewhere, such as at the sister resort under the arrangement the resort offers.

Who will love it, and who won't

Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru suits families, multi-generation groups and anyone who wants to learn about the ocean as well as swim in it. It suits keen snorkellers who want a great reef off their own steps, and couples looking for a small, quiet island, considerably less well.

Common questions

How do you get to Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru?

By seaplane from Velana International Airport in 35 to 40 minutes, with a Four Seasons lounge at the seaplane terminal. Seaplanes fly in daylight only, so for evening arrivals the resort offers an arrangement with a night at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa and the seaplane the next day. Check current seaplane timings before booking flights.

Is the house reef good at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru?

It is modest. Much of the fish life near shore lives around the resort's own coral frames, the sunrise side is shallow and suits children, and visibility drops in wind. The better snorkelling is by boat, including Manta-on-Call trips in season, while the marine biologists lead snorkel tours of the lagoon's coral frames.

When can you see manta rays at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru?

Roughly May to November, when mantas gather at Hanifaru Bay in Baa Atoll. Manta-on-Call alerts guests when mantas are spotted and takes them out by speedboat to snorkel. Hanifaru is snorkel-only in season, and sightings depend on the weather and conditions, so they cannot be guaranteed.

Is Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru good for families?

Yes. The Kuda Velaa kids' club runs supervised programmes, teenagers have their own lounge, and there is a shallow children's pool, babysitting and PADI Bubblemaker diving. Family villas sleep up to five, and the Marine Discovery Centre, with its turtle rehabilitation and coral frames, turns the ocean into a classroom.

What restaurants does Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru have?

Four restaurants: Blu Beach Club for Italian, Al Barakat over the water for Levantine food, Café Landaa for Asian dishes and teppanyaki, and Fuego Grill for steak and seafood on the sand. Four bars complete it: Seabar, Blu Bar, the Shisha Bar and the Poolside Bar.