Kuda Villingili Resort Maldives
North Malé Atoll · 75 villas, every one with a pool · A 150-metre pool
A thirty-minute boat that runs at any hour, a world-class left-hand surf break at the door, and the longest pool in the country. There is no house reef, and that is the single most important thing to know before you book it.
- Getting there
- 30 minSpeedboat from Velana
- Latest you can land
- Any hourBoats run around the clock
- House reef
- 2 / 5None to speak of. Snorkelling is by boat
- Villas
- 75152 to 764 sqm, all with pools
- Meals
- Three plansHalf board up to all inclusive
- Surf
- Chicken’s BreakAt the door, May to October
Getting there
There is no arrival cut-off here. That is the practical argument for this island over a seaplane resort: no forced overnight in the capital, and no losing a resort night to a late landing.
The return speedboat is part of every package we sell for this island.
The villas
| Villa | Size | Pool | Sleeps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Beach Villa with Private PoolThe entry villa, and the sunrise side. | 152 m² | Yes | 2 adults + 2 children, or 3 adults |
| Sunset Beach Villa with Private PoolThe same villa, facing the sunset. | 152 m² | Yes | 2 adults + 2 children, or 3 adults |
| Sunrise Water Villa with Private PoolOver the lagoon. | 182 m² | Yes | 2 adults + 2 children, or 3 adults |
| Sunset Water Villa with Private PoolOver the lagoon, sunset side. | 182 m² | Yes | 2 adults + 2 children, or 3 adults |
| Two Bedroom Beach Villa with Private PoolPriced on request. | 400 m² | Yes | 4 adults + 2 children, or 6 adults |
| Two Bedroom Beach Residence with Private PoolPriced on request. | 400 m² | Yes | 4 adults + 2 children, or 6 adults |
| Three Bedroom Beach Residence with Private PoolPriced on request. | 664 m² | Yes | 6 adults + 3 children, or 9 adults |
| Four Bedroom Beach Villa with Private PoolPriced on request. | 664 m² | Yes | 8 adults + 4 children, or 12 adults |
| Four Bedroom Beach Residence with Private PoolPriced on request. | 664 m² | Yes | 8 adults + 4 children, or 12 adults |
| Three Bedroom Beach Retreat with Private PoolThe largest on the island. Priced on request. | 764 m² | Yes | 6 adults + 3 children, or 9 adults |
Every category here has its own pool. There is no villa on this island without one, the entry beach villa included.
The four single-bedroom villas are priced on the resort page. The residences and retreats are priced on request: tell us who is travelling and we will build the quote around the party.
On a split stay, which villa you get is confirmed the day before you arrive.
Eating
Half board covers
- Breakfast, every day
- A three-course dinner at Spice, East, Earth, Fire or Ocean
- A food credit for each adult at Mar-Umi
- Snorkelling equipment, kayaks and paddleboards
Charged on top
- All drinks, unless you take all inclusive
- Lunch, unless you take full board
- The spa, excursions and diving
- Anything à la carte above your credit
Nine restaurants and three bars
The Restaurant serves breakfast from 07:00 and a weekly international buffet dinner. Spice is Indian and Arabic, East is Thai, Chinese and Korean, Med is Italian and Mediterranean at lunch, Fire is steak and grilled meats, Ocean is seafood, and Earth is plant-based and opens on selected days only.
Mar-Umi is Japanese and Peruvian, over the water, with a teppanyaki counter alongside it. That is the room the half board credit points at.
The Bar runs 11:00 to 23:00 beside the pool, Raalhu Bar catches the sunset from 16:00, and there is a whisky and cigar lounge that opens on request.
How the plans work
Everyone in the party takes the same meal plan, and the same drinks package if you buy one.
Not every restaurant opens every night. Earth in particular runs on selected days and the rota moves. Ask your butler on day one, not on the night you had set your heart on somewhere.
The all-inclusive drinks package runs from 14:00 on arrival to 12:00 on departure, so the last morning is not covered.
The water
Why we rate it 2 out of 5
There is no house reef here, and we would rather say so. The island is man-made and the sea bed carries a lot of rubble, so there is nothing to swim out to from the beach.
What you do get: coral patches near the water villas, baby reef sharks along the lagoon edge, and deeper water on the sunrise side you can drop into at high tide.
Snorkelling proper means getting on a boat. The resort runs trips for manta rays and reef sharks, and the diving is with its own centre on the island.
The surf is the real draw
Chicken’s Break is at the door, the northernmost break in North Malé Atoll and, by the resort’s own account, the longest left-hand barrel in the Maldives. A fast, lively left with two main sections.
The season runs May to October, which is also the green season. If anyone in the party surfs, that changes which months you should be looking at.
Beginners are taught at Baby Chickens by certified instructors, and boards and equipment are for hire on the island.
Who it suits
✓Yes
- Someone in the party surfs.Chicken’s Break is at the door, and the season runs May to October.
- You are landing late or leaving early.The boat runs around the clock, so no night is lost in the capital.
- You want a private pool without paying for a water villa.Every category on the island has one, including the entry beach villa.
✕No
- You came to snorkel.There is no house reef. Snorkelling here means getting on a boat.
- You want quiet between May and October.That is exactly when the surfers arrive.
- You want every restaurant open every night.Earth opens on selected days and the rota moves.
Things we would rather you heard from us
- There is no house reef. The island was built, and the sea bed shows it. If your picture of the Maldives is stepping off a ladder onto coral, this is the wrong island, and we will happily name you three better ones.
- May to October is loud in a particular way. Surfers come for Chicken’s Break and the island leans into it. If you are here for the surf that is the whole point. If you came for silence, take the other half of the year.
- Nine restaurants is not nine choices every night. Earth opens on selected days and the rota moves. Ask your butler on arrival rather than discovering it on the evening you had planned around.
- The pool really is the point. A hundred and fifty metres, and the resort calls it the largest in the Maldives. On an island with no reef, the pool and the food are what you are buying, and both are very good.
Shall we price it for you?
Tell us your dates, the villa you want and whether anyone surfs. We will come back with a transfer-inclusive costing, an honest read on whether the split stay earns its keep, and a straight answer on whether this is the right island for what you actually want.