Garden Room
6 units · About 35 m² · Up to 3 adults
Nika Island · North Ari Atoll
Nika Island Resort & Spa
- 25 min by seaplane
- Land by 15:00
- 4.6 on TripAdvisor · 1,161 reviews
- Travellers' Choice 2026
- All taxes in the price
- Visited Oct 2015
The villas
On the beach
Faro Studio
1 unit · About 50 m² · Up to 4 adults
Beach Villa
10 units · About 75 m² · On the beach · Up to 3 adults
Deluxe Beach Villa
10 units · About 100 m² · On the beach · 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 children
Family Beach Villa
3 units · About 130 m² · On the beach · Up to 5 guests
Over the water
Water Villa
8 units · About 110 m² · Over the water · Up to 3 adults
Family Water Villa
2 units · Over the water · Up to 5 guests
We price these villas on request. Ask about any of them and we send back the whole stay for your dates, with the seaplane and every tax inside the number, within 24 hours.
House reef
Our rating
5/5
Exceptional
Reef around the whole island with direct wade-in entry, which is rarer than it sounds, and guests report mantas, eagle rays, big stingrays, reef sharks, turtles and moray eels. Put on fins and a mask and you are in an aquarium. Time it for low water: the tide brings strong currents that run in several directions at once, and that is the thing to plan around here. Water villas sit closest, a short swim from the steps. Two blemishes: the welded reinforcement on the reef near reception is ugly, and people do walk on the coral in swim shoes.
How we score house reefs, and every island ranked →Getting there
Route
Seaplane
- Journey
- 25 min, airport to island
- Last arrival that works
- 15:00
Land at Velana after 15:00 and the last seaplane of the day will have gone, which means a night in Malé before you reach the island.
Seaplane arrives directly at the island platform.
Transfer details last checked 18 August 2026. We re-check yours against your actual ticket before we quote. See what your flight can reach →
What guests say
4.6out of 5 on TripAdvisor · 1,161 reviews
Paradise — best island experience in the Maldives
Lush green, breathtaking reef, alive colourful corals with so much life underwater around the entire island. Best service — this could be a role model for every resort. Great food, amazing villas,...
A little paradise
It was my and my wife's first experience in the Maldives, and we could not have chosen a better place. A small but meticulously maintained village, with plenty of greenery and a...
Seclusion and Harmony: Why I Will Return to Nika Island Again
Nika Island Resort is really a piece of heaven! Most impressive was the secluded beach villa deluxe — personal access to the sea, only nature, silence and light wave sounds. You feel...
Travellers' Choice 2026. Rating checked 21 September 2026. Read all the reviews on TripAdvisor →
About the resort
Nika Island Resort & Spa keeps late hours. Lunch is served from 14:00 and dinner from 21:00, and the whole island runs to that clock. It sits on the western rim of North Ari Atoll, 25 minutes from Velana by seaplane, which lands at the island's own platform.
The villas are built the traditional way, in coral blocks, coconut palm trunks and palm leaves. It is a small island with seven kinds of room on this page, from a Garden Room to a Family Beach Villa, and a PADI dive centre on the beach.
What you pay
Nika Island Resort & Spa is not priced on this page. Prices move with the season and with the villa, so we quote each stay against your dates.
The meal plan changes the total most. The resort sells all-inclusive. Ask us whether the soft all-inclusive, the same plan without alcohol, is sold on your dates. If one of you does not drink, it can be worth pricing both.
Book the villa early. There are only eight Water Villas and one Faro Studio, so the category you want can be gone months ahead.
What's included, and what isn't
In the price: every stay we quote includes your villa, the meal plan you choose, the return seaplane and every Maldivian tax including green tax. All-inclusive adds water, tea, coffee, soft drinks, juice, house wine, beer, standard spirits, selected cocktails and sparkling wine by the glass, two hours of non-motorised watersports a day, snorkelling gear, one guided snorkel around Nika Reef and one local island trip.
Not in the price: your international flights, travel insurance, in-villa dining, the minibar apart from water, diving, spa treatments, Indian TCS, and anything not named above.
Who this isn't for
Early eaters. Breakfast is 09:00 to 10:30, lunch 14:00 to 15:30 and dinner 21:00 to 22:00. If your children eat at six, this is the wrong island.
Anyone after a modern resort. These are traditional coral and palm buildings, not glass and concrete. The swimming pool is at the Lotus Spa, for guests using the spa.
Late arrivals. The seaplane flies in daylight only, and the last arrival at Velana that connects is 15:00. Land later and you spend the first night near the airport.
Before you book
Take a morning flight from India. It keeps the first night on the island rather than in Malé.
Tell us who is travelling. Most rooms take up to three adults. The Deluxe Beach Villa takes two adults and two children, and the Family Beach Villa takes up to five. Give us the ages and we will match the room.
Check-in is 14:00 and check-out is noon. The all-inclusive runs from 14:00 on arrival day to check-out on the last.
Bring US dollars, euros or a card. Those are what the resort accepts for extras.
Send us your dates, who is travelling and the room you like, and we will price it with the seaplane and both meal plans side by side. Message our Maldives specialists on WhatsApp or send us an enquiry. We reply within 24 hours.
Our last visit
We were last here
October 2015
Nika Island has a lovely old-school Maldivian character that you don’t find much anymore. The really unique bit is that every villa has its own private beach, while the coral-built villas, lush vegetation and reef close to shore give the island a very natural feel. Food leans Italian and Mediterranean, with Maldivian and Asian buffets too. I also liked the little touches like the island museum and its relaxed “Nika...
Read the visit note →Frequently asked questions
Where is Nika Island Resort & Spa, and how do I get there?
Nika Island Resort & Spa is on the western rim of North Ari Atoll, about 73 km from Velana International Airport. The seaplane takes 25 minutes and lands at the island's own platform. Seaplanes fly in daylight only, so your international flight needs to land at Velana by 15:00. Land later and you spend the first night near the airport, so a morning flight from India is the safer choice.
How many villas does Nika Island Resort & Spa have?
Nika Island Resort & Spa has 44 villas and rooms in all. This page covers seven kinds: the Garden Room, the Faro Studio, and the Beach, Water, Deluxe Beach, Family Beach and Family Water villas. Every one is built the traditional Maldivian way, in coral blocks, coconut palm trunks and palm leaves. There are only eight Water Villas and one Faro Studio, so book those early.
What amenities are included in every villa?
Every villa at Nika Island Resort & Spa has air conditioning, a fan, a safe, a minibar, satellite TV, a kettle, a hairdryer, towels, beach towels and Wi-Fi.
What are the check-in and check-out times?
Check-in is at 14:00 and check-out is at noon. The all-inclusive plan runs from 14:00 on the day you arrive until check-out on the day you leave.
What dining options are available at the resort?
The main restaurant at Nika Island Resort & Spa serves a buffet and an à la carte menu. Breakfast is 09:00 to 10:30, lunch 14:00 to 15:30 and dinner 21:00 to 22:00. There is also the Acqua Alta Bar, the Beach Bar and coffee shop, and the Nika Boutique.
What is included in the All-Inclusive meal plan?
Drinks: water, tea, coffee, soft drinks, fruit juice, house wine, beer, standard spirits, selected cocktails and sparkling wine by the glass. They are served at the Acqua Alta Bar (11:00 to 01:00), the Beach Bar and coffee shop (08:30 to 21:00) and the restaurant bar at meal times. It also covers two hours of non-motorised watersports per person a day, snorkelling gear, one guided snorkel around Nika Reef and one local island trip per stay. In-villa dining and the minibar, apart from water, are charged.
Is there a meal plan without alcohol?
On some dates Nika Island Resort & Spa sells a soft all-inclusive plan. It has the same non-alcoholic drinks, with mocktails, plus non-motorised watersports, volleyball, snorkelling gear, one guided snorkel and one local island trip. In-villa dining and the minibar, apart from water, are charged. Ask us whether it is sold on your dates. If one of you does not drink, we can price both plans side by side.
What water sports and activities are available?
Nika Island Resort & Spa has a PADI dive centre on the beach. Watersports include catamaran sailing, kayaking and windsurfing. There is also volleyball, table tennis, a gym, snorkelling, fishing, local island trips, visits to a desert island and a sandbank, and private dinners. Diving is charged on top of your stay.
Is there a spa at Nika Island Resort & Spa?
Yes. The Lotus Spa offers Ayurvedic and Balinese massage, a sauna and a swimming pool. The pool is for guests using the spa, and spa treatments are charged on top of your stay.
What payment methods are accepted?
Nika Island Resort & Spa accepts credit cards, US dollars and euros for anything charged during your stay.
The resort
Tap any photo to see it full size.
More photos on Instagram: @nikaislandresort (opens in a new tab)
Tell us your dates and who is travelling
We will price two or three villas with the seaplane and every tax included, and we can quote any dates outside the ones above. We reply within 24 hours.