Standard Beachfront Room
Room · beachfrontThe entry register — the simpler beach-side room, sea-view from the veranda.
Bandos Maldives
The country's second resort, opened December 1972 — origin-story Maldives.
Island Classics · arranged by avé
Bandos Maldives, at a glance.
For the short transfer · the family week · the long-running retreat in the inner atoll.
- The short transfer
- the family week
- the stopover
- the returning Maldives guest
Prices come with our reply, for your dates
- Transfer
- 15 min speedboat from Velana24 hr arrivals · one of the shortest in the country
- Villas
- 215 rooms across eight categoriesgarden, beach, jacuzzi beach, water villas
- Dining
- Sea Breeze CaféHarbour · Gallery (Italian) · Sand Coast · plus several bars
- Spa
- Bandos SpaMaldivian and Asian-inspired therapies
- Plan
- Half-board and all-inclusive plans held
The retreat, in full
Bandos opened in December 1972 as the country's second-ever resort — part of the origin story of Maldivian tourism, not a recent flag-plant. Mohamed Waheed Deen took over with USD 500 in the bank and built the retreat from a 28-room base into the institution it now is, before serving as Vice President of the Maldives between 2012 and 2013. The island is large by Maldivian standards and the infrastructure runs deep — conference centre, sports complex, dive school, several dining rooms — pitched at a 4-star price point. The 15-minute transfer from Velana makes it one of the easiest arrivals in the country, and the clientele is broad and international.
Arrival. 15-minute speedboat from Velana International. We time the transfer to your flight, and confirm it in writing with the rest of the stay.
Worth knowing
- Bandos opened 10 December 1972 — the second resort in the country, after Kurumba. Part of the actual history, not a flag-plant.
- Chaired by Mohamed Waheed Deen, who took the property from 28 rooms to its current scale and went on to serve as Vice President of the Maldives 2012–2013.
- Not a luxury entry — held for the short transfer, the family week, and as a stopover-friendly option for a longer Indian Ocean journey.
Gallery
The retreat, seen.
Villas
The villas, category by category.
8 villa categories at Bandos Maldives. Sizes and occupancy are the retreat’s own — enquire about any one directly.
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Deluxe Beachfront Room
Room · beachfront plusA larger beach-side room — the same line, more space.
Garden Villa
One bedroom · gardenSet back from the sand line into the island's palm — the quieter pocket.
Superior Villa
One bedroom · superiorA wider footprint of the garden register — held slightly closer to the beach line.
Beach Villa
One bedroom · beachBeach-side villa with a sand-step — the working register of the retreat.
Beach Pool Villa
One bedroom · beach plus plungeA beach villa with a private plunge held off the deck — the held beach register.
Premium Beach Villa
One bedroom · premium beachThe largest beach-side category — premium register on the sand.
Sunset Water Villa with Pool
One bedroom · over-water sunsetOver-water on the sunset line — the longer evening, the private pool, the easy descent to the reef.
Dining
The tables, venue by venue.
4 restaurants and bars at Bandos Maldives, with menus where the retreat publishes them.
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Grill Bar
Huvan
Sand Bar
Main · all-day buffet
Sea Breeze
The house room — breakfast, lunch and supper across the meal plan.
Meal plans · arranged with the retreat, adjustable on request
- BreakfastMornings included
- Half-BoardBreakfast & dinner
- Full-BoardAll three meals, daily
- All-InclusiveMeals, drinks & more
Beyond the villa
What fills the days.
What Bandos Maldives does well, with its own schedules and menus where it publishes them. Open one to read it.
RetreatThe origin story
Opened 10 December 1972 — the country's second resort, after Kurumba. The retreat is part of the actual history, not a flag-plant.
ArrivalThe short crossing
Fifteen minutes from the runway with arrivals around the clock — the stopover retreat for the longer Indian Ocean journey.
Bandos Spa
Maldivian and Asian-inspired therapies on the island that has been doing this longer than almost anyone — the register is familiar, practised, and kindly priced.
A day at Bandos Maldives · a sketch, redrawn for you
- First light
The retreat reef
Fifty years of guests have worn a path to it — the reef line is still the island's best hour.
- Morning
The lagoon
Watersports and the dive centre's daily boats — the practised register.
- Afternoon
The spa, kindly
Maldivian therapies without ceremony — the island's unhurried key.
- Evening
Sand Coast
Dinner by the water, the bars after — a retreat that has hosted half a century of last nights.
Location
North Malé Atoll, and the way there.
- Where
- Bandos · North Malé AtollMore in North Malé Atoll
- Getting there
- 15 min speedboat from Velana · 24 hr arrivals · one of the shortest in the countryBy boat
Pair it with a local island
- Dhiffushi
The local island of the same atoll — the country itself, a short crossing on.
- Thulusdhoo
Surf, a harbour, and the local clock — the working-island pairing.
From the journal
Further reading.
If Bandos Maldives appeals
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