Reethi Beach Resort

A trip to Reethi Beach begins with a shuttle ride to Male Airport’s seaplane terminal and a (possibly lengthy) wait in a guest lounge, which is equipped with free Wi-Fi and food for purchase. The 35-minute seaplane flight to Baa Atoll offers stunning aerial views, if you can stay awake for this final leg of the journey. The trip ends with a five-minute boat ride from a floating platform to the resort’s private island, locally known as Fonimagoodhoo.

Stretching less than half a mile from tip to tip, the resort is easy to navigate on foot. More than 80 percent of the island has been left in its natural state, and guests can walk between the five restaurants, bars, spa, pool, and sports facilities using shady pathways that wind through a leafy jungle interior.

Refurbished in 2010, the resort looks relatively new despite its age. Most structures on the island have high, palm-thatched roofing and basic wooden furniture with beige, yellow, and red cushions. Reethi Beach doesn’t have much pizazz in terms of style or design, but it’s perfectly cozy for a casual island holiday.

Most guests are couples from Germany, Switzerland, and other parts of Europe. About 15 percent of guests come to Reethi Beach to take advantage of the diving school and excellent dive sites in Baa Atoll. With few amenities for children, kids are few are far between.

Reethi Beach Resort is located on a private island about 125 kilometers northwest of Male in Baa Atoll. Locally known as Fonimagoodhoo, the island is roughly 600 by 200 meters in size, and guests can walk just about anywhere in under 20 minutes. Travelers can take a 35-minute seaplane flight to reach the resort (which is included in the total price when booking the room), or a 20-minute domestic flight to Dharavandhoo that is followed by a 15-minute speedboat ride. Recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Baa Atoll has some of the richest marine life in the Maldives, and the resort offers regular diving and snorkeling excursions. Time on the island is one hour ahead of Male time -- an artificial time zone difference that many resorts use to make the days feel longer.

Reethi Beach’s 120 rooms start at 409 square feet and come in three types: Reethi, Deluxe, and Water Villas. Located a few steps from the beach, Reethi and Deluxe Villas each feature an open-air bathroom, private patio, bottled water, and a mini-fridge (but no minibar). Deluxe Villas are slightly larger and also include a bathtub and Maldivian-style swing outside. Thirty Water Villas are built over the lagoon on stilts and feature patios with steps leading into the lagoon, soaking tubs, bathrobes, DVD players, bottled water, tea, teakettles, and sun loungers. All rooms have one king-size bed. Two twin beds are also available in Reethi Villas. Design-wise, villas have parquet floors, white walls with watercolor paintings of flowers or rural life, simple wooden furniture, and colorful throw pillows and curtains. Wi-Fi packages can be purchased for a fee.

For a relatively small island, Reethi Beach has lots of great amenities. Highlights include an outdoor pool with food and drink service, a fitness center with a weight room, dive center, and a spa with a hot tub and steam room. The resort also has plentiful sports courts -- two tennis courts, two squash courts, two badminton courts, and a beach volleyball court – and games like table tennis, snooker, and foosball. Other perks include a small garden, jewelry store, 24-hour doctor, business center, multilingual library, and a gift shop that will paint pictures on T-shirts and wetsuits.

For those willing to pay extra, the resort offers plenty of special services. Sunset cruises, fishing trips, scuba lessons, and tours of local islands are just some of the excursions available. The resort rents water sports equipment (for a fee), such as kayaks, snorkels, catamarans, windsurfing boards, and floats. All guests receive a free 30-minute snorkeling excursion and a diving lesson. Guests who prefer to stay dry can check out the sea life during a fish feeding that happens every evening off the end of the jetty. Staff can arrange private candlelit dinners on the beach or a nearby deserted island. Free Wi-Fi is available in the lobby and most of the bars. The island’s main bar, Rasgefaanu, offers late-night entertainment, such as disco and karaoke.

With five restaurants and five bars, there’s plenty of food and drink to choose from at Reethi Beach. All guests receive free breakfast in the main buffet restaurant, The Rehendhi, and all-inclusive dining packages are available. Guests with dining upgrades receive a 15 percent discount at the four a la carte restaurants, plus unlimited international buffet cuisine for dinner (half-board) and lunch (full-board) at Rehendhi. All-inclusive snacks are also available at main bar.

An open-air restaurant, Reethi Grill, is open for dinner only and has live cooking stations and wood-fired pizzas. Alifaan Restaurant serves pizzas, burgers, and snacks poolside during the day. Saima Garden is an open-air restaurant next to the beach with just five tables; it serves dinner six days a week and specializes in meat, seafood, vegetarian, Maldivian, and lobster. Mudu Restaurant & Bar -- the resort’s overwater, a la carte restaurant -- serves food and drinks 24 hours a day (but reservations are required for dinner). Repeaters and honeymooners receive one free a la carte dinner. Room service is available 24 hours a day.

Guests can choose from a number cushioned, wooden lounge chairs and palapa umbrellas that dot the island’s beaches. The island’s peaceful, waist-deep lagoon is ideal for swimming, kayaking, and snorkeling just offshore. Most of the sand is soft and clear, but there are some rocky areas and giant sandbags (which look like giant, smooth rocks) that are used to prevent erosion. The water is crystal clear and the temperature was perfect during our November visit -- cool enough to feel refreshing, yet warm enough to slip into without a chill. We couldn’t find a speck of trash anywhere.