Komandoo Island Resort & Spa

You come to Komandoo for an adults-only island resort where the pace is set by the lagoon rather than a timetable. The setting suits couples especially well, whether you are travelling for a honeymoon, a few days with a partner, or simply a quiet diving break with friends who appreciate a proper drink and a decent meal afterwards.

The resort follows the One Island, One Resort concept, so your stay is built around one small tropical island rather than a village of hotels and a long list of places to escape to. English and German are spoken by the hotel team, while the website also caters for Russian-speaking guests. That makes the practical side of arrival, dining and arranging activities easier for English-speaking visitors.

You get an adults-only atmosphere, a private beach area, sea views and WiFi throughout the property. There is also a spa, a fitness centre, concierge service and a tour desk, so the resort can handle both the day when you want to do something and the day when you cannot be bothered to move very far.

Komandoo Island Resort is in Komandoo, in the Maldives' Lhaviyani Atoll. It sits directly beside Komandoo Beach, with the sand about 50 metres away and a walking time of roughly one minute. In other words, you do not need transport to reach the beach; you need footwear only if the sand is feeling particularly uncooperative.

The island is surrounded by lagoon and reef, with white sand encircling the resort. The house reef is shallow and gently sloping, and the beach area includes sun loungers, parasols, showers and a beach bar. The southern side near Thundi Bar is set up for sunset watching, while the surrounding lagoon gives you the sort of immediate sea access that makes a non-diving afternoon quite easy to organise.

This is an island resort rather than a base for walking into town. The closest listed airport is Madivaru Airport, about 4 miles away, while Velana International Airport in Malé is the relevant arrival point for the seaplane transfer. Other listed airports are much farther away, at about 21 and 30 miles.

The choice is mainly between staying on the island or over the lagoon. A Beach Villa keeps you close to the sand and suits a couple who would rather step outside onto the beach than climb down from a water-level terrace. The Jacuzzi Beach Villa and Premium Beach Villa with Jetted Tub add a private tub to the equation, which is useful when the day's main achievement has been remembering where you left your mask.

For a more water-focused stay, the Jacuzzi Water Villa or Ocean Villa with Jetted Tub puts the lagoon at the centre of the room. The Ocean Villa has sunrise views, while the water-villa layout gives you the stronger sense of sleeping above the Maldivian water rather than beside it. All villa categories are designed for up to three guests, although the adults-only policy makes these more relevant to couples than family groups.

Practical details matter once your skin has had enough sun and salt. Villas have air conditioning, a ceiling fan, a minibar, a kettle, a coffee machine, a safe, a flat-screen TV, WiFi, a seating area or sofa, and a balcony, patio or terrace depending on the category. A mosquito net, bathrobe, slippers, beach towels and a clothes-drying rack are also part of the setup. Daily housekeeping, private bathrooms and private entrances keep the routine simple, while room service gives you the option of eating without making a social appearance.

The all-inclusive formula gives you three meals a day to work around your diving schedule, with breakfast served buffet-style. Falhu Restaurant handles breakfast, lunch and dinner indoors, with six show-cooking stations and international dishes. The breakfast range covers continental, Asian and American options, so you can choose between something restrained and something that looks like it has been preparing for a morning boat trip.

Aqua serves international cuisine for lunch and dinner from its position on stilts above the lagoon. It is the one for a meal with the water beneath you rather than simply beside you. There are two bars on the resort: Kandu Bar sits a few steps from the infinity pool and focuses on champagne, spirits, cocktails and wine, while Thundi Bar is on the beach, with sunset views, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, wine and bar bites.

The all-inclusive arrangement also includes a sunset cruise, a champagne allocation per room for the stay, a group snorkelling lesson and a group windsurfing lesson, plus use of kayaks and windsurfing boards. For something more deliberate, private dining can take the form of a five-course dinner under the stars, a seafood beach barbecue, a candlelit dinner, a lagoon lunch or breakfast in the sea. Dietary requirements are catered for, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal and kosher diets.

You can also arrange access to the 5.8 Undersea Restaurant at the nearby Hurawalhi sister resort. It is a separate dining experience rather than part of the all-inclusive package, with a seafood and fusion menu served in an underwater setting.

The infinity pool sits beside Kandu Bar, which is a useful arrangement if your definition of exercise has already been met underwater. Around the beach, you have loungers, parasols and showers, while the shallow house reef gives you an easy snorkelling option when a full dive feels excessive. Kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, catamaran sailing and windsurfing are available, with fishing and boat excursions for days when you want to leave the island for a while.

Duniye Spa covers the more convincing form of recovery. You can book massages, facials, Balinese, Thai or Indian treatments, body wraps, scrubs, hair treatments and couples treatments, with locally made organic products used in the spa programme. There is a relaxation lounge, a foot bath and beauty services, while the spa is open from 08:00 to 22:00. The fitness centre, yoga, tennis and badminton provide alternatives for anyone who dislikes spending an entire surface interval horizontally.

Evenings are kept varied rather than turned into a compulsory stage show. Depending on the schedule, you may find live music, films, Maldivian cultural evenings, traditional crafts, Bodu Beru music or a Divers' Night with the dive team. Day trips include sunset cruises, dolphin watching, island hopping, sandbank visits, local-island cultural excursions, turtle sanctuary visits and fishing trips. There is also a games room, table tennis, darts and a nightclub with a DJ for the nights when the sand and the sofa have failed to win.

Arrival is by seaplane from Velana International Airport in Malé, with the transfer taking about 40 minutes. The resort provides an airport shuttle service, arranged as a seaplane transfer, and you need to share your flight details with the hotel before arrival so your seat can be organised. Standard transfer times run from 06:00 to 16:30, so the timing of your international flight matters more here than it would at a mainland hotel.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out runs until 12:00. You should tell the property your expected arrival time, and private check-in and check-out, luggage storage and a 24-hour front desk are available. Concierge service, currency exchange, a tour desk, laundry and ironing services are also on hand. WiFi is free throughout the resort, and cash is accepted; payments can be made in US dollars.

This is strictly an adults-only property: children are not accommodated, the minimum check-in age is 18, and cots and extra beds are not available. The resort is also a no-pets property. Swimwear is not suitable inside the bars or restaurants, and local islands require respectful dress. If you are diving, allow at least 24 hours between your final dive and your departure flight. Drone use by guests is prohibited.

The resort uses solar panels in the Thundi Bar area. It is a small, specific measure rather than a grand environmental manifesto, but it is part of the practical infrastructure of the island and its lagoon setting.