Kandooma Maldives

That Kandooma, the island, is blessed with white sands, azure skies, lush tropical greenery and clear turquoise waters almost goes without saying. To complement this, Kandooma, The Resort, has created services intended to satisfy, engage, entertain, inform, educate and..... luxuriate

Kandooma Island lies just 35 km south of the Male International Airport, via a forty minute speedboat ride to the South Male Atoll. 13 hectares in area, It is named after the Kandoo tree which is found in abundance on the island. For guests arriving late at night, the resort also offers the convenience of night transfers to the island

This tropical isle is favoured because of its close proximity to many excellent dive sites. The Kandooma Channel and Kandooma Caves and Kandooma “thila” (an undersea mount) all contribute to making this area one of the republics’s most sought after destinations for divers.

For the non-divers, the surrounding clear water offers areas to swim and snorkel. Enthusiastic surfers will be delighted with the reef breaks on the north - east side of the island from the swell that comes in off the ocean.

The resort has 160 villas in four main categories of beach and garden villas, Duplex villas, family villas and water villas. With the exception of the garden villas, all the accommodation has been built around the edge of or on the water. Each villa type has been designed with cool clean lines with white washed timber providing warm texture to the unshod foot. Large picture windows mean that you are only a glance away from the great blue outdoors.

Like all Kandooma’s accommodation, the semi-detached beach villas come with large picture windows that positively invite the outdoors inside. Whitewashed floor boards evoke a sense of fresh coolness, yet feel warm and textured to bare feet. Luxury comes from light summer duvets and generously proportioned bath towels. Flat screen televisions, a place to plug in your mp3/iPod, indoor out-door showers and wifi broadband are our standard, in addition to all the other usual amenities you would expect of a world class lifestyle resort.

The sea-facing duplex villas offer the luxury of space. Located at the water’s edge, the villas present a striking mix of natural elements and modern design. Bedrooms located at the first floor level and so enjoy views of the sea. The living area underneath the bedroom is furnished with designer seating laid out on a carpet of fine white sand.

The duplex villas are 72 square metres in size, with 36 square metres on each level.

Family Villas, as the name suggests, are ideal for families or a small group of divers, and are the size of two duplex villas together. They offer sleeping space upstairs as well as living and dining below

Hovering above coral and marine life in the shallow clear waters, guests will enjoy their time on their private sundeck, dangling their feet in the water, or at high tide, relaxing in a partially submerged hammock. Expansive living space is complemented by a large open bathroom which offers an outdoor shower and bathtub and views of the water.

The water villas are 85 square metres in size.

The aim in the restaurants and bars of Kandooma has been to get the basics right and improve on things from there. We aim to make the eating and drinking experience straightforward and unfussy, offering quality through integrity of ingredients. They all say that right? Read on.. Orange juice in the morning will always be just-squeezed, coffee (even in the rooms), will be freshly ground, tea is loose leaf, bread and ice cream will be home made. Our service aims to be direct and simple; warm and informal; always honest. Choice in price as well as in menus. It all becomes uniquely Kandooma when we “fold” in a few original dishes and service ideas. Keep going….

Breakfast (6.30am to 10.30pm)
Greet the day in the “Big Barnacle”! Wide archways let in the sunshine and atoll views. Also views, news, weather and music provided by the “bananas in the morning” breakfast show on Radio Kandooma Breeze. Fresh Juice, pressed coffee, an international selection of breakfasts and attendant chefs ready to receive instructions on just how easy you would like your eggs over.

Dinner (6.00 pm to 11.00 pm)
The Bright and Breezy big barnacle becomes a warm cave of soft glowing light present an intimate mood under the stars visible through the skylight 60 feet above. Chill out sounds of Radio Kandooma Bleu add to this almost surrealistic romantic environment. A banquet of travel inspired Mediterranean dishes spiced with flavours of Asia is supplemented by chefs busily working tandoor ovens, teppan grills and rottiseurs

Lunch (10.00am to 11.00pm)
Relax! It’s too hot to do anything else, except perhaps to decide whether to order from a menu of fresh salads, sandwiches, wood-fired pizza or pick up a choice cut of eye fillet or lamb loin to be grilled by yourself under the shade of a coconut grove, pausing briefly for a sip of cold ________ (fill in drink of choice) chatting to fellow sun loungers. Then it’s back to the shade of the umbrella from where the searing blue of the atoll can best be appreciated.

(18.30 pm to 11.30 pm)
Some hotels take diners into the kitchen to sit at “the chefs table”. We’ve brought the kitchen out and put it in the middle of the restaurant to create an exquisitely elegant dining experience with the best view on the island. Diners can choose to sit in elegant comfort looking out over Kandooma channel, out on the beach, feet in the sand, or engage the chefs in conversation by reserving a seat at one of the two main kitchen ranges. The food will be Thai – Mediterranean with a good representation of sea food. About 15 paces away is the wine room where a choice of 250 wines will see that some indecision will be encountered in selecting a preferred label.

(5.00 pm to 10.00 pm)
For a slightly bohemian end to the day walk past the wine room (resist the urge to have a quick browse, you’ll miss the sunset) and up the circular stairs to The Deck. An expanse of Teak planking covering rooftop of The Kitchen liberally sprinkled with low tables, startlingly blue cushions, bean bags and monolithic granite planters of greenery. Having freshly showered off a day of sunshine and saltwater, it is the ideal place to worship a sunset and the Mojitos of our resident mixologist. After sundown the area is lit entirely by Moroccan lanterns and the stars. Ideal to continue with cocktails and graze on our tapas menu.

(6.30am to 11.00pm)
Boutique coffees and teas are available to go or right there laced with cyan vistas of pool, sea and sky and the clean contemporary lines of the outlet itself. It is a “Buzzy place to enjoy a little bit of the city by the beach as you hear the now familiar hiss and froth of a cappuccino in creation. All fortified by daily changing pastries and homemade ice creams by the coupe or cone.

(24 hours)
When back from a hectic four - dive day, the only thing you might want to do is flop on the lounger and get a pizza in the comfort of your Kandooma home. Muster up enough energy to drag out the compendium and look up what is available. You have a choice of ordering from a list of simple but utterly tempting bites. You will have a choice of picking it up at the agreed time or having it delivered for a one off price. Plates and cutlery are all in your room. We use where ever possible reusable containers but where disposable is unavoidable we use biodegradable food containers. Three different menu styles serve three different times from breakfast, all day and night owl. All depends on which end of the day you live in.

Act, Accomplish, Achieve! Being lively and engaged is central to kandooma's reason for existing so when it comes to dedicating a department for activity kandooma were always going to do some things a little differently. While diving largely takes centre stage, being almost a dog-paddle to some of the country’s best dive sites, they have developed experiences to tickle most tastes. It might be pursuing an adrenaline surge on a surfboard, a mind enriching aqua safari or a reflective moment at a moonlit campfire drinking tea with a Maldivian story teller.

Liquid, While Kandooma’s surrounding sea forms a national diving hub, there are many other non diving activities to engage the senses.

Catamaran lesions & rentals – windsurfing lessons & rental – surf rentals – guided kayak safari – aqua safari – snorkeling lesions & trips – visits to local islands – picnic island trips – castaway picnic for romance and solitude – big game fishing – night fishing – sunset cruises.

Traditional, frivolous & ridiculous. The activities offered at Kandooma also spans the more traditional, incorporating some fun, gusto and heartiness into the usual games you know, some with an interesting twist. You can have a go at :
beach volleyball – cricket – petanque – beach croquet – bicycle polo – underwater hockey.
If they haven’t worn you out with kayak voyages, snorkel trips or windsurfing then a fully equipped gym will support the maintenance of the most stringent fitness regimes

The Dive Centre
The Dive Centre is comprehensively equipped to meet the needs of advanced divers but also suitable and thoughtfully set up for absolute beginners. It is run by Euro Divers, a fully accredited organization operating ten outlets in the Maldives alone as well as operating in several other countries. They will provide multi-lingual instructors to cater for Kandooma’s international guest mix

For non-divers, it’s an exploration ….
Snorkeling offers a highly portable and simple way of getting to know the marine life. Quite often, as much can be seen snorkeling as diving and will give you a very good idea of how appealing it would be to take the plunge and commit to a diving course.

Kandooma will be offering a number of snorkeling excursions ranging from afternoon short trips to the house reef, early morning sunrise kayak and snorkeling safaris, Aqua safaris in mid morning with our resident marine biologist and some sunset snorkeling.

Serenity and rejuvenation await you at the COMO Shambhala Spa at Kandooma.

The idyllic setting sets the scene of serenity and calm as it gets you in the mood for relaxation and indulgence.

The perfect getaway from all pressures and demand of today's modern world, the spa experience at Kandooma is all about energizing in a natural environment with its offerings of a wide range of therapeutic massages and spa treatments.

With five treatment rooms set in a natural and serene environment, experience the true meaning of rejuvenation as you ease your well-being into a relaxed state of body while taking in the breathtaking oceanic views.

Kids World - Within Lego throwing distant of the Recreation Center, and adjacent to the Kandooma Café, the Kandooma Kids Club (KKC) is a world of adventure and wonderment for children aged 4 – 12. It is a place to be creative and imaginative, to engage and to learn. The KKC coordinators have been having a whale of a time developing activities for the week. We often wonder if they weren’t just enjoying themselves just a teensy bit too much.

Wet and splashy - Mini snorkeling is a wonderful way for kids to practice their skills and develop confidence before meeting the fish. This activity takes place in the pool and in the shallow waters of the lagoon.

Dry and cheery - A selection of indoor supervised activities, board and card games, table games and fun learning has been developed as a part of the weeks programme.

Clever and nosy - Children are taken on a ‘see and feel’ adventure by our marine biologist as they learn to identify the amazing myriad of colorful marine life. Trips around the island to identify the flora and fauna are also introduced and a follow up painting and sound recording session to remember them is conducted later in the day

Creative and messy - The chefs get a little hand with their cooking. Actually lots of little hands as members of the KKC mix, mash, mould, and mush cake mixture into moulds for baking! Then later on it’s a picnic under the trees as they test and enjoy the proof of the pudding

Play and fancy - Children take part in Kandooma’s version of the make-believe ‘Pirates of the Maldives’ as they put on costumes, get on a dhoni and rehearse scripts on their given role! KC coordinators director the ‘actors’ and plays on Maldivian legends which are filmed and then screened later that evening for their parents

Safe and comfy - Baby sitting services are available for the little ones and can be arranged through the Recreation Center