#13 in Top 20 Maldives for A Honeymoon · ★★★★★
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas
Overwater observatory and underwater champagne bar, the maximalist Maldives honeymoon.
Overwater observatory and underwater champagne bar, the maximalist Maldives honeymoon.
"The 2011 Anantara Kihavah in the Baa Atoll, Sea underwater restaurant, the working Anantara Maldives flagship."
Why this rank, Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas opened in 2011 on Kihavah Huravalhi Island in the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, 30 minutes by seaplane from Male. 80 villas across the property; the Three-Bedroom Beach Pool Residence, the Two-Bedroom Family Beach Pool Villa, and the Over-Water Pool Villas are the signature accommodations. The Sea underwater restaurant (the property's signature five-metre-below-sea-level wine cellar and dining room) is one of the most-photographed Maldives architectural moments. The Anantara Spa runs the wellness anchor. The Baa Atoll position (the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with manta and whale-shark aggregations May-November) gives the property the working marine-programme register. The dining roster includes Plates (all-day), Manzaru (Asian), and the Sky bar (with the property's observatory programme on the rooftop). Best for the Baa Atoll Maldives stay with the iconic underwater-restaurant register.
Best room: Three-Bedroom Beach Pool Residence
"Overwater observatory and underwater champagne bar, the maximalist Maldives honeymoon."
Anantara Kihavah is the maximalist's Maldives honeymoon resort. The asset is two specific, unusual installations the resort built itself for and that no other property has matched. The first is SKY, the rooftop observatory with a 16-inch automated Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope, run by a resident astronomer who narrates the southern sky over a champagne pour. The second is SEA, the underwater champagne bar and restaurant, six metres below the lagoon surface, where the dining room is a coral-and-fish aquarium and the menu is paired with a 700-bottle wine cellar. Seventy-nine villas, all with private pools, all with the Anantara butler service. Anantara is in Baa Atoll (same as Soneva Fushi and Four Seasons Landaa) so the manta-ray-season excursions to Hanifaru Bay are part of the programme from June through October. The architecture by HBA Singapore is more conventional than the Soneva or Joali properties, straight-lined overwater villas, not retractable-roof or treehouse architecture, but the dining and observatory experiences make up for it. For the honeymoon couple who wants two Maldives nights they will tell stories about for years, Anantara Kihavah is the right pick.
Sunset Over Water Pool Villa or Beach Pool Villa, both with private pools, both with butler service.
Book SEA for dinner on night three (the kitchen is the strongest in Baa Atoll). Pre-arrange a SKY observatory session for night five, the resident astronomer will narrate the southern sky for an hour with champagne.
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas sits within our broader Top 20 Hotels in the Maldives for a Honeymoon list. It scored an aggregate 9.7/10 across the three editorial criteria, competitive against the field but, on a honeymoon-specific factors, the angle above is what earned its rank. For the alternatives in the same Maldives neighbourhood, see Baa Atoll and adjacent. For a different city entirely, see the related lists below.
If you have already chosen the dates, our editor recommends booking the room twelve weeks ahead. The best suites with the right view orientation go first, and inventory for the popular months is quoted in months, not weeks. Suite-level rooms with private plunge pools or terraces, the ones that earn this rank, are typically the first to sell out.
Editorial · #13 on the Top 20 Hotels in the Maldives 2026 list
Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas' case for the Maldives stay is the Sea underwater restaurant combined with the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere position. The 2011 property's working signature is the Sea restaurant (five metres below sea level), one of the most-photographed Maldives architectural moments and the property's working five-metre-below-sea-level wine cellar.
The 80 villas across the property include the Three-Bedroom Beach Pool Residence, the Two-Bedroom Family Beach Pool Villa, and the Over-Water Pool Villas.
The Anantara Spa runs the wellness anchor. The Baa Atoll position (the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with manta and whale-shark aggregations May-November) gives the property the working marine-programme register. The dining roster includes Plates (all-day), Manzaru (Asian), and the Sky bar (with the property's observatory programme on the rooftop, the only resort observatory programme in the Maldives). The Baa Atoll seaplane transfer is 30 minutes from Male. The Anantara tier (Minor Hotels' luxury brand) suits the working entry-level Baa Atoll luxury stay. Best for the Baa Atoll Maldives stay with the iconic underwater-restaurant register.