Finolhu Maldives is the Maldives family resort where five-star luxury meets full-throttle fun, and kids are very much the main characters, as Harriet Mallinson found out.
Finolhu has all the hallmarks of a classic Maldives holiday destination
A good thing to know about Finolhu is that it’s totally devil-free. Like, actually: a genuine exorcist has done the rounds of the Maldivian island (a local worker was once possessed, goes the chilling tale) – and you just can’t get that guarantee at other hotels, can you?
So, no evil spirits: tick. But this unlikely selling point is far from the only perk of staying at the self-dubbed “island playground”. The five-star property has all the hallmarks of a classic Maldives holiday destination: a foliage-filled island trimmed with tiramisu-cream sands, and a parade of thatch-roofed overwater villas, aligned like racers at the starting blocks.
READ MORE: Six really easy ways to save on family holidays in the Maldives
The colourful hotel decor is a kid-friendly “kaleidoscope concept”
What’s special about Finolhu Maldives?
It stands out, however, as the Maldives’ only member of the Design Hotels group – hence its very colourful, very kid-friendly “kaleidoscope concept”: yellow for the sand, blue for the water and pink for sunset. Plus, there’s Finolhu’s vast sandbank – one of the longest in the region (a sister ultra-luxury resort at the tip opens in December), which spikes out into the aquamarine ether like a swordfish bill.
The Crab Shack restaurant sits on the end of Finolhu’s sandbank
Family-friendly entertainment at Finolhu
Here, nature’s own hues can be admired in their full glory, blindingly bright in daylight and peachy-pretty at sunset. We get our fix at the weekly White Party. Steel wire clouds mingle with candy floss puffs, pink permeating the sky, as guests sip rum cocktails and post-nap kids dart about on the soft, soft sand, mirroring the huge bats that wheel between the towering palms.
After dark, athletic fire performers light up the beach, flames whirling and lithe limbs glistening, their thrilling gymnastics putting the children’s handstands to shame and widening their tiny eyes.
There are more fiery feats at the resort’s regular Maldivian Night, where locals drum, dance, chant, and happily boogie with youngsters bopping before them on the sands like mini Harry Styles fans. It’s embarrassingly easy in the Maldives to forget there’s a native culture, and this event helps rectify that with its performances and pop-up food stalls run by women in traditional dress.
Our main takeaway, though? The sheer variety of Maldivian tuna dishes: curries, broths, dumplings, snacks. “There are so many fish in the ocean,” despairs an Arabian female waiter when I observe this over a tuna cake, “why can’t they use something else?”
READ MORE: Taking it easy: finding affordable family-friendly resorts in the Maldives
Kanusan is a Japanese restaurant at Finolhu resort
Restaurants at Finolhu, Maldives
Luckily, Seaside Finolhu resort restaurants know how to cater to international tastes. At Japanese restaurant Kanusan, I tuck into miso cod (which I declare the best I’ve ever eaten) and crispy Brussel sprouts, which have the potential to revolutionise Christmas. At beachfront Crab Shack there’s a linguini which has me nearly licking the bowl, and at Arabian Grill I finish with a coffee-filled globe. “Put the whole ball into your mouth and close your mouth so it doesn’t go everywhere,” explains the waiter innocently. Now that’s an amuse bouche…
Staying active at Finolhu
Unlike many Maldives resorts you can’t work off indulgences by cycling around the island – it’s on foot or by buggy here, which either means all the steps, or, alarmingly, no steps (there’s a great gym and al fresco yoga studio though, plus a beach workout area).
Kids can hit the Art Lab to get creative
Kids’ clubs at Finolhu, Maldives
Children, however, have a plethora of options for burning off excess energy. Finolhu is rare in boasting a clam-shaped, treehouse-style Teens Hut where you can do everything from getting your baddy-zapping kicks in the gaming chair and tinkering with a 3D printer to learning to DJ and rustling up the ultimate milkshake. There’s tennis and padel nearby, too.
At Oceaneers kids club, for younger ones, there are pirate games, pizza-making, hair-braiding and even an open-mic session, not to mention artsy activities by the Tate-load.
In fact, if you’re raising diminutive Dalis, why not head to the Art Lab (this one’s in the shape of a barnacle) to get creative en masse? The new space comes with all the joy of being outside – greenery rustling and sand beneath your feet – along with the tetchy-quelling benefits of fan-cooled air and shade. Wooden blocks, shells, canvases and T-shirts are all available to paint or there’s pottery, all guided by instructors and resident artists.
READ MORE: Why Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives is the ultimate teen-friendly resort
There are plenty of water sports to choose from
Family water activities at Finolhu Maldives family resort
Underscoring its Maldives family resort credentials, and delivering a taste of Disney-esque magic, Finolhu Maldives offers mermaid diving over at the resort’s Dive Centre. The latest boast is that kids as young as six can now don shimmering tails and swim with the Maldives’ first and only PADI Mermaid Instructor Trainer. The crabs still can’t talk – or sing – alas.
We bipeds, meanwhile, opt for manta ray diving at Hanifaru Bay, a boat ride away and the largest manta ray feeding hotspot in the world. We’re visiting in the rainy season so the water is choppier and siltier than usual. Still, we optimistically clamber into the water with our fins and life jackets and swim over to where a similarly red-backed group lies face down in the water like maudlin parrots.
Below, two huge manta rays float through the water like black handkerchiefs before disappearing into the marine murkiness. We splash manically to another sighting and dunk our masked faces back into the Indian Ocean: there they are again, vast, flat spaceships flying lethargically across the turquoise gloom. Occasionally, hairy human legs hove into view (it is a little human soup-like; it’s no surprise the mantas don’t come any closer to the surface).
READ MORE: The world’s best hotel kids clubs for 0 to 12 year olds
Dolphin cruises are a wildlife treat for all the family
Boat trips from Finolhu Maldives
There’s more luck on Finolhu’s dolphin cruise: the creatures leap and dive right alongside our boat, curving into the air like sleek eyebrows before disappearing, their fins jutting up into the water – tiny black sails cutting through the deep in scores.
The dolphins are so joyful as they bound over the waves it’s contagious; I can’t help but cry out in giddy amazement. One particularly adventurous animal does a gymnastic twist into the air as he proudly shows off his shiny body in a giggle-inducing move, then flops back down.
I look around at our gleaming, salty, grinning faces and think: If I could bottle this wholesome euphoria, I would. No wonder there are no spirits plying the dark arts on the island; they’re too busy having fun.
READ MORE: Indian Ocean wonders to add to your family holiday bucket list
Make It Happen
How to get there
Direct UK flights to Malé from 10 hours, 25 minutes
Where to stay
Rooms at Finolhu Seaside Collection, Maldives start from £427 per night (2 adults, 2 children)
{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@graph”: [
{
“@type”: “Resort”,
“@id”: “https://familytraveller.com/holiday-destinations/indian-ocean/maldives/finolhu-seaside-collection-resort-maldives-review/#resort”,
“name”: “Finolhu, A Seaside Collection Resort (Maldives)”,
“alternateName”: [
“Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives”,
“Seaside Finolhu Baa Atoll Maldives”,
“Finolhu Seaside Collection Resort Maldives”
],
“url”: “https://www.finolhu.com/”,
“image”: [
“https://familytravellerimages.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Finolhu-hotel-aerial.jpg”,
“https://familytravellerimages.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Finolhu-room-interior.jpg”,
“https://familytravellerimages.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/finolhu-family-crab-shack.jpg”
],
“address”: {
“@type”: “PostalAddress”,
“addressCountry”: “MV”,
“addressLocality”: “Malé”,
“postalCode”: “2099”
},
“telephone”: “+960 660 8800”,
“email”: “stay@finolhu.com”
},
{
“@type”: “Review”,
“@id”: “https://familytraveller.com/holiday-destinations/indian-ocean/maldives/finolhu-seaside-collection-resort-maldives-review/#review”,
“name”: “Finolhu Maldives resort review: a playful island stay with standout kids and teen facilities”,
“inLanguage”: “en-GB”,
“itemReviewed”: {
“@id”: “https://familytraveller.com/holiday-destinations/indian-ocean/maldives/finolhu-seaside-collection-resort-maldives-review/#resort”
},
“author”: {
“@type”: “Person”,
“name”: “Harriet Mallinson”
},
“publisher”: {
“@id”: “https://familytraveller.com/#organization”
},
“datePublished”: “2026-01-02”,
“dateModified”: “2026-01-02”,
“mainEntityOfPage”: {
“@id”: “https://familytraveller.com/holiday-destinations/indian-ocean/maldives/finolhu-seaside-collection-resort-maldives-review/#webpage”
},
“image”: [
“https://familytravellerimages.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Finolhu-hotel-aerial.jpg”
],
“reviewBody”: “This review covers Finolhu, a luxury Maldives resort designed as a relaxed ‘island playground’ for families. The experience centres on strong kids and teen provision (including dedicated teen and children’s spaces), a choice of dining venues, and easy access to classic Maldives activities such as watersports and marine-wildlife excursions. The overall emphasis is on keeping children entertained while giving adults plenty of ways to join in — or slow down.”,
“positiveNotes”: {
“@type”: “ItemList”,
“itemListElement”: [
{
“@type”: “ListItem”,
“position”: 1,
“name”: “Family-friendly focus with dedicated kids and teen spaces (including a Teens Hut) and supervised activities”
},
{
“@type”: “ListItem”,
“position”: 2,
“name”: “Multiple dining options on the island, including casual beach-style venues and more formal choices”
},
{
“@type”: “ListItem”,
“position”: 3,
“name”: “Maldives essentials made easy: watersports, lagoon time, and marine-wildlife excursions such as dolphin or manta-focused trips”
},
{
“@type”: “ListItem”,
“position”: 4,
“name”: “Bright, playful design-led atmosphere that feels intentionally geared to families rather than ‘quiet luxury only’”
}
]
},
“offers”: {
“@type”: “Offer”,
“priceCurrency”: “GBP”,
“price”: “427”,
“description”: “Indicative starting price mentioned in the review: from £427 per night for a family of four (2 adults and 2 children).”,
“url”: “https://familytraveller.com/holiday-destinations/indian-ocean/maldives/finolhu-seaside-collection-resort-maldives-review/”
}
}
]
}