Alila Kothaifaru Maldives review – The Points Guy

What is Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives is a private island resort about a 45-minute seaplane flight from Male that you can book through World of Hyatt. All villas have private pools, with about half being beach villas and the other half being overwater villas.

Alila Maldives staff say the resort focuses on sustainability and experiences. So it’s unsurprising that the resort was built on a natural island without any dredging or other artificial land creation ahead of its opening in 2022. The resort has a modern, minimalist design that feels consistent throughout the property.

How to book Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

Paid rates at Alila Kothaifaru Maldives usually range from $586 to $1,235 per night when you book directly through Hyatt. But, as this Alila is a Category 7 Hyatt property, you can redeem 25,000 points per night on off-peak dates, 30,000 points per night on standard dates and 35,000 points per night on peak dates.

How to get to Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives is on Kothaifaru Island in the Raa Atoll of the Maldives, 104 miles from Velana International Airport (MLE). You can get to Alila Maldives via a seaplane from MLE or a domestic flight from MLE to Ifuru Airport (IFU) and then a speedboat to the resort.

Either way, the resort will book your transfers based on your international arrival and departure flights at a round-trip cost of $660 per adult (defined as 12 years or older), $330 per child (defined as at least 2 but younger than 12) and no cost per infant (defined as under 2).

To take a same-day seaplane flight, your international flight into Male must land before 3:30 p.m., and your departing flight should not leave before 9 a.m. I recommend landing in Male in the morning or staying in the Maldives’ capital city for a night, as missing your seaplane and arriving at the resort a day late isn’t how you want to start your stay.

As with most Maldives private island resorts, you shouldn’t plan to leave the island before your departure date unless you’re on a resort-organized excursion.

Beach villas are spacious — but expect outdoor bathrooms

The base room — which is the only room type you can book with Hyatt points — is a 2,174-square-foot beach villa.

All beach villas have a private pool, an outdoor patio and private beach loungers.

I loved waking up and seeing the turquoise water and beach from my bed after opening the curtains.

1 of 1

KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY

The pillows on the bed were thinner than I prefer, but the bed’s firmness and the bedding’s breathability were satisfactory.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the outdoor bathroom simply because it was hot during the day. That said, I found it peaceful to shower outside after dark and had no mosquito issues. Lizards and flying bugs greeted me in the outdoor bathroom, which I found endearing but some may find bothersome.

The bedroom had an air-conditioned makeup area with complimentary reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellant and after-sun cooling gel.

You’ll also find several closets in the bedroom. These closets included robes, a safe, hats to use at the resort and more.

The sitting area near the villa’s entrance is relaxing. Unfortunately, the TV image was distorted, and streaming didn’t work during our stay (the resort said streaming was temporarily down when we asked). A table near the couch and chair in the area is ideal for enjoying room service.

The design of the beach villas was crisp and modern. I also loved that the resort didn’t hide anything in drawers, which lets guests immediately see all the amenities on the counters or in the closets.

However, I didn’t enjoy walking through the villa to the bathroom after swimming in the pool or ocean (I would have preferred a way to reach the bathroom from the pool area), but this may not bother everyone.

Water villas may be worth the upgrade cost

The 1,345-square-foot water villas have most of the same furniture as the beach villas, just in a different layout and with a much more appealing (to me, at least) view.

I loved sitting on the couch looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the ocean.

In the sitting area, you’ll find a table and chair next to the sofa. There’s also a minibar and coffee area by the TV.

Unlike other overwater villas I’ve stayed in at other Maldives resorts, the bed is perpendicular to the windows instead of facing outward. The mattress and bedding are the same as the beach villa, so I slept well. I occasionally heard waves breaking outside the villa, but the noise wasn’t loud enough to wake me.

The bathroom in the water villa was air-conditioned, which was a huge plus given the humid climate. I enjoyed going directly between the shower area and the outdoor pool deck via a sliding door. However, I wasn’t able to get this door to lock.

In the bathroom, you’ll find several closets with a safe, robes and more.

The outdoor area of the water villa offers various seating options, including lounge chairs and an overwater net. I appreciated the lighting underneath the net that turned on at the same time as the pool lights, as this light attracted fish at night. But the star of the show was the infinity pool and direct ocean access from the deck into the sea via a ladder.

You can’t book water villas with points, although you can hope for a complimentary upgrade as a Hyatt Globalist member or pay an upgrade rate per night. During my stay, the cost to upgrade to a lagoon water villa was $126 per night, which may be worth paying if you don’t want an outdoor bathroom or value having an overwater villa.

Well-presented food and beverage

Spa treatments in the forest canopy

Spa Alila is in the center of the island near the Spice Garden. The spa reception is above the fitness center, with four double-occupancy treatment rooms along a treetop canopy walkway.

Other things to do at Alila Kothaifaru Maldives

During my stay, many guests seemed to spend much of their time in their private villas. But here’s a look at what you can do throughout the rest of the resort.

Go to the pool or beach

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives is an island, so you’re never far from a beach. But, in addition to the private pools and direct access to the beach or ocean that each villa provides, the resort offers beaches by Yakitori Bar and Mirus Bar. I found self-serve water and towels, beach chairs and bar service at these beaches.

The beach area by Mirus Bar also has a large infinity pool surrounded by comfortable lounge chairs with umbrellas.

Snorkel the house reef

You’ll find reefs you can snorkel all around the island. However, the best part of the house reef for snorkeling is by Yakitori Bar. You can enter from the beach there, but if you are a decent swimmer and avid snorkeler, I recommend talking to the water sports staff and seeing how the current flows.

We enjoyed putting in by the dive center and snorkeling along the reef with the current back to Yakitori Bar. If you are in an overwater villa, know that the current can make swimming between the house reef by Yakitori Bar and your villa difficult.

Reasons Alila Kothaifaru Maldives might not be for you

With many great resorts in the Maldives, Alila Kothaifaru won’t be the best option for everyone. Here are some reasons the Alila Kothaifaru Maldives might not be right for you:

• You want to take a boat from Male: While you can reach some resorts closer to Male with just a speedboat or yacht, you’ll need to take a seaplane (or a domestic flight and a speedboat) to reach the Alila after you land in Male.

• You prefer motorized water sports: Besides the speedboats you can book for excursions, you won’t find any motorized water sports at the Alila Maldives. I enjoyed this because it creates a peaceful environment, but it may be disappointing to some guests.

• You prefer to walk or bike: Although welcome materials encourage guests to “explore the resort on foot to fully appreciate the natural beauty of the island,” we rarely noticed other guests walking. Carts with other guests frequently passed us while we walked around the island; the cart traffic was so frequent that it made walking unpleasant. Unfortunately, the resort doesn’t provide bikes to guests.

A note on upgrades

It’s also worth discussing the one-category space-available upgrades for Hyatt Globalist members. Shortly after booking, I received an email from the resort stating, “As a valued Globalist, we are happy to extend to you a complimentary upgrade to the next category (Lagoon Water Villa), available on the day of arrival.” However, despite the resort still selling a lagoon water villa on my day of arrival, I wasn’t proactively offered a complimentary upgrade.

During check-in to the beach villa discussed above, I told my host I had been hopeful for an upgrade to a lagoon water villa as a World of Hyatt Globalist member. He said he’d check whether the resort could move me for part of my stay, and I received a message the next morning saying we could move to a water villa at noon.

Accessibility

Alila Kothaifaru Maldives doesn’t offer many accessibility features U.S. travelers might be accustomed to. For example, the hotel has no rooms specifically designed with accessibility in mind, and I didn’t see a pool lift near Seasalt or a lift to the spa. You’ll find steps and loose sand paths throughout the property, and I didn’t see any Braille as I explored the resort.

The hotel’s website doesn’t mention any specific accessibility features. When I asked a staff member about accessibility, they said guests should contact the property to discuss their needs. So, while I expect the property and its staff will do their best to help, you’ll need to be proactive about discussing what you need and determining whether the resort can support you.

Checking out