Why going all-inclusive in the Maldives gets the best of paradise
Ruth Jessop was surprised when she feel for all-inclusive life in the Maldives
I’m sitting on a tiny seaplane with twelve other people. We’re packed in tightly: there’s barely enough room to stand up, and most of us are knocking elbows with the other passengers, and jetlagged. The journey to the Maldives has been long (ten hours by plane, plus a transfer at Malé airport) but it’s worth it, because of where we’re going.
As we cruise over the Indian ocean, an island comes into view beneath the heat of the sun. It’s a welcome respite from the gloomy, grey UK, and the first moments of a week that promises nothing but white sand beaches and mild sunburn.
As the seaplane touches down and staff line up to give us sparkling wine and woven plant necklaces, it’s hard not to let out a sigh of relaxation. This is Raaya by Atmosphere, the newest hotel in the Atmosphere Core hotel collection, and its doors are finally open for visitors. Lucky for me, I’m one of them — much to my own surprise. The Atmosphere Core collection comprises a group of luxury properties with a ‘joy of giving’ philosophy. The group has nine properties in the Maldives in total.
All-inclusive in the Maldives – Indian and Maldivian food, and cocktails in the sunset hours
The bigger surprise: enjoying it so thoroughly. When I tell you I wasn’t really an all-inclusive type of person before, I mean the idea of resort living never appealed to me — but 24 hours in, I’d been seduced by the island’s castaway spirit. I’m not the first: this newspaper’s Life&Style editor, Steve Dinneen, recently wrote about Joali in the Maldives as the “ultimate place to do nothing at all.”
However, if you fancy stuffing your Maldivian trip full with activities, diving for very expensive wine is now an option, as are posh wellness retreats run alongside top dons from Oxford.
But back at Raaya, and the vibes are good. The Maldives has long been a popular destination for Brits wanting to escape the weather back home (can you blame us?): the country’s beautiful, crystal-clear waters, white-sand beaches and seemingly endless sunshine is a lure like no other.
Raaya serves that up in spades, plus more. The resort — which is situated on the Raa Atoll, a 45-minute seaplane journey from the capital — is home to 167 villas, which are spread out around the island’s circumference, offering a surprising amount of privacy for such a tiny location (though Raaya’s army of bikes, laid out Soho Farmhouse-style, means that getting around is a breeze).
That includes 106 beach villas, which are nestled into the island’s natural jungle and face onto the beach. The style is spare, with touches of colour here and there — think jungle-themed paintings in the beach villas, and ocean-themed ones for those on the sea — but the simplicity keeps the eye trained on the most important thing, the natural beauty just outside the front door.
The water villas are a bit smaller, but of course, the main attraction here is that they’re on stilts and come with a view of the infinite blue horizon. Laid out along a winding wooden pier, they’re equipped either with net hammocks strung over the sea, or infinity pools perfect for lounging in should the weather get too hot. It should go without saying, but splashing out on a floating breakfast, delivered straight to your room, is a must-do: nothing beats snacking on croissants while watching the sunlight dance on the waves.
The days settled into a delicious rhythm of migrating from beach, to bar, to sea and back again
When the night sets, these villas are lit up like monuments, leading to one of the (many) magical moments we had during our stay: coming back after a long dinner and seeing not one, but two different kinds of rays swimming underneath our bedroom, illuminated by the glow of the spotlights.
When you’ve had your fill of relaxing, Raaya’s many restaurants beckon. And there are a lot of them: the main one, Raaya Life, is laid out under a massive pavilion and offers food three times a day, every day.
This is the place guests come for breakfast and lunch (the buffet-style option impressively manages to combine Chinese, Indian, Maldivian and Western food options, as well as fruit and desserts) but more fun is to be had in venturing along to Seb’s Shack, which serves cocktails and snacks during the sunset hours, or the Italian-flavoured The Village. Or there’s Mizāj, the Moroccan-style restaurant located by the hotel’s sprawling infinity pool — where the sunset simply must be experienced with a drink in hand.
The biggest draw, though, and one we kept returning to, time and again, was Ampers&nd, which is not a typo, I promise, but Raaya’s Pan-Asian restaurant. Situated in a sort of open-sided concrete bunker, it’s stylish, secluded and all the tables face onto the white-sand beach beyond, allowing diners to enjoy their sushi with views of the sea. While we only went for dinner once, we did make a habit of coming back at lunchtime to drink espressos, feeling very chic while the waves lapped gently nearby.
Food sorted, what is there to do? Well, the obvious: the pool bar is stocked with sun loungers and the ever-attentive staff are always ready to place a drink in an outstretched hand. But for the adventure-minded, there are always other ways to occupy your time. The hotel comes equipped with a small gym as well as a mini-golf, paddle tennis and even futsal court that can be booked out in advance via your personal attendant (who is only ever a WhatsApp away).
If watersports are more your thing, there’s plenty of that too. Daily excursions can be booked through the hotel’s dive centre, which (in addition to diving) includes snorkelling trips to the hotel’s house reef. After all, you’re in the Maldives: it would be criminal not to try and see the abundance of marine life that lurks just below the surface, take advantage of the complimentary sunset cruise — or to enjoy the canoes, jet skis and rubber rings laid on for guests via the Water Sports Centre.
And in case you needed any more incentive to breathe out, there’s also the spa. Located at the end of a winding path in the island’s heart, Ele|Na offers guests the chance to wind down in one of their secluded therapy rooms – and while their extensive selection of massages are a must-try (the masseuses are terrifyingly competent), simply watching the fountain burble in the relaxation room post-treatment, with a glass of tea in hand, is singularly soothing.
After a few nights of this, the days settled into a delicious rhythm of migrating from beach, to bar, to sea and back again — with a quick stop at the arts and crafts workshop to build a dhoni, or traditional Maldivian sailing ship, in miniature. That’s right, there’s a crafts area, which is very much in keeping with Raaya’s castaway ethos — complete with an island mascot in the name of Seb, a sailor who was supposedly shipwrecked here in the 1950s.
This nautical theme takes you all the way to the last night at the resort, where guests are encouraged to gather by the Village Square (a raised circular platform ringed by running water) and set those tiny boats on the water for a race meant to symbolise “your safe journey home, and” — here the staff member offered a little smile “ hopefully back here.”
It’s a sweet gesture, as well as a knowing one. Having spent a week here, it’s hard to see how you wouldn’t want to come back. I’ve been converted: here’s to the all-inclusive life, cocktails and all.
Book the Maldives yourself
Prices start from £2,482.62pp for a seven-night stay in a Water Villa with a pool, including flights from Heathrow departing on 10 June 2025 (based on two adults sharing) with Destination2.co.uk.