Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas

Anantara Kihavah organises its signature experiences around four acronyms: FIRE (the grill), SKY (the rooftop observatory), ICE (the wine cellar), and SEA. SEA is the reason most people make the booking.

The restaurant sits five metres below the ocean surface, circular in layout, with 270-degree glass panels looking directly onto a section of living reef. Reef fish move through the water in constant rotation, sea turtles pass with the specific indifference of creatures who have never once worried about anything, and at night the reef is lit by concealed lighting while the water column above stays dark. The kitchen produces contemporary Maldivian and Indian Ocean cooking that works to justify a room that would make mediocre food feel insulting. It largely succeeds.

The overwater villas carry the theme into the living space. Glass panels in the floors are positioned above active reef sections, so guests can track reef fish, invertebrates, and the occasional passing ray without leaving the room. It is not the same as full immersion, but lying in a bath above a glass panel while a hawksbill turtle feeds on coral two metres below is a specific and entirely genuine experience.

The Baa Atoll location shares the same UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru a few islands away, which means access to Hanifaru Bay’s manta aggregations during the southwest monsoon season. The resident marine biologist runs reef monitoring dives, manta identification sessions, and night snorkelling in the lagoon. Butler service, the overwater spa, and a serious water sports programme complete an offer that is among the most thorough in the archipelago.