Kandima - Maldives

We (me and my husband) visited 11th - 18th January 2025.

Kandima is a (3km) long, thin island resort in Dhaalu Atoll – 45 minutes seaplane flight from Malé or a 35 minute internal flight _ 15 minute speed boat. It’s one of the larger resorts and is perfectly suited to families, groups and couples wanting a mix of island seclusion, but with plenty to do.

Arrival

Once we’d cleared immigration and collected our bags, we were met by a friendly Kandima rep in the Arrivals Hall. He helped us get our bags checked in for the seaplane flight (we were a little over the 20kg per person seaplane luggage allowance, so had to pay a £30 surcharge which covered the return flight too).

A minibus then took us the 10 minutes around to the seaplane terminal where staff took us briefly to a clean, modern waiting room, before we were called to the flight – our first on a seaplane! After a 45-minute flight we landed (much smoother on water than a normal runway!) and we transferred to a boat for the short ride to the island itself.

Check-in was efficient, and all dining, logistics and the in-house app were explained to us. Kandima is a cashless island, so any ‘extras’ not covered by your package are charged to your room. Room keys are silicone water-proof wristbands.

There is a buggy services that operates every 20 minutes around the island but most people tend to walk along the beach to get everywhere. 

Accommodation

We stayed in a beautiful, spotlessly clean, modern Beach Studio (room 141). The studios are arranged in blocks (with a Sky Studio on the floor above). We chose this because we love to be able to step out directly onto the beach, and, although Beach & Sky Studios are actually the cheapest option, we preferred them in terms of location.

Room types:

• Beach Studio – on the main part of the beach, just a few steps to the water’s edge (my favourite of all the rooms)

• Sky Studio – the same as Beach Studio, but on the upper floor

• Beach Villa with Swirl Pool

• Beach Pool Villa with Swirl Pool

• Aqua Villa • Aqua Villa with Swirl Pool

• Ocean Pool Villa (on the secluded, much quieter non-lagoon side of the island – semi-overwater, but with no access to the sea, as it’s not safe to swim on that side)

• Sunset Aqua Pool Suite (only 2 of these available)

We toured all the room types and all were beautifully modern, spotlessly clean, practical with plenty of storage and stunning views.

Food & Drink

We opted for the All-Inclusive Dine Around package. This meant all food and drink was included and allowed you to have dinner in any restaurant.

The package includes mini bar (refilled every day) Mini Bar contents: 1x Bounty, 1 x Snickers, bottled Coke, Fanta, Sprite (2 of each), 1 small bottle each of red & white wine. Room also had an Nespresso machine with pods, kettle, various teas, as well as larger bottles of still water.

We had breakfast at Zest Restaurant (top end of the island, near to Beach Club pool and Aqua Villas), and loved the sandy floor (lovely and cool on bare feet!) – buffet service, with a good selection, and fresh eggs cooked to order.

Lunch was available at Flavour (the other buffet restaurant) during our stay.

Evening meals were almost all at one of the three A La Carte restaurants:

• Azure – Mediterranean

• Sea Dragon – Asian

• Smoked – Grill (the steak was cooked to perfection)

The food was excellent in all 3 – we’d definitely recommend dinner there.

3 bars to choose from:

• Breeze Bar (next to HQ reception and the main pool) has great entertainment in the evenings.

• Beach Club Bar is a lovely swim up bar where you can sit with a cocktail and look out on the lagoon.

• Forbidden is part of Sea Dragon restaurant with a seated area outside overlooking the ocean side of the island

All 3 bars have a full selection of cocktails (all with names starting with “K”). The "Kooki" (pina colada) was a clear favourite.

Activities

We’re definitely the Fly n’ Flop types, so didn’t take as much advantage of this, but the island has its own full-size (electric) go-cart track, which is very new and in great condition as well as more usual activities such as tennis, full gym, football pitch, volleyball, an art studio and of course, plenty of water-based activities.

Snorkelling

Although swimming on the lagoon side of the island is safe, we’d DEFINITLEY recommend investing in water shoes as the coral underfoot in the water can be pretty tricky. The team at Aquaholics (water-sports centre), operate a free boat trip to the house reef, just 5 mins from the beach, almost every hour. Although it’s quite far out and with loads more fish, it’s still shallow enough to touch the bottom in most places. (I‘m not the strongest of swimmers).

In summary

Kandima is a beautiful island which we'd definitely recommend with lots to do and a decent choice of restaurants/bars to choose from. It’s perfect for families and groups and great for couples who like a mix of island seclusion, but with plenty to do. It was clear that the kids loved the activities on offer and the staff running them. Happy children = happy parents!