Raa Atoll

Raa lies directly north of Baa, 40 to 45 minutes from Malé by seaplane, or by domestic flight to Ifuru and then by boat. It has about 90 islands in a dense ring, and more than half its resorts opened within the last decade, which makes it one of the newest luxury areas in the country.

Underwater, Raa is far quieter than Ari: its channels and coral pinnacles see few dive boats, and from June to November the plankton brings the mantas. On nearby Vaadhoo the beach sometimes glows at night with bioluminescent plankton, the so-called Sea of Stars, though it comes and goes and cannot be promised.

Three resorts on our list are here: JOALI Maldives on Muravandhoo, opened in 2018 and filled with art; JOALI BEING, opened in 2021 as the first island in the Maldives given entirely to wellbeing; and InterContinental Maamunagau, with 81 villas and two- and three-bedroom choices for larger families.

The atoll has long been a place of fishermen and boatbuilders: Alifushi, on its northern tip, built dhonis for the whole nation, and still does.