Mandarin Oriental is Building a Maldives Resort

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is bringing its iconic brand to The Maldives.

The company this week announced plans to manage a new resort on an Indian Ocean site in The Maldives starting in 2025.

The resort, which is currently under construction, will stretch across three separate private islands on Bolidhuffaru Reef in South Male Atoll with guests being able to access the resort via a 20-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport, the main airport in the Maldives.

James Riley, CEO of Mandarin Oriental, said that the company has been focused on entering The Maldives “for some time” and the new resort is “the right opportunity” for the group.

Room offerings will include 120 different stand-alone villas, including 56 overwater villas and 64 beachfront villas, along with 10 Residences at Mandarin Oriental. The rooms will range from 200 to 1,000 square meters, giving guests some of the largest rooms in the market.

On-site, Mandarin is planning six different dining outlets, including three specialty restaurants and a sunset bar, along with separate spaces, both indoor and outdoor, for meetings, social gatherings, and weddings.

When the resort opens in 2025, it will join an increasingly popular region that has been trending higher and higher with guests coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most recently, the Ritz-Carlton debuted its much-anticipated and long-awaited resort in The Maldives, offering 100 one- to three-bedroom villas in the Fari Marina and its village.

Radisson Blu made its Maldives debut in 2020, offering 128 beachfront or overwater villas on a private island retreat in the Alifu Dhaalu Atoll region.