Niyama Private Islands Maldives — Hotel in South Nilandhe Atoll

It’s been a little over a month now since we got back from our trip to Niyama. Unfortunately, real life has made it difficult for us to get around to writing our review of our week in paradise — which is truly how to describe any trip to an all-inclusive resort island like Niyama — but we are ready to make good on our promise to our Thakuru, Ammi, who was always one text or call away no matter what time of the day.||Ammi was there the second we landed on the island after our first-ever seaplane ride from Malé International directly to Niyama, which was a great convenience to only have to worry about a single transfer between airport and island. Immediately after stepping onto the island from our plane, we were greeted by Ammi as well as a few other island staff, accompanied by the island’s manager, Laurent, who was also lovely. It was amazing hearing his story about his journey to becoming an island manager after starting as a scuba instructor in the industry!||After being greeted and gifted welcome drinks to refresh us from our long journey from the UK, Ammi offered to give us a quick tour of the island before taking us to our overwater villa #76, which was the first of two villas we stayed in during our 7-night stay. Ammi gave us a quick run-down on how to operate the electronics in the villa and shared with us his WhatsApp number. After confirming a time for dinner that night, he left us to be in awe of our new home for the next week. I mean it when I say there is no feeling like waking up to the sunrise over a vast, bright-blue ocean with nothing but water in front of your eyes and sea life swimming directly under you. The visual clarity of the water is surreal — you can see individual rocks and shells from above the surface. It’s the kind of experience that makes you think about how to achieve something like this every day.||One thing we didn’t catch until our last day, unfortunately, was that we were not given the welcome-gift champagne that was meant to be included — only macarons, candy, and three apples — which was not what we were expecting from other photos or the description of our inclusion. This oversight did not ruin our trip by any means.||Our villa #76 is located on Chill Island along with all the other overwater villas, including the special Pavilions found at The Crescent. Niyama is comprised of two separate islands connected via a bridge: Chill Island and Play Island. The islands are intended to differentiate activities and villa types: family beach villas are on Play Island and all ocean villas are on Chill Island. Both islands have their own primary restaurants — Blu (on Play Island) and Epicure/Dune (on Chill Island) — where you’ll find buffet breakfasts and à la carte lunches; dinners are buffet-style with à la carte options. Both restaurants also include a public pool. Epicure/Dune is a more complex setup: Epicure hosts buffet breakfast and dinner inside the main building, which also hosts a rooftop bar named Fahrenheit that opens after 5:30 p.m., while Dune Bar and lunch are set up directly outside on the beach where Epicure is located.||Niyama has five other main restaurants that each follow a cultural theme. Tribal is Niyama’s African restaurant serving traditional African and Central/South American cuisines — come here if you want to try exotic cuts such as ostrich, crocodile, kudu, and blesbok! Nest is the island’s Asian restaurant with a fantastical treetop setup; you can sit in serenity eating a savory katsu curry or reserve a teppanyaki spot downstairs for a performance-based meal with their chef (I wish I remembered his name — he was amazing and had only just started, I believe!). After teppanyaki, you get the chance to write anything you want on a tree-ring piece that will be hung on their wall — a little piece of you left on the island forever.||There is The Deli, where they serve ready-to-eat pastries, small bites, made-to-order sandwiches, and ice cream. We didn’t try The Deli because it sounded the least interesting to us, but the interior is lovely and cozy and I’m sure the food is as good as everything else — even the buffet breakfasts tasted phenomenal. You wouldn’t feel dissatisfied if you only ate at Blu or Epicure/Dune; the variety and quality at the buffets genuinely impressed us.||One place I didn’t add as part of the five main dining areas is the Surf Shack truck near the island’s surfing point on Play Island. Funny enough, the Surf Shack menu items were a major deciding factor for me when we chose Niyama, and I have no shame in admitting that! I was desperately craving a resort where we could eat Mexican street-style tacos. Although they unfortunately use hard shells for their tacos, the guacamole sauce and mini beef empanadas reinforced my feeling that we had picked the perfect place for our first trip to the Maldives — they gave just enough of that Mexican-American flavor I wanted. Don’t get me wrong: those hard-shell tacos might’ve been the best hard-shell tacos I’ve ever had. Chef Pradeep, if you see this, please consider bringing classic soft-shell Mexican street tacos to the island’s menu somewhere — haha.||The final two restaurants, Edge and Subsix, go hand in hand: one kitchen serves both. Edge is the above-water fine-dining experience where you can share drinks and look out into the ocean while enjoying caviar, wagyu, and sea urchin; cross the bridge and go down the steps into Subsix, which — as the name suggests — sits six meters below the surface. Dining there, watching fish speed past the glass walls and coral reefs, while enjoying a set menu with sake pairings, was genuinely one of the most unique experiences we will ever have.||Niyama also offers other destination dining experiences, and we took advantage of the private sandbank picnic, which advertises a serene, peaceful lunch on a sandbank away from the island for three hours where you’re meant to be away from the world and have ultimate privacy and tranquility. Unfortunately, our picnic wasn’t picture perfect, but it didn’t spoil the experience — we still enjoyed almost every second of it.||To start with what was good: we arrived at the arrival dock around 11:00 a.m. for our departure to the sandbank, where Ammi was waiting with the boat along with our boat captain and crew. We set off and arrived no longer than 10–15 minutes later, with our beanbags set up, an umbrella pitched to keep us from being cooked in the Maldivian sun, and two coolers filled with our picnic feast and complimentary drinks. Everything started amazingly. We set up our first of two picnic platters filled with fruit, meat skewers, cheeses, and more — it all tasted wonderful and was too much to finish! We enjoyed light snorkeling around the bank and walked the whole length. Unfortunately, we scheduled the experience early in our trip and hadn’t conquered our fear of the ocean at the Blue Hole yet, so we didn’t swim much and chose to mainly listen to music and lounge in the serenity of the scenery.||Being a three-hour experience in the low season, we weren’t able to avoid the occasional rain shower. There was a 20–30 minute section where we were stranded on the bank in a heavy downpour; a group of jetskiers from a neighboring resort took refuge on the sandbank until it stopped — which we completely understood, and we were not upset. The issue was that the guests later came back to the sandbank after the storm to take pictures, which made us uncomfortable and feel as if we were not given the exclusive experience we expected; we had not been warned that guests from other resorts might be brought to the same sandbank during someone else’s scheduled experience. That said, it was not the end of the world — we even got an offer to take pictures with the jet skis, which we accepted. In a perfect world, it would have been nice if Niyama had informed us of this possibility or reimbursed us with more than a complimentary bottle of champagne (which we later learned should have been included on arrival anyway). Still, considering everything else, this was among the worst things we experienced — and that’s a positive sign!||There’s so much more I’d love to write about, but this review has already taken almost an hour. I’m sure you’ll find many other people talking about the island’s diverse staff from around the world, including the island’s coconut guru, Imran — one of the most memorable people on the island — who is originally from Bangladesh and had no idea how to climb a tree before getting his job! Or Ruslan, who comes from a Russian city near Serbia where the temperatures are similar but negative! Everyone on the island is amazing and genuinely cares about the guests they serve. We hope to have the chance to see you all again soon!||A tip for anyone who gets to the end of this review: if you love crabs, take a detour to the left of the bridge entrance to the ocean villas. There’s conveniently enough space to park your bikes and you’ll find a hammock tied to two trees on the coastline where you’ll see genuinely hundreds of hermit and ghost crabs. We loved coming to this little spot at night after dinner or in the morning before breakfast to watch the tiny crabs going about their lives — it’s genuinely a little Crab Treasure Trove!||And before ending this review entirely, we want to thank as many people from the island as we can remember (forgive us if we miss anyone). You all made our stay so wonderful — Zoe was bawling waiting on our seaplane back to Malé because of how much she was going to miss this place, and I will too! Here’s to hoping for another trip back as soon as possible :)||Ammi — Thank you so much for always doing your best to accommodate us with anything we needed, for responding even at the latest hours of the night, and for making sure we got last-minute dinner reservations when we were indecisive — haha. We wish you the best!||Pradeep — Thank you for the opportunity to see behind the scenes of how island kitchens in the Maldives operate and for personal tours of the many kitchen spaces and the chefs’ garden. As someone who works in the food industry (I’m a dishwasher), it was phenomenal to meet your teams and thank the dishwasher — that meant a lot. I hope we’ll see you again — maybe one day for a job, who knows!||Akil — You brought a warm presence to every food service you were involved with. We’re so grateful to have received such amazing service from you and your coworkers — your generosity is noticed instantly!||Jackie — Although we didn’t indulge in much wine, we enjoyed every small conversation and greeting with you. Maybe next time we’ll learn more about the wines offered on the island!||Shamai — Every time we saw you and Ibaash serving us, we were so happy. You both come off as genuine and happy, and being closer in age made us feel friendly toward you. You show the exact qualities every server/host should aspire to — thank you!||Ibaash — Apologies if the spelling isn’t correct. You and Shamai both showed what it means to be great servers/hosts and how to make guests feel truly cared for. The simple desire to say goodbye to us before you left the island shows your character — thank you for that!||Hery — Thank you for being proactive in making sure every guest got the experience they desired. Greeting us at breakfast and checking how we were felt like true care — thank you.||Reima — Your eggs were always lovely; cooking them at home just isn’t the same. You have such a warm and authentic presence — we hope to have your eggs again soon!||Moses — Your cooking is amazing. The passion in your voice when you speak of your food gives guests the best experience, and we appreciated learning the history and culture behind your dishes. Thank you!||Kaisa — The warmth you bring to the restaurant in the morning is unmatched. Being greeted with health shots was an unmatched morning experience — thank you for your hospitality.||Boni — You and Anne were always happy faces when we dined, and you made our Subsix experience feel like being served by a friend — we appreciate you!||Anne — Like Boni, your service at Tribal felt welcoming and friendly. We talked about the service as much as the food — thank you.||Rakish — You respected our room and belongings better than we do at times. Your friendliness and communication about cleaning were unparalleled, and we were so happy to see you responded to the note we left you. I hope you run one of these islands one day, friend!||Imran — I already spoke about you, but you go above and beyond. You appeared at the right times to gift us fresh coconuts and brought a radiant happiness to the island. Your backstory of becoming the coconut guru is inspiring. We will always cherish the shell you gave us — Zoe still has it on her desk. We...

We stayed at Niyama Private Islands in February 2025 and while it’s taken us some time to sit down and write this, trust us – this is a review we’ve been meaning to share since we returned! Life threw a whirlwind of house moves and renovations our way, but not a day passed where we didn’t think back fondly on our time in paradise. We are big believers in sharing honest, helpful reviews – and there is nothing more satisfying than writing one as heartfelt and glowing as this.||This was our first time in the Maldives – and what a first time it was! If you plan to visit the Maldives at least once in your life, this is the place to do it. Unparalleled service, attention to detail, and an incredible team. By the end of our stay, we were genuinely sad to leave.||A massive thank you to Melissa Fungai – our guardian angel of the trip – who coordinated the most magical and flawless proposal for us after months of planning with my (now) fiancé. It was a dream: a sandbank proposal with nothing but the two of us, a parasol, a gourmet lunch, and that endless Maldivian horizon. It was surreal, untouched, secluded… like a dream sequence from a movie. I still can’t believe I got to experience it. We swam together for the first time in the ocean as an engaged couple, and when we returned to the island – a surprise dinner on the beach awaited us. It was a grilled seafood platter at sundown… absolutely unforgettable. Everything went seamlessly thanks to Melissa – we will carry this memory for the rest of our lives.||The second biggest shoutout goes to Abhi, the hotel’s brilliant chef. Not only is he a culinary artist, but a genuinely kind and generous person. One night, after learning we had missed the Indian cuisine evening, he invited us back and personally prepared the most delicious chicken tikka masala and naan we’ve had since our travels to India. We were stunned – the attention, the quality, the warmth – it was overwhelming in the best possible way. He remembered our favorites, welcomed us like old friends, and delighted us with more local Indian dishes in the following days. Just writing this makes me hungry again!||To Sangu, our waiter at Dune – thank you for the warm conversations, your impeccable service, and for always making us smile. We wish you the very best and send early congratulations for your own wedding proposal back in Sri Lanka!||To Esther, the Ayurveda therapist, thank you for introducing me to the Shirodhara oil massage – it was my first time and truly magical. And Gusti – thank you for going the extra mile and gifting me ginger, lemon, and the healing leaves from your tea blend. I’ve already brewed it at home. This kind of generosity stays with you.||Also, a special thanks to:||Pritesh (Epicure restaurant) for his attentive and kind service.||Redy (Dune bar) for surprising me by speaking Italian and always being upbeat.||Deva, the hostess at Epicure, for always making it possible for us to sit outside and for intuitively knowing what we’d wish before we even voiced it.||This island stay was truly unparalleled. Yes, the Maldives is famous for being paradise – but Niyama exceeds expectations. When you combine that natural beauty with this level of professionalism and care, and then add a once-in-a-lifetime proposal… well, it’s simply beyond perfect.||Villa Notes|We stayed in Villa #4, which is close to the main buffet restaurant, bars, and reception. Normally we would avoid being so centrally located, but here’s the magic of Niyama: even in a well-placed villa, privacy reigns. The room and beach setting felt deeply secluded. In fact, “crowded” is a word that doesn’t apply to this island at all.||Having walked both islands extensively, I can share some helpful observations:||Villa 4 and nearby beach: The sand is full of shells, so not the smoothest, but the water is lovely. There is a bit more current and gentle waves here.||Rooms 2-48 side: The sand is powdery and pristine – like walking on flour – and the water is incredibly clear and calm. This is also where the sunsets shine best, and where special dinners on the sand are hosted.||Drawback: Seaplanes land close to this villa side and can be loud (approx. every 1–3 hours) but stop after 3pm.||Snorkeling tips: The area around rooms 26–27 had the most vibrant reef life and color. The waters between rooms 139–110 (connecting the two islands) are also good, though the sand is less walkable.||Best beach water: Likely around rooms 29–48 (Beach Family Water Villas), close to the spa. Calmest waters and smoothest sand.||Restaurants||Epicure Buffet: The best buffet we’ve ever experienced. As an Italian, I have high standards, and this place wowed us with quality, presentation, and freshness.||Nest: A dream for any treehouse lover! Asian cuisine in a canopy setting with connected bridges – magical atmosphere and divine food. Very romantic.||Tribal: African restaurant with bold decoration and large portions. Perfect for adventurous eaters! Try the game meats – so be ready to share if you're not super hungry.||Spa & Grounds|The spa is a must. The garden and surroundings are gorgeous, and the therapists were exceptional. The overall island vibe is pure tranquility. Most villas offer beachfront access where you can be completely alone. If your everyday life is noisy or fast-paced, this is pure healing.||That said, if you’re looking for sunbeds in public areas, they are limited, so head out early. But honestly, you may not even need them – we barely left our own beachside area!||Extras & Tips:||Activities are not included. We did the whale shark excursion – which is not private despite the name. It’s private transport, but everyone gathers in the same spot. It gets very crowded. Think Piccadilly Circus… but in snorkel gear. We were lucky to have 30–40 uninterrupted seconds before the swarm arrived. Swimming is against the current, so good fitness helps!||We also saw manta rays – breathtaking! ||The drop-off reef experience was incredible – like a scene out of Finding Nemo! ||Lounge & Travel Tips||The lounge before your seaplane is separate from the main airport – make arrangements to return there if you plan to explore Male before a late flight.||Bring flip-flops for the airport showers.||The seaplane takes about 45 minutes and you may have a bit of a wait – not exactly hop-on-hop-off.||Shell Souvenirs|We took two shells home from the sandbank where we got engaged. We asked at security – they said it was absolutely fine. It meant the world to take a piece of that special moment with us.||In Summary|Niyama is not just a hotel. It’s a sanctuary. It’s a place where every detail is thoughtful, every person goes above and beyond, and the experience carves a memory that lasts forever. We’ll be back – and we hope this review helps fellow travelers make the most informed and joy-filled decision to visit. Don’t...

Our family, consisting of a 6 & 8 year old boys, my husband and I, recently returned from a trip at Niyama at the end of June – early July. It was a bucket list trip that exceeded our expectations.||We split time between beach villa and overwater bungalow, and I’m so happy we did. We spent the half of the trip in a beach bungalow with the pool, which was magical. The boys enjoyed running from the ocean to the pool, and building sandcastles in their backyard. The design of the villa was incredible; the outdoor bathroom was a showstopper. Everything you can imagine was supplied in the room (silk robes, rain coats and umbrellas, kites and hats for the kids, adapters, toiletries). Midway through our stay, we then moved to an overwater pavilion (after some waffling we decided to take advantage of the offer to upgrade from the planned overwater villa to the pavilion for an additional supplement). While I didn’t think our stay could get any more magical, it did! The pavilion consisted of an entry way, living space, separate bedroom, bathroom, and incredibly spacious outdoor deck/pool/jet tub. It was beautifully appointed and still had an outdoor shower with a rain shower (I found it delightful to look down at the water below, especially as the sun was setting and reflecting off the calm ripples of the water). ||Impeccable accommodations aside, the grounds were also beautiful. It is a beautifully appointed resort with something for everyone to enjoy. We loved being able to bike from end to end through the bright green jungle, and then sit on the pristine beach or swim in the beautiful water. We took advantage of the offerings on the island, including the dolphin tour, snorkel equipment, playing badminton, watching the surfers, SUP and kayaks, the gym (which has great equipment), and also got massages, went for a dive and had a tubing session (the latter three for an extra supplement). Our youngest also did the paint lesson with the resident artist who was awesome with him. My son brought a coconut from the surf point to paint--the resident artist spent about an hour and a half with him, helping my son to paint a beach scene on it that rivaled a processional. The resident artist was patient and so warm with him.||The level of service was also unrivaled. Our butler Ammi was responsive and went above and beyond. The level of personalized service and attention to detail was incredible. We were often greeted by name at restaurants, and the staff took a genuine interest in us. We also enjoyed learning about the staff, their different countries of origin and their cultures. ||The food was also very good. While there was some cross over between the menus, where the restaurants really shined was when the chefs from the different countries did what they do best—in particular, the Indian and African chefs made incredible dishes from their home countries. The curries were so incredible. We also tried Subsix, Nest and Tribal, all had such impeccable décor. We did the sunset at Edge. They also do a glow DJ Party at Subsix the night of the sunset at Edge, it looked super fun (though we did not attend).||The boys also loved the offerings at the kids club. They have daily excursions in the club, and the boys loved all of them—in addition to the age appropriate expansive grounds of the kids club itself. They actually preferred spending time there than with us. ||We flew in on the sea plane and due to flight changes, we flew out on the domestic flight from the nearby airport. Both offered lounge access while we waited, which was a superb touch.||I would highly recommend Niyama and hope to one day return! It was a bucket list adventure well worth every second of travel time to get there...