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This is a private three-island resort hotel, an architectural marvel of curved overwater villas floating above a lagoon of impossible turquoise clarity in the South Malé Atoll. Designed as a self-contained sanctuary just 40 minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, Ithaafushi unfolds across three distinct islets connected by an over-the-water thoroughfare, each with its own rhythm of seclusion and celebration.

Villas here are conceived as sculptural extensions of the sea itself, their sweeping curved rooflines and glass-walled interiors dissolving the boundary between architecture and ocean. Reef, beach, and overwater residences — some spanning multi-bedroom configurations with private pools — offer a scale of privacy rare even by Maldivian standards.

Eleven dining venues, a wellness sanctuary, and a private island clubhouse anchor an atmosphere that is unmistakably Maldivian in setting yet cosmopolitan in execution: barefoot luxury reimagined with Waldorf Astoria’s signature theatrical polish, clock-free tranquility, and quietly attentive service.