Charming boutique resort with the heart in the right place

43 villas, one restaurant, one bar, one spa, a diving center and a museum are all you need to run one of the Maldives' most charming resorts. 

It is back to the basics with bare feet all day long and a rarely seen informal atmosphere and sense of community that one can only get at a smaller resorts with a truly local feel and ambience.

Nika Island is going against the trend that characterizes the vast majority of new hotels in the Maldivian archipelago. Big, international brands are opening one more futuristic hotel after another. With hundreds of villas, a loads of restaurants and activities ad libitum.

This is not the case at Nika, which was actually one of the first hotels in the Maldives located in the Ari Atoll.  At Nika they have chosen a kind of “back to the basics” approach - in the cool way, where the focus is bare foot relaxation, snorkeling and diving and a strong sense of community with the inhabited neighboring islands.

Nika even calls it "Maldives as it used to be" - and that is exactly the premise you have to be a fan of if you want to come here. If you like “less is more” then you will love Nika Island.

Private beach right on the doorstep

All beach villas have their own private beach. And it is on right the beach and not hidden behind bushes and trees like many other places that promotes beach villas. And this is truly unique and not found many places on the planet. You walk straight from your villa out into the sand and and ends in the blue and calming warm waters of the Indian Ocean.

For some the dream of the Maldives would be overwater villas, which Nika also features. Garden villas are cheaper and located in the middle of the island. But in our opinion it is the beach villas that sets Nika apart.

They come in a few different sizes and designs. The smallest (which is ample with both bedroom and living room) can accommodate 2 adults and 2 children, while the largest can accommodate up to 4 adults and 2 children.

Whale sharks, manta rays, dolphins and turtles

Nika Island is located in the northern part of Ari Atoll, approx. 25 minute seaplane ride from Male. The house reef that surrounds the entire island is really great with the opportunity to see rays and reef sharks. On one side of the island there is just 20-30 meters from the beach to the reef. On the other side you have to swim a little longer or jump in from one of the two piers. 

In addition Nika runs diving trips to the best dive sites in the Ari Atoll, it is also possible to go on excursions by speedboat or dhoni to various islands and reefs. The two inhabited neighbors are obvious for a cultural insight into the local everyday life, and on the uninhabited islands you can swim, snorkel and have a picnic in a true Robinson Crusoe manner. 

And then the highlight for the true underwater explorers. They will take you do dive and snorkel sites like turtle reef, manta point, and the unique places in the south of the atoll where whale sharks come for feeding. 

The Maldives meets the Mediterranean

The food is honest and fresh, as you can imagine when Italy has free access to fresh seafood. Lunch and dinner alternate between buffet with different themes and a la carte with a nice variety. Pizza, pasta, fresh salads from the garden, local curries and lots of fish are among the options.

It's all served in cozy surroundings with sand between your toes - either in the open air or in the cozy semi-open restaurant.