Kandima

Kandima Maldives

Kandima is a big, active island in Dhaalu Atoll, for families and friend groups who want the Maldives with something to do. It has 270 rooms and ten restaurants and bars along a long island, with kids' and teens' clubs, a water-sports centre, and beach and lagoon on either side. It is a lifestyle resort rather than a honeymoon hideaway, and all-inclusive is the Dine Around plan you choose rather than the rate. Guests praise the size and energy of the island, the dining variety, the family and activity options, and the beach and lagoon setting. The complaints are that this is not the quietest island in the country, surcharges on selected items inside the all-inclusive, and the cost and complexity of the transfer. The thing people wish they had known is that Dine Around has to be selected deliberately, and that some premium dishes and drinks still carry a charge on it. The Dine Around All Inclusive plan opens the buffets and the a la carte restaurants, though selected dishes and drinks carry surcharges, the minibar rules change with the plan, and the water-sports entitlement varies by package; the spa is extra, and the transfer by domestic flight or seaplane is arranged separately from most room rates. Book the a la carte restaurants ahead, because the buffets take walk-ins and the rest are better reserved. A Beach Villa with Pool is the value with sand at the door, and the Sunset Aqua Pool Suite sits at the end of the jetty. Couples who want silence should book a smaller island.