Gili Lankanfushi is a barefoot luxury resort on Lankanfushi island in North Malé Atoll, about 20 km from the Maldives’ main airport. Most guests stay in thatched overwater villas built of natural timber on stilts above the lagoon. Older photographs, including the ones here, show it under its former name, Soneva Gili.

Overwater villa at the former Soneva Gili, now Gili Lankanfushi
An overwater villa at the resort when it was still called Soneva Gili.

Getting to Gili Lankanfushi

International flights land at Velana International Airport on Hulhulé, next to the capital Malé. Resort staff meet guests on arrival and take them to a speedboat for a transfer of about 30 minutes. No seaplane is needed, which makes Gili Lankanfushi one of the easier resorts to reach after a long-haul flight.

Aerial view of the island resort and overwater villas
Aerial view of the island and its overwater villas, from the Soneva Gili years.
Timber beams and a shaded seating area at the resort

Overwater villas and residences

All the accommodation stands over the water or at its edge, and each guest is looked after by a personal host the resort calls a Mr. or Ms. Friday. The main categories are:

  • Villa Suites: spacious overwater villas suited to couples, linked to the island by wooden walkways.
  • Crusoe Residences: standalone villas in the lagoon that can only be reached by boat, for more privacy.
  • Residences and family villas: larger units recommended for families of four.
  • The Private Reserve: the resort’s showpiece, described as the largest standalone overwater villa in the world.

Some villas have a private pool; check the category before booking if that matters to you.

Sun loungers and an umbrella on a wooden deck above the sea
A hammock suspended between posts in shallow lagoon water
A wooden walkway leading to thatched buildings across the lagoon
A thatched pavilion beside a pool and palm-lined beach
A low palm trunk extending across a white-sand beach
Aerial view of connected overwater villas

The Private Reserve

The Private Reserve covers 1,700 square metres over the lagoon, with four en-suite bedrooms across two levels. On the upper sun deck is an infinity pool, and a water slide runs from the top deck down into the private swimming area of the lagoon. It also has a private cinema, a gym, a spa pavilion with sauna and steam room, a wine cellar of some 400 labels and a rooftop terrace with outdoor dining pavilions. Guests arrive by yacht and get their own boats for getting around.

A thatched overwater villa with loungers on its sun deck
A bed under white netting inside a timber-framed resort room
A sheltered lounge with yellow cushions and an ocean view
A small boat beside the deck of an overwater villa
A cushioned daybed beneath a thatched canopy on a wooden deck

Dining, spa and the reef

Kashiveli serves international and Maldivian food, By The Sea is a Japanese-fusion restaurant, and the Overwater Bar specialises in sunset drinks, which can also be served aboard a traditional dhoni boat. There is an underground wine cellar for private dinners, an organic garden that supplies the kitchen and in-villa dining.

Guests at a table on a deck beside the lagoon
A dining table inside a rounded wine-cellar interior
A table and chairs set on the beach beneath a purple evening sky
An evening gathering beside lanterns on the resort beach

The Meera Spa offers Ayurvedic rituals, massages and organic facials in treatment rooms overlooking the Indian Ocean. In the water, snorkelling and diving trips explore the coral reefs of North Malé Atoll, and the resort’s environmental team runs coral restoration work and eco-tours that guests can join.

Swimmers beyond a sun deck with loungers and an umbrella
Thatched overwater villas surrounded by turquoise shallows
Distant overwater villas beyond a palm-lined beach
A timber villa raised on stilts above clear lagoon water

When to visit the Maldives

The Maldives, a chain of about 1,190 coral islands in 26 atolls, is hot all year, with average highs around 31°C. The dry season comes with the northeast monsoon, and January to March are the driest months in Malé. The southwest monsoon brings the wet season from early June to the end of November, with April and May as the changeover. Ask the resort’s team about tides and currents before swimming off your villa deck.

Illuminated overwater buildings beside the beach at dusk
A ladder descending from a villa’s deck into the sea
Overhead view of linked villas and decks

For more of the Maldives, see the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant, or compare the lagoon colours with our Mauritius underwater waterfall explanation and our Palau Rock Islands guide.