Maldives Water Villa Resorts

Not every Maldives resort has a water villa, and assuming otherwise is the mistake that most often turns up after a deposit has been paid. These are the islands whose own published villa list names an over-water room — read off the villa categories rather than a brochure adjective.

A water villa is bought for the ladder into the lagoon, so what matters is the water underneath it rather than the room itself: a villa over a sandy shallow reads turquoise in the photographs and holds little to snorkel, and one over a house reef trades the colour for something to look at. We check which you are getting before quoting. Most islands sell a beach villa for the early nights and move you over the water for the last two, which costs less than the whole stay overwater and is the split most of our Maldives bookings actually take.