A Maldivian resort is making a name for itself as one of the region's most family-friendly islands. Finolhu, part of the Seaside Collection in Baa Atoll, has picked up five nominations at the Luxury Childcare Association Awards 2026 — covering sustainable childcare, children's programming, family experiences, childcare facilities, and baby and toddler care.
What sets Finolhu apart is how it splits its young guests by age rather than lumping them together. Younger children get a Kids Club with indoor and outdoor zones, running a rolling schedule of creative workshops, games, sports and island-inspired activities that draw on the surrounding ocean and nature. Teenagers, meanwhile, have their own hangout — the Teens Hut — designed as a more independent, informal space for games and socialising, so the two groups never cramp each other's style.
Babies and toddlers are covered too, with dedicated childcare services and age-appropriate facilities that make a longer Maldives trip realistic for parents of very young children. That matters in a country where transfers and resort stays are a significant investment, and where many properties quietly skew adult-only.
The setting does some of the work. Finolhu sits inside the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and marine education and environmental awareness are woven into selected activities. The resort also runs a coral restoration programme with two nurseries holding more than 40 coral trees and thousands of planted fragments. Outside of scheduled childcare, families have a two-kilometre sandbank, beaches and a lagoon for watersports, plus workshops and entertainment for days away from the water.
Finolhu isn't the only Maldivian resort collecting silverware. Cinnamon Hotels scored a double at the Travel Trade Maldives Awards 2026: Ellaidhoo in North Ari Atoll took a Best Dive Resort win thanks to its celebrated house reef, 24-hour diving facility and more than 50 nearby dive sites, while the adults-only Cinnamon Hakuraa Huraa in Meemu Atoll was named among the Best Honeymoon Destinations. Elsewhere, The Standard, Maldives in Raa Atoll was named Best Family Resort at the Global Destination Awards by World Fashion Channel — its offer includes the Lil' Shark Kids Club, a teen arcade lounge, sushi-making classes and family-sized villas. And OZEN RESERVE BOLIFUSHI retained its MICHELIN Key, one of only 15 resorts in the Maldives to hold the honour.
For parents weighing up the Maldives, the takeaway is that family travel there has matured well beyond a token kids pool. If you're travelling with children of mixed ages, look for resorts that separate programming by age group and build in baby and toddler care — that combination is still rare enough that award bodies are making a point of flagging it.
