One of the South Malé Atoll's best-known resorts has a new identity. As of 1 October, the property long known as Holiday Inn Resort Kandooma Maldives is simply Kandooma Maldives — same island, same team, but with a freshly rebuilt product and an all-inclusive model that stretches well past meals and drinks.
The headline change is accommodation. Eight new Family Beach Pool Villas pair direct beach access with private splash pools and dedicated kids' sleeping areas. Two-bedroom Beach Houses have gained private pools, and two three-bedroom Pool Villas now cater to bigger, multi-generational groups. The resort totals 146 villas across garden, beachfront and overwater settings, reached by a 45-minute speedboat ride from Velana International Airport.
The all-inclusive concept is where Kandooma is trying to stand out. On qualifying stays of four nights or more, guests get real experiences baked into the rate: a sunset splash cruise, sunrise fishing, guided reef snorkelling and a 30-minute spa treatment (back, neck and shoulder or foot massage). Certified divers can take a free guided dive every day through the Dive Free programme, with equipment, boat transfers and Nitrox fills included. Longer stays unlock more, with inclusions resetting every four nights.
The island is organised around five "Signatures". Kandooma Blue covers the water side — the resort runs a PADI 5-Star Dive Centre with roughly 28 dive sites nearby. Kandooma Table makes food an event, with beach barbecues, themed island nights and 24-hour dining at Kandooma Café, plus a new Beach Club that shifts from daytime hangout to evening cocktails. Kandooma Flow is the slow lane, with a COMO Shambhala spa, yoga, pilates and sound healing. Kandooma Social brings sunset sessions, live music and campfire nights, while Kandooma Ways adds local island and Malé visits, nature walks and cultural activities.
Families remain the core audience. Kids Stay and Eat Free continues, and the Kandoo Kids' Club runs from 8am to 8pm daily for ages four to 12, with a splash zone and waterslide. Children from eight can try the PADI Bubblemaker programme, and surf lessons run with partner Perfect Wave. A new Beach Club, finishing in the coming weeks, gives teenagers somewhere to gather too.
For travellers weighing up Maldives resorts, this matters because all-inclusive here is genuinely activity-led rather than a buffet-plus-bar formula — a family of four could realistically fill a week without ever opening a wallet for extras. General Manager Andrew Drummond's pitch is that parents shouldn't spend the holiday doing mental arithmetic about what things cost, and on paper, the pricing structure backs that up. Multi-generational groups and families with mixed-age kids are the clear target, but couples who dive daily will also find the Dive Free perk hard to beat in this price bracket.
