Awards season has been kind to the Maldives, with a string of islands picking up honours at the Asia Hotel Awards and the South Asian Travel Awards in 2026. For anyone weighing up where to book a bucket-list escape, the winners offer a useful shortlist across very different styles of holiday.
The big one went to Centara Grand Lagoon Maldives, named Best Luxury Resort at the 15th Asia Hotel Awards. The resort opened in April 2025 within The Atollia development in North Malé Atoll and is built around its lagoon — 142 beachfront and overwater villas and residences, including two- and three-bedroom options with private pools and Jacuzzis. Cluster General Manager Jorge Fernandez describes the concept as luxury through design and a sense of place rather than sheer scale, with dining, wellness and activities all oriented around the water.
If your taste runs smaller and more intimate, Fushifaru Maldives in Lhaviyani Atoll ranked No. 4 Resort in the Indian Ocean in the Condé Nast Traveller Readers' Choice Awards. The boutique island claims the largest natural sandbank in the atoll — a short boat ride away — and sits inside a Marine Protected Area. The nearby Fushifaru Thila is a well-known manta ray cleaning station, with turtles, reef sharks and dolphins also regularly spotted. Snorkellers can start right on the house reef.
Sustainability-minded travellers have a standout too. Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Baa Atoll, took Silver for Leading Eco-Friendly Resort at the South Asian Travel Awards, while its General Manager Siraj Ali Waseem was named South Asia's Best GM for the Maldives. The resort hosts the Marine Turtle Rescue Centre in partnership with the Olive Ridley Project — a conservation partnership marking ten years in 2026 — and grows produce at its own Coco Farm. Guests can join educational programmes and see turtle rehabilitation up close.
Also among the SATA honours, JEN Maldives Malé by Shangri-La won Leading Business Hotel and Leading City Hotel (40 Rooms and Above). It's a handy pick if you're overnighting in the capital before a seaplane transfer, or in town on business.
Why does any of this matter for trip planning? Awards lists are imperfect, but this batch maps neatly onto the main ways people holiday in the Maldives: flagship overwater luxury in North Malé, castaway-style boutique island life in Lhaviyani, conservation-focused stays in Baa Atoll, and practical city lodging in Malé. If you've been circling a booking, the manta season at Fushifaru and the turtle programmes at Coco Palm are the kind of experiences that justify splashing out — and Centara Grand Lagoon is still new enough that it's finding its footing among the region's established big names.
